There was a time when "Lost" didn't have to answer to anyone.
And it didn't.
And that's the problem.
Just over two seasons into the drama that created the biggest network TV buzz in recent memory, "Lost" is finding that it had better answer some questions. And quickly.
The show returns after its three-month break with a one-hour recap that will summarize the story at 9 p.m. Wednesday, before its debut in a new timeslot at 10 p.m. Wednesday on KOMO, Channel 4.
The time change is just one of the concessions being made by a show that's clearly willing to bend more than ever if it helps stave off further hemorrhaging of viewership. The shift is a clear attempt to get away from the "American Idol" results show, which is where "Lost" had been during its first two seasons without much concern about losing its audience.
Things have changed.
Fans have grown tired of having questions answered with more questions. Many who once likened their weekly appointment to dropping some cash into a long-term investment are now starting to feel like they've just been getting their milk money stolen by the schoolyard bully. And they're not going to take it anymore.
But beyond clearing up any of the mythology, fans most just want to know that there are answers, and producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse want to make it clear that they know what they're doing.
Lindelof and Cuse talked recently about setting an end date for the show, perhaps at the end of the fifth season, but that discussion hasn't really begun with ABC. Still, the fact that they are thinking about the end should give fans the second wind they need to keep on pushing.
And if the hint at a series ending isn't enough, tonight's return episode will pique enough interest and point the current season back in the right direction, mostly through a series of flashbacks that shows the life of one of "The Others," pre-island, and will put the island in a whole new light.
The season also appears ready to return to the beach where most of the castaways still live, which will please viewers who have grown frustrated with the Jack, Kate and Sawyer Show that's taken place so far this season. But this particular episode won't get us all the way there just yet.
The challenge for "Lost" is to maintain the balance between character stories and mythology that has worked so well for the first two seasons. It's difficult because "Lost" is not a niche science-fiction show, nor is it a prime-time soap that is all about backstabbing and love triangles.
It's both, and when it gets too heavy on mythology, the character-loving folks get angry; and when it gets too heavy on the characters' stories, the sci-fi crowd gets angry.
Neither side should worry too much. When it's all done, assuming the show isn't pushed any longer than the producers would like, "Lost" will have a place among history's best and most influential TV shows.
Now we all just have to give it the time and opportunity to get there.
*By Victor Balta, Herald Columnist
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