As reported by Wavilyem, Netflix is now streaming seasons 1-4 of Lost. I had never seen a single frame of this show before now (although I certainly heard about it). I began watching season 1 and I am somewhere around the half way mark. So far the only intriguing bit is the little mysteries that have been cropping up. The characters leave me cold, with the exception of Locke and Sayid. I plan to finish at least season 1, so I suppose my question is: should I bother to catch up to season 5(?)? GWC’ers weigh in! 
The mysteries have always been my favorite part, but I dig most of the characters, especially Hurley. Some of the mysteries have been resolved, but a few from the beginning are still hanging, probably for the end of the series. I’m a huge fan, so I say go for it. Seasons 2 and 3 have some weak episodes, but finish strong.
I say stay, we watched the first three seasons on DVD before going live to TV and really like it. My favorite characters are Hurley and Ben. But then again I wouldn’t mind getting Sawyer alone in a room for a few hours…but that is a completely different thing.
I agree. Stay with it. As you learn more about the characters, I believe you will find others of them more compelling. Newer characters that are introduced down the road will really grab you too. LOST is like an ogre…I mean an onion…it has layers…really, excruciatingly slow-to-peel-back layers. But it’s SO worth it. You’ll be a junkie in no time. Looking forward to talking LOST with you.
I agree with all of the above. I didn’t start watching until the writer’s strike. And during that time, I watched all that was available in one fell swoop. It definitely grows on you. It’s a story that builds. Some of the extremely minor details in season 1 end up being quite important. Keep at it. Up to this point (since no one knows how they’ll end it) you won’t be disappointed.
LOST is a lot like a Stephen King novel in that the main characters are not the most compelling. And yes, the mysteries of the show are really what makes it work for me. Plus, without giving too much away, the show has a real game changer about once or twice a year.
But you must watch every single episode without skipping. This is like a 3000 page meganovel for television. You can’t jump ahead.
Just wait ‘til they open the hatch, that’s when things pick up. The really fun part is seeing something happen and realizing there was foreshadowing for that event waaaay back when. Also, if you pay attention to the flashbacks, you begin to see the survivors’ lives have been intertwined in some freaky ways for years, and in some cases from birth.
So other people have said pretty much all of what I was going to say. The only thing I’d add is not to think that the entire series is like S. Every new season there’s a … shall we say … new dimension of the storyline and/or story telling format that changes to make the plot a lot more tangled and interesting than what you’ve seen so far. Also, if you don’t mind what I’d consider a pretty mild spoiler:
[spoiler]If you enjoy stories involving time travel, it’ll definitely be worth your while to stick it out[/spoiler]
If you don’t like S1…you probably won’t like S2 that much…but if you hold on theres some great stuff coming in 3 on… just my opinion.
Alright folks, several months on and Im reporting in. I managed to get somewhere into season 2, I think episode 5. Anyway, with all the talk on the forums and the buzz about the final season Im going to get back into it. Hopefully everyone is right about it picking back up in season 3. fingers crossed
A lot of things that happen will frustrate you. Some of Season 2 and the beginning of Season 3 will make you want to stop watching. Believe me, don’t give up on it, you’ll be glad you didn’t. The constant questions without answers can get extremely frustrating, but a lot of things that happen in Season 2 and 3 end up paying off. It gets so good in the middle of Season 3 and Season 4. It all builds up to something. Chime in at the end of Season 3. Don’t let anyone spoil you!
I too am working my way through lost for the first time, and just finished season 2 the other day. so far ive really enjoyed it. some great characters, superb acting, and top notch writing:-)
I’ve heard people knock parts of season 2, and apparently season 3. But to me, (having the luxury of the next episode at my fingertips) I see the show as one multi-hour story. I totally understand what it feels like to be really excited about a new episode of your favorite show, and then to be disappointed by it and have to wait another week, but slow paced episodes don’t bother me a lot when I’m catching up on a show. that being said im psyched that the show only gets better!
question: how well should i learn the faces/names of the characters that appear in the flashbacks? While watching an episode, I haven’t noticed alot of the people that have appeared in multiple people’s flashbacks until reading about it after online, and then i would be like. OH YEAAA. But how important is it? because I’m having trouble keeping track!
Hmm. For fear of spoilers, I won’t go into details but you’ll usually know when a flashback cameo is important and worth remembering. Like if a Tailie shows up in the flashback of an original Lostaway, or someone you know as an Other shows up off the Island. There are a lot of interesting and unexpected connections that will appear. And then you’ll get to the season 5 finale and your mind will go splodey.
I absolutely hated the beginning of season 3, just because it was so focused on the love triangle and I couldn’t care less about Jack, Kate or Sawyer. But then again, we get to know Ben and Juliet so it’s a trade-off. And season 4 was brilliant!
The “Kevin Johnson” story line felt a bit shoe-horned in (see how I avoided the spoiler there?) but yeah, season four was brilliant.
The great characters, superb acting, and top notch writing just gets better and better 
2 questions: 1) What number season are we up to? (What number is the last season, starting in 2010?)
2)Who is Kevin Johnston? Maybe I haven’t been paying close attention, but I don’t recognize that name.
Just for reference, and to introduce myself, I almost started watching it from the beginning. I wasn’t going to watch it at all when it started, then saw the mid-season “catch-up” episode, which brought me up to speed for the first half of the season. Since then I’ve watched every new episode. I’ve resisted renting (and certainly not owning) the dvd’s, but I occassionally watch the re-runs ABC shows late-late night on the weekends, or whenever.
POTENTIAL SPOILER PART:
My one fear is that now that they’ve introduced temporal gymnastics to the plot (I hope that’s clear, while not being a spoiler to those who haven’t gotten there yet), I’m just afraid they’re going to lame-out on wrapping up some of the more persistent and troublesome mysteries. It’s just too convenient a device, and we’ve seen it over and over in science-fiction before.
I’ve said my peice…hope I haven’t spoiled anything.
I think the season that starts next year will be season 6.
Oh, I’m sure there’ll still be questions. This is a Jaybrams show, after all. But I’m trusting and hoping that the writers have had plenty of time to lay down the steps to their endgame.
I had to go to Lostpedia for a refresher but to answer your other question…
[spoiler]Kevin Johnson = Michael. That’s the name he used when Ben sent him back to the Island on the freighter with Faraday and co.[/spoiler]
I just see a blank grey box under the “Spoiler:”. How do I fix that? (I’m on Mac OS 10.4.7 on dialup. Also: How do I use those spoiler boxes (if I want to keep something on the down-low?)
Hmm, not sure about a Mac. Usually you just click and drag your cursor to highlight the text within the spoiler box.
And if you want to “spoiler” something, just add [spoiler] tags on either end.
Okay. Now that I know, it works (haven’t tried making a spoiler box yet, but I could read it, once I knew the “secret”). Actually, I couldn’t wait and looked it up on Lostpedia before I read this. Thanks!