The TV show that kills me

Lost is killing me. The show pulls me in deeper and deeper next week. *** Warning: spoilers ahead. If you'd rather not read about the plot, click here to read the rest of the post. ***

Who would have thought that Libby was in the same mental institution as Hurley? Marathon Girl and I didn't see that one coming. (Marathon Girl realized in the first 5 minutes that Dave was all in Hurley's mind.)

Marathon Girl and I were talking about whether or not this was a hint that all the characters on the island were in the same institution. Marathon Girl is unsure but I don't think the Island and inhabitants are in the castaways minds.

Having the island turn out to be some sort of dream or fantasy is a co-out from a writing/creative point of view. The writers of Lost are too talented to do resort to something so cliche. I think they're simply trying to throw us off the track of what's the purpose of the island really is.

But here's a thought. What if Libby is stalking Hurley? What if she followed him all the way to Australia and back simply because she was obsessed with him for some reason? Since she was in the mental institution, maybe she developed some sort of fixation with Hurley while he was in there?

Anyone else have thoughts on this latest twist?

*** End of plot discussion and (possible) spoilers *** I was listening to a talk show on the drive home yesterday and the host and callers were discussing Lost. Many of the callers were frustrated because so few of the questions have been answered on the show.

But the continuing mystery about the island and the strange things that happen on it is what I love about the show. The writers answer small questions each week but leave the bigger questions unanswered. I love how they concentrate on developing real but complex characters because knowing who the characters are and what makes them tick helps us understand their motivations for their actions. More importantly, it makes us care about them. And in the end when the whole mystery of the island is revealed I think it's going to make for a stronger show when we see the impact that island's mystery has on the characters.

I believe plot of the show is important too but in order to have the emotional payoff of good plot, we need to invest our feelings and emotions into the characters who are impacted by it.

I think the writers of Lost will do just that.

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