LOST

:(TV series), an ABC drama series about plane crash survivors marooned on a mysterious island

It's hard to know where to start talking about Lost. Do I get started on its mind-bending plot? Its spiritual implications? Its sci-fi/reality blend? Its alluring setting that still manages to make a tropical island seem a less than appealing place to spend your life? I could go on about all this and more but last night as I watched, it occurred to me that perhaps the primary reason I love Lost is because I can relate to so many of the characters.


Last night, oddly enough, it was Benjamin Linus who made me think, "I would do something like that." At various times this season I've had this exact same thought about Jack, Sayid, Claire (sideways Claire, not crazy Claire), Locke and several other characters. It's these characters who keep me watching week after week, month after month, season after season. These characters who made me say out loud last night, "I love him! I don't want this show to end!" While I don't recall right now who was onscreen when I uttered those words, they get to the heart of how I feel about Lost.

This is pretty much the same reason I like to read books: for good character development. I've loved watching the brilliant minds behind Lost turn a former torturer, a con man, a murderer (or two), a doctor with a God complex, an estranged married couple and a man separated from his constant into people I truly care about. Which character is my favorite? Well, that depends on the week. I love the way this season we've really seen Desmond come into his own. I love that he's been brave and bold to help the other Oceanic passengers see what they aren't seeing. I love seeing a character make hard choices, choices that I'd like to be more confident making in my own life.


But I also love many of the other characters. Kate's mix of brash cockiness, maternal instinct and sex appeal make me want to be her (if only for a few minutes). Sawyer's tough exterior that hides his wounded heart gets me (and it doesn't hurt that he's easy on the eyes). And Jack? I'll admit that I was pretty sick of him last season. I'd had enough of his self-pity, so this season has been a welcome reprieve. I think I see a bit too much of myself in Jack and I want to believe that I'll move past self-pity for things I can't change about my life and be the person I was meant to be, even if that's a bit scary.


When I read a good book, with characters who are three dimensional and fully developed, I love for the ending to be realistic and maybe a tad open ended so that I can imagine for myself what the character would have done. And I have a sinking feeling that the Lost finale will do much the same thing...

There's no way all of the loose ends will be tied up in the remaining two hours of the show and while I lament this, I also applaud it. I want to be able to decide/imagine/ponder/dream what happens to these characters I've come to know and love, just like I want my own life to play out with all of the inherent suspense and surprise we try to recreate through books, movies and TV shows.