ABC's best TV shows of all time, I've grown to be more critical of certain parts of the series.
The Lost finale is one of the most divisive in history, and I firmly stand by the belief that the ending is masterful. While there are some issues along the way, I don't subscribe to the idea that the plot holes or unanswered mysteries were altogether damaging to the show, as I think Lost was always character-driven rather than plot-driven. In that sense, I don't really care to know what the rules are, where Jacob's mother came from, or who the shooters in the outrigger chase were. But I do have my wishes for how certain material could have been handled better.
10 I Wish Lost Had Given Kate A Stronger Role
Kate Doesn't Really Have An Arc In Lost
A common complaint among Lost viewers that I completely agree with is the handling of Kate. While I think Evangeline Lilly does well with the material she's given, Kate is a character who thoroughly frustrates me when rewatching Lost. Her flashbacks are compelling, but her role on the island becomes creating love triangles and getting caught in traps, with the culmination of my grievances in season 2's "The Hunting Party," when she's taken captive by the Others. Even Evangeline Lilly, the actress who brought Kate to life, once said (via E News):
"I felt like my character went from being autonomous—really having her own story and her own journey and her own agendas—to chasing to men around the island,"
Kate is driven almost entirely by her feelings in romances with Jack and Sawyer, resulting in her being one of the most consistently immature and irrational characters throughout the series. She doesn't really ever have her own motives or objectives following the death of the US Marshal in season 1 and remains in the series as a plot device adjacent to other characters. This could be justified if her character had grown toward the end, but there's no tangible arc for Kate.
9 I Wish Lost Hadn't Involved Time Travel
Season 5 Is A Low Point For Lost
For starters, it's worth noting that I'm often not a fan of time travel/alternate universe material in science fiction media unless it's something like Back to the Future, where the plot is specifically oriented around it. In Lost, the integration of time travel later in the series often felt shoehorned in, resulting in season 5 being my personal least favorite and the most hokey. It isn't necessarily the way time travel works that I take issue with, as I actually enjoy some of the world exploration that's allowed through it, but rather the way characters act in its orbit.
As I mentioned, I view Lost as a largely character-driven show, and I feel like season 5 sees a deterioration in this aspect. With the high-stakes time travel drama causing characters to constantly be moving around and finding themselves in perilous situations, I feel like the series becomes more plot-driven. Characters in season 5 are often subject to acting in uncharacteristic ways in order to fulfill the needs of the plot's engine.
8 I Wish Lost Had Given Michael More To Do
Michael's Character Arc Falls Short
Michael and Walt's dynamic is crucial to the early seasons, with the eventual season 2 betrayal being undoubtedly one of the most shocking Lost moments. While I believe the gist of Michael's character was well written, I think he deserved more screen time to examine the reasoning behind his actions. After all, he was given a second chance to be a father and thrust into an impossible situation. It's a fascinating depiction of desperation, but I don't think it lands properly.
The problem with Michael is that, like Kate, he often only exists adjacent to other characters in the series. Michael is there to be Walt's father, which means he's always going to be facing some conflict with little focus on his own personality. Because Walt was written off the show so early, Michael's story was rushed to coincide. Then, his return in season 4 was squished because of the shortened season.
7 I Wish Lost Had Reduced Its Season Length Sooner
Lost Is Overinflated With Filler Episodes
In a general sense, the shortened seasons in the back half of Lost aren't a problem. In of pacing, I actually find season 4 to be the most consistently entertaining in the series, even if it doesn't have as many total great moments as others. Having 20+ episodes in network television seems incredibly daunting, and there's a reason cable networks like HBO or streaming services opt to have shorter seasons.
Yes, I'm referring to "Stranger in a Strange Land."
The first few seasons of Lost are my favorites, but there are so many filler episodes that can be a slog to get through. Particularly in season 3, the writers seem to have run out of ideas for certain characters' flashbacks, and they just become difficult to sit through. Yes, I'm referring to "Stranger in a Strange Land." Had the episode count been reduced to 13-16 earlier on, the show might be a bit sharper all around. Still, I can't deny some of the charming character moments from those filler episodes, like Jack and Sawyer playing ping pong.
6 I Wish Lost Had Used Abaddon More
Lance Reddick's Lost Character Wasn't Planned Well
The late Lance Reddick is one of the greatest talents Lost had in its cast, and yet his character, Abaddon, is rather disappointing. The issue has nothing to do with his performance or the writing in the scenes that he's in but rather the volume of his usage. Knowing how excellent Reddick is on The Wire, I would like to see more of this character, but it seems like he sunk on the Charles Widmore ship.
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Abaddon seems to be an agent for Widmore, but his most mysterious acts include things like steering John Locke toward finding the island, which seems to align more with Jacob. This seems to just be an instance of poor planning, as there were moments when Charles Widmore's role in the Lost end game seemed bigger than it actually ended up being.
