[read]“THE LOST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF JAVIER GRILLO-MARXUACH”

“Damon and JJ now had the nigh-impossible task of not only delivering a great script based on their outline, but to also to film that script, and chart the course of an ensuing series with no road map for its future, and no discernible plot engine for episode after episode other than "survival."...

As much as many -- fans, critics, and sometimes even those of us who create the stuff -- want to believe in the possibility that greatness is sui generis (or conversely the cowboy myth that "We didn't know what we were doing -- we were just kids with a dream and gosh darnit we pulled it off with spit and bailing wire") both of these explanations rob us of the truth: inspiration is always augmented through improvisation, collaboration, serendipity, and plain, old, unglamorous Hard Work. 

I will, however, strenuously make the point that the notes from our think tank  prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that if we knew anything, we sure as shellac knew what the polar bear was doing on the island...

Now these were all great actors who would soon be playing characters that, in great part due to their interpretation, would become iconic... but the sad reality of American network television in 2004 was that shows needed competent, easily identifiable main characters with abilities that undeniably spoke to their leadership and heroism: and that was, most of the time, a handsome white guy with an advanced degree in criminology, law, or medicine... and an absurdly tragic backstory.

So when JJ and Damon returned from their first network notes session with a slightly bemused expression, I asked how the notes session went. I was not shocked when Damon shrugged with a not inconsiderable amount of contempt for his unimaginative corporate overlords and reported that, "We can't kill the white guy.”

http://okbjgm.weebly.com/lost

This is a really interesting, super long inside look (skim-read-skim-read-skim-read). Imagine if all that space that Jack and his dad-made-me-an-alcoholic-or-whatever stuff took up was instead filled by all the other great characters!

Short summary sort of -

http://www.vox.com/2015/3/25/8287389/lost-answers-secrets-abc

I feel like LOST will remain a cultural artifact of its time. A lot of what made the show what it was is that no one knew what was going to happen, and everyone watched it right on time in order to avoid spoilers the following day. And in between, people discussed and theorized. And that huge social element, that bringing-it-into-your-life, that can't be recreated. (to a certain extent, also tragically true of Harry Potter). Like, I stopped watching the show consistently in like season 2, but I still always kinda knew what was going on.