I had a eureka moment late Thursday night after finishing yet another episode of Lost. I finally realized what made the show so compelling for me, and why I believe the show is so popular. It's not the Island, or a plane wreck, or the mystery of the Others that makes the show so intriguing--that's simply the landscape, and the setting. The intrigue and mystery adds the fun factor to the show, so it's definitely needed, but it's not what's at the core of the series. What gives the show it's strength is that it's ultimately about the human condition.
It hit me at the end of episode 13, when Sawyer says, "I'm not a good person, Charlie. Never did a good thing in my life." These people aren't simply lost, stranded somewhere in the middle of the ocean. Everyone of them is lost, in a metaphysical sense, and they were just as lost back home as they are on this island.
Every single one of them has demons, and a tortured past, that causes great turmoil in their lives. How different is that from our own lives? Despite all of it's science fiction and fantasy moments, Lost, I think, might just be the one TV show that rings true the most for me. The backstories at first bugged me--I wanted to get back to the action. They still do sometimes, but more often than not, I'm fascinated by the stories. They're always stories of troubled moments in the characters' lives, moments that explain better how they are acting now. We have the privilege of being somewhat omniscient, to be able to understand the characters more fully than those on the island. We can be sympathetic towards them all, and even empathetic at times. Speaking for me, I find that I can completely identify with these characters. Lord knows I've got some demons in my past!
John sees the island as a place where everyone gets a second chance, and I really believe that's what Lost is all about. Sawyer was beginning to be liked--he couldn't live with that, because of his past. He did something to make them hate him again, and Kate was baffled why he did it. The answer is simple: he's lost.
The squabbles and fights, and the hoped for reconciliations that sometimes come, and sometimes don't, all ring true. It's so believable because of this. It simply rings true. I absolutely love it for that. I think that's what good fiction, and storytelling needs to be about: telling the truth about the human condition.
I hope John is right.
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3 comments:
Have you ever heard the human experience as being "uniquely common"?
Uniquely...clearly, we're all individuals
Common...shared or relatable
Dan, I can totally appreciate why you're hooked on LOST as the characters with their imperfections, struggles, hopes, triumphs are so relatable. And the degree to which they are determines in large part just how compelling the show is.
It's probably why I like history so much, why little kids like bedtime stories (beyond the opportunity to stay up later), why Jesus taught in parables, etc.
Thanks for the comment, Paul. I know there were obstacles put in your path--thanks for persevering.
Oh, and I think you're right on. I can't remember if you and Alison are fiends for Lost or not. Do you guys watch it?
Obstacles, shmobstacles!
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