We once were found but now we're... LOST

Over the past few weeks Emily and I have unearthed the mythologically complex world of LOST. The ABC TV series has already had four seasons and so we are catching on late in the game, but we are catching up quickly thanks to abc.com's full episode viewing capabilities. And we are not the only one's who have been victim to the series' addictive narrative. The warp and weft have also caught Greg and Kristen in its inexorable web. The plot seems simple enough: a plane crashes on a Pacific island and the survivors are bent on getting rescued and off the island. Well, the writers have promised six seasons so I guess we should have known that it wouldn't be so easy. Four seasons in and several nights in front of a laptop plugged into an alarm clock for speakers and we still don't know entirely what is going on. True, we do know the characters fairly well (in fact, we are pretty certain that one of the characters from the show, Sayid, is also Emily's hairdresser). They've been introduced to us through flashbacks and we've seen them interact with each other; however, each episode brings out more questions with the new understanding we have for the characters.

In short, we are addicted. So, Emily and I have discussed why we think that we have bitten so hard on a hook with a slow-reeling fisherman. One of our theories has to do with Russian novelists. Have you ever read a Russian novel from the 19th century?

Chances are that it wasn't a quick read and that it was almost infinitely complicated. Such novels appeared episodically in traditional media each week and the readers were left with an appetite to read next week's post. This served everyone well: the publishers were ensured a high volume weekly readership; the writer could make considerable money if he could somehow make his "books" interminable; and the reader had a healthy dose of entertainment. I think that the creators of LOST have tapped into this far better than any other series that I have personally viewed. Sitcoms seem to reboot every week with little plot development and other dramas haven't piqued my curiosity enough. So here we are in 19th century Russia waiting for our next new instalment. Unfortunately for us we only have three episodes left to watch for season four and season five doesn't begin until February! I guess we'll have to allocate our time to other endeavors. :)