Oh my god, that article spoiled me for a major Roswell plot twist! I haven't seen that season yet! Arrgh!

Ok, never mind. Sigh.

I've already seen the Lost pilot. Wow! Incredible! And other positive exclaimations. The only thing that bugged me was that they needed so many people to climb the mountain to use the transceiver when only one person knew how to work it. I realize they needed a group of people so they could build tension between them, and have them discover the big shocker, but it was pretty laughable to me. Although, perhaps they all just needed something to keep them busy so they wouldn't be stuck on the beach with nothing to do but smell the decaying bodies.

But other than that, it was a really good episode. This is absolutely, imo, the best show on TV right now.

[ edited by electricspacegirl on 2004-09-30 05:24 ]

electricspacegirl | September 30, 06:43 CET

I've been scornful of tv for a long time (Whedonverse stuff aside) but I have to say I'm enjoying the heck out of Lost. It's not Whedontastic but it's mighty enjoyable. The characters are getting fleshed out and clumping into interesting groups and the mysteries multiply and grow.....

I love the SOS voice being that of a woman speaking in French. And an emerging hero being an Iraqi ex-fighter for the Revolutionary Guard. Iraqi Revolutionary Guard? A stranded Frenchwoman on some mysterious mission of 15+ years ago? Polar bears? A lush island somewhere nearish Fiji? Huh? Fun stuff. It reminds me of an old timey serial kind of show, with cliffhangers galore and monsters and mysterious settings. That with a dash of Alice in Wonderland. Or something.

I'll be tuning in next week and every week after that. I've got to know how this thing turns out.

phlebotinin | September 30, 06:57 CET

grrr!!!! I missed last week's ep because I forgot that that was the day it premiered and I missed today's because I had to work and my VCR didn't record. I REALLY need to get myself a Tivo . . .

thekey1313 | September 30, 06:58 CET

thekey1313: ABC will re-run the first two episodes this Saturday.

But you should get a TiVo anyways, because they rule.

tmhsiao | September 30, 07:05 CET

The second part fixed most of my problems with the first one, and no it's not whedonverse good, but heck it's not A) trying to be or B) Anything like a Whedonverse show, so it's all good for me.

I am very excited about next week's episode. :)

rabid | September 30, 07:24 CET

Did anyone expect the fugitive to be Kate? I certainly didn't. In fact, I was thinking it was the mean blonde smoker dude, and things happened too fast for me to speculate about misleads and that it would be the least likely suspect. She was the last person I would have suspected.

electricspacegirl | September 30, 07:31 CET

"Did anyone expect the fugitive to be Kate? I certainly didn't. "

Me neither! I was thrown for a loop, which I always love. I wonder what Kate did to warrant her arrest? What was the "one last favor" she was going to ask the Marshal for before the plane started breaking up?

The "mean blonde smoker dude" (perfect description; he's a classic jackass) has a story, too, I have no doubt. They all do. Can't wait to find it all out. Including Jack, Mr. Hero Doctor. He seemed to be drinking awfully heavily on the flight. Why? What's his deal? He most definitely has a deal.

I'm glad the dog, Vincent, was explained. Having that well-groomed golden lab wandering around the menacing jungle was just too weird for me. Although weird is good.

phlebotinin | September 30, 07:44 CET

This has been a really exciting new season so far. I've enjoyed watching the beginnings of Jack & Bobby, Lost, Veronica Mars, and Kevin Hill (meanwhile, over on cable, Nip/Tuck is reaching it's seasonal climax). The problem is, I don't have that much time (or obligatory obsessive power) to watch that much TV. So I've decided to cut back on my TV viewing. Jack & Bobby and Lost, although being good shows, didn't make my cut. They both have a lot of potential, but I can't imagine either of them becoming great shows.

On the other hand, Veronica Mars is the type of show that I get absorbed in after 10 seconds, and I get all giddy knowing that I'm watching great TV. I really enjoyed Kevin Hill also, so I will continue watching that for at least one or two more episodes.

And I'm still waiting for the premieres of Desperate Housewives, Life as We Know It, Drawn Together, and House.

