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TerranC said:
And regards to Lost, Lost is crap. It killed what little interest I had in it the moment I saw that episode with the korean couple.
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Which one? Why? I think it's certainly an intriguing show, especially since it's clearly not just about the Island, and not just about the present...I also think the metaphysical aspects are fascinating. And it's creepy. My only real bummer is that it's easy to make things seem weird, unexplainable , inextricable, but it's a lot harder to tie it all together in a decent way. I mean, there is so much strange stuff going on that at a certain point I just get to wondering whether the only way to explain it all is by invoking God, lots of dream sequences, or some other deux ex machina. Which is fine, but it does seem sort of a cop out. Like when St. Elsewhere ended (I think it was that one) where the entire series over the years was shown to be the hallucinations of an autistic kid. That's just bad writing.
If they can wrap it all up in a way that answers questions, that's what I want. The tendency for writers of this sort of show, however, is to leave as many questions unanswered as otherwise - I think becuase, at the end of the day, they've hyped all the mystery so much that they actually can't satisfy all their mysteries.
That's not to say that such a tactic is inherently a bad thing. I greatly appreciate those writers like John Fowles or David Lynch who approach their subject as if the reader/viewer was part of it. Didja ever read the French Lieutenants' Woman? It's a great book, very very well written, and pulls you into the role of the protagonist very well. And then, near the end of the book, when the protagonist becomes very confused and disoriented by new sudden information, the author imparts the same feelings in the reader by messing with the writing and, of all things, the pagination. It's a cute little trick, but just as the protagonist is feeling like everything he's assumed up to that point is up to question, the reader also feels like the ground has been pulled out from under them, becuase suddenly they're reading the same, but slightly different, passages twice, and the page numbers are slighlty screwy, etc...it's good work, and for years I didn't really get what was going on.
Or, howabout Lost Highway by David Lynch. One cogent interpretation of that movie is that it's all pretty much a hallucination in this guys head - but the point is not that as much as the fact that, as a viewer, you are as confused and off-gaurd as the protagonist...
Essentially, they're pulling the reader/viewer directly into the piece, and, if done well, is pretty fascinating, and stays with you.
I just hope they don't do that with lost, becuase of the fact that it's almost impossible for the viewer to relate to the subject matter - hence it would be another 'Matrix' or 'Donnie Darko' where it's a great yarn, and fascinates, but has ultimately less staying power or value as literature.
Geez, I really am rambling today.
I really must stop drinking so much coffee in the morning.
Thanks,
Alarik