I've heard lots about this new series, starting tonight on Channel 4 in the UK and it's been having massively glowing reviews so I thought I'd mention it here in case people haven't heard about it.

JJ Abrams is the chap who wrote Alias, one of my long-running favourite programs, and he has been grabbed to direct the new Mission Impossible movie. He's a very interesting writer because he seems to not be afraid to play with audience's expectations. He started off with a series called Felicity, which was well-written but very mainstream, he then decided it would be fun to have the same sort of plots but with the layer of spying in there too, hence Alias, but even in Alias he couldn't resist adding in a supernatural/mystical element to the plots. Apparently he's put the same sort of mix into Lost and it's once again proved a winner.

If people want to talk about things in the series in this thread then feel free, but please only discuss episodes that have been shown on terrestrial UK television. The two-part pilot is being shown tonight, followed by the third episode on E4.

I never watched it myself because I have a hard enough time keeping up with the few TV shows I already watch, but one of the girls I work with loves the series and thinks it's the best thing to hit TV in quite awhile. She has good taste too, so I think you're in for a good series.

Best. Pilot. Ever.

Was it intentional to make the monster thing sound like grinding metal the first time you hear it, or was that just poopy sound effects? The other times it sounds more organic.

Backgammon dude is fun. I was watching it with my sisters and they kept saying he must be "the evil one", because they'd heard the show "has weird people in it". They said that when he had an orange smile, I just thought he looked like a nice eccentric old man. They also thought that the korean guy was trying to poison everyone....
Really I need to download this so that I can watch it without their braindead commentary but the torrent I tried didn't work.

Well, the doctor-hero blokie just has to have a dark past. I'm thinking military service at the very least, probably special ops or something morally dubious. He's just too good at the moment.

Quite why no-one has said 'Oh my God! We've landed in Jurassic Park!' yet is a real wonder to me.

Backgammon guy played a nasty man in Millennium, so they may make him turn out to be really nice... But I doubt it. He's probably just as slimey as he appears. It's lucky he got such a sinister looking cut, it really adds to the menace

In summary: Sues and I are loving this so far. We watched episode three on E4, meaning that we spent three hours on the programme on Wednesday, and the time flew past. Great stuff, I can't wait to see more.

Whats it about? I know nothing of this but I am determined to catch a good series straight away, no not quite understanding the power behind the 'Eeeeyyyyy' for me this time.

A plane crashes on an island, 40-something survivors. The island is distinctly odd, with a tree shaking monster lurking in the woods. I could say more but I don't want to give things away for stuff you haven't seen yet. Episode three is broadcast on terrestrial on Wednesday nest week, so you've got plenty of time to download the two-part pilot.

The bilboard advert I saw made it look like another reality TV show on an Island. Will check it out.

I thought it was ok. But I just laughed at everything. The script has got to be a little too far fetched and has a couple plot holes... But.... not too bad. Might watch it again. What IS the monster!

I enjoyed the pilot. Me and the ex have a few theories about might be going on, so it'll be quite nice to see which of our ideas pans out.

I did like the way that everyone has/will have their own flashback as to what they were doing at the time of the crash. Does that count as a spoiler?

Haven't yet watched it because I was away when they were showing it. However, I'm looking forward to a triple bill of it on Sunday. I agree with Teapot about the adverts, so I was a bit sceptical about it. But since it's been getting such good reviews then I really want to see it.

Really? I absolutely loved that show, but I must have been about 11 when it was on and can't remember much about the storylines or characters, just something about vans.

I thought it was interesting how the Iraqi worked out that the message had been broadcasting for 16 years and 5 months so quickly. Also I couldn't help laughing when the thing that happened to the pilot happened to the pilot (trying my hardest to keep spoiler-free) as it was so completely predictable. I mean, what did he expect to happen when he climbed out of a window?

Anyway, apart from that, I thought it wasn't a bad program. I was in a London hotel when it was on, so I couldn't watch the third episode, but I'll look around for it.

I don't think it's anything, really.

(Spoiler, only copy into search bar if you've seen the series)
Like in one episode, the guy was drugged by the older guy so he would think that that one chick was dead... ...Yeah, I'm not too good with names.

They're always called Jack. Why are they always called Jack?

Because 'Jack' came up top of a survey for 'most trustworthy name' along with being top of the 'names chosen for sensitive but rugged heroes'.


There was one episode involving abductions being done in vans, but not a lot else otherwise. Yes, it was a superb series, but generally anything with Lance Henriksen in it has to be good. It's The Law. I've got all three series' on DVD

I thought the first episode was a bit crap, actually. The second was mildly less so. With the third episode, the series is actually showing some signs of maybe being interesting.

