Your Voice: What Are the Essential ‘Lost’ Chapters?
Submitted by TheZman
Let me start by offering an acknowledgment and an apology to my fellow Lost junkies here at TheTailSection.com.
1. I realize that my article is not a theory, but I’m looking to you (the learned Lost scholars that you are) for valuable input. My idea is to help out the Lost-uninitiated, or those of our brethren that have fallen by the wayside by not keeping up with Lost for one reason or another.
2. The point behind this submission is to present to the Lost neophytes a condensed collection of episodes (chapters as I prefer to call them) to help the uninitiated get up-to-speed for the conclusion of Season 4. So, what I am about to present is a list of chapters that I think are absolutely necessary, as they pertain to the overall story arc(s) of the show thus far.
Some of you might be thinking, "What kind of sacrilege is this?!?" Or, "Who are you to decide what is necessary and what is not?" Fair enough questions. I can almost feel the burning of the flaming posts about to head my way, so please allow me to elaborate.
I consider myself a die hard Lost fan. I have watched every chapter at least three times, and am reasonably fluent with the mythology and storyline of Lost. I read just about every theory submitted about Lost; be it character-based, mythology-based, symbolism-based, etc. One of the topics on TheTailSection.com that I’ve been reading lately is that more and more viewers are getting confused about the multitude of story lines and complexities of the inter-relations between the characters.
I’m sure that most of you reading this posting can think of at least one person in their circle of friends/acquaintances that either hate Lost, or have lost interest because the show requires some level of devotion to really appreciate the writing genius that goes into each chapter of the epic story. But I also understand that life does have other obligations other than watching Lost. My thoughts are that by presenting a list of essential chapters to watch this may take some of the concern, and possible trepidation, out of devoting time to a show that intimidates some people.
So, I began thinking “If I were to try to get someone to watch Lost, how would I introduce them to the show?” This began my quest to see if there really was a way to present the show without overwhelming the poor soul with three complete seasons of Lost to watch. Granted, because the perceived "non-mythology-based" chapters are really good stories, they could be better viewed after the fact once the new Lost viewer is up-to-speed with Season 4 (filling in the gaps that they were not able to infer from watching the core chapters as listed below).
Here is my list of essential chapters (episodes), for seasons 1 though 3:
SEASON 1:
Pilot (Parts 1 and 2)
Tabula Rasa
Walkabout
White Rabbit
House of the Rising Sun
Confidence Man
Solitary
Raised By Another
All The Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues
Special
Homecoming
Outlaws
… In Translation
Numbers
Deus Ex Machina
Do No Harm
Exodus (Parts 1 and 2)
SEASON 2:
Man of Science, Man of Faith
Adrift
Orientation
… And Found
Abandoned
The Other 48 Days
Collision
What Kate Did
One of Them
Maternity Leave
The Whole Truth
Lockdown
Two for the Road
“?”
Three Minutes
Live Together, Die Alone (Parts 1 and 2)
SEASON 3:
A Tale of Two Cities
The Glass Ballerina
Further Instructions
Every Man For Himself
The Cost of Living
I Do
Not In Portland
Flashes Before Your Eyes
Enter 77
The Man From Tallahassee
Left Behind
One of Us
Catch-22
D.O.C.
The Brig
The Man Behind The Curtain
Greatest Hits
Through the Looking Glass (Parts 1 and 2)
By my count, I have omitted 16 episodes from the complete catalog of Lost. Maybe this is too many, maybe there are other chapters that could be removed all together, or maybe there are some that could replace an existing entry on the list. This is where you come in, fellow LOSTies. This is where I would like your honest and objective feedback. Objective feedback means doing so in a civilized way, with a counterpoint(s) to my point(s) in question.
So there you have it! What do you think? Does this seem like a good idea or, as Charlie would say, “a load of bollocks!”
Peace, Love and Namaste.
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"Your Voice" is a new TTS series in which Tail Section fans submit their articles, theories or reviews to be published on The Tail Section for all their fellow fans to read. Have you spent far too much time pondering the origins of the DHARMA Initiative? Have you alienated your co-workers by rambling about Daniel Faraday’s wacky time anomaly experiment? If so, we want to hear from you. Send your own Lost theories, reviews, or general thoughts to Editor(at)TheTailSection.com. Please keep all submissions between 300 and 1,000 words. We will read through all submissions and contact you if we publish your entry. You will also receive byline credit on our site.
