Lost (2004 TV series)

*Lost*
Lost
	File:Lost-season2.jpg
Created by	Damon Lindelof; J.J. Abrams; Jeffrey Lieber
Starring	See Cast and characters below
Country of origin	USA
No. of episodes	39 (plus three specials) (as of February 15, 2006)
Production
Running time	43 minutes
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	September 22, 2004 –; present

Lost is an American drama-adventure television series concerning the survivors of a plane crash on a mysterious tropical island. It was created by Jeffrey Lieber, J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, is produced by Bad Robot Productions and Touchstone Television, and airs on the ABC network. The music is composed by Michael Giacchino.

Lost's development began in January 2004, when Jeffrey Lieber pitched the story idea to ABC, who ordered an initial script. Unhappy with the result and a subsequent re-write, then-head of the network, Lloyd Braun contacted J. J. Abrams, creator of cult-favorite Alias, to write a new pilot script. Initially hesitant, Abrams warmed to it, and eventually collaborated with Damon Lindelof to create the series' unique style and characters. ^[1] The development of the show was constrained by tight deadlines, as it had been commissioned late in the 2004 season's development cycle. Despite the tight schedule, the creative team remained flexible enough that they did not hesitate to modify or create characters to fit actors they wished to cast. ^[2]

Lost's pilot episode was the most expensive in television history, having cost US$10 million. ^[3] The show became one of the biggest critical and commercial successes of the 2004 television season and, along with fellow new series Desperate Housewives, helped to reverse the flagging fortunes of ABC. ^[4] Capping its successful first season, Lost won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series and Abrams was awarded an Emmy in September 2005 for his work as director of the pilot. In January 2006 it won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Drama.

Overview

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Lost is structured on two interconnected elements. The primary focus of the show tracks the crash survivors as they struggle to cope with life on the island. However, the drama is supplemented by a second essential factor: flashbacks. These often highlight choices the main characters made in the past, and serve to illuminate their present actions. In most episodes, the story follows a specific character, both past and present.

In season one, flashbacks primarily revealed why each character was on the doomed flight. By comparison, those in season two have explored the deeper motivations of the central protagonists, a theme touched on only briefly during the first season. However, there are exceptions to this general formula. Examples of these deviations in style include the pilot and the season one finale episodes, which featured flashbacks from several characters and a more generalized depiction of action on the island. In addition, the season two episode "The Other 48 Days" did not feature any action prior to the departure of the flight, instead telling the story of the tail-section survivors of the crash, starting with their first moments on the island.

Each episode begins with a cold open, sometimes preceded by a recap of events that have a bearing on the upcoming narrative. At a dramatic juncture, the screen fades to black and the show's title graphic is depicted slightly out-of-focus, gliding towards the viewer. It is accompanied by an ominous, discordant sound. The opening credits are then shown over the scenes that follow. Episodes often end with a suspenseful twist, revealed just seconds before a smash cut to black.

Cast and Characters

Main Cast

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Mr. Eko (2005-)
Naveen Andrews as Sayid Jarrah
Emilie de Ravin as Claire Littleton
Matthew Fox as Jack Shephard
Jorge Garcia as Hugo "Hurley" Reyes
Maggie Grace as Shannon Rutherford (2004-2005)
Josh Holloway as James "Sawyer" Ford
Malcolm David Kelley as Walt Lloyd
Daniel Dae Kim as Jin-Soo Kwon
Yunjin Kim as Sun Kwon
Evangeline Lilly as Kate Austen
Dominic Monaghan as Charlie Pace
Terry O'Quinn as John Locke
Harold Perrineau Jr. as Michael Dawson
Michelle Rodriguez as Ana-Lucia Cortez (2005-)
Ian Somerhalder as Boone Carlyle (2004-2005)
Cynthia Watros as Libby (2005-)

Secondary Cast

Recurring Cast

Season Synopses

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Season One: 2004–2005

Season one began airing September 22, 2004. A plane crash strands the surviving passengers of Oceanic Flight 815 on a seemingly deserted tropical island, forcing the group of strangers to work together to stay alive. However, their survival is threatened by several mysteries, including the contents of a hatch buried in the ground, an unknown creature that roams the jungle, and the motives of the inhabitants known as the "Others".

