Lost in translation

I'm a huge "Lost" fan. (Warning 1: if you didn't watch the 3/14 "Ji Yeon" broadcast yet, don't read this post.)

This post is going to be about being incredibly disappointed in the writing for the 3/14 broadcast, and the fact that I'm taking the time out of a Sunday morning to complain to the world about a "Lost" plotline means that my own disappointment has caused buzz that, at the end of the day, just helps illustrate the incredible hold this show has over its fans. So congratulations, "Lost" - you win. I'm hooked, and now I'm going to bitch a little. (Warning 2: to get to the actual bitching about this episode without my expository ramblings, skip to the bold text.)

Admittedly, I came onto the "Lost" bandwagon late - I didn't really need another T.V. show to watch, I like cable shows better than network these days ("Dexter" and "Weeds" and "Big Love" are already a commitment, though spotty production/air schedules do free up some time), I was sick of everyone talking about it, T.V. shows are crap these days, how good could it be, etc. - basically, I didn't buy the hype.

So I ignored "Lost" buzz for 2 years, until finally I figured that borrowing a DVD of Season 1 would be a good idea.

Oh. My. God.

I haven't been that immediately grabbed by a show since the first Season of "24." Even with Season 2 being a little boring at the beginning, it was still a helluva lot better than anything else on network television, and these days I laugh about being so frustrated at not knowing answers to the simple questions like "What' s in the hatch?" considering that every time an easy question gets answered we have about 10 more complicated ones. At this point, some of the questions (in no particular order) still bothering the heck out of me are:

1) Where's Walto? And does he have magical powers? And what are they?
2) Was Jin the one in the coffin at the beginning of the season, how and where did he die, and is he counted among the Oceanic 6? And what does his headstone say? I can't read Korean.
3) What happened to Claire, was it Jack's fault, and is that why he doesn't want to see Aaron?
4) Um.. timeline, please. Hurley's in the bin, then he's in Korea, Jack's drunk and a mess and then not and meeting a coffin... ?
5) Who in the HOLY HELL is Benjamin Linus?
6) Mr. Whitmore: good or evil?
7) Um... where are The Others + The Oceanic Others? They didn't all die, so one would assume that they're hanging out on the Island somewhere. Or are they? And where are the rest of the Non-Listed Oceanic survivors?
8) Is Michael still a complete douchebag or is he doing something for the greater good? And did he ever actually get off the Island and onto dry land, or did he boat-hop? And why is he working for Ben?
9) Who/what is Jacob? And did he make "The List?"

Since I like odd numbers and snuck multiple questions and have so many more that this list is now a digression from the original intent of this post (which is to bitch about the 3/14 storyline), I'll stop now.

OK. So the point of the above is to illustrate the following as a backdrop for my intended post subject. To sum up:

1) I'm a bit of a "Lost" fanatic, making me the ideal instrument of buzz/evangelism.
2) There are a lot of confusions, questions and surprises that the show continues to throw at its fans.
3) This show has done an excellent job of being buzzworthy solely because it's different, the writing is phenomenal (usually), every episode opens up a ton of new speculations and questions (which gets people talking), and they've rewarded their most rampant fans with little hints in the show, online sillies and other fun things. Yay for "Lost."

In the case of this episode, there was a very clever and fair buzzworthy move: the close-up of Jin's tombstone revealed some numbers and a lot of writing in Korean, and clearly many fans don't speak Korean and will therefore need to seek out some translation - most likely from their Korean friends or the Internet. Nice job on starting that conversation, writers.

But here's the thing: overall, the 3/14 broadcast was a cheap shot at the expense of the audience and violated a basic trust that we have with "Lost." Here's why:

The flashback interspersed with the flash-forward was, on its surface, a clever move. We see Jin in the past running around trying to buy a panda bear and get to the maternity ward, and we're seeing a flash-forward of Sun in the hospital about to deliver.

Ostensibly, the segments are interspersed to let us know that Jin is on the way to meet Sun. I did wonder why Jin was so dickish and angry, and when you realize that this is Old Jin Working For Sun's Dad as opposed to Kindler, Gentler Post-Crash Jin it makes sense.

So yes, "Lost" writers got me. I thought Jin was alive right up until Hurley said "Then let's go see him," at which point I realized I'd been had.

And here's the thing: we'd really been had, and not in a good way.

The crux of "Lost" flashback-and-forward success is an implicit promise that these segments are:

1) True
2) Relevant

In the case of this episode we assume that that flashback really happened, but the entire segment was completely irrelevant. Up to this point, all "Lost" flashbacks/forwards have been relevant to either providing some important character/plot development/backstory, and/or to move the story forward.

This particular sequence failed miserably at the latter. Watching Jin run around as Mr. Paik's errand boy doesn't tell us anything we don't already know. We're already well aware that Kind Poor Fisherman Jin became Mr. Paik's bitch boy, which changed his own outlook on life and drained the kindness out of him. This isn't news, and unless something spectacular happens between China and Mr. Paik that affects a future "Lost" plotline this entire sequence was a cheap way to fool the audience. (And even if it does happen, it was still kind of a lame stunt.)

So: shame on you, "Lost" writers. I know you had a writer's strike and that it was a mad rush to get some of these episodes out, but surely somebody must have realized that fooling your fans for the sake of it violates the spirit of trust that you've established with us.

On the flipside, the writers have managed to take up 30 minutes of this fan's time and engender a reaction that will encourage discussion and debate with various people. I don't normally participate in "Lost" chatter, so I do find it somewhat ironic and amusing that I've become a buzz source this week due to my complete irritation at lazy writing.

So: Lost writers, I guess I do need to acknowledge that sometimes, annoyance is what propels a good conversation - and when the annoyance stems out of an arguably unhealthy attachment to the greater good of something awesome (in this case, the integrity of "Lost" as a whole), I suppose that you have inadvertently done your job.

But don't do it again. Seriously. We expect better.