I think I can see the point in what you’re trying to do, but I don’t really think it’s worth trimming out some episodes if you’re only going to trim out that many. You’re still left with a long list of a lot of catching up, and as long as someone has to do that much watching, they’re better off just watching everything. Of course, I think they should anyway, because they shouldn’t see it as a chore they have to quickly overcome to catch up for season four. They should just start from the beginning, and if they enjoy it, keep watching. When you watch a movie, you don’t try and rush to finish, and I think watching the old episodes of Lost should be the same way. Watch them for their own value, not just to catch up.
I do think that if you’re trying to get someone to watch who’s not willing to watch the old seasons, you should probably just have them watch Past, Present, and Future. Just one hour, not a daunting task by any means.
Comment by Devin — April 7, 2008 @ 9:53 am
I’m someone who thinks every episode has at least some nugget of information that will be vital later on, but I honsetly can’t believe you’d leave out Expose, it fills in so many blanks … how Shannon knew where the Marshal’s key was, how Ben used Michael to lure Jack, Charlie admitting to Sun what he did to her … all in all important episdoe, even if you don’t like Nikki or Paulo.
Comment by Jeff — April 7, 2008 @ 12:43 pm
I don’t think you will be able to get someone into the show by saying, “here, watch these episodes but don’t watch certain ones so it wont take you so long to get caught up”. The person will think, “if I could skip all these episodes, it must not be that good so why watch it in the first place”. Also by the time they start watching a few, if they like it I’m sure they won’t mind watching them all and would probably hate the idea of skipping any. And finally, by the time they are caught up, I think they would be the most confused out of everyone, because they have gaps of information missing. Something important might come up in a future season that was touched upon in an episode they skipped.
So if someone wants to get caught up without watching the whole show, I would suggest just having them watching recaps or something, or just have them wait until the show is finished and show them all of it.
Comment by Matt — April 7, 2008 @ 3:39 pm
i think that if you’re going to make an essential list you would have to cut alot more. i see that you count character development episodes in season 1 but not 3, when its all important. if you cut it down to reall essentials though, it would make sense. Say for season 3-A tale of Two cities, Not in Portland, Flashes before your eyes, Enter 77, the man from tallahasse, One of Us, the man behind the curtain,and throught thew looking glass are the main mythology bases episodes. But lost is soooo much more than that, and needs to be appreciated in its fullest sense. For example, the overall plot of The Stand is not that fantastic- Superflu then good vs. evil, but the character development makes it an epic. Nearly all episodes add something except a few. (i’m looking at you, Expose) Every episode is fantastic to me.
Comment by Mike — April 7, 2008 @ 4:29 pm
I would say Par Avon is probably essential due to the character connection in the episode.
Comment by Eli Oberlander — April 7, 2008 @ 7:05 pm
I dont see how you think The 23rd Psalm is an episode worth skipping!!! Thats one of the best episodes of the entire series. There was a huge reveal about the Monster at that time plus the first eko backstory. Why you think this ep could be omitted in order to catch up makes no sense to me. Nice Idea, but Id say just watch the whole run in order
Comment by AlexFan420 — April 7, 2008 @ 9:19 pm
I agree with all of you, if a person actually likes the show why on earth would they want to skip ANY of it? And things that seem insignificant NOW could end up being something important down the line and then where are these people gonna be? LOST!
Comment by B_Locke — April 7, 2008 @ 11:13 pm
Hey “TheZman” … very kind of you to work hard to try to share our LOST pleasures with friends.
If I may, suggest that you target your LOST mystery adventure compilation posting for the uninitiated until after S4 and organize your coherent thoughts. As you know, there is a looong LOST void after our S4 final, AND … a big job, you have [Yoda]. Also, suggest that you organize and snippet summarize by canon characters and events while referencing the relevant episodes, rather than simply listing a pile of episodes. As you noted, people are very busy with little LOST time.
Importantly, my post is definitely not intended for flaming you, simply to suggest an alternative approach for your kindly chosen task.
Namaste and Buena Suerte - RichPundit
Comment by RichPundit — April 8, 2008 @ 6:13 am
I agree withevery other post, and the factDave’ wa missed out :p
an if ‘Expose’s placed in thee,’The LongCon’ needs to be too…
Comment by jacob_lost — April 8, 2008 @ 6:44 am
I really dislike this idea. As we all know, a show like LOST leaves the viewer with many unanswered questions, often for quite a long time. Enter the “fans” that grew tired with the abundance of the island’s mysteries and stopped watching. Now consider a new viewer, you might say a LOST virgin. Don’t you think that once these big questions start popping up, they will be in a much better position to deal with them if they have the comfort of knowing that they know all there is to know up to that point? I feel this type of idea, if implemented would breed more disillusioned LOST fans than loyal ones.
