Even four years after the frustrating series finale, the last season of “Lost” still causes fans of the show to Hulk out at the slightest mention. But before Season 6, weren’t there already many problems with obvious plot holes, crazy sub-plots that never paid off, as well as many other continuity problems within the popular “Twilight Zone on an Island” show that ran between 2004 and 2010? Just look at the interwebs for many, many, many articles and videos complaining about scattershot scripting with respect to the overall story and mythology of the island.
Nick Santora, writer and executive producer for "Prison Break" and "Scorpion," was a guest on the Nerdist Writer’s Panel Podcast recently: he claimed that “Lost” writers (at least the ones he was friends with, no word on whether or not they’ll continue beings friends with him after what he said during the podcast) had no idea how they were going to wrap up the many crazy plots they came up with for the show, nor did they particularly care. Here’s what Santora said about the subject:
“We had an expression in the room, which was “no polar bears,” which was a reference to “Lost”. I had friends that were writing on “Lost” —I can’t say who they were. I was watching football with one of them, [and] I was telling them how much I loved the show. I’m like “how are you going to pay all this stuff off?” And he looked at me and goes “we’re not.” And I go, “What do you mean you’re not?” He said, “We literally just think of the weirdest, most fucked up thing and write it, and we’re never going to pay it off.” And I look at him and I’m like “that’s such bullshit! You are completely fucking with the audience.” I want to bring a class-action lawsuit on behalf of everyone who watched “Lost” all those years. Nina Hartley jerked people off less that “Lost” did.”
Apart from letting his middle age show by not referencing a more current porn star, Santora expressed what many “Lost” fans and detractors could have guessed all along. However, perhaps this will be the catalyst for fans to finally get some closure and move on. Or they can keep asking why the hell Walt was set up as some sort of a magic child messiah only to be completely ignored during later seasons? [via Uproxx]
I don\’t know, I think more people enjoyed it when Nina Hartley was at the wheel… wait, what were we talking about again?
THIS JUST IN…news from five years ago.
Or they can also keep asking why Libby was in the insane asylum with Hurley. Or what was the "Hurley Bird". Or they can admit "Lost" was a big middle finger to episodic storytelling.
thanks for deleting my original typo comment. guess what? the typo is still there. nice touch reverting the quote from italics, though, rookies.
One of the biggest problems with Lost was the lack of main villain with a clear motivation. Sure, there was the man in black / Locke, but he was introduced in the season 5 finale. We didn\’t even know that he was the main antagonist until season 6. And what was his motivation? He wanted to leave the island and destroy the world.
It\’s simply bad writing. They could\’ve explained sooner a) who is the villain, b) why can\’t he leave the island, c) what does he need to do to leave the island, d) what happens if he reaches his goal.
That\’s how you create tension and stakes. You don\’t introduce Darth Vader during the third act of Return of the Jedi.