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Lost (TV series)

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This article is about the current drama series. For the short-lived 2001 reality show, see Lost (2001 TV series).
Lost
File:Lost-season2.jpg
Promotional photograph for the second season, showing the main cast.
Created byJeffrey Lieber
Damon Lindelof
J.J. Abrams
StarringSee Cast and characters below
Country of originUSA
No. of episodes49 (May 24, 2006)
Production
Running time40–47 minutes
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseSeptember 22, 2004 –
present

Lost is an American drama-mystery-adventure television series that follows the lives of the survivors of a plane crash on a mysterious tropical island. It was created by Jeffrey Lieber, J. J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, and is filmed primarily on location in Hawaii by Bad Robot Productions. The show is produced by Touchstone Television and airs on the ABC network in the US. Its music is composed by Michael Giacchino.

Background

Lost began development in January 2004, when then-head of ABC Lloyd Braun ordered an initial script, based on an idea he claimed to have had for quite a while. Unhappy with the result and a subsequent re-write, Braun contacted J. J. Abrams, creator of the TV series Alias, to write a new pilot script. Initially hesitant, Abrams warmed to it, and eventually collaborated with Damon Lindelof to create the series' unique style and characters. [1] The gestation of the show was constrained by tight deadlines, as it had been commissioned late in the 2004 season's development cycle. Despite the short schedule, the creative team remained flexible enough that they did not hesitate to modify or create characters to fit actors they wished to cast. [2]

Lost's pilot episode was the most expensive in television history, costing $10 million. [3] The show became one of the biggest critical and commercial successes of the 2004 television season and, along with fellow new series Desperate Housewives, helped to reverse the flagging fortunes of ABC. [4]

Capping its successful first season, Lost won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series and Abrams was awarded an Emmy in September 2005 for his work as director of the pilot. In January 2006, it won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Drama.

Episode and season structure

Each episode begins with a cold open, preceded by a recap of events that have a bearing on the upcoming narrative. At a dramatic juncture, the screen cuts to black and the show's title graphic, slightly out-of-focus, glides towards the viewer accompanied by an ominous, discordant sound. The opening credits appear over the scenes that immediately follow. While there is a progressive story arc, events on the island are told concurrently with flashbacks relating the history of a particular character. Some episodes end with a suspenseful twist, revealed just seconds before a smash cut to black often with a cliffhanger as is a common theme. Others, following a plot resolution, finish with a reflective closing scene that precedes a simple fade out.

Filming location

Lost is filmed entirely on location on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The original island scenes for the pilot were filmed at Mokuleia Beach, near the northwest tip of the island. Later beach scenes take place in secluded spots of the famous North Shore. Cave scenes were filmed on a sound stage built at a Xerox parts warehouse, which had been empty since an employee mass shooting took place there in 1999.[5]

Various urban areas in and around Honolulu are used as stand-ins for locations around the world, such as Los Angeles, New York, South Korea, Iraq, Nigeria, England and Australia. For example, a scene at the Sydney Airport was actually filmed at the Hawaii Convention Center, while a WWII-era bunker was used as an Iraqi Republican Guard installation.[6]

Numerous writers have taken to journeying to Hawaii to find the locations in which episodes are set. In March 2005, one Los Angeles Times columnist described how he snuck onto the set during filming during one such trip[7], which has led to other travel writers following his tracks. An extensive archive of filming locations is now tracked at About.com.

Cast and characters

File:Seasson2cast-lg.jpg
The season 2 cast of Lost.
Main article: Characters of Lost

Template:Spoiler

Season synopses

Main article: List of Lost episodes

Season one: 2004–2005

Main article: Episodes of Lost (season 1)

Season one began airing in the United States on September 22, 2004 and featured 25 episodes. A plane crash strands the surviving passengers of Oceanic Flight 815 on a seemingly deserted tropical island, forcing the group of strangers to work together to stay alive. However, their survival is threatened by several mysteries, including a metal hatch buried in the ground, an unseen creature which roams the jungle, and the motives of the island's malevolent inhabitants known as the "Others". The survivors discover that one of the members in their group is not what he seems. They also encounter Danielle Rousseau, a French woman who was shipwrecked on the island over a dozen years ago.

