Lost

"Lost"
ABC Wednesdays
9/8 c

By Alison Loudermilk

Like junkies who need their fix, legions of people position themselves in front of the television for each new episode of the character-driven drama, “Lost.” If you read the “Lost” blogs, fans are torn. They desperately want to learn the real story behind the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 and the mysterious island on which they’ve been stranded. But revealing that secret will mean an end to the high. And no true junkie wants his high to end.

“Further Instructions,” the third episode of season three, delayed that moment a bit longer. Trading the more prosaic storyline of man versus man — or the survivors versus the potentially sinister “Others” tribe also inhabiting the island — veteran writers Carlton Cuse and Liz Sarnoff returned to the more interesting theme of man versus monster (in this case, a polar bear). Conspicuously absent were the show’s arguably three biggest and hottest stars — Jack (Matthew Fox), Kate (Evangeline Lilly) and Sawyer (Josh Holloway). Instead, the recurring and fascinating character John Locke, a hunter and nature freak superbly played by Terry O’Quinn, dominated the episode and battled the polar bear.

Returning to camp after the dramatic implosion of the hatch, another of the show’s many mysteries, the strangely mute Locke seeks to speak with the island. Unlike his fellow survivors, Locke has always regarded the island as more than simply the site of the airplane crash. After being confined to a wheelchair, he suddenly found himself able to walk after the crash. Since then Locke has viewed the island as a sort of living entity capable of strange feats.
Through a self-induced hallucinogenic haze, Locke learns he must “clean up his own mess.” In typical “Lost” fashion, this translates to rescuing fellow survivor Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), held prisoner by a polar bear in the island’s jungle. The bear, by the way, isn’t all that odd on an island that features an invisible monster and more ghostly specters than you could shake a stick at.

Unfortunately, the polar bear special effects were poorly executed. The bear resembled a giant barking dog, as an astute fan noted on one of the “Lost” blogs. Kind of a letdown for a show that consistently racks up one of the biggest budgets on broadcast television.
“Lost” is renowned for keeping viewers on the edge of their seats, and the horror-style dream sequence in which Locke learns what mess he must clean up, shot by director Stephen Williams, provided this episode’s requisite scare and revelation. Along with the intricate plot, hyper-sharp color, quick cuts, close-ups of Locke’s horror-stricken face and some strategic blood quicken the heartbeat but don’t resort to predictable gore fests seen on shows like “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.”

“CSI” may be predictable, but the most recent Nielsen ratings for October demonstrate that “CSI” and its spin-offs consistently pull in more viewers than “Lost.”

Hopefully, these ratings don’t doom the unique and highly entertaining drama. “Lost” epitomizes smart television with its multi-threaded, fast-paced narrative, ongoing story and wild plot twists.

But “Lost” writers should be careful not to repeat the failures of “X-Files,” their sci-fi brethren, spinning too many narrative threads and failing to weave them together into a plausible explanation.

Like “X-Files,” “Lost” invites repeated viewing, encouraging frenzied fans to search for clues they missed the first time around. It prompts them to rehash their findings over the water cooler, the dinner table or the Internet. And, junkie that I am, I don’t want it to end.

For now, a full season stretches before me and millions of dedicated viewers. Beyond that lay the series DVDs to binge on after the show finally ends. But what then? Like any good addict, I’m in denial, living from Wednesday night to Wednesday night.