Season Two: 2005–2006

Season two began airing September 21, 2005. Several new characters appear in the season, including the tail section survivors Ana-Lucia Cortez, Libby, and Mr. Eko. Also introduced are Desmond and other inhabitants of the island. This season begins 44 days after the crash and also introduces The Dharma Initiative and its benefactor, The Hanso Foundation, which may be responsible for the strange occurrences on the island.

Character Synopses

Dr. Jack Shephard - Jack is the island's doctor. Level-headed but at times emotional, he reluctantly assumes the responsibility as the group's leader. He was formerly a spinal surgeon, and he was travelling in order to transport the body of his deceased father (Dr. Christian Shephard). He was formerly married to Sarah Shephard.
Kate Austen - Kate is a fugitive being transported back to America by Marshall Edward Mars. After his death, from injuries sustained during the crash, Kate tries to pick up her life with a clean slate. She's quick-thinking, athletic, but emotionally scarred. Her mother is Diane Austen.
Charlie Pace - Charlie was the former bassist and creative mind behind the band Drive Shaft. His addiction to heroin has haunted him during his stay on the island, even though he has been clean since his recovery, which was aided by Locke. Charlie is deep, emotional, insecure, but also very funny and extremely talented. He becomes good friends with Hurley. His brother is Drive Shaft lead vocalist Liam Pace.
James "Sawyer" Ford - Sawyer is the resident con-man. Tough, witty, selfish, and agressive, his strong Tennessee accent can't hide his intelligence. Although by trademark a womanizer and a thorn in most people's sides, he has revealed a soft and touching interior, aided by his troubled past. He has a gimmick of giving everyone unique nicknames, and most often his cruelty has a humorous flavor, although certainly not in the eyes of the insulted.
Sayid Jarrah - Sayid is a former soldier of the Iraqi Republican Guard. Strong, quick-thinking, noble and confident, he brings a balance of humanity and purpose to the group. Although by nature mission-minded and disciplined, his heart and charity are guiding examples for the rest of the disoriented group. He developed an intimate relationship with Shannon.
John Locke - Locke is cunning, mysterious, strong, and wise. Although he might seem at first glance like an old, bald man, his unmatched hunting skills and nearly extra-sensory wisdom both impress and frighten the others. After opening himself up more to the group, he became increasingly at odds with Jack and his decisions. Being a man of strong faith, his interpretations are difficult for most of the group to understand, Jack most of all. He befriended Walt during the first few weeks on the island, and later became a mentor for Boone, who travelled briefly as his right-hand. His birth-father was Anthony Cooper

Story elements

There are several recurring story elements on Lost, some of which drive central plot points, both on the island and in the flashbacks of the survivors, while other elements provide a deeper understanding of the story.

Black and white

The colors black and white, which traditionally reflect opposition or dualism, appear frequently throughout the series, often brought together in reference to characters whose natures are presented as ambiguous or contradictory. This dichotomy is laid out in the "Pilot" with John Locke's description of backgammon to Walt: while holding up a black and white piece, Locke says, "Two players, two sides — one is light, one is dark." In the opening sequence of "Raised by Another", Locke appears as an ominous image in Claire's nightmare about her unborn child, with one eyeball black and the other white, playing with corresponding, similarly colored cards.

Other appearances of the colors likewise connect characters in apparent opposition to themselves, or each other. In "Deus Ex Machina", Sawyer, one of the more ethically questionable characters, develops headaches due to farsightedness, diagnosed by Jack and cured by Sayid, with the creation of a custom pair of glasses from the frames of two different sets: one side white, the other black. In the closing scene of "Collision," Jack and Ana Lucia, ostensibly the leaders of their respective factions, stand facing each other, with Jack wearing a white shirt and Ana Lucia wearing a black shirt.