Season two: 2005–2006

Main article: Episodes of Lost (season 2)

Season two began airing September 21, 2005. A recurring theme throughout the season is a conflict between faith and science. The story continues 44 days after the crash. Several new characters appear, including the tail-section survivors Ana-Lucia Cortez, Mr. Eko, Libby, and Bernard. Also introduced are Desmond, a man calling himself "Henry Gale", Alex Rousseau and other island inhabitants. More island mythologies and insights into the survivors' pasts are divulged. The existence of The DHARMA Initiative and its benefactor, The Hanso Foundation, is established. The truth about the "Others" begins to unfold and a traitor among the survivors is revealed. Also, the mystery of why Oceanic Flight 815 crashed is revealed.

Season three: 2006–2007

Main article: Episodes of Lost (season 3)

Season three is scheduled to premiere in fall 2006.

Thematic motifs

There are several recurring thematic motifs on Lost, which generally have no direct impact on the story itself. For some fans, these repeated elements and references expand the shows literary and philosophical subtext.

Black and white

File:Pilot2backgammon.jpg
John Locke holds up the two opposing colors of backgammon checkers in the pilot episode.

The colors black and white, which traditionally reflect opposition or dualism (i.e., yin and yang), appear frequently throughout the series, often brought together in reference to characters whose natures are presented as ambiguous or contradictory. This dichotomy is laid out in the "Pilot" with Locke's description of backgammon to Walt: while holding up a black and white piece, Locke says, "Two players, two sides — one is light, one is dark." In the opening sequence of "Raised by Another", Locke appears as an ominous image in Claire's nightmare about her unborn child, with one eyeball black and the other white, playing with corresponding, similarly colored cards.

Other appearances of the colors likewise connect characters in apparent opposition to themselves, or each other. In "Deus Ex Machina", Sawyer, one of the more ethically questionable characters, develops headaches due to farsightedness, diagnosed by Jack and cured by Sayid, with the creation of a custom pair of glasses from the frames of two different sets: one side white, the other black. In the closing scene of "Collision", Jack and Ana Lucia, ostensibly the leaders of their respective factions, stand facing each other, with Jack wearing a white shirt and Ana Lucia wearing a black shirt. In "The Long Con", when Sawyer is telling the group that he has the guns, Jack and Locke — who were just arguing with each other — are wearing opposing black and white shirts.

At other points, the colors are featured in sometimes unexpected or unexplained ways. In "House of the Rising Sun", Jack finds a pouch on a pair of mummified corpses, nicknamed "Adam and Eve" by Locke, containing one white stone and one black stone, which he then hides from Locke.

Eyes

References to eyes appear frequently in Lost. A close-up image of an eye opens many episodes, in most cases of the character whose flashbacks are to be featured. In "White Rabbit", Locke hints at his experience in confronting the island's mysterious "security system" saying, "I've looked into the eye of this island. And what I saw was beautiful." Later, in "Raised by Another", Claire has a nightmare in which Locke appears with opaque eyes, one white and the other black. The tail-section survivors also discover a glass eye in the DHARMA Initiative's abandoned storage locker, and in the episode "Lockdown", when the map of the underground bunkers is revealed by blacklight, it is briefly shown reflected in Locke's eye.

