fandomhigh_ooc | Spotlight on Fandoms: Lost (the incredibly vague edition)

So, hello there my fine fellow Fandomites. Today I will be discussing the Lost, that strange television brainchild of Damon Lindelof and JJ Abrams, which is where my character Hugo 'Hurley' Reyes comes from. I had the hardest time summarizing the show without giving away major plot points and surprises, so this is going to come off very vague and rather short, too. But Lost really is best watched unspoiled, so I didn't want to ruin the experience for any newbies out there.

Lost is "This show is about people who are metaphorically lost in their lives, who get on an airplane, and crash on an island, and become physically lost on the planet Earth. And once they are able to metaphorically find themselves in their lives again, they will be able to physically find themselves in the world again. When you look at the entire show, that's what it will look like. That's what it's always been about." Or, so says Damon Lindelof.

In even simpler terms, it's like Gilligan's Island, only more grandiose. Seriously. It gets totally grandiose and mythic and layered and... that's why I loves it so.

So, there are a lot of characters in Lost. Here's a basic breakdown of our original cast of castaways. Very basic. I feel like even giving too many little details here is spoiling good TV, so...

Jack Shephard - The closest thing the show has to a 'main character', Jack is a spinal surgeon with daddy issues.

Kate Austen - A strong willed woman who just happens to be a fugitive from justice. She also apparently cannot make up her mind about who on the island she wants to hook up with.

James Ford, aka Sawyer - Silver tongued and scruffy faced conman from the South. Also has daddy issues.

Charlie Pace - One-hit wonder rock star with a drug addiction. Daddy issues? Check.

Hugo Reyes - Better known as Hurley. He's our little everyman... who actually is a multi-millionaire thanks to winning the lotto. But he keeps that fact pretty secret.

Boone Carlyle - He's pretty. He's bisexual. He's Shannon's stepbrother! That's... all I got.

Shannon Rutherford - She's pretty, she's petty, she refuses to do actual work most of the time! The daddy's little girl type.

Michael Dawson and Walt Lloyd - The father and son, and an on-island example of daddy issues unfolding right before your eyes!

Claire Littleton - The pregnant lady! Who... happens to be played by Emilie De Ravin (Tahiri's PB, hence those lols in game).

Jin and Sun - South Koreans, wherein Jin tries to maintain a Korean traditional husband-wife situation despite the needs of the island community (Sun is made to cover up, not speak to anyone, etcetera). Also, neither seems to understand English.

John Locke - Lost's very own Captain Ahab. Locke is a mite crazy, the lone hunter type... and yes, he has daddy issues.

Sayid Jarrah - The Iraqi. He's upfront about having been in the Iraq military, and despite the initial fear others have of him, he soon proves to be one of the most competent and helpful members of all the survivors (and shows more sense than half of them combined).

That's a lot of characters, and they all have their charms and their flaws... and that's just the bunch that we start the show with. Yes, a show that's about people stuck on an island manages to add and subtract from their cast, it's wacky that way.

Now, you're probably wondering why you should give Lost a shot. After all, there's already four seasons, and there's going to be two more, so why get invested now?

Well, Lost is highly addictive and filled with compelling (and attractive) characters that you actually care about... and actually have a reason to believe they are in jeopardy. This isn't a show where everyone is safe and no one dies. People struggle, they shag, they laugh, they cry.

Also, really weird things happen. Polar bears on a tropical island. A giant monster made of smoke. Visions of dead people.

It's highly made of awesome. But you don't have to take my word for it. ABC has the show up for free streaming (for US-ians, at least). The entire show, for free streaming. Dude!

Now obviously, I didn't go into a lot of depth here. That, I think, is for the next spotlight. For now, I am just trying to whet your appetite, to get you to delve into the wonderful world of Lost. Join us! We have cookies. Dharma Initiative cookies. Mmmmmm.

Also, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to make them!