Invisible Green | September 30, 08:10 CET

I've been loving Lost like ham and pineapple pizza, so I'm glad to see we'll be able to talk about it here at least once in a while. Last week, after the pilot actually lived up to my expectations, I ran to the computer, eager to discuss it. Not knowing where to turn (and not noticing the Lost article on here), I went to the only other boards where I had a name: The Television Without Pity Boards. But I like you guys better. So they're now being deprived the privilege of my opinions on Lost. (which no one ever commented on anyway, so...nobody's loss, I guess).

Awesome episode, though. And I think it would have worked even better if they had shown both parts of it as one the first time around...because I prefer not to have seven days right in the middle of my story arcs.

And Kate went from a "You Mean She Doesn't Look Kind of Like a Younger Version of Michelle from 24 to You?" character to a "Wait--wha? Really??" character tonight. I also liked when the Korean girl undid her top button as soon as her "gentle"man friend turned away. Not because I enjoy one-eighth strip teases. It was just funny.

Also, "It's...a polar bear." What an absurdly cool act break.

And to echo what some others have said above: I heart my Tivo. I'm not even ashamed to admit that the instant replay and slow motion buttons have suddenly made America's Funniest Home Videos one of my favorite shows. It's all about the moment of realization right before the big guy falls off the trampoline. Plus, it makes it easier to spot the fakes. Because yeah, right, that man's crotch just happend to be in the right place at the right time.

Edited to add that I just read InvisibleGreen's post, and that's funny--my thoughts on Lost are your thoughts on Veronica Mars and vice-versa. But I'll still be watching both of them because I don't have the willpower to make cuts.

[ edited by VampiresSuckLOLOLGetIt on 2004-09-30 06:23 ]

VampiresSuckLOLOLGetIt | September 30, 08:20 CET

I've enjoyed Veronica Mars, but I'm not sure if it's worth my time every week. On the other hand I'm liking the beggining of Lost more than I liked the early Alias episodes.

rabid | September 30, 08:21 CET

I think Kate looks uncannily like Kate Beckinsale, which I was happy to notice that the TWOP reviewer agreed with. He seems to believe that Evangeline Lilly is actually playing Kate Beckinsale on the show. Heh.

electricspacegirl | September 30, 08:26 CET

I stared at the polar bear and I thought, "Huh." Which is good because TV does not get many huhs from me anymore. Good. Show. Still may suck, of course, as it is ON television.

And Creepy Backgammon Guy? Whew. Black. White. Secrets. Run! Hurray for something interesting on tv.

bogu_salias | September 30, 09:05 CET

Did anyone else get the child-molester vibe from creepy backgammon guy? He said he had a secret and I was yelling to the kid, "Get away from him!" Yeesh!

electricspacegirl | September 30, 09:26 CET

I thought Lost was as interesting and well-done tonight as it was last week, and that was really surprising. I'm not used to NJTV (non-Joss TV) that stays good after about the first hour, if it even makes it that far, and I like it much better than Alias already. The backgammon guy/secret/metaphor is way intriguey, and the fact that Kate turned out to be a criminal, and the guy Jack saved her captor, earned my 'huh' of the night.

Hey, and when is Uncle Fury going to stop by for some Whedonesque love? I mean, serioiusly. He's got it coming.

Wiseblood | September 30, 09:27 CET

Did anyone else get the child-molester vibe from creepy backgammon guy? He said he had a secret and I was yelling to the kid, "Get away from him!" Yeesh!

I thought the same thing lol. If he starts wearing a trenchcoat in future eps, we know what his secert is.

eddy | September 30, 09:48 CET

Ok, I admit, this was a good ep. Got me psyched for the future. I still think some of the acting isn't great and writing a bit predictable(did the 'asshole' have to be an asshole CONSTANTLY???), but the bit with the message in French and the polar bear has me intrigued. I hope we go more for that angle than the personal stories. I just don't think this writing/acting combo is going to touch me emotionally. But the mystery is good and hopefully they keep it fresh every episode.

