Wow, that was a pretty intense pilot for the new J.J. Abrams ("Alias") show, "Lost." In case you haven't heard of it, it's been described as "Gilligan's Island" meets "The Twilight Zone." 48 people survive a plane crash and find themselves stranded on a tropical island.
As if that's not bad enough, there's some kind of loud, man-eating creature.
I wouldn't blame you if the concept sounds cheesy and lame. It's the sort of thing that can easily go wrong -- remember the late 90's syndicated series "Amazon"? I didn't think so. That show's synopsis reads: "A commercial aircraft (Trans Rio Airlines flight 767 to Rio de Janeiro) crashes in the Amazon jungle, leaving 6 survivors. After the terrifying air disaster, as they wait for rescue, they must cope with an extremely hostile environment: piranhas, deadly snakes, flesh-eating ants, poisonous plants, hostile tribes, and more."
It's all in the execution, and in that regard, "Lost" delivers. The first ten minutes were riveting and intense, as Mathew Fox wakes up lying on the ground and struggles to his feet. He heads toward the beach and sees nothing but a glorious surf, until he turns 180 degrees and sees . . . the wreckage of the fuselage of a jet plane, flames, bodies, torn metal. One of the engines is still spinning (and you know what that means -- someone's going to get sucked in).
I don't quite understand how one of the characters could be nine-months pregnant, since I doubt the airline would have let her fly; and I also don't understand how Fox could have smashed the cockpit door open with a fire extinguisher -- aren't those doors supposed to be reinforced?!?
I also wonder how it is that none of the characters is wearing glasses. Myopia is not confined to academics, and if people are wearing contact lenses, I want to see the impact of that! (I wear daily wear lenses, so I'd be extra-screwed in this kind of scenario.)
Anyway, although I recognize that the show has some potential to turn silly quickly, I'm eager for more right now. Which means the pilot episode did its job.
For some reason the fact that no one was wearing glasses also popped into my head while watching the show. Perhaps I was just subconsciously thinking about "Lord of the Flies" and Piggy's glasses but I guess that people wearing contacts would have it worse than people wearing glasses.
Posted by: g | September 22, 2004 at 11:39 PM
I saw only the first act (then our 3-year old came in and I turned it off because it's not quite appropriate for a 3-year old) but was immediately drawn in. It was disorienting and confused, just as it would have been to find yourself in that situation on the ground. I wish I had taped the rest of it. It seemed like the best pilot since 24. I hope it's able to keep itself from going bad longer than 24 did, though.
And I'd like to see the resume of the actor who was on the screen for all of two seconds before getting sucked into the engine. Or maybe he was just a CGI creation.
Posted by: tom | September 23, 2004 at 06:33 AM
Also watched. Had to PVR it (same as TiVo), and watched Baby Neptune while anxiously waiting for my little one to get completely worn out by dancing to the music.
Very interesting. There was a bad review in Slate. Though I can't really say I've ever read a good review in Slate.
Posted by: Stef | September 23, 2004 at 08:52 AM
I thought it was pretty interesting. Kinda like Jurrasic Park meets Survivor. Funny how they always have a pregnant character, a hunk, a cute girl and a bunch of other no namers. I will probably watch the next one just to see how that bloody guy ended up in teh tree.
Posted by: od | September 29, 2004 at 04:15 PM
I didn't get to see the first show. Do any of you know if it will air again?
Posted by: Amy Heywood | September 30, 2004 at 02:35 PM
Amy wrote: I didn't get to see the first show. Do any of you know if it will air again?
The first and second episodes are rerunning in one 2 hour block on Saturday, Oct. 2, at 7 pm Central time.
Posted by: Tung Yin | September 30, 2004 at 02:39 PM
I personally liked it so far. It's more like Gilligan meets Twin Peaks.
DRL, Ottawa, Canada
Posted by: Dan | October 10, 2004 at 07:44 PM
I love this show, especially the twists they thrown in with every character. The one from last night was awesome, I never expected Locke to be in a wheelchair. (sorry for the peeps who didn't watch it).
Posted by: gee-diddy01 | October 14, 2004 at 05:12 AM
I loved the fact that Locke (at the office) was doing TPS reports. Isn't that the same report the guy in "Office Space" got yelled at (5-6 times) for an incorrect cover?
Posted by: Mike | October 14, 2004 at 06:39 AM
YES, "do you have the TPS reports ready for me?". I lol'ed and said Office Space.
Posted by: gee-diddy01 | October 14, 2004 at 09:01 AM