Open Letters to the Writers of Lost

T

tjguitarz

New Member
Dear Writers of Lost,

Where do you get off?

How could you ruin such a great story line? From day 1 I've been waiting for my questions to be answered, and all I have done since is add more to the list. If you could just answer one, it would make me so happy. I think I would keep watching your show in hopes that in three more years, you might answer another. I mean, honestly, where did you learn how to write? Do you even know where the story is going? I can just picture you guys in an office writing the next show.

Guys from Lost said:
"Guys, I feel like our story is lacking."

"I agree. We need a new character."

"No, two new characters! And one of them will have magic powers!"
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Really dudes, I think you're just peeing into the wind. Eventually you're going to realize the story must end. I think it's going to take a miracle for people not to kill you if it sucks. I'll be praying for you.

TJ
 
Almost none of the writers are the same, so why would it be good? Instead of ending the strike with giving into demands, they just hired new writers, and now I hate all shows, but I hated almost all shows anyways...except CSI...everything else I just can't stand...
 
Video killed the radio star... and the internet is pwning TV

For 99% of shows you have to go back to the 80's to find shows that are both decent and not too objectable morally. After they found out you could get more people to watch by making a linear plot line, as opposed to stand alone episodes, more and more shows relied on that instead of quality. Of course the more you contrive a plotline to continue it the more convoluted it becomes. That turns off new viewers by bewilderment and makes catching every show more a drug addiction than enjoyment to regulars. Really creators of media need to set limits to how long a plotline goes on in addition to finding creative ways to reintroduce characters and concepts every few episodes. A character can never develop if a plotline never progresses. This all brings to mind X-men comics which I quit because it became a hopeless mire of plotlines and crossovers while losing the character development old writers gave it. It actually got so bad they added a foldout timeline of past events in the cover of every issue XD. Media is also all about money to most people, they can't see past that to making anything they can be proud of, after all "it's a proven franchise and we can't dare risk ending it!".

TV is also in the process of what happened to radio. The lowering quality of TV shows is being exacerbated by the advent of more competition for peoples entertainment time. Examples are the internet, Netflix, foreign imports (anime) and video games, most of which were just getting started in the 80's.

Currently watching Andy Griffith and PBS science/history programs and that's about it.
 
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American television network + plot that makes money + no set deadline = series that eventually tanks and/or gets canceled

That's yet another reason why I prefer anime over American television: Most anime series have a set number of episodes before they start. The notable exceptions like Bleach and Naruto have a reputation for stretching out fights that should last one episode across five to seven. My top 5 favorite anime series (Mai HiME, Read or Die TV, Samurai Champloo, Welcome to the NHK, and Karin) were all 24 or 26 episodes long.

The only good television show without a set deadline that didn't jump the shark (i.e. start sucking) or get canceled is (yes, singular) Star Trek: The Next Generation. Seven years in, the crew decided that they had done all they could and it was time to move on--and that's why ST: TNG's final episode is the prime example of how a great series should be concluded.

On a related note, the only American series that I know of with a set beginning, middle, and end is Babylon 5. I very much want to see the series, but can't throw money at the full DVD set right now.

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I haven't watched a single episode of Lost, so I can't speak to TJ's letter, but, from what I hear from friends and acquaintances, he isn't alone in his disappointment. Hasn't the show lost over half its viewers? They better be careful or the network will pull a Battlestar Galactica: "This show has completely lost its cohesion and direction. You have one more season to finish this."
 
Tek7 said:
On a related note, the only American series that I know of with a set beginning, middle, and end is Babylon 5. I very much want to see the series, but can't throw money at the full DVD set right now.
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I wouldn't bother. The show was ok, much better than Star Trek Voyager or DS9 but Star Trek Next Generation beats it. When they replaced the head character it felt a bit awkward like he had to leave for real life reasons and they scripted in an excuse. The end is rather predictable as well. Also there was that uncomfortable and laughable lesbian episode you will have to get past (but then Next Gen had its uncomfortable episodes too). Classic Star Trek pwns them all. They don't attempt to make "tech" sense and as controversial as they got was Kirk kissing Uhura (of course there was that recent real life Sulu thing but that's real life). We've got the old release of Star Trek the one with updated CGI misses the entire point (I want my Enterprise built out of Schick razors not polygons!).

I have seen an episode or two of lost though and gigged all the way though it. Ooooooooh secret number, oooooooh secret underground place, ooooooooh will he be evil or good in the end. It's all so mind numbingly trite.

