LOST: One Year After The End

HELLO LOSTIES!!!  Happy Anniversary!  WOW, I can't believe a year has gone by since one of the greatest shows ever on television moved on into the bright white light.  It has been one crazy year since.  A fanbase divided straight down the middle on the legacy of the show, many shows vying to be the successor of said rabid fanbase, and everyone mourning and having a tough time letting go and moving on.  You can count me as one of the fans who can look back fondly on the LOST experience without any regret.  I think the finale still holds up and I do not believe it deterred from the 6 seasons that led to it.  We got many answers along the way.  Yes, there were some answers never provided, but there were also questions that were never questions.  And there are still things to discuss to this day about the show which makes me think it will stand the test of time.  No one can deny the experience we all went through over six years discussing this show.  We tried to recreate that experience this past year with several other shows.  While some got close, nothing yet has matched the power of that mysterious (create your own answer/theory) show about a strange mystical Island housing a bunch of tormented, damaged, broken people seeking redemption.   I will gladly say, that even a year later, I have been unable to move on.  In fact, to celebrate this anniversary, after typing this up I think I'll probably pop in the Blu-Ray and watch THE END all over again!

So, there was a couple things I wanted to do today in this unforgivably delayed blog posting.

1. 1st, I had promised I would share some findings from the LOST Encyclopedia that I bought last summer.  There were a few things that I wanted to get to the bottom of when I first opened the book and I thought I'd share my findings, if anyone still cares!   Maybe along the way I will reflect on the show and how I feel a lot of it tied together. 
2. Filling the LOST Void - Let's reflect on the past year of Television and talk about shows that attempted and somewhat may have succeeded in filling that LOST void.  
3. Shameless Self-Promotion - Even though LOST has ended, that hasn't stopped me from writing about television.  I'll discuss what you've been missing and what you can anticipate if you decide to start following me and the loyal commenters at the TV Addicts Blog. 

That should keep us busy for a bit, right?  Let's dive in after the jump! 

LOST Encyclopedia

If you guys recall, before season 6 had started, I did have my checklist of questions that I wanted covered in the final season of LOST.  While it was recommended to us to not have a checklist going into that final season, there were things that I still considered mysteries at least to me.  We revisited in the middle of the final season too.  I'm going to list below a couple of the ones that really bugged me and how they were addressed in the encyclopedia (blessed by executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse but not necessarily reviewed in detail).  

The Smokey vs. Ghosty Christian Shephard Conundrum

Okay, does everyone remember how this one goes?  Throughout the series of LOST, Christian Shephard remained an integral character on the show both alive and dead.  We saw visions of him after death both on and off of the Island.  It was confirmed in the final season that the Man in Black, aka The Smoke Monster, was portraying Christian Shephard to Jack, Claire and John Locke.  So, this made sense for most of the appearances, but it left a couple questionable one.  Jack, in the flash forward episode "Something Nice Back Home," was told by Ghost Charlie through Hurley that he would be getting a visit.  Later in the episode, the smoke detector goes off at work and then Christian Shephard appears saying "JACK" and leading Jack Shephard to begin his downward spiral into drugs and alcohol and a most unfortunate beard.   Back before we knew about Smokey's inability to leave the Island, I had pondered that the smoke alarm going off was a clear sign that this was smoke monster related.  The encyclopedia does attempt to explain this little conundrum.  They chalk it off as just Jack "seeing things".    

Here's the excerpt that I searched for in the book and found under the "Oceanic Six" Section around Jack (page 273):

• "He had visions of his father and began to fly across the Pacific Ocean every weekend hoping it would crash him back onto the island."

Another excerpt I found under "Man in Black" (page 236):

• "Smoke Alarm: Back in Los Angeles, Jack's experience of seeing Christian's form on the island led to him imagining seeing his father.  In one such moment, as Jack heard the beep of the smoke alarm, he thought his father was in front of him."  

