Lost 2004-2010

 “I know who you are and I know what you're looking for.”

When Lost first aired back in 2004 you could probably count on one hand the amount of serialized drama available to TV viewers. Lost was special, It opened the door to a world of storytelling opportunities filled with action, character and heart. A combination rarely seen today, let alone 20 years ago. Melodrama is often derided as a bad word in storytelling parlance. A word that heralds itself as the bringer of poor acting, overly emotional characters, and an actors need to perform. All of this is true, in fact it's pretty close to the actual definition of the word.
Lost however, takes this definition of melodrama and molds it in such a way that all its rough edges seem to disappear. All that remains are the words' strengths. Lost does the improbable on many different levels and it all seems to work. It may all be a consequence of luck, or at the very least an unbridled willingness to roll with punches brought on by a mid 2000s TV schedule. I think, there may have also been something else at work. That something? A willingness, on the part of the creators, to show the audience their filmmaking and storytelling hearts.
    Even more than discovering the mysteries of the island, what excites me about Lost is its ever present joy in three-dimensionalizing the three-dimensional process of character-based storytelling. The characters in the show are front and center not as some example of writing technique or prowess. The characters are front and center because that is what storytelling is, at least in this case. The mysteries and characters of the Lost Island are not arbitrary, The show's creators are discovering them along with the audience and that is a rare gift. This process of discovery is usually hidden. Lost brings this hidden world forward without any real degradation to the inherent magic in visual storytelling. In fact, I believe that this magic flourishes as a result of this unmaking.
    Without cynicism, showrunners Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindeloff lead their team in the process of discovery. The discovery of how to capture lightning in a bottle . For sure, Lost is not perfect. However it is able to leverage those imperfections, to craft a story that, not only explores the need for connection and understanding, but also exhilaratingly illustrates how visual storytelling is such a powerful and meaningful tool for so many.

I found Lost to be enjoyable, meaningful and thought-provoking. I hope in some way you do too.