At other points, the colors are featured in sometimes unexpected or unexplained ways. In "House of the Rising Sun", Jack finds a pouch on a pair of mummified corpses, nicknamed "Adam and Eve" by the survivors, containing one white stone and one black stone, which he then hides from Locke.

The numbers

The numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42 appear throughout the series, both in sequence and individually. They were broadcast from the Island's radio transmitter, and it was this message that drew Rousseau's expedition there. Although she later changed the message after the deaths of her team, the numbers had also been heard by other people, eventually making their way to Hurley, who used them to win the lottery. However, after his win, a series of misfortunes began to happen to those around him, leading him to believe the numbers are cursed. His search for answers led him to Australia and, through the crash, to the island itself, where he ultimately discovers the numbers engraved on the hatch. Inside the bunker, the same numbers appear on the occupant's medicine bottles, and make up a code that must be entered into the computer. The sum of these six numbers, 108, has also become significant in connection to The Dharma Initiative. This number appears on a mural inside the Initiative's Station Three, and the full sequence of numbers must be entered into the computer every 108 minutes. The individual numbers also appear frequently throughout the lives of the survivors, both before and after the crash.

Familial dysfunction

Most of the major characters have dysfunctional parents, particularly fathers, who are either absent, reluctant, or destructive. Most notably, Locke is the victim of a wretched betrayal in "Deus Ex Machina" by both his natural parents. Jack's broken relationship with his alcoholic surgeon father, Christian, is the impetus for him to travel to Australia, at the behest of his mother. Sawyer's mother has an extra-marital affair with a con-man; after finding out, his father kills her and then commits suicide. Kate murders the abusive man she had believed to be her step-father after discovering he was actually her biological father. She is forced into a life on the run after her mother reveals her crime to the police. While the troubling parental relationships of these four individuals have been the most explored, nearly all the protagonists have had serious difficulties with their families. In many cases, the ways in which the survivors dealt with these relationships lead to their being on the island.

Reference to philosophers

By admission of the show's writing staff, some characters on Lost reference famous philosophers through their names and connection to each other. ^[5] While unnecessary to the enjoyment of the series, for some fans, these references expand its literary and philosophical subtext. The two clearest examples, John Locke and Danielle Rousseau, are both named after social contract philosophers who dealt with the relationship between nature and civilization.

Locke shares his name with English philosopher John Locke. He believed that in a natural state, all men had equal rights to punish transgressors; to ensure fair judgment for all, governments were formed to better administer the laws. The philosopher's concept contended that humans are born with a "blank slate" — a tabula rasa (also the title of the Season 1's second episode) — without any innate knowledge or experience, and their identity is therefore a product of their decisions and choices in life. Rousseau shares her surname with Franco-Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who argued that man is born weak and ignorant, but virtuous nonetheless. He maintained that it is only after man develops society that he becomes wicked. His theory of the Noble Savage hypothesized that a child raised in the wilderness, independent of human society and culture, would be an objectively superior person with regards to a universal set of ethics.

In addition to Locke and Rousseau, there are other characters which have a relation to philosophers, with the two major ones also tied to Locke. First, Locke's father, Anthony Cooper, shares a name with a real world counterpart, Lord Anthony Ashley-Cooper, who was the philosopher John Locke's political mentor and patron. Second, Locke's protegé, Boone Carlyle, shares his name with Thomas Carlyle, a nineteenth-century essayist who spoke of the organization, structure and leadership of society. In his book Heroes and Hero Worship, he proclaimed that by necessity, heroic leaders were inevitably flawed.

There are also strong connections with Eastern philosophies. The Dharma Initiative is named after Dharma, the "way of higher truths" (also spoken of as the Essential to Being) in sects of Hinduism, Buddhism & Daoism. The symbol used by the Initiative is called a bagua, a wheel of balance often used in feng shui and again, the theme of Duality of Man appears in binary opposition.