<sarcasm> You know what we all need... MORE REALITY SHOWS! Ow, ow, ouch, stop throwing things</sarcasm>
 
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Tek7 said:
They better be careful or the network will pull a Battlestar Galactica: "This show has completely lost its cohesion and direction. You have one more season to finish this."
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OH NOES!!1! I just started watching BSG, and I think it's amazing. Well written, well crafted. Sure... kind of awkward, but the plot's too good to walk away. I'm hoping your comments are directed toward the 1980s version. I'm just about to finish season 1 (that aired in 2005 or so) and I don't want another show that makes me pull my hair out.
 
OH NOES!!1! Fear just seized me.

Is Heroes going to be one of these shoes?

OH NOES!!1! Tim Kring, please say it isn't so.
 
Heroes has already lost its cohesion long ago and makes no sense whatsoever I'm not talking about how the powers work actually making sense that would be silly because you couldn't have fiction shows at all then. Rather once a rule has been laid down you need to give an explanation for violating that rule or it becomes foolish. Some examples...

1. Sylar had Claire's healing powers so just why did anyone think stabbing him with a sword would kill him? (as I recall Peter actually witnessed him use them too).

2. Hiro "lets his father go" saying you can't save everyone when he just spent the entire 1 season altering the timeline to save New York? Not to mention that Hiro's father specifically said he had hoped to help Hiro but was more than willing to leave him facing "mysterious" powerful enemies without even telling him who they are. I do think Hiro's friend or someone will speak up and say he was told to give him something by his father, however, why didn't he say something when he had the chance?

3. Peter Petrelli struggled with that whole Nuking new York thing all though the first season yet apparently mastered his powers completely at some undisclosed point. Actually he was using them fine when he lost his memory in spite of having said his powers worked best when he thought of the person he took the powers from (he said it in a discussion with the invisible guy.)

4. Just why did Peter have to struggle with ripping the vault off it's hinges by using telekinesis? He has a whole range of powers to chose from which would work. While I'm at it just what was the big deal about having to trust Adam, just destroy the vial yourself. Which is what he ended up doing anyway!

5. Then there was the guy who could phase though stuff and his super strong wife who where having trouble making ends meet. Apparently they couldn't think of any legitimate jobs that would profit from superpowers even if used in secret. Oh wait after whining all though the first season he instantly becomes a firefighter in the second ooooook (I would have gone for escape artist btw).

6. Why are they so interested in Claire's blood when they had access to Adam's blood in prison for the last 30 years?

That's just the ones I remember off the top of my head though.

This is not really a plot hole because it hasn't happened yet, but, just what is going to keep Sylar from A. randomly blowing up cities B. reshaping history to suit him. The only reason I can think of is he doesn't know he can time travel... yet. I'm sure they will address this at least in part by giving him a "new" goal in life.

I also like how they left Adam in a place they can bring him back from should they desire to. Honestly Hiro if you wanted to kill him just drop him in a volcano or something I don't think he could heal that.

I could say more but having said all that it doesn't really matter. A show doesn't have to make sense to enjoy it, if you like it that's fine. Exceedingly few shows make sense Heroes being any exception would be unusual. Heroes also has actually been resolving... well at least ending plot arcs, unlike lost.
 
The only thing on tv worth watching anymore is Smallville, IMHO. :)

I got lost with Lost during season 2 and have had no desire to go back.

Heroes had potential, but was entirely too confusing and contrived.

Stargate: Atlantis started out great, but there's no oomph anymore, no magic. The "new" Sam Carter is a wimpy Sam Carter. I guess all the fire was sucked out of her when they did that backwards time-travel thing at the end of SG-1. Nowadays we just watch the SG-1 reruns... Richard Dean Anderson and the original crew FTW. :)
 
Tek7 said:
That's yet another reason why I prefer anime over American television: Most anime series have a set number of episodes before they start.
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Most Japanese shows are like that. I watch a lot of Japanese dramas, and they all have a set number of episodes. Although it becomes problematic for me with the Japanese tendency to end things and make you feel like it's not finished yet.
 
ishylynn said:
Most Japanese shows are like that. I watch a lot of Japanese dramas, and they all have a set number of episodes. Although it becomes problematic for me with the Japanese tendency to end things and make you feel like it's not finished yet.
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That just means they need to create a second series (e.g. Shakugan no Shana Second). :D
 
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