I guess it doesn't rule out that it was a ghostly vision of Christian.  We know Hurley could see ghosts and Jack only did when Jacob's ashes were on the fire.  But, based on how the show ended, all of these GHOSTLY visions we saw during the show were real and not in the character's heads.  The "energy" or "spirits" of these characters lived on.  Ghost Charlie, "I am dead, but I'm also here."  But, if we want to go by the encyclopedia, then it was all in his head.  

The other questionable appearance was Christian to Michael telling him he could go (i.e. The Island was telling him his job was done and he could die).  Why would Christian, appearing in Smokey's choice Christian clothing, show up to Michael playing Island judge?  Could he even appear on the ship and then just disappear like that?  Was it GHOST Christian?  And if he's on the Island (or close to it) why wouldn't he be trapped like Michael was (an eternal whisper)?   Never really made sense to me.   This is chalked up in the encyclopedia to another "VISION" of Christian Shephard.  And it is actually listed under the "WHISPERS" section of Michael Dawson on page 247

• "When Keamy's device remotely activated the freighter bomb, the whispers surrounded MIchael.  A Vision of Christian Shephard appeared and said "You can go now," just before the freighter exploded.  Michael remained a restless spirit on the island after his death becoming one of the infamous "whispers" that warned of impending doom.  Michael even showed himself to Hurley to prevent him from blowing up the Ajira plane.  In death, Michael's predicament could still be aided.  When Ben and Hurley brought Walt to the island, Walt was told that just because his father was dead, it didn't mean he couldn't help him."  

That last part was explaining some of the epilogue where Hurley and Ben went to retrieve Walt.  So it looks like a mission was to help "UN-WHISPERIZE" Michael.  We had speculated that after the epilogue as well.  So, I guess Christian sporting his non-suit/Island gear was just a coincidence on the freighter and we're meant to think this is a Ghostly vision of Christian appearing to Michael right before his demise.  I guess since everyone else had visions of sideways land in the moments leading to their death (which were inevitably guided by Christian to the LIGHT), this syncs up pretty well.  

That was one thing debated after the show.  Did the sideways events happen "AFTER" each character died or WHILE they were dying?  I guess we just have to look at how Juliet died to get that answer.  It seemed she was already experiencing her sideways world while she was dying and they got that candy out of the vending machine "IT WORKED."  was her dying thought and what she wanted to tell living Sawyer.  We saw Jack's dying moment coinciding with the events in the church also.  I guess it's still up for speculation.  But Matthew Fox even explained that he had heard some speculations that even though it lasts less than a "SECOND" in real time people have to remember their lives in death before they move on.  Crazy stuff.  Wow, I totally went on a tangent didn't I?   Well, I did promise I would!    

So, can we declare the case of Christian Shephard mysteries closed?  I'm gonna go ahead and close the book on it myself. 

Who was in the cabin when Locke and Ben Visited?

We had speculated tirelessly on this one during the 3rd through 6th season.  It overtook our comments sections as we tried to explain if it really WAS Jacob or if it was the Smoke Monster (later to be revealed as The Man in Black).  The circle of ash played a big part in the debate.  We learned in season 5's finale "THE INCIDENT" that the circle of ash was broken but we don't know WHEN it was broken.   Apparently, this was the answer to the debate and I (among others) were probably just over thinking it.  I think someone even explained to me that it was the case and I just didn't believe them.  Sorry!! 

Basically, showing us in season 5 that there was an opening in the ring of ash, and then learning in season 6 that Smokey is hindered by the ash, was meant to explain to us that the crazy stuff going on in that cabin (during the season 3 episode "The Man Behind the Curtain") was in fact the Man in Black playing tricks on Ben.  It was all there.  Ben even explained later in season 6 that he was being summoned by the Smoke Monster instead of vice versa.  He was being played for a fool in the longest con of the Island history.  He never met Jacob, he had met smokey.  Now, how Locke heard smokey say "help me" and Ben didn't.  Well, I don't know!  But, let's consult the encyclopedia for their description of this encounter. 