Literary references

Literary works are frequently displayed or referenced on the show, a point of interest to many fans who try to connect them to Lost's mythology. ^[6] Some of the books are seen being read by the characters. One of the earliest such references was the comic book Green Lantern / Flash: Faster Friends, which Walt is first seen reading very soon after the crash. This particular comic would reappear throughout the first season, until it was destroyed when Michael threw it into a fire. However, of the main characters, Sawyer is the one who has been seen reading the most, a habit he picked up on the island that eventually led to his hyperopia. The first notable book he was reading was Watership Down, an account of a group of rabbits trying to find a new warren, which Sawyer read after finding a copy lying on the beach. Later, he reads A Wrinkle in Time, a novel involving rescuing a lost father and Christian undertones about a universal battle between darkness and light.

Other books have been briefly glimpsed on screen, or alluded to in conversation. There are several quite notable such occurences, including mentions of Heart of Darkness, Lord of the Flies, The Turn of the Screw, and An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, but three in particular stand out. The earliest of these is Alice in Wonderland, which is referenced by John Locke in "White Rabbit" In that episode, Locke converses with Jack, who believes he may be going crazy chasing someone who is "not there." Locke refers to this as "the white rabbit", and makes his first declaration of the special nature of the Island, "Is your White Rabbit a hallucination? Probably. But what if everything that happened here happened for a reason?"

Another prominent conversational reference has been the Bible, particularly in connection with Mr. Eko. He relates the story of King Josiah (from 2 Kings, chapters 22 and 23) to Locke, and he recites the 23rd Psalm with Charlie. The third major reference of this type has even been commented on by the producers: Desmond's packing of The Third Policeman when he flees the underground bunker in "Orientation". Craig Wright, who co-wrote the episode, told the Chicago Tribune that, "Whoever goes out and buys the book will have a lot more ammunition in their back pocket as they theorize about the show. They will have a lot more to speculate about — and, no small thing, they will have read a really great book." ^[7]

Eyes

References to eyes appear frequently in Lost. A close-up image of an eye opens many episodes, in most cases of the character whose flashbacks would be featured. In "White Rabbit", John Locke hints at his experience in confronting the island's mysterious "security system" saying, "I've looked into the eye of this island. And what I saw was beautiful." Later, in "Raised by Another", Claire has a nightmare in which Locke appears with opaque eyes, one white and the other black. The tail section survivors also discover a glass eye in The Dharma Initiative's abandoned station.

Discredited Theories

Lost's mythology is as complex as that of other shows of a similar nature, such as The X-Files or Twin Peaks. This intricacy, and the unresolved questions it spawns, have led to rampant speculation and theorizing among fans, mainly concerning the nature of the island, the origins of the "security system" and the Others, the meaning of the numbers and the reasons for both the crash and the survival of some passengers. Several of the more common fan theories have been discussed and dismissed by the producers, including:

The survivors are dead and/or in Purgatory — dismissed by J. J. Abrams ^[8]
The survivors are in a time warp — dismissed by Damon Lindelof ^[9]
Spaceships or aliens influence the events on the island — dismissed by Damon Lindelof ^[10]
Everything seen is a fictional reality taking place in one or more of the survivors' minds — dismissed by Damon Lindelof ^[11]
The island is a reality TV show and the castaways unwitting housemates — dismissed by Carlton Cuse ^[12]
The cloud of black smoke is a nanobot cloud similar to the one featured in Michael Crichton's novel Prey — dismissed by Damon Lindelof ^[13] and re-iterated by Javier Grillo-Marxuach ^[14]

Awards

Note: Awards won are not listed under nominations.

Wins

Emmys:

Outstanding Television Series: Drama (2005)
Outstanding Director of a Television Series: Drama — "Pilot" Part 1 & 2: J.J. Abrams (2005)
Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series — April Webster, Mandy Sherman, Alyssa Weisberg, Veronica Collins (2005)
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series — Mary Jo Markey (2005)
Outstanding Music Composition for a Series — Michael Giacchino (2005)
Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series — "Pilot": Kevin Blank, Mitch Suskin, et al (2005)

Golden Globes:

Best Television Series: Drama (2006)

Screen Actors Guild:

Ensemble in a Drama Series (2006)

Producers Guild:

Best Television Series: Drama (2006)

Writers Guild of America:

Outstanding Achievement in Writing: Dramatic Series (2006)

Nominations