Familial dysfunction

Most of the major characters have dysfunctional parents, particularly fathers, who are either absent, reluctant, or destructive. Most notably, Locke is the victim of a betrayal in "Deus Ex Machina" by both his natural parents. Jack's broken relationship with his alcoholic surgeon father, Christian, is the impetus for him to travel to Australia, at the behest of his mother. Sawyer's mother has an extra-marital affair with a con-man; after finding out, his father kills her and then commits suicide. Kate murders the abusive man she had believed to be her step-father then later discovers he is actually her biological father. She is forced into a life on the run after her mother reveals her crime to the police. Sun's father, Mr. Paik is a ruthless, wealthy and powerful man who is very controlling of both her and her husband, Jin's lives. Jin, who goes to work for Sun's father after they are married is on errand for her father (delivering a watch) when he boards the plane that eventually crashes on the island. Yet another father-son dynamic that is explored on the island is the relationship between Michael and Walt. Michael having just gained custody of Walt must struggle to bond, provide for and protect a son he has never known. Michael was picking up Walt from Australia and was on a flight back when the plane crashed. While the troubling parental relationships of these individuals have been the most explored, nearly all the protagonists have had serious difficulties with their families. In many cases, the ways in which the survivors dealt with these relationships led to their being on the island.

Literature

Episodes often mention or incorporate literary works, a point of interest to fans who try to connect them to Lost's mythology. [8] While certain books are read by characters, others are referenced in dialogue, and some have just been glimpsed.

Sawyer is frequently shown reading, initially the books he finds in the plane wreckage, a habit which eventually leads to his hyperopia. In "White Rabbit" he spends time with Watership Down, an account of a group of rabbits trying to find a new warren. In the later episode "Numbers," Sawyer starts A Wrinkle in Time, a children's fantasy novel about a group of adolescents who rescue a lost father from a giant brain, which contains Christian undertones about a universal battle between darkness and light. [9] In "The Whole Truth," Sawyer is reading Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, a teen novel about menstruation, when Sun asks him for a pregnancy test. He calls the book "predictable."

Biblical stories and psalms have been pointedly used by Mr. Eko, such as the story of King Josiah (from 2 Kings, chapters 22 and 23), which he related to Locke in "What Kate Did," and the recitation of the 23rd Psalm in the following episode.

The Third Policeman is seen when Desmond is packing before fleeing the underground bunker in "Orientation." Craig Wright, who co-wrote the episode, told the Chicago Tribune that, "Whoever goes out and buys the book will have a lot more ammunition in their back pocket as they theorize about the show. They will have a lot more to speculate about — and, no small thing, they will have read a really great book." [10]

In "One of Them," a man who claims to be "Henry Gale" is captured and imprisoned by the survivors. Series writer Damon Lindelof has said that the character's name alludes to Dorothy's uncle from The Wizard of Oz. [11]

Locke gives a copy of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov to Gale during his captivity in "Maternity Leave." Gale asks if he could have a Stephen King novel instead. Shortly afterwards, Locke relates to Jack that Ernest Hemingway felt that he lived in Dostoyevsky's shadow, a situation which Gale takes to refer to the relationship between his two main captors.

The dialogue between characters occasionally refers to literature, sometimes in off-the-cuff remarks, to add context to the plot. In "White Rabbit," John Locke converses with Jack, who believes he may be going crazy chasing someone who is "not there." Locke refers to this as "the white rabbit" from Alice in Wonderland and makes his first declaration of the special nature of the Island, "Is your White Rabbit a hallucination? Probably. But what if everything that happened here happened for a reason?"

The book "Our Mutual Friend" by Charles Dickens is mentioned many times throughout the season 2 finale. Desmond said it was the last thing he wanted to read, it was also the hiding place for his key that he uses to discharge the electromagnetic buildup in the bunker.

Other books that have been briefly glimpsed on screen or alluded to in conversation include: Heart of Darkness, Lord of the Flies, The Turn of the Screw, Walker Percy's Lancelot, and An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.

Philosophy

By admission of the show's writing staff, some characters on Lost reference famous philosophers through their names and connection to each other. [12] The two clearest examples, John Locke and Danielle Rousseau, are both named after social contract philosophers who dealt with the relationship between nature and civilization.

