Movie and Television Reviews

Sawyer is one of television's great characters.

The first season of Lost ranks with the best television. The second and third were also good, if not as fresh. Lost's small screen achievement is even more impressive when one considers that Lost could have been a seaside Falcon Crest with jungle love triangles, islandic scandals, and shore "tensions;" a claustrophobic MacGyver action show; or (shudder) a socio-political allegory (How about the islanders standing up to a McCarthy-like leader?). Instead Lost producers reached higher, combining elements of the previously mentioned genres and adding ladles of sci-fi, medium-heavy universal philosophical depth, brilliant use of sophisticated storytelling-fashback sequences, and, now, flash forwards. Their characters have fascinated- from the semi-Survivor-derivative Locke to the compelling and original Sawyer and Hurley.

Sometimes, however, a story collapses under its own ambition (Matrix) and I have the feeling that Lost is swimming towards such a fate. With the time-machine thing, increasingly dizzy flash forwards, triple and quadruple crosses, and gobs of other gunk, Lost has bored me this season. It's a shame that on their way off the island, Lost had to jump a shark.

**Update, the last couple of episondes have been better.