For the past 12 weeks, my life has been incomplete. I’ve been missing my friends Jack and Kate (I’ve been telling them for years that they should hook up), my father figure, Locke, and Charlie, the annoying guy who follows me around. That’s right, I’ve been missing Lost.
But finally, after those 12 arduous weeks, Lost returned. I felt like George Clooney taking his first drink after having back surgery, like a woman riding her first roller coaster after being pregnant. Lost had become such a part of my life, I actually found myself functioning differently while it was on hiatus. I couldn’t fill my downtime looking at message boards about the latest episode and I had to read the newspaper instead. I had nothing to do on Wednesday nights and found myself doing homework. Thank goodness I can get back to what really matters.
This season, in response to criticism that constant reruns interrupted the flow of the show, producers decided to air the episodes in two blocks. It started with six episodes in October, then went on break for approximately an eternity, only to return with 16 consecutive episodes last night. It was a wise move: They whet my appetite with the mini-season in the fall, then kept me on the hook until last night’s powerful return.
I’ll admit it, this season has been weaker than the rest. But if last night was any indication, the new episodes will be some of the best yet. How amazing was this episode? Let me count the ways (spoiler/confusion alert!): revelations about Juliet’s background, Kate kicking ass, Sawyer quipping to Alex, more Dharma mysteries to unfurl, fun easter eggs (the hidden anagram in Mittelos? Genius), Jack almost killing Ben and Juliet actually killing a colleague. It only took one hour for Lost to remind me why it’s the only show on television that can dominate my life this way.
Short of maybe the Cleveland Indians, I doubt I spend as much time thinking about anything than I do about Lost. And I still don’t understand everything. I probably don’t understand half of anything. That’s what’s so great about Lost: It requires so much thought. Does 24 make you run to the library to check out Our Mutual Friend and A Brief History of Time? Have you ever had to research facets of Hinduism after watching American Idol?
That’s not to mention the adrenaline rush any episode gives me. Ugly Betty doesn’t make you jump out of chair and scream “HOLY SHIT, I CAN’T BELIEVE CHARLIE JUST SHOT ETHAN!” Many a time I’ve been out of breath at the end of an episode because of the roller coaster of excitement I’ve just been on.
So, for the next 15 weeks, my life will be full of old friends, island excitement, late-night library trips and creepy Locke dream sequences. Just the way it should be.