Season four of LOST did a lot of things right. I think death, however,was not one of these things, with of course the exception of a couple moments presented terrifically. Differing from the three seasons preceding it, season four uses death less as a thematic device than before. The stories the writers tell this season rely more on the suspense and drama of who the people of the freighter are, whether they have good intentions, what the deal is with the “Oceanic Six,” and a sense of “Hey, check out how fresh the show is now that we flash forward instead of back.” With all this other focus, using death to tell stories about character and emotion takes a back seat for the most part. However, two key instances really shine through: Jin and Alex.

Alex pleads as Keamy has no mercy.

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Season 3 saw the death of main character Charlie

The writers and producers of LOST have consistently demonstrated an apt ability to use death as a tool for exploring the emotional complexities of characters, as well as recognizing the overall social consequences of death for a group and solidarity. Once season three of the show commences, however, the element of death takes more of the role of antagonist over mere condition.

Countless theories strive to ascertain the experience of death. The German philosopher Heidegger illustrates a mode of being called “being toward death” in which a person faces his or her own reality of the possibility of non-existence. This mode of being is very personal, since no one can truly experience the death of another. At best, people can experience their own sense of loss at another’s death. However, in perhaps the most interesting use of death to date on LOST, Desmond inherits the ability to experience Charlie’s death(s) in a very personal way, albeit still as a spectator. Desmond’s new sixth sense provides the foundation for some excellently executed stories, which inevitably culminate in a profoundly heroic and personal event as Charlie comes face to face with his own mortality.

I remember back when the third season of LOST first aired on television. The producers capitalized on an inspired idea and decided to air the episodes new each week without reruns. Unfortunately, though, this began the infamous six episodes in the fall, sixteen in the spring approach. The fall duration of the show marks some of the less-than-excellent moments of the program, and it also coincided with the beginnings of the first season of HEROES – I’ll save my rant on this show for a different venue, but for the purposes of this article the show’s first season delivered a decent amount of intrigue and cool elements. Long story long, by the time the spring episodes of LOST aired, I was thrilled to see some very interesting super natural elements and some solid story telling to boot. I still stand by my belief that Desmond’s newfound power was the most interesting ability on television that year – aside from the ability of Tina Fey to make comedy gold with 30 Rock, but I digress…

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By Ben of WebCommoner.com

WARNING: This post contains LOST spoilers. If you have not watched the show through the final seconds of Season 5, it is strongly recommended that you turn back now.

“They’re coming.”That was the last line of special significance spoken by a character on LOST prior to Juliet’s screeching whimper as she pounded away at a stubborn nuclear reactor that Mr. Fix-It, Sayid, promised would detonate on impact. Apparently, all it took was some good old-fashioned elbow grease to make the thing act right, despite a compelling fall from grace. It’s a good thing she let go of Sawyer’s hand, and I guess those frustrated with the quadrilateral love connection can at least take comfort knowing it was a necessary plot twist that would pave a path towards their expulsion from 1977. I’ll certainly miss our cultish, psychedelic Dharma ladies and gents, but it’s time to move the story forward. Cue the fade to … white?

That’s right, Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof can’t take credit for pioneering the technique, but let’s at least pay homage to their use of a mere transition to advance the series into its final season, at the same time reminding us not to forget other television success stories that made excellent use of the effect, including the Sopranos and Six Feet Under. So, what does it all mean? We know for a fact that the creators of LOST have been dangling the black and white theme in front of our faces since John Locke first introduced Walt to the game of backgammon.

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