Tom's Take: With the glory of the Internet and/or DVD box sets, we're not limited to watching shows that are still actually ON TV. This is how I got into shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, and Roswell. You've probably noted a theme to the types of shows I like to watch this way. Science Fiction and Fantasy. I love these types of shows, especially when the writers are capable not just of creating interesting and exciting plots, but of creating truly wonderful characters that develop over the course of the series. And because I watched these shows once they were off the air, I was able to get years worth of character growth in just a matter of weeks. It's wonderful, although it takes a lot to do. These shows are usually not easy to digest, so I thought I would write about them!
So with that out of the way, it's time to talk about Lost. I didn't watch Lost when it was originally on the air. I was busy with high school shenanigans, and just didn't have the time or energy to dedicate to this type of show. Well okay, none of that's really true. I could of watched it. But I didn't. I don't really know why, and it no longer matters, because that's all about to get corrected.
Tom Reviews Lost: Season 1 Episode 1"Pilot(1)"
So I knew going in what the basic premise was. A bunch of people have crash landed on an island, and this island is not like normal islands. I don't know if I've been spoiled to the exact nature of the island, but I've heard some things, so to be honest the mystery of the island isn't going to be a huge focus for me. Surprisingly, I found that the other aspects of this episode were captivating enough without the whole sci fi mystery aspect of it. According to the brief synopsis I allowed myself to read there are 48 survivors, and I liked that we weren't introduced to all of them. I think I'll mostly limit myself to talking about the ones whose names I learned, since I prefer not to refer to people by derogatory terms like "the black woman" or so on. So here we go. I'm counting 6 people this episode out of 48.
1. Sayid: Yes, I looked up how to spell your name, because I wouldn't have gotten that on my own. I'm glad I don't have to just refer to you as "that Indian guy," but really that's all I feel I know about your character.
2. Pilot: He died, after giving us the news that they're 1000 miles offcourse. Nice. I don't know if he's supposed to count as one of the 48, but since I doubt I'll ever learn 48 names, I'm counting him.
3. Janet(?): I'm not quite sure if that's her name. I'm talking about the bitchy blonde. I dislike her, but I feel we're going to be given a reason for her attitude.
4. Charlie: He was/is a member of DriveShaft! His singing makes me think that was a terrible band, but I love that Kate vaguely recognizes him. I'm pretty sure he had drugs or something else illegal in the bathroom. I'm going to predict right now that at some point we're lead to believe that it's relevant to the plot and the crash, but it will turn out not to be. He seems to be sort of like Gaius Baltar to me, in that he's not necessarily a bad guy, but he's got something to hide, and will be something of a coward. I expect him to be mostly useless in this series, and to get in the way, but also provide comic relief.
5. Kate: I'm shocked at how quickly she managed to develop sexual tension with Jack. One episode in, and I'm already starting to ship them. That's pretty crazy. I have no idea what will happen with their relationship. If this was a Joss Whedon show, my guess is that they get together right before Kate is brutally killed, but J.J Abrams? I'm not sure. There's definitely chemistry there though, so kudos to the casting people, and the actors too I suppose. My favorite parts of the pilot also involved Kate, first when she recognized Charlie as a part of DriveShaft! and then later when she took Jack's advice and counted to five. It was kind of cheesy, but I really enjoyed it. She seems to believe that she's a coward, which makes her character's courage in this episode even more moving, and I think the fact that Jack points this out is a big part of why I like them together already. I just wish Jack wouldn't have constantly been like, "you don't have to come with me" during their little adventure to the cock pit.
6. Jack: So I wasn't all that interested in the mystery of the Island, but I do have some questions about Jack. Why was he separate from everyone else? Is that dog real? Why was he drinking in the flashback? He seems to take the leadership role right of way, which sort of makes sense considering that he's a doctor, and has probably the most useful skills of anyone on the island. It is interesting though, that he really didn't hesitate to take charge. So far, he seems to be a very strong protagonist. With the only exception being his drinking in the flashback, he seems to be pretty perfect. My natural inclination is that he must have a dark past.
Rating: 9 out of 10 mysterious dogs.
This was a really strong pilot. The actors already seem to have a good handle on their roles, at least the main ones do, and I was definitely interested the whole time. I also thought the music, sound, and cinematography was really good. In particular I liked the reveal of the plane wreck, and the way that at first what appeared to be bird sounds turned in human screaming. It was a very jarring scene, which I believe was the point. There's a lot of characters to navigate, and I'm glad they didn't spend this pilot trying to introduce us to all of them, but I'm looking forward to learning more about some of the others. Hopefully I'll catch everyone's name.
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