The character Locke shares his name with English philosopher John Locke. The latter believed that in a natural state, all men had equal rights to punish transgressors; to ensure fair judgment for all, governments were formed to better administer the laws. His concept contended that humans are born with a "blank slate" — a tabula rasa (also the title of the Season 1's third episode) — without any innate knowledge or experience, and their identity is therefore a product of their decisions and choices in life. Danielle Rousseau shares her surname with Franco-Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who argued that man is born weak and ignorant, but virtuous nonetheless. He maintained that man becomes wicked only after society is developed. His theory of the Noble Savage hypothesised that a child raised in the wilderness, independent of human society and culture, would be an objectively superior person with regards to a universal set of ethics. Rousseau stated that "man is born free, but everywhere, he is in chains," and coined the phrase "all men are created equal." Introduced in the second season, character Desmond David Hume is named after David Hume, a philosopher famous for his criticism of induction. In particular, Hume believed that it is logically impossible to justify a belief about something in the future from what has happened to that thing or what that thing has done in the past, as there is no reason one should believe the past should resemble the future.

The show also references Eastern philosophies. The DHARMA Initiative, uses an acronym which refers to Dharma, the "way of higher truths" in sects of Hinduism, Buddhism and Daoism. The symbol used by the Initiative is called a bagua, a wheel of balance often used in feng shui.

Mythology

As a "genre" show, Lost includes a number of mysterious elements which have been ascribed to science fiction or supernatural phenomena. The creators of the series refer to these as part of the mythology of the series.[13]

The "monster"

File:Lost ep210 12 360x240.jpg
Eko's confrontation with the "monster"

The "monster" is the first piece of mythology introduced. It first appears on the night of the crash when the survivors hear a loud, unidentifiable sound coming from the jungle (which Rose claims she has heard somewhere before) and witness trees being torn down in the distance. The next morning, Jack, Kate, and Charlie go into the jungle to find the transceiver and see the power of the "monster" first-hand when it rips the pilot from the cockpit and leaves his mangled body in a tree. In "Walkabout", Locke also has a direct encounter but is spared. [14] In a conversation with Jack, he says of this event, "I looked into the eye of the island, and what I saw was beautiful." The monster has had very few appearances since then, emerging in the jungle every so often and disrupting the treks of the survivors, who have so far managed to escape it alive. In "The 23rd Psalm", Eko has a confrontation similar to Locke's. The "monster" is revealed here to be a large cloud of black smoke containing brief images of Eko's past.

Animals

There have been a number of occurrences where the survivors encounter animals that either shouldn't be there or have special attributes.

  • In "Pilot", Sawyer shoots a polar bear, which cannot normally survive in this sort of environment. Walt later gets attacked by one when wandering in the jungle. Prior to the attack, Walt was reading a comic book which featured a group of people being attacked by a polar bear in the jungle.
  • Sawyer has several run-ins with a boar that he believes is purposely harassing him.
  • While on the raft, Michael and Sawyer encounter a shark that has a DHARMA logo on its tail.
  • Kate sees a black horse, which is not indigenous to the island, and believes she has seen that particular animal before the crash.
  • In "Live Together, Die Alone", Hurley, Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Michael encounter a huge bird resembling a hawk, which quickly swoops and caws what sounds like "Hurley". Perplexed, Hurley then asks if the bird called his name. A similar bird appeared in "Exodus", prompting fan speculation that it had called Hurley's name.

The Others

Main article: Others (Lost)
File:Normal andfound-cap362.jpg
A teddy bear carried along by the "Others".

"The Others" are what Rousseau dubs the unknown inhabitants of the island, who kidnapped her daughter Alex as an infant. Initially, they are a mystery to her, and she sets traps to ensnare them. The Others infiltrate the survivors' camps, lying about their origins. They are portrayed with superior understanding of the island, and have a secret agenda in regards to the castaways. After the survivors of Flight 815 arrive, Ethan Rom is discovered to be a spy from the Others. He captures the pregnant Claire, taking her to a DHARMA medical station to give birth, but she escapes with the help of a young woman, whom Claire later believes to be Alex. At the end of the first season, the Others seize Walt on the high seas. During the second season, twelve tail-section survivors are captured by the Others. Eventually, a man calling himself Goodwin is revealed as an Other to Ana-Lucia, and killed. Rousseau later catches a man who claims to be "Henry Gale from Minnesota", who also turns out to be a member of the group. Meanwhile, Michael is captured by the Others while attempting to find Walt, and is taken to what appears to be their camp. There, he is given an ultimatum: free the captured "Henry Gale" and bring a select group of four survivors or never see his son again. Walt whispers to his father that the Others are not what they seem.