Excepts from THE CABIN section (Page 62 and 63)

• "After the Purge that wiped out the DHARMA Initiative, Benjamin Linus (the leader of the Others) learned that the cabin functioned as the dwelling for the mysterious figure to whom Richard Alpert answered - Jacob.  The cabin was encircled by a protective barrier of ash to prevent any hostile intrusions"
• "HELP ME... 
  
  When Benjamin Linus took John Locke to the cabin, they failed to notice a breach in the circle of ash, meaning the protective shield against the smoke monster's presence was useless.  Ben, who had neer seen or heard from Jacob, created a ruse to trick Locke into believing that Jacob was inside the cabin.  Ironically, Ben didn't realize that something sinister was actually inside.
  
  Locke heard a low, ghostly tone say, 'Help me.' Further convincing Locke that this was an elaborate hoax orchestrated by Ben, Locke took his flashlight and scanned the room.  But this made the cabin violently shake, causing a lantern to crash to the floor and starting a fire.  As they fled the burning cabin, a figure was visible in a chair.  This event left Ben extremely shaken, but Locke was convinced that Ben created the entire thing."

There you go, clear as mud, right?  It was enough for me to explain that Jacob did reside there at one time, but he was NOT there when Ben and Locke arrived.  See, the answers were there we just did some over-thinking on some!  But, I do not regret one minute of thinking/discussing too much about it because  that's what made LOST fandom so fun.  GOOD TIMES some might even say!! (you knew I'd say it at least once, right?)   

Richard Malkin the Psychic 

I know I had always put too much time into thinking that Malkin would be heavily involved in the island conspiracy when all was said and done.  And hey,  maybe he was.  How did he know that Claire had to get on Flight 815.  It had to be THAT flight.  It was the only way she would raise her child, right?  Even though, Kate ended up raising Aaron for 3 years.  We thought this meant Aaron had special importance in the saga of LOST.  He turned out just to be a boy that loved his juice boxes and being called goober.  But, that didn't help explain why Malkin knew about flight 815 or the fact that he told Eko that he was a fraud.  If he was a fraud how did he know to get Claire on that flight?  How did Eko end up on the same flight?   Now that we know what we know, I would theorize that Jacob played a hand (no pun intended with all that touching he does) in Malkin giving this information to Claire and Eko.  The encyclopedia does nothing except agree on how confusing this is.  I guess it will go down as a mystery never to be resolved.   But, I'll go with the Jacob theory until someone comes up with something better!  

Excerpt from "Richard Malkin" section.  Page 300

• "Richard Malkin, who made his living as a psychic, had a peculiar and alarming interaction with Claire Littleton prior to her doomed Oceanic flight.  His readings and conclusions about Claire's future were particularly perplexing when you consider that Richard later claimed that he was a fraud the day before flight 815 left Sydney. During the reading, Richard stated that
  
  - Claire had to raise the child because it needed her 'protection'
  
  - The father of Claire's baby (Thomas) would play no role in their lives.
  
  - If anyone else raised the child, terrible things would happen.
  
  Following the second reading, Richard began calling Claire, beginning her to keep the child.  But after four months of harassing phone calls, Richard insisted that Claire fly to Los Angeles and give up her child for adoption.  Even stranger, Richard gave her $6000 as an incentive and promised an additional $6000 but she had to take flight 815.  Claire became convinced that Richard's ploy wasn't to get her to LA at all.  She believed it was to get her and her unborn child to the island." 

There you have it.  They don't go any further to explain anything outside of what we saw on the show.  So, it is a mystery that will reign on.  But, we know Jacob played the main part of getting these people to the Island.  Somehow he was involved.  We know he visited Charles Widmore but we didn't see that.  There's a chance he visited Malkin too.   Maybe Malkin usually was a fraud, but this time he had inside information that led to his predictions being pretty accurate.  Of course, it is interesting that since Jacob has a soft spot for mothers, that he would even want to put a pregnant woman on the island.  And of course, if Claire never went to the Island we never would have known that conceiving a child off Island could lead to a perfectly fine birth ON Island while babies conceived ON ISLAND would cause the mothers to die in Child birth.  (Post INCIDENT of course)   I believe what we have here is considered a CATCH 22!  (also the name of a LOST episode)  This one will always bug me, the whole Malkin debate.  But, I'm fine with it still being a mystery.  

