Hell, the first season of The Walking Dead was a short one, and generally a very good one. While in the second season they had more episodes and (reportedly) a smaller budget. Or at least not a bigger one, for more than twice the episodes.
Television Lost: The Final Season
- Thread starter The Flying Potato
- Start date
I feel as if I have to post this everytime anything Lost related comes up:
Aside from the 99 final, that is probably the best and most entertaining 3 minutes of television I have ever seen. I am still aghast at this scene now - it's just perfect. Was this the clincher for anyone else to watch every single episode one after another consecutively for the next couple of weeks?
Edit: Shit, goosebumps now watching that again.
The mindfeck of the realisation that he's been disabled all along, the beauty of a a man having his most enlightening and magical moment amongst a scene of utter chaos, Jack ordering him about as soon as he takes his first step again....brilliant. Quite simply, not just the best part of Lost but, for me, the best and most emotional scene I have seen in any series!
Spot on which makes what they turned it into eventually so hard to take. Taken in isolation the first series of Lost ranks alongside the greatest TV shows ever. Sadly its slowly went downhill from there and try as I did sticking with it till the bitter end it was never the same. Really sad.
So many episodes ended in such an epic manor. I still remember when they were burying someone, and then you just hear Sun say "Boat, boat!". Get's me on the edge of my seat even today, or when the front section of the plane think they've seen 'The others' but it's really just Mr Eko and other passengers. When you first see them, they look like such savages, another epic episode ending.
Even if it was the best season of the series(which it so clearly isn't), no no no no no no no nope. Did I mention...no? NOooooOoOoooooooo.
Going with the above, it's no surprise the first season, which is good suffers from too much filler, whereas the far superior 4 and slightly better 5 are shorter and like 2/3 filler episodes each. It's basically one of the very few shows that magically managed to jump back over the shark with the final few eps of season 3(which isn't really that good of a season on the whole)
20+ episodes is fine for a half hour comedy show that isn't really plot reliant, such as Parks & Rec or Community, but it's definitely too long for big budget, hour long epics like Lost. I fully believe that if Lost has been given around 13 to 16 episodes a season right from the get go then it'd have ended on a far higher note.
Even if it was the best season of the series(which it so clearly isn't), no no no no no no no nope. Did I mention...no? NOooooOoOoooooooo.
Going with the above, it's no surprise the first season, which is good suffers from too much filler, whereas the far superior 4 and slightly better 5 are shorter and like 2/3 filler episodes each. It's basically one of the very few shows that magically managed to jump back over the shark with the final few eps of season 3(which isn't really that good of a season on the whole)
Season one for me was a million miles better than every other Lost season
Thankfully, as that was a change for the better. Ben was an awesome character!
btw LOST was such an addictive show, I rank it up there with some of the best fiction shows i've ever watched
Ben, Hurley, Desmond, Sawyer and the baldy chap whose name i forget, were very engrossing characters
Ben, Hurley, Desmond, Sawyer and the baldy chap whose name i forget, were very engrossing characters
Locke? Yeah, he was creepy as fcuk in the first season with his knives until we got his backstory.
Hurley and Charlie were great together as a comedic duo.
Hurley and Charlie were great together as a comedic duo.
Lost was great up until it reached the point where some of them left the island.After that it turned horribly shit, I got so bored that I deleted the last 3 episodes of the final season
Season one was brilliant for a first season, it built up the tension and the characters before having an explosive finish, even if it teased more than it gave. At the time I didn't like season two as much but in retrospect it was probably as good. I wasn't a fan of Michael and lost-Walt's story arc, and thought that was poorly done. But it did introduce the two best characters in the show, Desmond and Ben, and the "who is the others" was a lot of fun. Season 3 seriously suffered from the writers strike and the mid season break, the first scene was awesome, but how bored did you get of "downtown"!
Season 4 was brilliant.
Season 4 was brilliant.
The beginning of season 2 remains the best opening to a season I have ever ever seen.
It was pretty good. But surely the greatest ever opening to a season is The Wire Season 4?
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Fair summary of first two seasons.
Also the writers striker happened during the fourth season. The break in third was intended and there was a similar one in S2.
I agree with what someone above said about S3 being close to jumping the shark but they pulled it back with last 3 episodes. Especially the flash forward reveal.
For 4 and 5, some of the ideas and concepts were good. Episodes were very tightly directed so some of the episodes during these two season are best of the series. But as a whole arc and storyline, the series went into a bad direction. Too much deus ex machina and too many mysteries explained by faith. 6 th bar a couple of episodes was poor IMO. They left too many things to be answered for the final season and for some reason wasted the first third of the series on a stupid temple.
Oh my God just watching these clips is bringing it all back. A massive addiction that I have been deprived of for so long.
But the reason it had a "half season" was because of the writers strike: http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/833/833445p1.html
Wait that is about season 4.
Hmm
So the 6 episode run in season 3 was purely a gimmick? Gah
Wait that is about season 4.
Hmm
So the 6 episode run in season 3 was purely a gimmick? Gah
As I recall, the reason they split season 3 up into 2 straight runs of episodes (6 and 18 I think?) was because viewers had been complaining about the fact that the first 2 seasons were doing things the usual American way, showing episodes in blocks of 3 or 4, then a break, then another 2, then a break etc. That's why they changed it for season 3 so that there were 6 in a row and then a long break, and then 18 in a row.