The Numbers

File:Thelostnumbers.jpg
The Numbers engraved on the edge of the hatch.

The numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42 appear throughout the series, both in sequence and individually. They were broadcast from the Island's radio transmitter, and it was this message that drew Rousseau's expedition there. Although she later changes the message after the deaths of the rest of her team, the digits had also been heard by other people, eventually making their way to Hurley, who uses them to win a lottery. After those around him suffer a series of misfortunes, he begins to believe the numbers are cursed. His search for their origin leads him to Australia and, through the crash, to the island, where he ultimately discovers them engraved on the hatch. They also appear inside the bunker, on medicine bottles, and comprise a code that must be entered into the computer. The sum of them, 108, has also become significant in connection to the DHARMA Initiative. It appears on a mural inside the Initiative's Station Three, and the full sequence of numbers must be entered into the computer every 108 minutes to release an electromagnetic field built up inside of the island.

The Hanso Foundation

Main article: The Hanso Foundation

The Hanso Foundation was formed by arms purveyor Alvar Hanso who turned his attention away from "keeping the world safe through the development of sophisticated weapons systems" and focused instead on the development of new technologies to "create a brighter future for all humanity."[1]

The DHARMA Initiative

Main article: The DHARMA Initiative
See also: DHARMA Initiative stations

The existence of the DHARMA Initiative is established by the film that Jack and Locke find in the Swan Station. It was founded in 1970 by University of Michigan doctoral candidates Gerald and Karen de Groot and financed through the Hanso Foundation. It apparently comprises a group of "scientists and free thinkers" from around the world who were brought together at a "large-scale communal research compound" on the island to conduct research into various disciplines, including meteorology, psychology, parapsychology, zoology, and electromagnetism. The DHARMA Initiative has placed stations around the island. Four have been featured in the series thus far. The Swan station, commonly called "the hatch", is being occupied by the survivors. DHARMA is reportedly an acronym, but for what, we are not yet aware.

Crossovers

Prior to their arrival on the island, both major and minor characters had occasion to interact, often unknowingly, sometimes affecting each other's lives. These are revealed through characters' flashbacks, and are typically only obvious to viewers. A unique example occurs in "Outlaws", when Sawyer meets a downtrodden doctor in an Australian bar, who turns out to be Jack's father, Christian. He reveals to Sawyer his inability to tell his son how proud he is of him. Later, on the island, Sawyer realizes the relationship between the two men, and shares with Jack his father's words. In another crossover, Ana-Lucia goes to Australia with Christian Shephard to act as his bodyguard. The US Army intelligence officer who worked with Sayid in Iraq became Desmond's partner in Swan station. A less direct example is Jack's future wife, Sarah, who is said to have caused the car crash that killed Shannon's father. Most often, characters are oblivious to such intersections, such as Hurley's fast food manager, Randy, becoming Locke's superior at a box company, which Hurley then owns after winning the lottery; Sayid sharing a military transport with Kate's father; Sawyer being brought through a police station where Boone is being questioned; Locke inspecting a home for Sayid's childhood friend, Nadia; Sawyer being waited on by Kate's mother in a restaurant; and Claire's psychic admitting to Eko that he is a fake. Other crossovers are more fleeting, with characters appearing on televisions or being glimpsed in the background. Damon Lindelof has stated that these are not "Easter eggs", but rather a larger part of the mythology of the series.[15]

