Thursday, September 29, 2005

TV Review: Lost, Season 2, Episode #2: "Adrift"

I love Lost; I think it's a terrific drama. I'm glad it won an Emmy. But there's just no way around saying this. Last night, the makers of Lost stiffed us. As my wife said, the episode, titled "Adrift", was nothing but filler. We didn't learn anything we didn't know about the characters already, and the "big" story did not move forward a whit.

At the end of last week's episode, "Man of Science, Man of Faith," the first of the season, we saw Jack confront the man living inside the underground facility under the blown hatch. He recognized him. You would expect, this week, to pick up there, right? Well, expectations are dangerous, my friend, because "Adrift" went on and on for an hour and ended at the exact same point, just about, with Jack's moment of recognition.

Oh, it's true that this week we learn what became of Sawyer and Michael, but really, was it necessary to spend so much of the running time with the two of them paddling water at sea? And Michael's series of flashbacks adds absolutely nothing to the character. We already know he had to give up his son, Walt. That was the subject of a first season story. We have that information in our heads already, thanks to other episodes. We don't need to actually see these events to get the picture.

The result? My wife is spot-on. "Adrift" was filler. I realize that these plotlines need to stretch over a long period of time (and two-dozen or so episodes...) but come on folks, don't make time actually stand still. Don't end an episode with Jack recognizing the underground facility dude (Desmond) and then the next week end at just about the same place. That's cheating. That's cruel.

Next week's episode looks like it will introduce Michelle Rodriguez to the castaways ranks and acquaint us more fully with "The Others," the bad dudes on the island. That should be interesting. Hopefully we'll also find out more about Desmond, Jack's "buddy" from the past, and what he's been doing down there with those 1980s computers. It better be one helluva show...

Like I said, I love Lost. I watch it religiously. But "Adrift" was just that; a program absolutely adrift and determined not to play fair with the audience. Bad producers! Bad! Next week: "Orientation." How about a re-orientation?

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