Eloise Hawking

Eloise's role in everything was pretty much explained in season 5.  She was Daniel Faraday's mother.  She was one of the OTHERS on the Island from at least 1954-1977 (even their leader in at least 1977).   She had an experience in 1977 of killing her 30-something year old son who she still had not given birth to.  She had access to her future son's journal which would allow her to predict many events to come, including Desmond's involvement with the Island "DESMOND HUME WILL BE MY CONSTANT".  Desmond interacted with Eloise in a consciousness time travel back to the past before he was going to propose to Penny.  Eloise already knew that he wouldn't give Penny the ring as he runs away from any commitment he ever makes.  The only truly important thing he'll do in his life is push that darned button!  We learn that is false as he goes on to lead a great life with Penny and his son Charlie.  Not to mention, helping to FIX the broken Island by unplugging the cork and allowing smokey to be vulnerable to Jack's crazy fists of fury and Kate's bullets that she saved!!

Anyway, my question was always around Eloise's MATRIX ORCALE-like knowledge of the future.  I'm sure we can chalk this up to the writers not having fully flushed out the future of her story.  They knew she had knowledge of the future but the character Daniel Faraday and his Journal had not been conceived yet.  So, we have some continuity errors in hindsight where Eloise knows that a building is going to collapse onto a man wearing red shoes.   The intent of the conversation remains the same.  While Eloise may have hoped to alter the events of time initially, she also went a long way in making sure that events proceeded as they should and that WHATEVER HAPPENED, HAPPENED!  An argument, that I argued until the final moment of LOST is what would happen when Jughead was detonated (or at least pounded on a dozen times by Juliet).  The conversation between Eloise and Desmond was the first time we learned that Time Cannot be altered.  Whatever happened always happened.  Sure, Desmond could break the rules here and there as they didn't apply to him.  The encyclopedia goes on to say that Eloise takes it upon herself to become a "Temporal Policewoman" making sure events transpire as they're supposed to.  But I still question her knowledge of that man with the red shoes and how she knew he would die.  There is no way Daniel would have put that info in the journal!   The encyclopedia has a nice 2 page read on Eloise Hawking but I'll specifically call out the Desmond part. (page 123)

• "Outside of influencing Daniel, Eloise continued to position herself in places that would help motivate some of the key future island players, like Desmond, in the right directions.  She took a job as a salesperson at the antique store where Des was supposed to purchase an engagement ring for Penny.  When he attempted to purchase one, Hawking demanded he give it back.  She then explained his future in detail and gave him a lesson in the irrevocable nature of fate."  
• There is a picture in the book of the man with red shoes and the caption just says "Eloise predicted the crushing fate of the man in the red shoes." 

That's it!  No further explanation provided.  So, I'll chalk it up to what I said above.  Continuity issue but the message delivered was still important enough that it shouldn't be forgotten.  Plus, it was a creepy and awesome scene! 

The Walt Ghost Visions and just Walt in general

We all know that one of the biggest issues/unresolved mysteries was "what was up with Walt!?"  I understand the producers had an issue with this one.  The actor, Malcom David Kelley, hit a growth spurt faster than they anticipated.  They were always going to have an issue though, judging by the pace of the show being slower than 1 Year per Season.  I think season 1 wasn't even 2 months long.  The plane crashed near the end of September and we didn't see Christmas until season 4!  