Rogue Slayer | September 30, 10:00 CET

but the bit with the message in French and the polar bear has me intrigued. I hope we go more for that angle than the personal stories.

Well, I doubt that the show would be able to sustain itself if there weren't a focus on the personal stories. There are only so many clues they can give each week as to what's going on in the island without giving away the mystery too early on in the game. On the other hand, there is a wealth of material they can reveal about all of the characters and their secrets and their interpersonal relationships. I'm assuming that the truth about the island will usually be put in the background, rather than the forefront of most episodes, and I'm glad about that. While the external threat to the survivors is great, I'm just as intrigued by the characters themselves and their internal conflicts, between each other and inside themselves, as I am with the central what-the-hell-is-going-on mystery.

[ edited by Rob on 2004-09-30 08:21 ]

Rob | September 30, 10:20 CET

Glad everyone liked Lost but next time can we discuss episodes of this show and other new shows at Flickr/Whedonesque chat? That's why I put that announcement on the sidebar on the front page. You can post a thread there and discuss it to your heart's content plus chat to each other as well about it.

Simon | September 30, 10:20 CET

Sorry about that Simon. I forgot all about the Flickr link. I just went to sign up and got this error though, "Fatal error: Call to undefined function: admin_accept_group_invite() in /var/www/html/www.flickr.com/include/lib_groups.gne on line 374" I'm using the Mozilla browser, should I use internet explorer?

Never mind. I just got a email confirming my registration.

eddy | September 30, 10:34 CET

eddy that's ok and I've amended your subject line just so everyone knows what we're upto.

And I would discourage ratings threads about Lost being posted at Whedonesque.

But obviously David Fury interviews are more than welcome here and I hate to say it but if Lost's future appears to be in doubt discussion of this as well.

Simon | September 30, 13:56 CET

I enjoyed this episode too. I figured out it was Kate right before they revealed it was her, but because I had just figured it out when they revealed it, I was still a bit stunned. Is she a good guy or a bad guy? I'm guessing she's a good guy just for the fact that she tried to take care of the cop/FBI agent who was with her when he got knocked out. She put an oxygen mask on him when she could've just let him suffocate.

As for that large group going up the mountain, it's easily explained. It was initially just Kate and the Arab guy going. Charlie, who seems to have a crush on Kate, wanted to tag along too because he has nothing better to do. The spoiled blonde just wanted to go to irk her brother and he went to make sure she was okay and the blonde asshole guy went because he doesn't trust the Arab guy.

The thing that bugged me, though, was they had this dead polar bear and no one says anything about bringing it back for food. Gavin is running around trying to force feed everyone with cut up, raw shellfish that no one seems to want and no one thinks, hey, huge polar bear - lot's of meat - let's bring it back.

Speaking of Gavin, (don't know his characters name so Gavin will have to do for now) what's up with him and that woman. At first I thought he was either her husband or maybe a bodyguard because he seemed so overly protective but this episode he seemed more menacing and controlling, especially when he slapped her hand when she reached for the food. I also liked her defiant act when she unbuttoned her shirt. Does anyone know what was communicated between her and Kate? She's speaking Korean to Kate and Kate seemed to understand her? I was confused by that part. Loved the scene with him and the pregnant woman and his obvious discomfort with her trying to get him to touch her belly.

I'm disappointed that we won't be discussing the episodes each week on this forum but I understand why. Just don't think I'll be able to do the flickr chats. Hopefully we won't have to discuss the possibility of the show getting cancelled and it continues to be good.

Firefly Flanatic | September 30, 15:29 CET

blwessels there will be discussion threads at Flickr as well so if you can't make the chats, you can post what you thought of the episode.

Simon | September 30, 15:55 CET

Thanks Simon! I'll look forward to that!

Firefly Flanatic | September 30, 16:29 CET

Well, I doubt that the show would be able to sustain itself if there weren't a focus on the personal stories. There are only so many clues they can give each week as to what's going on in the island without giving away the mystery too early on in the game. On the other hand, there is a wealth of material they can reveal about all of the characters and their secrets and their interpersonal relationships. I'm assuming that the truth about the island will usually be put in the background, rather than the forefront of most episodes,

Yeah, I fear you're right, and this may lose me. The writing and acting of the interpersonal isn't that stellar, so I'm afraid if that's the focus, I probably won't stick around for it. I know, Joss has spoiled me. No one can witty, meaningful dialogue anymore. But like I said, I'll stick around to see what Fury can do with it.

