wco81 wrote:But they couldn't progress too fast through this survival action story (at least how it started out) so they did a lot of flashback episodes while letting the main story advance in drips and drabs.
The backstories had some entertainment value but lets be real about what they were. They were filler to, keep the show going, to fill up those DVD box sets. Another island survival story, the Pacific, didn't have to resort to hours and hours of backstories or gimmicks in those backstories showing links between the characters (which ultimately proved to be meaningless?). Yet the characters in the Pacific are very well-realized, without having to see their lives before or after the ordeal -- or in some alternate timeline.
I strongly disagree with you that the character stories were just "filler."
Before they decided to cap the series at six seasons, they certainly had to write the show without the benefit of a defined end point. Certainly some episodes were not as important, and I think there was a squishy point in Season 3 where they weren't sure what they were doing.
However, I agree with Danimal about the appeal of the show to me: I was drawn in by the story, but stayed for the characters. And Lost has had some of the best character development I have ever seen on television -- a real rarity for a high-concept program.
I can understand disappointment if people were watching Lost primarily for the island story. The series certainly left a lot of unanswered questions. At the same time, this show has been primarily character-driven since the second episode. That allowed the creators to pull off a skillful maneuver: making the resolution of all the mysteries irrelevant. Simply put, we don't know because the characters don't know. Some may see that as a cop-out, but I think most shows that try to wrap everything up neatly fail miserably at that (X-Files and the new Battlestar Galactica come to mind). Lost provided resolution that was character-driven, not plot-driven. I would have liked a few more answers, sure, but I think that finale worked really well.
As for comparing it to The Pacific, you may as well be comparing a short story to a novel. Of course there will be differences: format certainly plays a large role in the creative process. Lost the mini-series would be different than Lost the TV series. You may as well criticize M*A*S*H for stretching the Korean War out, too.