But, they also put a lot of mysteries around Walt, and summed it all up by just calling him "SPECIAL".  We know he made appearances to Shannon, and appearances to Locke.  He also had dreams "off island" ABOUT Locke being surrounded by people with guns who wanted to kill him.   He also would make things appear just by visualizing them.  Birds, throwing knives at specific spots on trees, dice during backgammon, and one could argue the Polar Bear he read in the comic book too. (Even though we know DHARMA put those bears on the Island!   But, the biggest one that I always wondered about was the Ghostly vision of Walt to Locke.   He was referred to as TALLER GHOST WALT and then it was never explained.  If they just showed an older Walt and never made mention of him aging, I would have been fine with it!  But they had to go ahead and say he was taller.  So, WHY?!   Was it time travel related?  Was it Walt from the future warning Locke of something?  It wasn't Smokey as we know he can only take the form of the dead.  (and usually, outside of Richard's wife, the body needs to be on the island)   I also wanted to know what Ben meant when he said they got more than they bargained for with Walt.  I'm sure he just made some crazy stuff happen like he did with the bird, freaking out his mom's husband.  

The encyclopedia dismisses all of this as "Strange Behavior" with no further explanation. (Page 367)

• "Birds would fly into windows and kill themselves."
• "Walt, dripping with water, appeared to Shannon and Sayid as a warning."
• "When Locke was in the DHARMA mass grave, Walt appeared and told him to get up."

I guess we have to just go with the producers on this one.  There was never more to look into here.  Walt had special abilities, just like Miles and Hurley.  Strange stuff happened around him.  It was more than the OTHERS had bargained for so they let Michael take him off of the Island.  Because of his special abilities he would still make appearances on the Island (to Locke) to help people out.  Why he was older?  I dunno, maybe he hit his growth spurt in those weeks after he left the Island.   But, I'm sure that his appearances are tied to the dream he had of Locke being on the Island and surrounded by people that wanted to hurt/kill him.  I had theorized that maybe his Dreams connected him to the Island somehow.  We all know dreams played a part on the Island too.  The encyclopedia does not explain much about dreams either.  Bummer!! 

The Outrigger Mystery (page 282)

Ahh yes, you didn't think I'd let a "unresolved mysteries" post go by without mentioning this one, right!?   This was my biggest disappointment in season 6.  With such a set up in season 5 of the outriggers.  One chasing after our time traveling LOSTIES (Locke, Juliet, Sawyer, Miles, Charlotte, Daniel).  Juliet fires a shot and someone goes overboard on the chasing outrigger.   We assume that since we are "in the future" we are eventually going to see the other perspective of that outrigger chase and see who was onboard.  In the final Jorge Garcia and Girlfriend podcast (Geronimo Jack's Beard) they said that they did read something in a script that explained this but it was either never filmed or didn't make the final cut.   Unfortunately, they didn't remember and never revisited it with another podcast or blog posting!  I remember posting about this on our blog in the comments of "The New Man in Charge" epilogue recap and basically they said that it was going to be The Man in Black in an outrigger shooting at Sawyer or something.  Weird, since he knows he can't kill them!  Also, Damon and Carlton explained in an interview last year why they didn't cover this in the final season.

The encyclopedia does make mention of the scene but do not go about trying to conclude it.  

• "When Ajira Flight 316 landed on Hydra Island, outriggers became the principal mode of transportation between it and the main island by the flight's survivors, the Man in Black, and eventually Widmore's contingent.  The increased use of these boats during that time was perhaps a key to the mysterious altercation that occurred during a time skip with Locke, Sawyer, Juliet Burke, Miles Straume, Charlotte Lewis, an Daniel Faraday.  As that group explored the long-abandoned beach camp, they discovered two large outriggers, one of which contained a bottle of water with an Ajira label.  Juliet and Miles recognized the airline as a contemporary one, so its presence inferred a different time frame. "

This scene that we never saw wasn't going to make or break the show for me, but it was one I would have loved to see.  And I wish we at least could get an explanation of what they planned on doing there! 