Discredited theories

Lost's mythology is exceedingly complex, in the style of other mystery-adventure shows such as The X-Files and Twin Peaks. This intricacy, and the unresolved questions it spawns, have led to rampant speculation and theorizing among fans, mainly concerning the nature of the island, the origins of the "security system", the "Others", the meaning of the numbers and the reasons for both the crash and the survival of some passengers. Several of the more common fan theories have been discussed and dismissed by the producers, including:

  • The survivors are dead and/or in Purgatory — dismissed by J. J. Abrams [16]
  • The survivors are in a time warp — dismissed by Damon Lindelof [17]
  • Spaceships or aliens influence the events on the island — dismissed by Damon Lindelof [17]
  • Everything seen is a fictional reality taking place in one or more of the survivors' minds — dismissed by Damon Lindelof [18]
  • The island is a reality TV show and the castaways unwitting housemates — dismissed by Carlton Cuse [19]
  • The "black smoke" is a nanobot cloud similar to the one featured in Michael Crichton's novel Prey — dismissed by Damon Lindelof [20] [21]

Awards

Note: Awards won are not listed under nominations.

Wins

Emmys:

  • Outstanding Television Series: Drama (2005)
  • Outstanding Director of a Television Series: Drama — "Pilot" Parts 1 & 2: J.J. Abrams (2005)
  • Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series — April Webster, Mandy Sherman, Alyssa Weisberg, Veronica Collins (2005)
  • Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series — Mary Jo Markey (2005)
  • Outstanding Music Composition for a Series — Michael Giacchino (2005)
  • Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series — "Pilot": Kevin Blank, Mitch Suskin, et al (2005)

Golden Globes:

  • Best Television Series: Drama (2006)

Screen Actors Guild:

  • Ensemble in a Drama Series (2006)

Producers Guild:

  • Best Television Series: Drama (2006)

Writers Guild of America:

  • Outstanding Achievement in Writing: Dramatic Series (2006)

Nominations

Emmys:

  • Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series: Drama — Naveen Andrews (2005)
  • Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series: Drama — Terry O'Quinn (2005)
  • Outstanding Writing for a Television Series: Drama — "Pilot" Parts 1 & 2: J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, Jeffrey Lieber (2005)
  • Outstanding Writing for a Television Series: Drama — "Walkabout": David Fury (2005)

Golden Globes:

  • Best Actor in a Television Series: Drama — Matthew Fox (2006)
  • Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series: Drama — Naveen Andrews (2006)

Lost in other media

In addition to the television series, the characters and setting of Lost have appeared in the following official tie-ins:

  • A diary by a survivor was incorporated into the official ABC web site for the show.
  • The interactive back-stories of several characters are included in Lost Untold, a section of Channel 4's Lost website.
  • As of March of 2006, three tie-in novels have been published:
    • Endangered Species by Cathy Hapka; released November 1, 2005. (ISBN 0786890908)
    • Secret Identity by Cathy Hapka; released January 1, 2006 (ISBN 0786890916).
    • Signs of Life by Frank Thompson; released March 1, 2006 (ISBN 0786890924).
  • Lost Video Diaries, a series of short mini-episodes (or "mobisodes") designed for viewing on mobile telephones, was originally scheduled to be released to Verizon Wireless subscribers via its V-Cast system, but was delayed by contract disputes that have now been resolved.[22] Each video diary is planned to run several minutes and cover events not seen in the television episodes.[23]
  • Hyperion Books published a metafictional book entitled Bad Twin (ISBN 1401302769), written by a "Gary Troup", who was a passenger on Oceanic Flight 815.
  • ABC produced a free Internet-based alternate reality game called "The Lost Experience" which began in early May 2006. The game presents a parallel storyline, primarily involving The Hanso Foundation. No prizes are to be awarded, though many clues will be offered relating to the mysteries of Lost.
  • ABC also produces a free official podcast, usually featuring cast members and executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. [2]
  • A Lost video game has been announced, to be developed by Ubisoft.[24]

Distribution

Lost has been at the forefront of new television distribution methods. It was one of the first series to be issued through Apple's iTunes Music Store service for playback on an iPod or within the iTunes software. Since October of 2005, new episodes, without advertising, have been available for download the day after they air on ABC.

