Lost

  It wasn't enough that my rotten kids were all addicted to This Series;  they had to be sure and drag their father and me down with them.

Just in case I need to refresh your memory: we don't have satellite or a TV antenna. We stream all of our television or watch it by way of Netflix DVDs, which means we are often out of touch with whatever everyone else is watching. It's not that big a deal to us (even less so than when we started doing this nearly three years ago) as we've discovered that if a show is popular enough someone out there will host it. We have found living without television the way other people think of it to be very freeing.  Having to actively choose what to watch next eliminates the whole zombifyed blank-stare at a steady stream of garbage. And no commercials means much shorter "gotta have" lists.

This time it's been especially advantageous as we've been able to watch the first five seasons as we have time for them. And, unlike mere mortals, when we're so inclined, we can just click "next episode" instead of having to wait a week--or worse--until the next season, which is a good thing, as Lost nearly always has a cliff hanger ending.

Gary isn't usually susceptible to this kind of addiction, but I've awakened on more than one morning to hear him anxiously asking, "Can we go watch Lost now?"  I happily agree, which is even odder as I don't generally want the thing on before noon. Bleary eyed teenagers, who never get out of bed voluntarily before ten o'clock, crowd into the living room, clutching cereal bowls and OJ to await the newest development. The other morning, Joe (almost fifteen) looked around at us with a grin and announced that we were pathetic. We all just nodded and turned to stare at the screen.

The show appeals to us on several levels--it makes us feel smart: posing lots of philosophical questions about what an ideal society looks like, and can man rise above himself, the value of forgiveness (self and others), can love heal all wounds, must absolute power corrupt absolutely, and will Kate choose Jack or Sawyer. It's also got plenty to keep the sci-fi geek happy as well; time warps, parallel universes, monsters, Gods, and the list goes on. There are tons of sub-plots, it's unpredictable (at least we think it is) and the acting surprisingly good. Oh, and a minor plus--in five years of episodes there's only been one "thirsty" scene ("adults only moments" which I tell the boys to go get a drink of water and wait)--and that one really wasn't all that bad.

I can see why someone would decide to model a Bible Study, entitled  The Gospel According to Lost  after it. There are unabashed explorations of the character of man, the existence of God, and what this entity might call believers to do or to accept. Evil is even embodied in an entity in this series, and it uses the human need for love and acceptance to its own ends.

We have just arrived at the first of the final season, meaning we're nearly caught up with the rest of the world. The other reason I think we like this series is that we know that the end is in sight, that these characters won't suffer forever. However, I'm not sure what we're going to do afterwards. We may need help with the withdrawal symptoms. If you hear of any good rehab programs, please let me know.