Just have new viewers watch it at their own pace. If they don’t appreciate a grand story with so many loyal followers (at least one of whose opinion they respect), it’s just not for them. They have really got it made, though. They can watch one episode a week or four a day until they catch up. Moreover, they don’t have to watch the commercials, so they can watch three in just two hours. It shouldn’t matter to us how long it takes them to catch up. Just tell them, if they think an episode or two in a row sucked, to make a note, and skip ahead. If LOST is for them, you can bet they will be back to watch it. That should come as a last resort though, and should hardly be encouraged. For all we know, an episode that one of us thinks is unimportant may hold great meaning for that individual viewer.
On the other hand, yes, just have them watch the recap episodes—all of them. I think they’re free in HD on ABC.com. Then they can go back and watch all the episodes once they’ve seen how great the show is. I just don’t see how anyone in their right mind would want to devote that much time to such a great story and intentionally leave out so many important pieces (without at least some helpful narration).
Comment by John Marshall — April 8, 2008 @ 2:37 pm
I do think that if you want the uninitiated to be caught up in time for the second part of season 4, that list is going to have to be a lot shorter. In my opinion, these are the truly essential LOST episodes:
Pilot (1 & 2)
Walkabout
Homecoming
Exodus (1 & 2)
Man of Science, Man of Faith
Orientation
The Other 48 Days
Three Minutes
Live Together, Die Alone (1 & 2)
A Tale of Two Cities
Not in Portland
Flashes Before Your Eyes
The Man From Tallahassee
The Man Behind the Curtain
Through the Looking Glass (1 & 2)
Confirmed Dead
The Beginning of the End
The Constant
Meet Kevin Johnson
Anything else can be filled in with the little “previously on LOST” segments that come before these episodes.
Comment by RodimusBen — April 9, 2008 @ 1:24 am
i dont even think the idea is worth pursuing. you cant miss any episodes and really understand all the dynamics at play.
a better question might be which 5 (or 10 or 20) episodes could stand alone without requiring additional episodes to understand or follow the action.
Comment by joe blow — April 9, 2008 @ 2:48 am
i dont even think the idea is worth pursuing. you cant miss any episodes and really understand all the dynamics at play.
I don’t think LOST is nearly as complicated as a lot of its fans like to think it is. Sure, you may not know who “Henry Gale” was if you start watching in season 3, but think about it– has it ever come up since then? You can watch season 4 with absolutely no knowledge of the Tailies’ story arc from season 2 and be none the worse for wear. Boone, Shannon, Nikki, Paulo– entirely ancillary at this point.
Yes, LOST is the most characteristically serial show on television, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a TON of throwaway material.
Comment by RodimusBen — April 9, 2008 @ 4:50 am
Wow! I got more posts than I thought
Thanks to everyone who posted.
You know, it’s funny that so many folks mentioned that “Expose” was not included in the list. Actually, “Expose” is one of my personal favorite episodes. And I agree that “23rd Psalm” was fantastic as well. “Dave” was really cool too. Heck, I like them all.
@ joe blow: I like you statement of trying to come up with 20 or less episodes to explain the story thus far. That’s what I originally tried to do… obviously the list grew.
@RodimusBen: Your list is very close to the original list I drew up first draft. Excellent choice of episodes.
@John Marshall: I do agree with your assessment that this is probably not a good idea in that if the people you are trying to get watching LOST are the type that would not appreciate it anyway. I guess in my mind I was trying to envision a collectors set - the essential LOST - that could condense the story into one DVD release of six or so DVD discs vs. having to review the three completed seasons. Sorta like when a music artist releases a “greatest hits” CD. Some of my best friends are greatest hits CD buyers rather than investing in an artists complete catalog. That;s how they enjoy music.
Thanks again everyone!
TheZman
Comment by TheZman — April 9, 2008 @ 7:37 am
My list of Lost essential episodes:
1.Season 1
2.Season 2
3.Season 3
4.Season4, episodes 1-8
Comment by dolce — April 9, 2008 @ 1:44 pm
I don’t know about the essential ones, but I do know wich one is my favourite: Episode S04E05 - The Constant
Comment by Eduardo Mello Cantú — April 17, 2008 @ 7:32 am