Lost (Season 1)

Lost is one of the biggest shows of all time, with such a massive reach in television pop culture. However, it's also one of the most divisive, as the sheer mention of the show is enough to spark furious debate. Did Lost start good and slowly get worse? Did it improve near the end? When did Lost drop in quality? Was the final episode satisfying? Is the show even good to begin with? Personally, I think Lost is a fantastic show from start to finish, but I do agree that the first season is one of its finest.

Lost starts with a plane crashing onto a remote island, leaving 48 survivors. While the survivors have to try to live on the island and find a way to escape, they also have to figure the many mysteries this island has, from a terrifying smoke monster, to polar bears scattered all over the place, to a mysterious hatch that can't be opened. These mysteries are what really captured audiences when the show was airing, everyone was clamoring to learn more about the island. Personally, that was never what I loved about the series, but this first season generally does a really fantastic job of slowly layering on questions and mysteries and managing to keep that sense of suspense going throughout the course of the season, culminating in a stellar finale that answers a whole bunch of questions. As far as sheer plot progression goes, however, this season of Lost is definitely a lot slower-paced than the rest of the series. There aren't nearly as many stunning twists or moments as there are in the rest of the show, but that's because Season 1 has its own priorities.

I feel like a common theme in my reviews of Lost is the fact that the series is more about the characters than it is about the actual mysteries, which is a big part of why I think the finale is so good, though I'll get there. Season 1 spends a lot of time going over the characters' backstories through the usage of flashbacks. I've never been a fan of when shows liberally use flashbacks and the same applies to Lost, but I maintain that Season 1 has the best flashbacks in the series as they effectively teach the viewer about the characters and who they were before they crash-landed on the island. I think this was a fantastic move, even if it means this season doesn't progress much of the show's overall plot. With such a massive cast, Season 1 tries its damn hardest that you care about characters like Sawyer, Locke, Jin and Sun, Hurley, and Sayid. And with the bulk of this season's episodes focus entirely on fleshing out a single character, we get some of their defining moments in this very season. I will say, however, that the best flashbacks in the season end up being the ones in episodes like Walkabout and Numbers that manage to tie character development together with the mysteries of the island, and I'll admit the season could use a little more of those.

While the highs aren't as high as other seasons, Season 1 of Lost does have several especially fantastic episodes:

Pilot: I think one thing people can agree on with this show is that it has one of the greatest pilot episodes of all time, even more I think most can it agree it has the best opening scene of any TV show to date. The start of Lost's pilot is ten minutes straight of non-stop terror and action, efficiently establishing all of the characters as well as twenty different island mysteries while still being fast-paced and action-packed. It's J J Abrams' best work and a sequence so good the rest of the episode can't quite reach that high.

Walkabout: It's hard to believe the show got things so right so early on but Walkabout has the best flashbacks in the series and nothing was able to top it for the rest of its runtime. The story of Locke being paralyzed was already pretty compelling, but when you couple that with the big twist that he can walk again on the island as well as that heartbreaking ending where Locke learns he can't go on the Walkabout and you get a truly phenomenal episode.

Raised By Another: After a first half almost entirely comprised of character-centric episodes, Raised By Another is the point where the plot starts to kick up a notch. The majority of this episode was focused entirely on Claire, but the big twist that Ethan wasn't on the plane culminating in a big cliffhanger did a great job of ramping the tension up a notch. 

Deus Ex Machina: This was another big plot-centric episode for Lost, with an especially chaotic ending. First, there's the reveal that there weren't any other survivors on the flight. Then, there's Boone getting seriously injured. But best of all was that very memorable shot of light coming out of the hatch. What I especially loved about Deus Ex Machina however is how it's aged coming off of a pretty big reveal in Season 2, which left me wondering if the writers planned that part out from the start.

Do No Harm: Coming directly after the last episode, Do No Harm is easily the saddest Lost episode since Walkabout. I never really cared about Boone but his death was incredibly tragic, especially being juxtaposed against the Claire's long-awaited birth.

Exodus: Lost is well-known for having massive, movie-length and generally fantastic season finales as Exodus is no exception. After this whole season's build-up, this three-part finale is filled with payoffs, cliffhangers, and stunning twists. I love the first part which is filled with character work as the cast prepares to launch the raft, but of course the best stretch of the episode is Part 3, which has the big twist that the Others wanted Walt as well as the opening of the hatch.

Overall, Lost's first season doesn't progress the plot much and it can't quite reach the same heights as other seasons, but it does a fantastic job of setting the stage for the series to come by focusing on fleshing out the characters, while efficiently establishing a ton of intriguing mysteries to keep viewers hooked. Lost will have a lot of highs and lows from here on out, but this is hands down the most assured and consistently solid season of the bunch.

4/5 Stars