Mystery found in 'LOST'

Lost - Starring Matthew Fox and Evangeline Lilly - ABC-TV - WED/7PM

By: Robert Saucedo

Posted: 11/2/04

Take one part "Giligan's Island," add a touch of "Twin Peaks" and top it off with a healthy dose of "King Kong" and you have the addictive new ABC drama, "Lost." Since its premiere, "Lost" has sucked viewers into its ever-expanding mysteries and involved character developments. Like the strongest drug, it demands repeated viewings as audiences can't help but become engrossed in the secrets of the show.

Beginning with a plane crash, "Lost" tells the story of 40-plus survivors of an airline crash. Stranded on an island, the men and women begin the slow process of setting their priorities straight so they can live for another day. If the tensions between survivors doesn't kill everybody, the unseen force that's been knocking down trees and eating pilots might just apply for the job.

The reluctant islanders come from all walks of life and each seems to be harboring a secret. While most shows follow the traditional pattern of developing characters as they grow and interact with their fellow cast members, "Lost" prides itself on doing exactly the reverse. In the first episode, audiences were introduced to several of the survivors and, in the process, developed an initial impression of the characters. Subsequent episodes have used flashbacks to take those pre-conceived notions of who these people were and turn them on their heads.

Matthew Fox is Jack, the island's de-facto leader and resident doctor. Snapping to command as soon as he regained consciousness after the accident, Jack helped many of the wounded survive. Through flashbacks, viewers learned that before getting on the plane, Jack was unsure of himself - unconfident and depressed. Evangeline Lilly is Kate, the women who has unwillingly stepped into the role of island sheriff. After overcoming her initial fear of the island's monster, Kate has used her courage to control some of the survivor's raging tempers. In the second episode, audiences learned that Kate was an escaped convict. Ex-hobbit Dominic Monaghan plays Charlie, a former rock star and current drug addict. Terry O'Quinn plays the ultra-secretive John Locke, a stone-faced man who speaks in cryptic overtones and had a multitude of knifes checked in as luggage. In a previous episode though, it was revealed that before the crash, Locke was in fact not the materialistic warrior he now is. Instead, Locke was a paraplegic war enthusiast. Upon landing on the island, Locke discovered that he had regained the use of his legs.

The island's mysteries grow with each episode, leading me to hope that "Lost" actually answers some of the its mounting questions instead of pulling an "X-Files" and keeping the mysteries a mystery so long that viewers cease to care. This is a show with great potential and a great cast. Conflicting personalities and hidden agendas mark the growing tensions between the characters, and the cast behind "Lost" perfectly carries the pathos needed for these misplaced souls. The scant peaks at their lives before the crash carefully and slowly let audiences see the show in a whole new light after each and every episode. With "Smallville" deteriorating with each new episode and "Angel" but a fond remembrance, "Lost" offers a bright and shining beacon of hope for Wednesday night television watching.