US: Where does the show go next? (no spoilers, just theories)

doh.ie

OK, couple of thoughts on where I think the show needs to go from here to remain as good in season two as it was in the first. Haven't spoilified it cos it's all based on "Exodus" and I've read nothing in advance. I'm a little concerned about how the mysteries might unfold, so thought I'd throw this out there rather than add to way too much ranting over on the 1x24/25 thread.

Have to say, one of the tougher parts of watching “Exodus” for me was that the more I heard about ‘security systems’ and multiple wreckages and ‘the Others’, the more I realised that the show has to have rewarding and strong explanations or it’s in danger of falling flat. I trust and like its writers and producers, so I do hope they have some great stories in store, but for how, I’m going to play devil’s advocate…

Let’s say, for the sake of argument, the island *is* a top-secret, Area 51-like government project. The ‘monster’ is really a very advanced series of traps and movement detectors, protecting what lies in a large underground bunker (the hatch being one entrance to that.) The motives of such a shady government group could be anything from psychological testing on ‘trapped’ survivors of various crashes to testing out biological warfare on humans (Rosseau’s team’s disease) and animals (the polar bears). You get the idea.

So all the questions are answered and explained, but now the ‘whispering’ has become radio communications devices, the ‘monster’ being a machine, the hatch being a government base and the crash caused by espionage/jamming devices/hi-tech military equipment… And the show falters, because it was the unusual, paranormal nature of the mysteries that made it compelling in the first place.

My point is, though the writers say everything is plausible in the real world, if it ultimately is, as above, then I think the show will be disappointing. I hope they’re smart enough to preserve mystery once the hatch is open. (Yes, I see how that’s hypocritical – I *want* to know the hatch’s secrets cos they’ve taken half a season getting to this point, but I also don’t want answers that will weaken or hurt the show’s premise… or make me go, “Oh, not great(!)”

TV fans know that shows can go from having excellent series finales (Quantum Leap) to the most awful television ever written (Enterprise), so for Lost to have any impact years from now, it has to not jeopardise its ultimate revelations by introducing conflicting elements (The X-Files did that in spades) or by revealing something we don’t find compelling.

Lost hasn't gone that direction - yet - and I hope it doesn't, but when you go from the genuine mystery of the pilot (the monster that then could have been anything) to tonight where the mystery has lessened (and it is now a 'security system', possibly mechanical), it shows how knowing more often lessens the impact. I'm not saying we should never find out, but I’m concerned that we may ultimately be disappointed once we do.

And lastly, I was wondering when I saw “Exodus” how much life there is in the show as each of these mysteries are solved. For example, I think we absolutely have to find out what's in the hatch early next season (within 2-3 episodes) even if it proves unrelated to the monster or 'the others'.

Unless the writers have some aces up their sleeves, the show’s final episode ever (in 5-7 years, ratings permitting) would presumably be our learning the nature of the monster and what it's protecting... who brought the vessels of various kinds to the island, and why and why some people survived and others didn't.

Looking back over the last year, we've learned so much, and added so many layers to the information in the pilot episode. In the first eight episodes, the information trickled, but was enough to keep us coming back. I’m almost thinking it needs to go back to this pace in season two, because I’m not sure we’re going to like the hatch explanation.

Let's say, for the sake of argument the group next find a copy of a recent newspaper in the jungle, one from after the date of the crash. Suddenly a new mystery opens up... How did it get there, who's visiting the island etc. This kind of thing could be fun as the early episodes were – small tidbits, surrounding island character conflicts. But if it becomes a different show, becomes about the hatch/the others, it may not be as rewarding as when we knew a lot less. (This is the problem with shows like Twin Peaks and Desperate Housewives – once you know the answer to the mystery, it makes other stories harder to sustain. I hope JJ Abrams, Damon Lindelf, Carlton Cuse and the others have seen enough of this type of television to see the pitfalls other shows have experience. I’m confident they have the skills to make Lost different, but it was the one concern I had about the hatch/the monster/the others in “Exodus”.

The continuing key question of a) what the island is for b) who is behind its mysteries. Whatever they come up with will go back to those questions every time. The question is, are they going to stretch it out with hints and smaller profile mysteries over season two, or start telling us eabout the hatch/monster sooner.

Somewhere between the weird skeletons discovered in ep 7 with the black and white stones (when the mystery was still fresh and bizarre) and the time when Rosseau/the others/the hatch became part of the plot, I became worried about how much of all of it was planned out properly. I really do hope I'm wrong, and the show has years of life in it, but that all depends on the writers knowing where they're going. It's more important there is a coherent answer to everything – and an interesting and cool one at that - than introducing mystery upon mystery just to keep the viewer intrigued. I think that's why last week felt like a finale - it served the characters very well and gave their stories and end-point.

Hyzepher

I agree that the overall mystery of the Island shouldn't be revealed until the end. They can achieve this by creating mysteries - giving the answers, and then creating more mystaeries. So we the viewers can get small answers as we go along - and therefore feel content that the series is evolving, while keeping the overall mystery going so that the series doesn't fall on its face after all the initial questions are answered.

Hyzepher

doh.ie

Hyzepher wrote:

and therefore feel content that the series is evolving, while keeping the overall mystery going so that the series doesn't fall on its face after all the initial questions are answered.

That's exactly what bugs me about the hatch, but we'll see. Hard to believe all the answers needed aren't in there, though... unless it happens to lead to a door that is also impenetrable...

Whole thing reminds me of this a bit:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2264123.stm

Every question answered seems to bring up two more and every stumbling block is followed by another more difficult one!

pickarooney

I find it hard to image a second series that could live up to the first 23 episodes of series one, and fear Lost may even jump the shark early in season two. The fact that September doesn't seem too far away, and I'm much less curious about what happens next than I was during the extended break this year doesn't bode well. Perhaps it's unwarranted pessimism, but I feel the writers may have painted themselves into a corner in a few ways. First, the characters. I think most people would agree that the people are far and away the most interesting facet of Lost. The décor, the monster, the numbers and the hatch are all great in their own way, but it's the characters that make it. They've spent six months slowly introducing us to a complex set of characters whose paths have crossed in some way in the past. It's going to be very difficult to keep an audience happy if they either kill off a favourite character after everyone has emotionally invested in him/her or introduce a newcomer who doesn't quite match up. A combination of both (which is inevitable, really) could lead to resentment of the usurper who's replaced a fan favourite.
Secondly, the mysteries. Most of us, I feel are ambivalent about these. We want to find out more, but we don't want the mystery solved, at least not unless we have something equally diverting to replace it. How long and how well they can walk this tightrope will show just how good the creators are.
There were times in the last couple of episodes where a scene seemed contrived to get our heroes to solve a puzzle and mvoe on to the next level - sort of Crystal Mazey. Forgivable in small doses, if it became a regular thing it would really not go down well.

daveirl

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