Edit: Also, apart from Jack and Said, I can't remember anybody's names, which is usually a sign that I'm going to get bored and stop watching soon. But we'll see.

I regularly forget the names of people I've known for years, so my chances of learning the names of the characters are pretty minimal, but the love-interest lady I think is called Kate/Annie.

It does have a slightly 'Twin Peaks' feel about the whole thing, which may be why I'm enjoying it so much. That also was one of those series' that everyone talks about and without many people having the faintest clue about what's really going on. I usually enjoy that kind of program because I enjoy guessing, but it's not everyone's cup of earl grey.

I can't say I was all that impressed, and yet at the same time I want to know what it going on! I've been on the C4 site and they just give vague hints at wierdness and future episodes and leave it at that.

I was thinking though, I'm amazed it has taken them so long to start thinking about food and shelter. Why didn't they cook and eat that thing they shot? (Avoiding spoiler for anyone who missed anything) and isn't the monster just a bigger one of them?

That would have to be a very big bear (I figure that as long as we talk about episodes that have been on terrestrial TV then no-one can complain too much about spoilers). The monster lifted a guy from the cockpit of the plane in the first/second episode, and that was already about thirty feet in the air. The bones in the legs wouldn't support a bear that size, besides which they just don't get that big!

Episode four, on tonight, is a good'un.

There is a theory that the island is a form of purgatory, that they are all really dead but now they need to prove the value of their souls before getting into heaven or going to hell. I quite like that idea, although I doubt that the writers were thinking it when they made the series. Tonight's episode lends a bit of weight to that idea, or at least adds to the strangeness of the place.

As for why the people weren't thinking of shelter: they have just been through a massively traumatic event and are still surrounded by the dead. They would still be hoping that they are going to be rescued, even if they logically know that it's unlikley. Making shelters and finding food is a way of externalising acceptance that you're going to be stuck there for a long time.

I seem to have missed all the clues to the size of the monster then! Maybe it's Godzilla!

Okay, I get your point on the trauma and acceptance, but from what I can tell they've been scavenging in the wreckage around all the dead bodies, you'd think they'd have at least done something about that by now!

This reminds me of a cartoon from when I was little about an Island that always floated around the oceans and had various odd animals on it and a volcano. Hm.

I vaguely remember that show... Was it Ovid's Video?

Watch episode four tonight and you'll see some more stuff about survival and the bodies.

Judging by the size of the monster in the trees it seems to be around about the size of a T Rex, but that would leave foot prints and no-one seems to have found any yet. Again, there's an interesting thing with the monster in tonight's episode.

Are you sure it's on tonight? I thought it was on on wednesdays, not tuesdays.

Ah-ha! You fell for my trick!

...

Okay. I just forgot what day of the week I was in.

Aha! Nah, I do it all the time now I have no need to get up in the morning.

Actually, I forgot it was on tonight. I guess Constantine will have to wait for another day.

Never watched it. I tend to avoid anything that has "Popular epic" written all over it... It was the same with Roots, V, and a host of other such shows... one of the few ways I let my inner Snob out...

I've been watching it and all I'll say about last nights episode is Ooooo! Aaah! and What the hell?

Why'd they put it on wednesday night!!! I keep forgetting it's on. I absolutely loved the pilot and Have since been glued to the sunday rerun on E4. Fantastic stuff

Episode four, the one about Mr Locke, was brilliant, and it once again raises the question: just what the hell is that place? (Which becomes an even more important question after the end of episode 5.)

Yep, I'm thoroughly enjoying this series, and for once it's unlikely that they'll cancel it immediately or decide to play schedule hide-and-seek with it as most channels do when I get into a series. 'Haunted' was a great example of that, and it featured the chap who's playing Jack in Lost. They changed days, time, and eventually channel, all mid-series. Very annoying! 'John Doe' was cancelled after one series. 'Wonderfalls' was shifted around so I missed a couple of weeks before finding it again... Grr!

I've seen a couple of episodes of Wonderfalls on Sky One and I must say I didn't have a clue what was going on, except one guy from American Pie was in it as a cameo.

After wednesdays Lost I went online and looked up future plot summaries (what can I say, I'm impatient.) and I'm not going to give anything away, but I am annoyed at what I read.

I think it's great I love series that make you go 'what the hell?' and it's certainly doing that.

Make sure you keep it to yourself!

I was a little disappointed by Jack's background, but that's only because I had my own ideas of what it would be, his episode has a very interesting ending. I'm very intrigued to see how they manage to continue the series while still keeping things mysterious.

They manage to do it in a frustrating 'I must keep watching' style!

Well, as long as I keep enjoying it I don't mind that. It's all helped by most of the cast being very attractive too.

Not too sure about the idea of the island in lost being purgatory... It keeps being alluded
to in a magazine articles etc, but it seems to make kind of sense... If that is the purpose of the island, it kinda reminds me of the Sartre play called "no way out" ( Think that's the english title? )
and is sumed up by this line from the play;
' Hell... is other people. '

My wife and I thought the same about it being purgatory when we saw the first episode, Have caught all the rest so far.... except last nights! dag nab it! I'm just wondering when doctor moraeau is going to turn up.

Geez... Is this show still on the air...

It certainly is in the UK. We've only just got past episode four.

So, Jack's dad appears to have either risen from the grave (which would be odd) or his body has disappeared completely from its coffin, both of which are very odd by any standards.

Nothing much is being explained along the way, but I'm definitely enjoying the ride!

Really? I thought we were on like, episode six. I did see that episode about Jin and Sun didn't I? I didn't dream it...

anyway, I've been spoilering it all for myself even more, and I'm less annoyed now.

Ok, so has the episode where they find the *things* in the cave been on terrestrial yet or just E4?

Sun's episode is, I think, number five, and that's not been on terrestrial TV yet (although I may be getting confused). I watch them all on E4 but I don't want to talk about those episodes until they go on Channel 4 the week after (it would be a bit unfair to those who don't have cable).

The things in the cave has been on E4 and goes on terrestrial this Wednesday. It's got something very intriguing in it, but I have no idea what it means yet!

I have to admit that I've read an episode by episode spoiler thingy for ALL of this season and some general stuff from season 2. So I know exactly what's going to happen. I blame the fact that I'm disgustingly impatient.

Also, in my defence, I have a habit of having these types of things on in the background as I work so I don't *totally* pay attention and miss stuff. Reading the spoilers means that I can fill in the blanks.

So, really - it's just common sense.

Really.

Season 2 started
dang nam it.
I watched season 1 when it was on over here in the America's. I really did enjoy it and was looking foward to season 2.

Unlike mata who seems to know alot of the actors in this show, I stared watching it because that funny guy from Lord of the Rings is in it. Go geek-dom.

Anyways enjoy it, I'm off to bloody well find out where and when they are airing season 2.

*edit* ermm nevermind it starts on the 25th or something along those lines, now i'm just confused as to why there are plot summaries when it hasent aired yet *end edit*

Two days ago, a catalog arrived in the mail, featuring the complete 1st season on DVD... If season one is running in the U.K., now, then it probably isn't available there, on DVD yet. Leastwise, it wouldn't make sense, from a business standpoint, to have the complete season out for sale, at the same time it was being released episode by episode... BUt, who knows? TV EXecs haven't done a lot to give me an inflated sense of their intelligence...

Actually, I can see the logic there: everyone knows that the web is full of spoilers, so if people want to stand the best chance of getting through the series without someone telling them things that they don't want to hear then it would make sense if they bought it and locked themselves in a room to watch it all.

However, I doubt Channel 4 would be very impressed with that idea, they have probably paid a huge amount of money for Lost and so wouldn't be impressed if everyone bought the series on DVD instead.

Tonights C4 episode was the one on Charlie.

Not much to say except, how come when his brother cleaned up his act, he turned into that guy from Weezer?

I still want to know why the bodies in the cave had a white and a black stone in their pockets.

Well you're going to have to wait!

Mwahahaaaaa!

Was it not merely another reference to Lightness and Dark? Like the backgammon pieces.

I still want to know how a polar bear in a comic book led to a real polar bear attacking them.

I really hated it when it was on, The fact that every week was the one you CAN NOT MISS, the fact that they allways said there's only a few more weeks to go for 3 months, or the fact that the story line just got dodgyier by the second till they gave it a crap end.

It occured to me why I like this series while watching tonight's episode. I think the appeal simply lies in the very old-fashioned format. Essentially it's all a rip off of The Twilight Zone and Tales of the Unexpected, but editted together in a clever way so you don't notice.

There is an over-arching narrative that echoes The Twilight Zone with a mix of spookiness and characters in denial, then the per-episode backstory-with-a-twist that feels like it should have that trippy 70s title sequence from Tales of the Unexpected played directly after it. Despite the structure being so clear, I still really enjoy it. I've always liked short stories so a collection of them into a series is all good for me.

It'll be interesting to see what they do next series. How many angst-ridden flashbacks-with-a-twist can 40 survivors create?