Summarizing LOST up to this point is about as easy as spinal surgery to remove an aggressive tumor while on a tropical island. Which, I might had, actually happened in this week's episode.



Let's start with the basics: LOST is the story of the survivors of Flight 815, who crashed on a (seemingly) deserted island after flying 1000 miles off-course. The survivors come from all walks of life (eg. a doctor, a soldier, a rock star, etc.), carrying with them their own histories and, excuse the pun, "baggage." Through a series of flashbacks, the viewer discovers more details of a character's past and just how that past effects their present life on the island.
The first season saw the survivors slowly come to terms with the brave new (and bizarre) world around them and, in doing so, come to terms with the hardships of their pasts. In contrast, the second season found everyone relapsing, essentially falling back into their sinful habits of old. There was also a giant underground station, nicknamed The Hatch, where one man spent three years of his life pushing a button every 108 minutes. How did this guy sleep, you might ask? Not. Very. Well.



The third and current season finds the survivors struggling to understand the methods (and stay alive, of course) of a group of inhabitants stalking them throughout the series, affectionately called The Others. Not that they call themselves that. It's something the survivors cooked up. You know, Lord of the Flies, in-group/out-group stuff. In the survivors' defense, The Others did kidnap their women and children in the middle of the night and left the rock star for dead, hanging by his neck from a tree. Note to The Others: A nice bunt cake is great way to say hello and make friends.



With this episode, entitled "I Do," we learn more about beautiful convict, Kate, as well as if spinal surgeon, Jack, will agree to perform surgery on the leader of his captures, Ben. Kicking and screaming, Jack sticks it to 'em. It was a long shot anyway, Ben. Jack is a stubborn mench if there ever was one. So what's the next best thing to asking politely? Threaten to kill the good doctor's friends. Sawyer's life or Ben's? After seeing Kate and Sawyer, kept in polar bear cages, wrapped in each others arms, post-freaky, Jack changes his colours. Seeing red and feelin' the green monster - that's code for jealousy, people - Jack agrees to remove Ben's tumor. Traitor! I don't care if you have intimacy issues with Kate or not, that's no excuse, pal!



As for Kate's flashback, believe it or not, she settled down with a cop (the irony!) and maintained what some might call a "perfect life." Married, taco night, toast with smiley faces. You get the idea. Perfect ... until she calls Agent Mars, the officer destined to nab her. She pleads with him to stop chasing her because she's done running, but has she really settled down? When things start getting in the way of living that perfect life - she can't go on her honeymoon to Costa Rica, her preggers test comes back negative - she confesses everything to her husband, drugs him and once again pulls a Littlest Hobo routine.



Back on the island, traitor Jack washes his hands (et tu, Pontius!) and gets to work. No sooner does Jack start then vengeful Other, Pickett, goes after Sawyer. Someone's gotta pay for the death of his wife. What Pickett misses is Jack sabotaging the surgery and barking demands. Attaboy, Jack! I had faith in the guy the whole time. Yup, that's my story and I'm sticking with it. Meanwhile, the audience is treated to the most intense scene of the season as Pickett gets Sawyer down on his knees, execution-style. The tragic music begins. Kate screams: "Stand up!" Sawyer shouts: "Close your eyes." Pickett: "This is for Colleen." Goodbye Sawye ... the walkie-talkie pipes up. Jack is in control, giving Kate and Sawyer an hour's head start. Run, Kate, run.



For someone that has watched LOST religiously for the last three seasons, this all makes sense ... not perfect sense, but sense enough. I don't envy the casual viewer flipping through the channels, stopping on LOST and thinking, oh hey I'm gonna give this a try. You'd probably recognize Matthew Fox from Party of Five and give it a chance. Maybe you'd know Dominic Monaghan as one of those Hobbitty fellas from Lord of the Rings and check it out. But that's it.

The show is a veritable cornucopia of intricacies and dense mythology, too elaborate for the first-time viewer to comprehend with one episode. Anyone hoping to understand two years worth of plotting is better off grabbing the first two seasons on DVD and getting caught up first. Besides, the show desperately clings to those viewers that have stood by the show since day one anyway. Case in point: the show is now officially on a two-month hiatus and prominently features bold letters that appeal to those devoted fans screaming foul about last year's regular set of reruns: NO REPEATS. NOT EVEN ONE. That's great ... two months from now. Thanks, "fans."



Without a doubt, the biggest complaint amongst viewers is the pacing. Viewers want to learn more about what exactly is happening on the island than the creators are prepared to tell. The creators claim they have a plan. The viewers think they make it up as they go along. Could be a combination of the two. And yet, the same viewers keep coming back week after week. LOST is a lot like a Vegas slot machine: a little pay-off, a little positive reinforcement, and we think we're getting closer to that damn jackpot. In reality, we're still years away from anything close to a jackpot.

While not-so-viewer-friendly, LOST does receive solid ratings every week and even recently gained some, possibly from good word of mouth. The acting is first rate and highly deserving of its 2005 Emmy win for Best Drama. It has even started a trend, spawning new shows with large casts (Heroes, The Nine) or similar concepts (Jericho) and each week new yet familiar faces hop on board for the flashbacks (Firefly and Serenity's Nathan Fillion played Kate's husband).

Do yourself a favour; get caught up and get LOST.

The TV Guyde