I liked season 3, to be honest. Thought it was good, though not of the standard of the first 2.
By the time it had got to season 6, it was like finishing coming down after a night of ecstasy, only to be then offered some shitty, speedy pills to try and get back you up again. Season 1 and 2 were fecking amazing, 3 was good, 4 and 5 mark the come down (in my opinion), and you watched 6 simply because you thought it'd return to form.
It didn't.
By the time it had got to season 6, it was like finishing coming down after a night of ecstasy, only to be then offered some shitty, speedy pills to try and get back you up again. Season 1 and 2 were fecking amazing, 3 was good, 4 and 5 mark the come down (in my opinion), and you watched 6 simply because you thought it'd return to form.
It didn't.
I can't quite remember the season numbers, but I'm pretty sure I felt it got good again after going pretty damn bad. I suspect that bad season was 3, while I liked 4 and 5 again. 6, particularly the ending, was... best not spoken about.
So I just watched the first episode with my 12 and 13 year olds. They were proper into it - I've got a home cinema setup now so actually, it was pretty damn good after quite a long break of not seeing it. The only thing I'm worried about is - is it suitable for that age group? I seem to remember it gets fairly dark in places. They're begging me to watch the next episode tomorrow night.
I'd say it's suitable, yeah. If you get as far as season 3 onwards then they might struggle with the storyline. Hell, even I did with the final 2 seasons.
Actually I'm getting as much pleasure sharing their enjoyment of it as I did the first time, given their experiences of 'grown up telly' so far consists of shit like Eastenders and Hollyoaks which their mum watches with them.
I hate these programs and refuse to watch them, even I draw the line at watching shit like this.
We're talking about 12 and 13 year olds of 2013. They're the equivalent of the Mau Mau or the Khmer Rouge, so don't worry.
I can't rewatch Lost, it's too depressing knowing that there are no more, I get really sad when stories end.
I used to read an episode recap every week and the dude went proper off the deep end with his theories (I liked some of them better than I liked the actual show). The ending was emotionally perfect but lacked finality, after being told for years that everything would be revealed in the end, it felt like they shit in your handbag, with the magic handwave ending.
I envy the kids watching it having never seen it, I'd love to experience it all over again, Lost is possibly the greatest 'out there' tv show ever, the writers were influenced by stuff like Twin Peaks it'll be interesting to see what the next generation creates having been inspired by this.
I used to read an episode recap every week and the dude went proper off the deep end with his theories (I liked some of them better than I liked the actual show). The ending was emotionally perfect but lacked finality, after being told for years that everything would be revealed in the end, it felt like they shit in your handbag, with the magic handwave ending.
I envy the kids watching it having never seen it, I'd love to experience it all over again, Lost is possibly the greatest 'out there' tv show ever, the writers were influenced by stuff like Twin Peaks it'll be interesting to see what the next generation creates having been inspired by this.
I've watched lost about 7 times I reckon, can't get enough
Broke out my lost box set recently, I'm about half way through the first season. That's some brilliant television, the second season is great too. I even liked the 3rd but it started going downhill in the fourth. But the first two seasons are really as good as any tv show ever I think.
Just rewatched the pilot episode... So good!
Now the question is, do I really want to reinvest my time to once again experience the inevitable confusion and disappointment?
Now the question is, do I really want to reinvest my time to once again experience the inevitable confusion and disappointment?
You could stop at like Season 3 before it got stupid? It's a shame, there were some really good characters in Lost.
I just rewatched the pilot a couple of days ago, it's just awesome.
As for the disappointment thing, well for me it was all about the journey and the characters.
To be fair, I don't think I was actually ever disappointed, as I always enjoyed it. It's just the quality dropped and it got sillier as it went on. The fact the box sets are on Sky Go makes it hard for me not to as I can watch on my iPad in bed.
So many filler episodes though, hopefully I'll remember enough to know what and when to skip.
So many filler episodes though, hopefully I'll remember enough to know what and when to skip.
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Season 1 was excellent. Season 2 had its moments but was weaker. I really liked Season 3 and 4. Season 4 especially seemed to do well with a reduced season of only 12 episodes; I really enjoyed the freighter stuff and some of the new characters like Faraday were interesting, and The Constant was one of the best episodes of TV ever.
I still enjoyed Season 5 and 6 but it could have been so much better. The time-travelling was a bit ridiculous.
I still enjoyed Season 5 and 6 but it could have been so much better. The time-travelling was a bit ridiculous.
Absolutely, brilliant stuff it was!
I watched the season final on friday, always emotional!
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The Constant is probably my favourite TV episode ever. That, or the Ozymandias episode on Breaking Bad.
Re-watching The Constant now
The way Lost ended was fine with me, I loved the finale and final scenes. I liked the final season in general but it was a step-down from the quality of 4 and 5 right. Seen the whole series through twice, might jam it again now that I've recently finished re-watching The Wire for the fourth time.
Ive watched it twice now, tempted to go at it again. I think the whole "freighter" storyline and Widmore could have been taken out and Lost would've been better for it.
Ffs what an episode. Absolutely heart breaking.Re-watching The Constant now