Disney has also announced that Lost will be available in streaming format for free (with advertising) on ABC's website, as part of a two-month experiment to test future distribution strategies. The trial, expected to last from May to June 2006, has caused a stir among network affiliates who fear being cut out of advertising revenue.The streaming of Lost episodes is currently only available to viewers in the United States.[25]

The UK's Channel 4 has also allowed access to the series online.[26] As of April 27 2006, both parts of "Pilot" are available to watch for free, and other episodes will cost 99p each. Season two installments will be issued one week after their Channel 4 debut.

Soundtrack

Main article: List of songs featured on Lost

Michael Giacchino composed, orchestrated and produced the Lost soundtrack. Although pop culture songs have been used sparingly, most music is original and orchestral, incorporating several recurring themes for events and characters. According to the Lost podcast from January 9, 2006, some of the methods used to achieve the sound envisioned by the composer are highly inventive, including striking actual suspended pieces of the fuselage from the plane.[27] The score is performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra.

In various early episodes, the soundtrack is depicted to be running from Hurley's portable CD player. When it runs out of battery, we see Hurley tapping the player and then discarding it. In season two, a record player is discovered in the hatch, and this is repeatedly used to introduce music to the show.

On March 21, 2006, the original television soundtrack to Lost was released by the record label Varese Sarabande. It includes full-length versions of the themes heard on the show.

Due to the show's popularity, references to the series and elements from its mythology have appeared in parody and popular culture usage:

  • Lots, a spoof of Lost, was in the May 2005 issue of MAD Magazine.
  • After the episode "Numbers" aired, many people used the eponymous figures as lottery entries. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, within three days, the numbers were tried over 500 times by local players. [28] Likewise, in the same period, over 200 people in Michigan alone used the sequence for the Mega Millions lottery[29] and by October, thousands had tried them for the multi-state Powerball lottery.[30]
  • In the South Park episode "Bloody Mary", the boys are anxious to get home from a karate class in time to watch "the season finale of Lost."
  • A blog by fictional character Dwight Schrute of The Office (US version) describing his theories on Lost appeared in January 2006.[31] The character also mentions the show along with "the Others" in The Office episode entitled "Boys and Girls."
  • A DC Comics cover for Catwoman issue #51 (March 2006) shows the numbers as a sequence in the title character's police mugshot. [32]
  • On the series Veronica Mars, a fortune cookie bearing the numbers as "lottery picks" was shown as a "shout out" to writer friends of that show's creator, Rob Thomas. [33]
  • From March 1 to March 18, 2006, the nationally syndicated comic strip Monty featured a parody of Lost in which the title character is shipwrecked on the island, meets the survivors, and discovers that the Others are actually the castaways from Gilligan's Island.
  • The March 28, 2006 episode of the machinima comedy series The Strangerhood parodies Lost with several references.[34]
  • G4's Attack of the Show! has made several parodies of the DHARMA Initiative's Orientation film.[citation needed]
  • The American Dad episode "Stan of Arabia" includes Stan saying that he hopes that Lost will be available to watch in Saudi Arabia because he never misses it: "Just because we're in Saudi Arabia doesn't mean it's not Wednesday!"
  • In an issue of The Thing, The Trapster has set a bomb that can be decoded by the Lost numbers. Unlike most works featuring the numbers, The Trapster was consciously referencing the series, as recognized by Spider Man.[citation needed]
  • In the Family Guy episode "Petergeist", Peter and Lois watch Lost along with Statler and Waldorf, who are sitting in a balcony. They comment that the show has the right name because they "couldn't follow any of it" and burst into laughter.

