THE BIG HIATUS

A "LOST IN THOUGHT" ESSAY

There are only three more episodes to go for this first season of 'Lost'. And then the more rabid fans among us who pore over details and obsess about clues and symbolism will have to make it through the summer awaiting first the release of the DVD boxed set (I ordered two!), and then the debut of their sophomore season.

For this Lostaway, it's going to make the schedule breaks of this past season seem like a hiccup in the time-space continuum.

Recently, I vented over in the official linear board for 'Lost', "The Fuselage", that so many weeks of interruptions due to repeats in order to stretch out the season to reach May Sweeps was harmful to the show's momentum.

I also mentioned a story in the Post that such breaks in the schedule could cause that particular writer (not me!) to just give up and walk away.

I received a thoughtful reply.

Tele-Toby
I disagree with you and with that guy from the Post. First of all, I don't think LOST is in ANY danger of duplicating the mistakes made by X-Files and Twin Peaks. In fact, the creators have admitted to studying these shows, as well as many others for exactly that reason -- NOT to duplicate those mistakes.

Secondly, the creative team for LOST are not exactly rookies in the television industry. I wouldn't belittle the experience they bring to the table.

And finally, I'm glad and I'm sure the people at LOST are glad that you love this show so much that you want it to be on every week. But face it, this is the way that the industry works -- not just for this show, but for ALL TV shows. It is the nature of the beast. This isn't the first show that has had 3 or 4 or 6 weeks between new episodes -- but it sounds like this is the first show that you have cared enough about to miss it so badly during those breaks.

I am a huge fan of ALIAS. Last season there was a lot of this same kind of talk about how the breaks between shows would "lose the audience." So what did we get? EIGHT MONTHS before we got a new episode. Yes, we have new episodes every week now, but I feel like I have barely finished processing what happened last week and a new week is upon me. There is no time to really theorize or get into good-natured arguments with my fellow fans, because new elements come into play EVERY SINGLE WEEK! Me? I prefer the way it used to be.

Of course you are entitled to your opinion and that is what this board is for -- I just wanted to give you another perspective.