Rogue Slayer | September 30, 18:18 CET

Just as a quick update...according to TV Guide, it got stellar ratings last night, too!

Rob | September 30, 18:54 CET

Wow, it's been a long time since a pilot episode grabbed me and made me an addict almost immediately. The last time I remember being this impressed with a series opener was when Alias premiered. Of course, if the Firefly pilot would have aired first that one would have done the same.

I'm left with so many questions and a real desire to get to know more about so many of these characters. Why is there a polar bear on a desert island? What was the huge thing in the forest? Why is there a message from a French woman that has been repeating for 16 years? Why was Kate arrested? What's up with creepy Terry O'Quinn?

According to the ratings, it looks like for once a show I love might be given time to answer my questions. What a relief!

MindPieces | October 01, 00:26 CET

Sayeed said he was in The Republican Guard by the way. I must have missed it but were the talking about the first Gulf war or the second?

sTalking_Goat | October 01, 02:29 CET

First Gulf War.

phlebotinin | October 01, 03:22 CET

Well I certainly am starting to like it, and I'll definitely keep watching, but I'm still just not quite as on board on this show as you all. I liked that the intrigue and mystery started now (because the first ep, apart from the jungle beastie, was basically people on sitting on the beach after a crash). But with the characters I'm still not there. Too many are still just standard disaster movie stereotypes.

And the doctor is a Riley. Just annoys me. Someone else on a board called him the 'annoyingly competent male lead'. He's handsome, he's wholesome, he's a doctor, he's noble, he knows about medicine, he know about planes, he even knew what speed and altitude the plane had from his passenger seat. I just don't care for that type of character.

I like Billy Boyd, I like the Iraqi guy. Kate could grow on me, and I liked that she was the prisoner. The fat guy that looks like Harry Knowles is alright....the rest...eh. The Jerk Guy is a bit too obviously the Jerk Guy. Every time he opens his mouth something nasty comes out and as long as that's the case, he's not even a character to me.

Some things bug me though. When they came back from finding the cockpit they're asked if there were survivors. They exchange (kinda overly obvious) glances and say 'no', clearly deciding NOT to tell them the pilot was alive, told them no one would be coming, and then got eaten by something big. Yet when they see the bear, the other characters suddenly say 'Is this what killed the pilot?' Okay that just reaaally bugs me. That's just bad writing. If I missed something there, please tell me. I saw it in chunks.

Oh and I didn't get the child molester vibe at all. I thought that guy was just cool and mysterious. I'd like to see more of that character. I like the actor too. I remember him from Millennium and such.

EdDantes | October 01, 10:46 CET

"Some things bug me though. When they came back from finding the cockpit they're asked if there were survivors. They exchange (kinda overly obvious) glances and say 'no', clearly deciding NOT to tell them the pilot was alive, told them no one would be coming, and then got eaten by something big. Yet when they see the bear, the other characters suddenly say 'Is this what killed the pilot?'" EdDantes

That jumped out at me too and bugged me as well. I like this show but ain't loving it yet. I think it has the potential to be very good and I'm hoping the character development gets better. I'm also thinking there's something up with the doctor because they are portraying him too much as the hero, like they were doing with Kate being the girl next door and obviously we were meant to think that so we'd be surprised she was the handcuffed criminal.

Firefly Flanatic | October 01, 17:57 CET

"I'm also thinking there's something up with the doctor because they are portraying him too much as the hero, like they were doing with Kate being the girl next door and obviously we were meant to think that so we'd be surprised she was the handcuffed criminal. "

I was hoping for that too. That they would set up the stereotypes and then play against them. I hope they'll continue that. And yeah the character development could be a little sharper. but it's only been 2 eps. I'm probably impatient, hehe

EdDantes | October 01, 21:51 CET