References

  1. ^ Craig, Olga. "The man who discovered 'Lost' - and found himself out of a job" The Daily Telegraph, 14 August, 2005.
  2. ^ Abrams, J. J and Lloyd Braun, Lost Season 1 DVD (extras), Buena Vista Home Entertainment, 6 September, 2005.
  3. ^ "'Lost' strikes a chord worldwide." Reuters (London), 13 January, 2006.
  4. ^ Bianco, Robert. "A good season, with reason" USA Today, 26 April, 2005.
  5. ^ Veitch, Kristin (Oct. 16, 2004). "Lost Secrets Found!". E! Online. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ Godvin, Tara (May 25, 2005). "Oahu plays the world". Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
  7. ^ Brownfield, Paul (March 27, 2005). "How lost can you get?". LA Times.
  8. ^ Oldenburg, Ann. "Is 'Lost' a literal enigma?" USA Today, 4 October 2005.
  9. ^ Kurshan, Ilana. "Wrinkle in Time Study Guide, Chapter 4, 'The Black Thing'," SparkNotes.com, 16 March 2006.
  10. ^ Reardon, Patrick T. "Lost book mention may be good for small press." IndyStar.com (reprint of Chicago Tribune article), 29 September, 2005.
  11. ^ Lindelof, Damon and Carlton Cuse. "Official LOST Podcast." ABC.Go.com, 1 March, 2006.
  12. ^ Franklin, Garth. "Paul Dini Gives 'Lost' Spoilers", Dark Horizon Web site, 9 November 2005.
  13. ^ Benson, Jim. The 'Lost' Generation: Networks Go Eerie, Broadcasting & Cable, May 16, 2005.
  14. ^ Dini, Paul. Paul Dini gives Lost spoilers, Dark Horizons, November 9, 2004.
  15. ^ Cuse, Carlton and Damon Lindelof (02/06/2006). "The Official Lost Podcast". ABC.com (Podcast). {{cite podcast}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ Fienberg, Daniel. "'Lost' Team Discusses Upcoming Death and Mysteries" Zap2It.com 14 March 2005.
  17. ^ a b "Lost Answers are Out There" SciFiWire, 24 January 2005.
  18. ^ "Damon Lindeloff E-Mail interview" LostTV-Forum.com, 21 August 2005.
  19. ^ Idato, Michael. "Asking for trouble" Sydney Morning Herald 22 August 2005.
  20. ^ Wharton, David Michael. Comicon 2005 news. Cinescape.com17 July 2005
  21. ^ Grillo-Marxuach, Javier. "Burning Questions", TheFuselage.com, 22 July 2005.
  22. ^ Wallenstein, Andrew and Jesse Hiestand (2006-04-25). "ABC, unions reach deal on cell phone TV shows". Reuters. Retrieved 2006-04-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ Serpe, Gina (2005-11-17). ""Lost" Finds Its Calling". E! Online. Retrieved 2006-04-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ "Ubisoft and Touchstone team up to create 'Lost' video game" Press release
  25. ^ Gershberg, Michele and Kenneth Li (10 April 2006). Reuters "Disney to make TV shows available free on Web". Reuters. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
  26. ^ Channel 4 Lost Episodes Online Channel 4
  27. ^ Official Lost Podcast "Official Lost Podcast" 9 January 2006.
  28. ^ "No winning ticket found with 'Lost' numbers." Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 19 June, 2005.
  29. ^ Rook, Christine. "'Lost' numbers come up losers." Lansing State Journal 5 March, 2005.
  30. ^ Serpe, Gina. "'Lost' Numbers Lose Millions." Eonline.com, 20 October, 2005.
  31. ^ Schrute, Dwight. "The Dharma Initiative" NBC blogs, 13 January, 2006.
  32. ^ Hughes, Adam (cover artist). Catwoman, issue 51. 25 January, 2006
  33. ^ "Your Veronica Mars Questions Answered!" Thomas, Rob. TVGuide.com Insider TVGuide.com, 1 February, 2006.
  34. ^ "Strangerhood Episode 15: Lost in Place" Roosterteeth.com, March 28th, 2006
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