L O S T ... a fan's memoir of a great TV show.

I don't think I'm inside my own mind today... and I feel LOST without it!

The "it" I am referring to, of course, is not my mind but the T.V show Lost, which finally reached its conclusion earlier this year. The DVD set of the 6th and final season of Lost was released back in August, much earlier than I was expecting as it's usually released in September/November with the Smallville seasons, at least that's how it's gone up to this point.

I was first anointed by Lost when I worked at Movie Gallery back when the first season had just come out on DVD. I rented disc one of Battlestar Galactica, and disc one of Lost. I attempted to watch Battlestar first, it begins with some bullshit two hour movie-episode rather than introducing the viewers to the show in a traditional fashion. I sat through this for probably an hour before I got bored and have since never returned to the series. I put in the first disc to Lost and I've never looked back.

Lost did what so few TV shows have failed to do, it captured my imagination and more so than that, it kept me suspended. I NEEDED to know what was going to happen next, I wanted to know how the story would unfold and as the show began to force me to ask questions, I wanted those answered as well.

Sitting here, thinking back. I feel confident saying that Lost is my favorite TV show of all time. From multiple points it stands with a level of quality that very few TV shows have even reached. I'm sure it was a huge gamble for ABC, it has pretty good production values for a TV show and it's always been well written. They could never have expected it to take off the way it did.

I've watched the first few seasons a few times each. Up to that point I've had numerous theories which have all for the most part been proven irrelevant. That's part of the intrigue of the show though, watching episodes multiple times. Noticing things you did not notice the previous viewings, it all adds together and builds the mystique, the experience of Lost.

For those of you who have not yet become Lost, here's the crash course: An air plain crashes on a 'deserted' island. It doesn't take them long to stabilize on the island and their priority is getting off, however, it's not long before they realize they 1) they're not alone on the island and 2) nothing is what it seems.

The Island is as important to the show as any of the 'main characters' and that doesn't become apparent immediately but as the show unfolds the Island's mysteries generate some of the biggest questions of the show.

It's hard not to sympathize for the show's characters and yet wonder about the bigger picture and Lost is certainly the kind of show that makes you think, it's why I think a lot of people cannot get into it. The show doesn't feed anything to you, it makes you wonder and it makes you imagine. That's a big thumbs up in my books. How many shows on TV actively engage you as much as they entertain you? Two and A Half Men doesn't stimulate, or engage me, but that show has been on TV LONGER than Lost... anyway that's another rant.

I love how Lost centers itself around its characters. Every episode is focused on a particular character on the island, and it helps create this idea that maybe there's something to what's been going on. Maybe they didn't 'just crash' maybe there's more to it than that?

As I watched the last three seasons, 4-6, I ultimately feel they may have worked themselves into a corner. The first 3 seasons are very dense, a lot happens in those episodes and the final three seasons honestly feel a bit rushed by comparison, I've seen season 4-6 once each and I am anxious to watch them again, these seasons see the show pointed in a rather deliberate direction. For a story telling stand point this is essential, especially given how the die hard viewer's by this point most certainly would demand a end to this story. Given how much was already invested, it would have been a cop out for anything less. Lost delivered on this front.

I think the final two seasons especially felt rushed to me, and they probably could've milked a 7th season out of the show if they wanted to but the direction the show took, jumping through time and jumping through reality in a sense. The show created a mystical sense of what was possible and what was impossible and they did it without compromising the ridiculous. I thought the show was very imaginative and very brave and I hope it encourages networks to take chances more often on television shows that are less by-the-book and that push what TV is, and show that content on TV doesn't have to be dictated by statistics and focus groups and that sometimes a spectacular adventure that defies normalcy can captivate audiences.

That brings us to The End. The final episode, was it worth it, was it a waste? My two cents, I thought that Lost's Finale was spectacular. It closed the story, there were very few plot holes when it came to the total story that was being told. (I'm trying to go without spoiling any aspects of the story here... ) They closed the book on that chapter of the island while also giving closure to the characters who made the story what it was. It had some awesome moments and I thought it was a great send-off for the show because in the end the show answered most of the real big questions that it created but it left the viewer with questions that remained.

It forces us as fans to look back at it, and remember it. That's the mark of something that was done well, a story well told, in this case. Lost is TV entertainment at its best, and I will be surprised if another show the caliber of lost comes along again any time soon.

Anyone on the fence, Lost is best in the DVD format. I don't imagine how anyone could have watched the show on cable every week. The commercials alone would have pissed me off enough, but the week long wait between episodes, that would have been the worst. In the DVD format you can watch the show at your own pace (which in my instance seems to be binging episodes 4+ at a time) and enjoy it at its maximum. If you like to be entertained, stimulated, if you like to think, imagine and be challenged by what you watch. Lost is the show for you.