Wednesday, November 6, 2013

THE RIDE

There are many fans who liked the ending to LOST. They accept the ending because they had a more generalized feel for their show. It can best be described as riding a roller coaster.

A roller coaster is a entertainment or amusement device that allows a person the thrill of danger, experience fear, the rush of adrenaline in a controlled wild ride experience.

LOST was much like a roller coaster.

These viewers merely strapped into their sofa and went along for the ride.  They did not need to understand the details or dialogue. They viewed the series as a comic action adventure, and the plot twists were like the roller coaster car turning upside down during a loop. They enjoyed being rattled by the mistrust and betrayals by the characters, or the shocking deaths of some of the passengers. They liked that they did not know what the smoke monster was because it was like the unknown next turn on the roller coaster. The choppy ups and down in story telling did not matter so long as the action was non-stop and the characters had some humanistic appeal.

And once the series ended, these fans got off the couch and said "whew, that was a great ride."

There is nothing wrong with viewing a television show as a visceral experience.  This is probably similar to viewers that drives the current glut of reality shows: some viewers do not need lessons, morals, or big concepts in order to be entertained by TV.