Anyway, that's it for encyclopedia references today.  After all this time,  I'm not holding onto many grudges about the show and what it did/didn't cover.  I'm sure there are other mysteries that people would have wished they covered or at least covered differently.  But, in my opinion, it was a television show that kept me engaged for 6 seasons.  It made me care about characters that I felt had an amazing send-off in the final season, and especially the finale.  I got the answers I wanted.   If you have questions on certain things the Encyclopedia covers, you can ask in the comments and I'll try to look up stuff.  But, I highly recommend purchasing the book if you're a fan of the show.  It's a nice document to have to close the book (again, no pun intended) on this fantastic show.   I just wish I would have more time to read it from cover to cover! 

Filling the Void of the LOST Experience

Many may not have known this about me, but while I lived, breathed and obsessed over LOST, I had always been an obsessor of ALL things television!  I love watching it, I love discussing it with other people, I love trying to figure out where stories are heading.  Some shows it's easier to figure out than others.  LOST, seems to remain an enigma.   A show that people universally wanted to keep discussing after the hour of television airing was up.   People would immediately leave their seats and run to a computer where they could read message boards, blogs, whatever to discuss what was going on.   Personally, I could not even consider watching another show that night after LOST was over.  I went straight online.  Naturally, this eventually led to me starting to write recaps on the show.  And I appreciate all of you coming to read them!   

Personally, I have desperately tried to hang onto that feeling that LOST provided.  That urgency to want to talk more.   I experimented during LOST's final season with recaps of FlashForward.  But, the world did not seem ready to take on another complex drama where you had to retain lots of knowledge.   FlashForward ended up being a pretty good show but the ratings kept dropping each week and the long 3, 4 month hiatus between episodes ended up sealing its non-chances of renewal.  

So, we all went into this new season of Television trying to find the NEXT Lost.  We would find, and probably already knew, that this task would be impossible.   However, that doesn't mean we weren't entertained and didn't find new or existing shows that could help fill the void.   Here's just a rundown of a few shows that were there for us (for good or for bad) in the wake of LOST's ending. 

• The Event - Yeah, it didn't work, right!?  Like FlashForward, the show does have its good points.  But, this "alien invasion show" (that was disguised as something else for awhile) seems to have failed to capture the world's collective imagination like LOST did.  Its main problem was probably trying to BE LOST.  The NBC Marketing Team called this a hybrid of 24 and LOST.  It eventually turned more into a 24 type suspense show but not as engaging as its predecessor.  There are hints of an interesting mythology in there that might have unfolded had this show gotten to season 2.  But, people's patience does not seem to be what it used to be.   And LOST probably could be blamed on such patience being thin.  Not everyone is has happy about the way LOST ended as I was.  And their reluctance to jump aboard another serialized show that, in their minds, doesn't pay off could be the issue.   Granted, it's hard for me to compare a Filet Mignon (LOST) to a sirloin steak (The Event).   The writing, acting, execution, production quality of LOST was off the charts.  And looking at The Event in comparison was kind of laughable.   That didn't make the show unentertaining though.
  
  For anyone who has followed my recaps, they know I tried to find a balance between our usual wondering what is going on combined with laughing at some of the logistics, writing and acting that have almost become an enjoyable part of the show.   If anything, the show provided a nice holdover to the next season where more potential shows could try to help fill our emptiness!  Oh, and in case you didn't know, The Event was cancelled!  The producers are trying to strike a deal with another network (maybe even straight to Netflix streaming) for season 2, but nothing is a done deal yet.  I'm speculating that it probably won't happen.
• FRINGE - Another JJ Abrams show that started cooking up interesting stories while LOST was time travelling away in season 5.  Fringe took some time to find its footing, though I'd argue season 1 is still a fantastic season of television.  No one who watches can argue that from the middle of season 2 through to the end of season 3, this show is one of the best television shows still on the air and matches LOST in terms of quality story telling.  While not as mystery based as LOST, Fringe still covers a wide variety of ideas and sci-fi topics.  But at the root, it is a character driven story about 3 particular people who are drawn to work together to solve very strange criminal activity through cutting edge scientific means.  Fringe started off more procedural where episodes stood alone without requiring prior knowledge of previous episodes.  But, as we have gone on the show has become much more serialized (a change for the better!).   They still have stand-alone episodes, but the mystery resolved in each goes towards telling a larger story and it's a great story.  I'd love to say more but I'm afraid I'd spoil something great for you!   If you love LOST, the X-Files or just good drama, I highly recommend Fringe.  If you're intimidated by catching up on 3 seasons before season 4, then watch the Pilot episode of Fringe and maybe the last 4 episodes of season 1.  Then watch seasons 2 and 3.  I promise you won't regret it.  You have a whole summer to catch up!   I recapped season 3 and will be there once again when season 4 resumes!
   
