Lost (Possible Spoilers)

4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42

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Here is that doc, which is available on YT



And just to be clear: I agree that Lost is a flawed show, doesn't stick the landing, and is incredibly divisive. I still love it!

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I recall reading that they had planned the ending, at least to be close to what it was. I believe the interview was some time after the show''s end. The bit that sticks with me was the attitude like, how could we have NOT planned that as weird as it was!?

I'll try to find that article again. It was online. Could also be for a whole different show

FWIW: I loved this series, start to finish. I adore it and try to watch it every few years. It's up with Breaking Bad, Deadwood, and Battlestar Gallactica (reboot) for me.

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Here is what AI is saying on Google:

"The creators, primarily Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, claimed to have a foundational vision for the series' conclusion, even before the pilot aired."

This is definitely false, as Cuse didn't get brought on board the show until midway through the creation of the first season.

"Carlton Cuse, who had previously worked with Lindelof on Nash Bridges [2], talked Lindelof out of quitting [3] and eventually joined Lost as another executive producer for the Season 1 episode "Solitary"."

I do recall them mentioning they wanted to end the show with the same shot that they started it with, with Jack lying in the bamboo looking at the camera, so OK, perhaps they had stuff like that in mind, but as far as all the details of the story up to that point, Lindelof's claims in the documentary above state that he had to go by the seat of his pants right away. Hence him trying to quit and Cuse having to talk him off a cliff, etc.

I find the idea that they had the whole ending planned out to be hard pill to swallow, since at the beginning they planned to for instance kill Jack off midway through the pilot, so they really had no idea where they were going with this thing.

"Lindelof J.J. and I made the impassioned plea as to how it’d be like killing Janet Leigh off in the middle of Psycho, suddenly switching perspectives, and it was Anthony Perkins’ movie. And [then-Touchstone Television president] Stephen McPherson said, ”There’s a difference between a movie and a television show. If you get the audience to love this guy over the first hour, killing him will make them feel like they cannot attach themselves to anybody else, because they can be plucked away at any time.” That was the first time that we fundamentally understood, ”Wow, this guy’s right.” So we went back to J.J.’s office and said, ”All right, what does the show look like if Jack survives?”

I will accept that they had at least a rough idea of where they show might end up, but no way they had any clue as to how crazy it would get and all the machinations that would develop.

How about this:

"Abrams We didn’t know in the pilot that Locke had been in a wheelchair. When we were working on the [series] scripts, Damon pitched me the idea."

This is a reveal from episode 4 of the first season, Walkabout.

But they had the end of the show ready to go?

Just makin' shit up, folks!

That article states they were asked to come up (and shoot!) an ending JIC it became a TV movie - an idea they thought to be pretty absurd at the time, one that would never be satisfactory. They instead dug in and shot the now famous scene with Charlie asking "Guys, where are we??"

This may have been the article I was remembering:
https://www.vulture.com/article/lost...y-the-end.html

It's got a 2024 publish date, but comments at the end were made 3 years ago. That fits in the timeframe I probably read it. I've only skimmed through though. It looks familiar, but my memories posted earlier may be wrong memories n such....

They do point out that the first season was such a pace that questions were like, "WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NEXT WEEK!!??" but they nod to concepts that took root in S1 for the ending.

Okay, NOW I see that we essentially agree! It's all good. And I'm enjoying the rewatch!

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Since I no longer do drugs I'll never rewatch LOST, because Id have to be stoned making fun of it with a group of friends to even consider it. I know! Lets present a mystery and at the end just say "All your theories were ass and thanks for the money - SUCKER! lulz!" What was lost wasn't the passengers, but 5 seasons worth of real time wasted on some mid level producers posing as writers having the audacity to knowingly just 'do stuff' to string us along and keep tuning in. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, then I'd have to believe pro wrestling outcomes aren't planned even after looking at the booking sheet. So sorry, I'm not going to make myelf believe in Santa Clause again because it was fun when I was young. So there.

The ending of LOST made the ending of Game of Thrones look like it was written by Hawthorne.

I think for me "Lost" is a great show and certainly one of the most creative and entertaining TV series that is within the sci-fi genre, but I do think the lesson for me of the show is not to overly complicate the plot. I think that was the main issue with "Lost". The characters were great, and the story remains interesting, and I'd agree it is a character-driven show in part, but the mythology around "Lost" just got too complex and there was really no way to fully tie in all of those stories to an understandable central plot thread (what was the deal with all of that random time travel?), so they just kind of gave up on doing that as the show went on, especially as the show came to a close in the last season or two, and they left much of the story unresolved in the series finale. I think had the show been a bit simpler, it would have been easier to follow, more satisfying, and better received as it came to a close.

I'm currently up to season 1, episode 20. Am loving the rewatch. I'd forgotten how much fun those earlier seasons were. Everyone was so well cast for their parts, too.

Well after my tantrum rant about LOST I now find myself hooked into a new show by the same creators, a show called FROM. It's on MGM+ and have the same feelings & curiosity i had like with LOSTs early seasons. People can't escape a small town due to some mystical mystery and monsters come out at night. I really hope they have something concrete at the end to explain it all.....but if not, I'll just enjoy the ride.

Oh, I started that show when it first came out but didn't keep up with it. Is it a complete series or did it get shelved somewhere along the way?

I think it has the guy who plays Michael in Lost in it, yes?

@Austruck
It does, yes, and it's a series. I'm dialed-in too. Season 3 starts 9/22.
Anyone that loved LOST would really like this show. It's like LOST but with the F word, and they're not in Hawaii.

I'll have to restart it and then continue!

I noticed LOST on a streaming option the other night and I got a bit giddy! I just have to figure out a time to devote to it soon =\

I own all the DVDs but streaming is so much more convenient, so I'm doing my rewatch via Netflix, where all the seasons currently reside.