Lost: OMGWTF POLAR BEAR
[NAFDA] This is where we talk about the show! Anything that's aired in the US (including promos) is fair game. No spoilers though -- if you post one by accident, an admin will delete it.
Concur, that knowing in advance that there is no plan is the way to go. That way, it is all about the journey, and the destination stops mattering.
One rung below that is the level on which I watch Alias, which is, pretty people, swanning about excitingly, sometimes with angst. That is basic plate-spinning, which is lesser pleasure for me, viewing-wise, than either journey or destination.
My X-Files bitterness is somewhat muted by the understanding, garnered much later (or recovered, like a lost memory), that individual episodes are so lovely -- strongly scripted, or well-edited, or with that distinctive cinematography. I showed Ellen S. the episode "Die Hand Die Verletzt" a couple years ago, and was like
oh yes, that is why I loved that show.
Not just that Dan Butler got eaten by a giant snake, and was part of a devil-worshipping student council, but because Dan Butler was a devil-worshipper, whose daughter was made a scapegoat, and suddenly couldn't stomach it all and blurted the truth, tearfully, in the dead girl's memory. And
then
got eaten by a giant snake, because in the X-Files universe, everyone is punished, and the penitent guilty in equal measure with the unpenitent.
Does Fury say other stuff in that article? Because that's the same bit I've seen elsewhere, and I still don't get what's so horrible about what he's saying. It's a big deal only because they've made it one. Javier's absolutely right that what Fury describes is perfectly normal for television. So why are they hurt & betrayed?
I think this was a much dumber thing to say, honestly:
we know the show will end when we reveal the true makeup of the island and why our characters landed there.
So if you're watching becuase you want to know what's going on... you should stop watching. Then the ratings will go down, and then it will be cancelled, and then they'll tell you the show's premise. Excellent.
Totally agree, Strega. Lost is a simple premise: people are lost on an island. You make shit up around that to make a series.
Anybody saying they know exactly where they are going that is fucking lying. Simple as that. They can't say they have the complete 5 year arc planned out, because the network might not agree, actors might leave and all manner of other issues.
Some people really don't understand the concept of breaking stories and writing. It *IS* about making shit up. And if people can't understand that, they need to get a clue and not write retarded blog entries.
I really don't understand what's remotely offensive in what Fury said.
Well, I think the idea is if you setup a show around a specific mystery, you have to at least have idea of what the answer is, if only for the sake of consitancy. And if you want people to be involved in that mystery and care about its solution, you have to give them the impression that there actually is an answer. Otherwise, the mystery is meaningless and you should base your show around something else.
The early years of the X-Files felt internally consistent to the mystery and it was believable that the truth was indeed out there. They'd throw the occaisional monkey wrench into the works, but it still felt like each episode brought you closer to figuring it out.
Then, about halfway through its run, cracks started to show and as time went on it became more and more obvious that Carter was just throwing shit at the wall and seeing what stuck. And the fans who'd invested themselves into this show and into figuring out what was going on rightfully felt betrayed.
I really don't understand what's remotely offensive in what Fury said.
A lot of people have a strong aversion to the truth.
Don't get me wrong - I think you have to reassure your audience you know where you are going with things. And that, I suspect, is why people are outraged at Fury. He's suggesting they don't know where they are going with aspects, which is likely the actual truth.
As Allyson once put it (I think it was Allyson?), Lost is a train wreck hurtling towards the side of a mountain. But enjoy the ride whilst it's interesting.
Wasnt me, but thanks for thinking of me.
Hee. I was convinced you said that. Who said that? Gah. I apologise for attibuting that post you, Allyson, in all seriousness since you didn't make it.
Then, about halfway through its run, cracks started to show and as time went on it became more and more obvious that Carter was just throwing shit at the wall and seeing what stuck. And the fans who'd invested themselves into this show and into figuring out what was going on rightfully felt betrayed.
This. I'm following Strega's advice. Maybe I'll find out what the deal is that way.
Ah, the bitterness of the Ex-Phile. I know it well.
And yeah, if that's what Fury said, I'm not really getting the outrage, except that Abrams has apparently sold the show to the public as one where he does have a plan. And Fury basically said the emperor ain't got nothin' on.
So, whatever. I may cancel my season pass to LOST and just switch over to VM, anyway.