• The Walking Dead - Yeah, I wasn't drawn to this show's premise immediately either.   Then, I saw a preview of Frank Darabount's (Shawshank Redemption) interpretation of the Robert Kirkman's graphic novel series.  This 6 episode season ranks up there with some of the best television I've ever seen.  There are immediate comparisons to season 1 of LOST in terms of a survival tale of well written characters trying to work together in order to survive.  Then throw in the Zombies and living in constant fear of being attacked, you have some engaging drama!  That fear of roaming the jungle on LOST never knowing if you were going to come into contact with THE MONSTER, it's a similar feeling here.  But the character moments at the heart of the show are what make The Walking Dead tick.   6 fantastic episodes, easy for everyone to catch up before season 2 returns to AMC this fall. (probably October)
• Others - While I was knee deep in my obsession for LOST, I missed out on lots of quality television.   Last summer, I caught up on Battlestar Galactica and Breaking Bad.  If you haven't seen either, I highly recommend watching!
  
  Everyone will argue that the end of BSG isn't too great.  And there are eerie similarities to the polarized discussion around LOST's ending as well.  But the ride is just as enjoyable.  
  
  Breaking Bad - I cannot believe I was missing this one.  3 gut wrenching character driven seasons of some complex human situations.  Whew, this one is painful to watch but I cannot tear my eyes away.   Some of the best suspenseful television on the air.  My only regret is catching up on this one too quickly and having to wait over a year for season 4 to return this summer!
  
  Mad Men - Slow burn, but great television.  It's hard to deny it after having already won 3 straight Emmys.  Television at its finest.  Although, I wish LOST could have stolen an Emmy in its final season!
  
  The Killing - For those who loved the mystery aspect of LOST, the Killing has one season long murder mystery going on.  I have fallen a few weeks behind on this one, but I plan to devour it after May sweeps!   AMC pretty much is churning out hit after hit.  They have another one on their hands here!
  
  Game of Thrones (HBO) - Based on the George R.R. Martin book series A Song of Ice and Fire.  When I heard this Lord of the Rings-type show was coming to HBO, I couldn't resist but checking out the books.  I read the first book Game of Thrones, in which season 1 is based and it is simply fantastic.  Lots of characters, lots of complex plots, and a whole brand new world of locales to learn.  But, the material is fantastic.  Watching the show without knowledge of the book, I admit, can be difficult.  And there are lots of long winded scenes that maybe only readers of the book can appreciate fully.  But watching all of these scenes seems to be heading towards a nice payoff for episodes 6-10 to finish out season 1.   I hear some comparing this show to LOST in terms of appointment television.  It is very good, but it might not be for everyone.  Also, I'd advise everyone that the show is very graphic in more ways than one.  Some of the content can be quite uncomfortable and I'm not just talking violence!  It would seem like it's just HBO being HBO but many of these scenes are essential to get some points of the book across.   I recommend the show, but I also recommend the books.  (I can't speak for the 4th book which I know has been panned by fans, as I'm still reading book 2.  Maybe the 5th one due out this summer will right the ship).
  
  My Summer "Catch-up Shows" for this year are:
  
  The Wire - I have heard nothing but great things about it but never have had a chance to watch.  I'm told it's the perfect show from start to finish.  We'll see!
  
  Sons of Anarchy - Again, heard great things but never had a chance to watch!  Looking forward to it.  And the fact that it's streaming on Netflix makes it that much easier! 

