the Lost season finale
This article on MSNBC argues that half the fun of shows like Lost is trying to figure out what's rally going on, and figuring it out before anyone else. Speaking about the fact that moving the island wasn't just some use of a cloaking field or electromagnetic go-ga and actually involved turn a wheel in a secret cave the writer states A move like that is going to require a lot of “hows” and “wows,” more than one of those Dharma orientation videos can explain away. There needs to be some kind of logic and reason behind it, and while past reveals have proven creative in tying up the loose plotlines, it’s hard to imagine how this one will ever pass muster.
The writer goes on to say In the early days of “Lost,” back when purgatory theories abounded, producers assured the show’s followers that the island’s events weren’t the stuff of magic and mysticism; instead everything was explainable. Well, now it seems they either changed their minds or it was just a great big misdirect, because they’ve clearly stumbled into it-can’t-happen territory and then some.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing for a sci-fi show, but this is a mystery, too. Half the fun of a good mystery lies in the fan’s ability to try and parse the details and figure out what’s behind it all. When it seems like virtually anything’s possible, all bets are off. Suddenly the show has turned into Ben’s “magic box.”
I can not disagree more with their interpretation of events. While I agree that part of the fun is trying to figure it all out, I stopped making any serious attempts towards the end of season 2 because it became obvious that we simply didn't have enough facts to figure it ALL out. During season one we had no idea there was a hatch. We had no idea that so damned many people would find themselves stranded on the island. We didn't know that it was possible to pop on and off the island at will. During season two we took it for granted that the Others were in fact the bad guys but now we have to ask ourselves if that's true. Is Ben the bad guy? Is Widmore? Or are they both simply out for the same thing, making them both bad guys? IMHO the show has usually given us enough information to answer previous questions while at the same time asking all new ones. For example: we now know that when Jack saw his father's ghost during the first few episodes that he wasn't hallucinating. We know thru Hurley and Miles that ghosts do in fact exist. The question is: is this really Jack's father? or a representation of him created by the island?
I also disagree with the writers argument that when anything is possible, this is a bad thing. I see. So the fact that the writers have a more vivid imagination, or are more creative, or have gone geek and read lots of heavy duty science as research material makes it somehow unfair? So the show should be dumbed down to the LCD so that we should be able to easier predict where it's going? Nonsense. There is some validity to the idea that at some point answers must be given. We saw that fatigue among many viewers in season 3 and I that was when the writers did possibly the smartest thing they could've done, which was set an end date. That enabled them to plot the entire rest of the show out, which enabled them to utilize the fast forwards which have given the show new life. I say as long as enough basic questions are answers, it's fine if there are new questions posed.
Now, as to the main issue: just wtf is going on with all the teleportation, time travel and the moving of an entire island? Well I present two articles, one by Adam from Mythbusters where he talks about why the bomb on the boat was not even close to what would really happen, and also about the possible science behind the moving island. Then I have a second article which also discusses the science behind the moving island
The writer goes on to say In the early days of “Lost,” back when purgatory theories abounded, producers assured the show’s followers that the island’s events weren’t the stuff of magic and mysticism; instead everything was explainable. Well, now it seems they either changed their minds or it was just a great big misdirect, because they’ve clearly stumbled into it-can’t-happen territory and then some.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing for a sci-fi show, but this is a mystery, too. Half the fun of a good mystery lies in the fan’s ability to try and parse the details and figure out what’s behind it all. When it seems like virtually anything’s possible, all bets are off. Suddenly the show has turned into Ben’s “magic box.”
I can not disagree more with their interpretation of events. While I agree that part of the fun is trying to figure it all out, I stopped making any serious attempts towards the end of season 2 because it became obvious that we simply didn't have enough facts to figure it ALL out. During season one we had no idea there was a hatch. We had no idea that so damned many people would find themselves stranded on the island. We didn't know that it was possible to pop on and off the island at will. During season two we took it for granted that the Others were in fact the bad guys but now we have to ask ourselves if that's true. Is Ben the bad guy? Is Widmore? Or are they both simply out for the same thing, making them both bad guys? IMHO the show has usually given us enough information to answer previous questions while at the same time asking all new ones. For example: we now know that when Jack saw his father's ghost during the first few episodes that he wasn't hallucinating. We know thru Hurley and Miles that ghosts do in fact exist. The question is: is this really Jack's father? or a representation of him created by the island?
I also disagree with the writers argument that when anything is possible, this is a bad thing. I see. So the fact that the writers have a more vivid imagination, or are more creative, or have gone geek and read lots of heavy duty science as research material makes it somehow unfair? So the show should be dumbed down to the LCD so that we should be able to easier predict where it's going? Nonsense. There is some validity to the idea that at some point answers must be given. We saw that fatigue among many viewers in season 3 and I that was when the writers did possibly the smartest thing they could've done, which was set an end date. That enabled them to plot the entire rest of the show out, which enabled them to utilize the fast forwards which have given the show new life. I say as long as enough basic questions are answers, it's fine if there are new questions posed.
Now, as to the main issue: just wtf is going on with all the teleportation, time travel and the moving of an entire island? Well I present two articles, one by Adam from Mythbusters where he talks about why the bomb on the boat was not even close to what would really happen, and also about the possible science behind the moving island. Then I have a second article which also discusses the science behind the moving island