State of the Show: Lost

I know there are still plenty of unsolved mysteries left in this series, but this past season answered so many that I don't really care about the rest.

Oh, I'll be watching next year, and I anticipate some more twists and turns, but in a sense, it's all anticlimax at this point, isn't it? I don't know that there's any way they can top the flash-forward that blew all our minds when first unveiled, and now that we're "caught up," I'm not as intrigued by anything else. But this is a good thing.

You see, while there are many more questions the writers can answer, I don't think they need to. I don't really care so much about the Dharma Initiative and Hanso and all that stuff. It would be nice to have that explained, but I won't tear my hair out waiting for it. The thing I liked best about "Lost" from the beginning was the human interactions among crash survivors in a desperate situation, not the sci-fi or mystery elements. I would have welcomed more focus on the sociological element and less on the show's mythology these past seasons. Now, some interesting dilemmas were raised and resolved, and I enjoyed most of this past season.

But my hope as "Lost" goes forward is that the creative team stops focusing on "Why?" and starts just showing us some more "What." As an example, we apparently know Sun hates Jack and why. OK, that's pretty cool. Show me what happens now. It's been set up. Let's run with it. I don't want a lot of flashbacks at this point. If you want to tell the story of what happens on the island while the Oceanic 6 are gone, fine. But I don't need to keep plunging into the character's distant pasts.

My point is that there is plenty here to work with and material for all sorts of compelling stories. Unfortunately, I fear that the show's producers can be a little too infatuated with their own mythology, or that they think the public demands more and more twists and oddball tangents. I believe it would be a mistake to try and top the flash-forward finale that so shook up the structure of the series two seasons ago. Next year, I'd like to see maybe two tracks: the Oceanic Six returning to the island and life on the island. Period. Fill in a few details where necessary here and there, but keep the focus on clear storytelling using these elements that have already been developed. I like some of the characters and am tired of some others, but the fact is there are enough that the audience cares about one way or another to go forward and continue to tell their stories in a straightforward manner.

The powers that be might be afraid people would complain that a more direct, less mystery-oriented show wouldn't be "Lost," and for many fans, I guess it wouldn't be. But it could be excellent.