Lost Progress Report: Midway Through Season 6.

This weekend, the fiancé and I finally started watching the current and final season of Lost. We breezed through the first 8 episodes before The Amazing Race started. (Go Cowboys!)

Nope, I still don't know what's going on on Lost. I really don't have a clue what everyone's doing on the island. The Smoke Monster is Locke (but not really). Jin and Sun are still apart. Juliet set off a bomb and died. Claire is a crazy hag. Kate is on the island and... um...who's taking care of Aaron? Did I miss something?

Oh, and why is Tina Fey suddenly on Lost?

The only thing I understand and am enjoying about this season of Lost are the flash sideways, or as I like to call them, alterna-lives. They show what would've happened to all the characters had their plane not crashed in the ocean. And instead of leading separate lives, the characters still manage to cross each other's paths in very neat ways. My favorite alterna-life is Linus, who is a high school history teacher. His favorite student: Alex Rousseau. I also love that Hurley is Mr. Lucky. And he's still the same sweet, generous, funny guy. Shirtless Sawyer, Schmirtless Schmawyer. Hurley's the one for me.

The fiancé says he likes the island stories better. Screw the island! I much prefer the real world of the alterna-lives. After 5 seasons of coconuts and dirty faces and raggedy clothes, I'm loving the pressed suits and real furniture and real food. Can we get a Lost spinoff that consists of just the alterna-lives?

(Pictured: Tina Fey filming a scene at Central Park for 30 Rock? Or the new character Zoe (played by Sheila Kelley) on Lost? Which is it???)

Starring Hugo "Hurley" Reyes As Himself.

I normally don't like sharing links here (because that would send you AWAY from my blog), but this Lost mashup video starring Hurley is just too delightful to keep to myself. Enjoy, all.

And if you're not smiling by the end of it, you have no soul.

Lost Progress Report: Season 3.

The five stages of watching Lost:
Intrigue
Confusion
Deeper Confusion
Aggravation
Acceptance

Right now, at the close of season 3, I am happy to report that I've achieved the acceptance stage. It's okay that I don't understand what's going on. It's okay that storylines haven't been tied up.

It's okay that more people are magically appearing on the island--some permanently, like Desmond, and some for a handful of episodes, like Nikki and Paulo. (How awesome was their death, by the way? Man!)

It's okay that Michael has disappeared, and it's okay that no one really cares.

It's okay that Alex was born on the island, and it's okay that this contradicts the idea that no woman who gets pregnant on the island lives to give birth to her child, and Alex is the product of Danielle and Ben, and Alex was conceived on the island, which means Danielle shouldn't still be alive. It's okay that I am not entirely sure about the accuracy of everything I just wrote in this paragraph.

Other things I've come to feel/learn upon finishing season 3:
-I can't stand Kate anymore. She was never my favorite character to begin with, but now I downright loathe her. I don't like how she toys with Jack's heart, then Sawyer's, then Jack's...and then she has the nerve to get pissy when she sees Jack hanging out with Juliet.
-I'm developing a weird crush on Hurley. He is the type of guy who grows on you the more time you spend with (watching) him. He is the type of guy you always feel safe around. And on a creepy island, there is no characteristic more attractive.

The fiancé and I are now going to take a mini-break from the show. Seasons 4 and 5 are short, and since we're a long way from the May 23 finale, we're going to need to stretch out the remaining episodes.

Lost: A Progress Report.

This weekend, the fiance and I watched a bunch of Lost episodes. I figured that if we got through two seasons a month, we'd be caught up by the time the finale airs in May.

Right now, we are four episodes into the 2nd season. And I've learned a few things:

1) I have seen TWO seasons of Lost, not one. I have also seen the first episode of the third season (which was stupendous, and my giving up on the show thereafter should not take away from that). The first season: I love all the characters' back stories and all the island survival stuff. Season one was excellent, and even watching it a second time, I found it absorbing. It's what a first season of any show should be. The second season, focusing on the Dharma Initiative and the hatch and the other group of people on the plane, is a complete departure from season one. I can feel myself slipping into familiar territory--not understanding what's going on, losing interest in the show, wanting more of the season one feel. I don't care about Desmond, I don't care about Ana Lucia, and I can't get that dang Mamas and the Papas song "Make Your Own Kind of Music" out of my head. It even played in my head throughout my nap today.

2) I really like Hurley and Locke. I didn't like Locke so much the first season, but now I can appreciate how smart and resourceful he is, and how he constantly forces other characters to evaluate themselves and make hard decisions. Hurley is the kind of deadpan funny that I love. And when he smiles, the whole room lights up. I wish for more Hurley in the coming episodes.

As terrific the first season was, it did lack a few things. One, it never resolved the question of Jack's ex-wife. What happened to her? Besides the fact that she now plays the mom on Modern Family? Another thing is, where do all the outfits come from? Seriously, Shannon and Kate and Sun wear the cutest shirts. And they all fit perfectly. Each one of them stranded on an island has more outfits than I currently do. The fiance pointed out that the survivors wear not just their own clothes but other people's clothes on the plane. A fair point. But it's still really hard for me to believe. A month's worth of fresh clothes? For each female character?

These are some of the things on my mind as I go through the episodes. Maybe I'll do a progress post each time I get through a season. I'm very curious what'll happen as I get into the episodes I haven't watched. Will I understand what's going on? Will I regret giving up on it three years ago? Will I still have the Mamas and the Papas song stuck in my head? Stay tuned.