The Edge of the Frame

As some of you may know, I am presently re-watching all six seasons of ABC’s “LOST” on my Netflix instant queue. I had originally shown up really late to this show. I didn’t begin to start watching it on Hulu until a few months before the final season was about to air. I, of course, became addicted like everyone else, and watched the entire series on my computer at home, at work, on film sets, and even on my phone during my CTA commute. I finally got caught up only a few episodes prior to the finale.

Overall, I enjoyed the show. It makes incredible use of close-ups and editing. Michael Emerson and Terry O’Quinn fully deserved their Emmy wins. Most of all, the show contains one of the greatest musical compositions I’ve ever heard come out of the small screen. Michael Giacchino ended up winning an Oscar for “Up” during the course of the final season’s airing.

However, I definitely have a few qualms. The biggest, by far, is the liberties that the show takes in the crafting of it. Similar to the issues that I had with “Rango.” The show gives itself a blank slate that basically allows it to do whatever the hell it wants. If something doesn’t make sense or just breaks every law we can imagine in the world of filmmaking or common sense, it doesn’t matter. Why? The island’s magical.

Despite all of that, it’s a great show. One reason as to why it seems so great, however, is not necessarily because of its quality, but it’s addictiveness. There seem to be at least four or five cliffhangers PER EPISODE. The suspense that the show creates is literally out of control. That has always presented an interesting question to me: whether the show will hold up a second time around. If there’s no longer any suspense as to what’s going to happen the next episode, five episodes down the line or several seasons away.

Some of the greatest shows of all time are just that because they can create a single episode that can stand alongside some of the best feature films that you’ll ever see. Examples include “Irregular Around the Margins.” from season five of “The Sopranos” or “Bartlet for America” from season three of “The West Wing.” If “LOST” cannot function as a great, quality show, episode per episode, without relying simply on what happens next, then I’m not sure if it will remain one of my favorite shows of recent years.

This is truly a rambling post of mine, but I felt like getting it off my chest. So, for fun, check out this hilarious video my friend put me on to. It doesn’t contain any straight-up spoilers. However, if there is anyone who intends to watch the show and doesn’t want to know ANYTHING about it, which is totally acceptable for a show like this. If not, watch this video. You won’t be sorry: