26/23
Abrams’ "Lost" almost had an entirely different cast
Scenario
The survivors of a plane crash are forced to work together in order to survive on a seemingly deserted tropical island.. J.J. See which A-listers missed out on one of the most popular TV shows of all time.. The character of Sawyer was originally meant to be an older, slick, suit-wearing city con artist from Buffalo, NY. However, when Josh Holloway forgot a line at his audition and subsequently kicked a chair in frustration and loudly swore, the writers liked the edge he brought to the Sawyer character and decided to write Sawyer as more of a Southern, darker drifter instead.. Jin and Sun are married and share the family name “Kwon”, which becomes an important plot point in the final season. However, when Koreans marry, the wife never takes her husband’s family name.
Then along comes “Lost”
In fact, it is not even permissible in Korea to marry someone with the same family name, except in rare circumstances.. [repeated line] Desmond Hume: See you in another life, brother.. The strange opening credits were designed by J.J. Abrams on his laptop in black and white as an homage to The Twilight Zone.. Edited into Lost: The Journey (2005). With so many high-quality shows ending or getting canceled recently (Friends, Frasier, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel), and with the decline in quality of many others (The West Wing, Smallville), not to mention the egregious rise of turgid and tasteless "reality" programming, I’d just about written off TV as an entertainment medium. I was seriously considering ditching my TV and cable subscription in favor of my computer screen and broadband Internet connection.
Now I’m hooked
I missed the first few episodes, but was able to catch up thanks to BitTorrent. There are several things to like about this show, but here’s a quick list: 1) Outstanding, intelligent, layered writing. There are multiple mysteries here, and for every answer we get, more questions emerge. 2) Rich, complex characters. Just when you think you’ve got a character pegged, you find out something new about them that’s often surprising or even shocking. I’m enjoying watching the various relationships emerge and develop. 3) Strong performances.
Mira Furlan, Victoria Hamel)
This is a remarkable cast of mostly journeymen actors with a couple of newcomers, and they’re all turning in star-making work. Even some of the cameos have featured recognizable, talented actors (e.g. 4) A mysterious and fascinating setting. Of the four main story elements you learned in school, plot, character, theme, and setting, the latter is often the poor, neglected cousin. Not here. The island is dangerous, beautiful, creepy, and undeniably intriguing. It’s like a character unto itself.
I’m grateful to see this show is a hit
Part of the fun of this show will be unraveling the Island’s secrets. 5) Thematic depth. This isn’t just a soap opera on a desert island. There are rich metaphors and themes to be mined here, such as on the challenges of morality; on the nature of communities and civilization; on our relationship with nature/the environment; and on spirituality, even mysticism, as well. Too often lately I’ve committed to a quality show early on ("Wonderfalls" being the most recent and much-lamented example) only to have a jittery network cancel it prematurely. I'm hoping "Lost" will have a long, successful run–if its creators, cast, and crew keep up the level of quality they’ve shown so far, I’m sure it will.