Of course, the up fronts for each network were this week and there are some upcoming shows that look somewhat appealing.   JJ Abrams is hard at work again, as are writers and cast who were involved with LOST.  It seems they all took a year off from television and are back in full force.  Here is a sampling of what there could be to look forward to in the next Fall/Spring television season.  I'm going to borrow a bit from my other blog here. 

• ALCATRAZ - The JJ Abrams show I have been anticipating will premiere on Mondays starting in January on FOX.  I did get a chance to watch this preview and it looks fantastic!  The show features Jorge Garcia (WOO!), Sam Neil, and Sarah Jones in one heck of a thriller.  I could try to explain the premise, but this trailer does the trick! 

• AWAKE - Starring Jason Isaacs and is loosely based on INCEPTION.  A man living in 3 realities.  One, real life, and 2 others dream worlds where in 1 his wife is still alive and in the other his son (just happens to be Jack Shephard's imaginary sideways son!) is above.  Preview looks very intriguing.   The preview is attached below and here is a link to all of the NBC Pilot previews. 

• Terra Nova - This is the FOX Dinosaur/Time Travel/Repopulate the species in the past show (Steven Speilberg produced) that just can't seem to get on a schedule.  It was supposed to be part of the 2010/2011 season but now has the Monday slot in the Fall 2011 season.  I'm not sure if both this and Alcatraz will have half seasons or if one gets picked up for a full season it may bump the other.   Because there isn't enough real estate for both of them!   This one has already been postponed a couple times and may eventually face budgetary/production issues.  But, it looks pretty good from what we've seen so far.  

And I'm sure there will be plenty more.  Nothing will fill the LOST void fully, but there is some great television coming our way and/or already exists.  And, I'm not sure I'll ever be able detach myself from wanting to discuss things.  Brilliant segueway to our final topic of the day! 

TV Addicts Blog

I know that we may never see the likes of our universal LOST obsession again, where we can get many people in one location having a mature discussion of television like it's our job!  It was a one of a kind moment and a very fun time for all involved!   But, that doesn't mean I will ever stop writing!  And I'm thankful to those of you who followed me to my newest venture.  It's impossible for me to put all my hopes in one show taking LOST's place, so I have created a site where I can recap or just post a discussion thread on anything exciting going on in the Television realm.  Yes, most of this past year was dominated by THE EVENT, Fringe and The Walking Dead.  But, you may notice that in the comments we would branch off into discussions of other shows some of us were watching that week.  Ideally, if I had all the time in the world, I'd love to write about each and every show I watch.  But, this is just a hobby for me!  (unless anyone out there is offering a full time job!)  

I definitely am planning to fill THE EVENT recaps with another show next season.  Maybe Alcatraz, maybe Terra Nova, maybe both.  I don't know!  We'll see how things go.  But Fringe and The Walking Dead recaps will continue.  And, I'll always be discussing TV!  Maybe some Breaking Bad or Rescue Me this summer! 

So, if you miss our weekly LOST discussions and haven't jumped over to the TV Addicts Blog yet, stop by and see what you've been missing!  And I hope you stick around!  Also, don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@TVAddictsBlog) to keep in touch with what I'm up to.  And there is always an occasional retweet with news about TV shows we love too! 

Anyway, that's it folks!  It's not going to bring the show back or anything, but I'm glad to have this excuse to discuss LOST once more.  I can't promise you when the next LOST posting will be, but judging how long it took to get this one up don't hold your breath!!  Maybe, we can make this a yearly event or something!  In other celebrations of the 1 year anniversary, I heard EW's Doc Jensen is finally writing his final LOST posting as well.  I'll link to it here once it's up. (UPDATE: Here it is!!) 

It would be great to hear from anyone else who decides to stumble upon this posting.  How have you been coping with the loss of this great show?  Do you still hate the end?  Do you still love the end?  Are there any mysteries you still question?   Are there any shows you hope I cover at TV Addicts Blog?   Let's dive into the comments here for old time's sake!   Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I'll see you in the comments!  (or in another life brothaaaa!!!)