5 I Wish The Temple Had Been Utilized Better
The Temple Is The Least Interesting Island Location
The Temple is similar to Abaddon: great concept, poor execution. To think Hiroyuki Sanada had a five-episode stretch on Lost, and still, after several rewatches, I can barely anything that he did, speaks to the flaws in this narrative. The Temple is an excellent idea, in theory, to expand on the lore of the Others and their lasting place in the island's mythology, but by season 6, the primary issue seems to be that they've dissipated from the narrative.
The Others were a central mystery early in Lost, but by the time of seasons 4 & 6, they've been mixed into the cast with the survivors for so long that they've already been demystified. To then introduce Dogen and the Temple later on almost felt shoehorned, especially when it didn't have much value regarding the mythology of Jacob and the Man in Black.
4 I Wish Nadia Had Been Sayid's True Love
Nadia Is Crucial To Sayid's Story Arc
The Lost finale sees the main cast ed together in a church, paired with their main romantic partners, to progress into the afterlife. I always found it strange here to see Sayid with Shannon, given how short-lived their romance had been in comparison to his ion for Nadia. Nadia is the essence of Sayid's narrative early in the series, with him even carrying a photo of her on the island.
Sayid and Nadia's narrative has many elements in common with Desmond and Penny, except I don't find their chemistry to be as gripping. This is, of course, due to the nature of their relationship, but it seems like Sayid and Nadia were a failed experiment that the writers rectified with a later romance, even incorporating the use of a photograph to symbolize long-lost love. However, I think ignoring this entirely in the finale was a mistake.
3 I Wish Locke Had Been End Game
John Locke's Ending Could've Been Pulled Off Better
The scenes between Jack and Locke are arguably Lost at its best, exploring this push-and-pull dynamic between science and faith. It's replaced later in the story by a more bare-bones struggle between good and evil, and I don't think the show ever recovers from Locke's absence. The Locke-looking Man in Black is a decent antagonist, but it never feels as complex or engaging as the grounded philosophical disagreements of the earlier seasons.
Locke could've made for a great end-game antagonist in his own right.
Sure, it's a compelling idea that Locke wasn't special and that he was basically just a guy who died after a miserable life. But I've always thought that message would've been hammered home even more beautifully had he made it to the ending before fully discovering this, allowing his self-absorbed notion of being special to excuse terrible acts. Locke could've made for a great end-game antagonist in his own right.
2 I Wish Lost Had Cut Some Of Its Flashbacks Earlier On
So Many Lost Flashbacks In Seasons 2 & 3 Weren't Compelling
The Lost flashbacks are crucial to the show's method of character-driven narrative, and they work to a tee in the early seasons. I always cite the first half of season 1 as some of the strongest television writing I've ever seen, from "Tabula Rasa" to "Confidence Man." Each episode in this stretch introduces the backstory of one of the show's characters, and each perfectly balances its flashbacks with its main island narrative.
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But the Lost flashbacks don't stay good for long, and they rely on introducing new characters to keep them fresh. By season 3 in rewatches, I'm pretty much just counting on Desmond or Ben flashbacks to carry the load, as the main survivors have all grown gruesomely repetitive by this point. The flash-forwards were an interesting device, but the format ultimately doesn't benefit the series in the long run.
1 I Wish Lost Had Never Toyed With The Idea That They Were Dead The Whole Time
This Misconception Has Tainted Lost's Reputation
If you're a Lost season 6 defender like I am, you've probably been faced with the frustration of hearing someone say, "Weren't they just dead the whole time?" I'd love to say that Christian Shepherd explicitly saying otherwise was enough to dispel this notion, but since it clearly wasn't, I'm annoyed that the show toyed with this idea to begin with.
The idea of Widmore planting a fake plane at the bottom of the ocean is incredibly cool, but it apparently wasn't worth the misdirection. The idea that the survivors had died and been sent to purgatory is cliché and boring, and even though the manner in which the Lost writers presented this red herring was awesome, the possibility of it becoming true would never have benefited the show.
Sources: E News
Lost is a mystery drama series created for TV that follows a group of survivors of a plane crash and tells its story between the past, present, and future via flashbacks. When Oceanic Airlines Flight 815 crashes and lands on a mysterious island in the pacific ocean, the castaways discover their new temporary home may have a mind of its own, as strange supernatural events keep them locked to the island. From an unknown black smoke creature to dangerous islanders, the engers must work together to survive the island's seemingly deadly intentions.
- Cast
- Ken Leung, Elizabeth Mitchell, Yunjin Kim
- Writers
- Jeffrey Lieber, J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof
- Seasons
- 6
