The 'Lost' Script Writers

[Qwpzxjor1]

I'm sorry to start yet another poll, and I know there is already a thread for Lost - if this can be merged into it then great, but I really am curious to see people's opinion on this show in poll form.

I myself have stopped watching the show now because I feel the writers just don't know where it's going. They are just writing whatever comes into their head, taking it off on an even stranger tangent with absolutely no idea the relevance to the story lines. There are big 'mysteries' dating back a couple of series that will never be answered and are largely forgotten, replaced by new, bigger 'mysteries'.

It seems to me now it's a show that is getting fans more on fear than entertainment. It's like playing the lottery.. some people are happy to have a lucky dip every now and again.. but as soon as you play the same numbers a few weeks running, you begin to play it out of fear, fear that the week you don't those numbers will come up. Is Lost similar, on a smaller scale; that people watch because they are afraid the week they don't all will be revealed?

Some of my friends still watch it every week, and every week when we speak afterwards they complain about no more answers still. Yet next week, tuning in again...

They are flashing forwards and back so no-one knows what is going on, they have not answered any questions... it's just random writing!

If you watch Lost.. what do you think of the whole story, and concept of the style of writing?

ps. this isn't about the discussion of the actual storyline at all (of course, I use 'storyline' quite loosely...)

[kingphil]

I`m in total agreement with you.

I wouldn`t say I enjoy it, but want the answers - However, several answers have come out during the 4th series, and as we know it will end after series 6, I hope the answers will be mopre forth coming.

[Nath182]

I am still on series 3, watching them on series link or something. I got bored of waiting for the season to restart when they had that massive break in the middle of series 2 I think it was, Id forgot what had happened by the time it started again. I enjoy watching it and I do think that the writers do know where the story is going but they will wait till the last couple of episodes of the last series to let us know.

[tarjei]

If they revealed all there would of course be no reason to watch it. I can see where you're coming from but I don't agree. I would say they're giving away just about the right amount of info to still keep it interesting and not annoy the viewers. If you watch a soap it's just amazing how long they manage to drag the simplest thing out. You end up wanting to kill the writers and get it over with, but that means you'd never know the answer. In Lost there's a slow but gratifying revelation of the story. The use of flashbacks and flashforwards are elegantly used, in my opinion. They all have a purpose and they're a big part in understanding why things are panning out the way they are.

A lot has been revealed. If you sit down and watch it all over again and write a list I'm sure that list would be pretty long. You're still left with more mysteries and more questions, but they need to be there. When the third season was over I saw all episodes over again in a short time frame and I noticed that alot of what you see in the show later on was already planned a long time ago. In example there are glimpses of people in the flashbacks that appear to be just random extras, but later on their connection to story becomes clearer, and it's clear that this was intended when they first appeared. I didn't notice this when I saw the episodes over a long period of time.

[tarjei]

I'm a bit curious now that you mentioned it. Any examples of "big 'mysteries' dating back a couple of series" that have not been revealed?

[Grant(aka_eddy)]

Its the latest popular US show to be ruined by executives who want to stretch it out, dont blame the scriptwriters.

The lad who plays Charlie said as much on the Jonathan Ross show a while back, that it was a brilliant show written for 2 series but that the executives demanded it be stretched out for financial profit at the expense of the storyline. In effect it becomes diluted and i like your lottery analogy alot, keep watching for fear you are about to miss the big reveal.

The X files would perhaps be the best comparison, no-one was waytching by the end.

[tarjei]

When things were reveled in X-files it was in a cryptic way. You would still wonder and want a more definitive end to it. Then you had the monster of the week episodes, or what you call them, and there were more of them then episodes relevant to the storyline.

[BOF]

They know.

[El Zen]

They know.

Only the island really knows.

I've watched it too much, haven't I?

[TheSufferingVilla]

I thought they were going nowhere until very recently, after the last 4 maybe 5 episodes I am convinced that they have a very good masterplan and everything will be revealed in a satisfying manner.

[rjw63]

When are the last episodes being aired, as it takes an extra day for them to appear online?

[AndyM3000]

When are the last episodes being aired, as it takes an extra day for them to appear online?

Thur in US. I am at the moment 1 episode ahead of UK episodes. On Friday when it comes out online here I will be 2 eps ahead.

[Troglodyte]

I agree with BOF, they know.

Don't listen to the Podcasts etc but from what I've read, it's been said that despite lots of new shocks, twists etc, a lot of the questions posed in previous series will be answered and haven't been forgotten.

If they didn't actually know what to do, with the vastly numerous unanswered questions, seasons 5 and 6 would be farcical as they tried to pick up the pieces and put them together.

[JB]

I'm fairly certain they know. They've posed so many mysteries that they could have got themselves in a complete and unresolvable mess if they didn't know where they were going. They also publicly stated that they planted massive clues in the first few episodes of season 1, so that when it does end, they be able to prove that they always knew what was going to happen.

I also remember see 'Charlie' on Jonathan Ross, but can't remember him saying it was being stretched out beyond the wishes of the writers. What I do recall is that he said that they have a definite ending in mind but how they get there is open to adjustment.

[villab0y]

Never watched it but from what ive heard it seems they're making it up as they go along.

[CVByrne]

If they don't explain the numbers it's proof that it's just rubbish. Like why Hugo knows the numbers, why it was on the hatch and why they kept entering the numbers in the hatch. Then dropped them from the show.I think Lost is TV Heroin, you hate it but have to watch it. They have you hooked.

[El Zen]

Then dropped them from the show.

You haven't watched episode 12 then? :winkold:

[CVByrne]

Well until the last episode where Hugo sees them as the miles on the car. They dropped them for 2 series, if they do explain it, it will only be Hugo's numbers not why they were in the hatch.

[El Zen]

We don't know that. If there's one thing I know about Lost it's that it is impossible to speculate on what will happen - and that's part of why the show is so great, imo.

[Stevo985]

I'm watching series 4 now, just watched episode 5 i think. It was all about Desmond anyway.

I completely lost faith halfway through series 3. The middle of series 2 was pure filler, same with 3, So I stopped watching once I got to 3. My mate convinced me to watch the end of series 3 and it was brilliant. Series 4 isn't answering a lot of questions, but it is bloody good again.