CYNICAL

A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. - - - Oscar Wilde

The dictionary meaning of cynic is a person who believes that people are motivated purely by self-interest rather than acting for honorable or unselfish reasons, i.e.  some cynics thought that the controversy was all a publicity stunt.

A cynic is a person who questions whether something will happen or whether it is worthwhile.

The main characters of LOST were cynics, in the sense that they were motivated purely by self-interest. Each person fell to the island with a gnawing sense of dread. Each of the main characters felt that they could only control their lives by being true to themselves first and foremost; to the abandonment of friends, hopes and dreams.

As a result, the characters in LOST were deeply flawed from the start. Kate, the selfish runaway. Sawyer, the vengeful child. Jack, the weak son. Locke, the born loser. Sayid, the tortured soul. Claire, the responsibility shirker. Charlie, the troubled loner. Ben, the psychopathic control freak. Shannon, the manipulative, selfish, trust fund baby. Even Frogert, the whiny idiot.

Just as the characters were cynics, a good portion of the LOST fan base became cynical in the direction of the series long before the twisty turns of Season 6. The lifeboats were started to be lowered around the middle of Season 2 when the drama series started to turn toward science fiction-fantasy with more questions than answers.

The sentiment grew more cynical when TPTB told viewers that they had mapped out the complex stories in advance, so expectations were high for a monumental ending to the show. But the grand mysteries were never explained or solved; the show dissolved into what the TPTB claimed at first "a character study," then retreated further into a show about "asking the big question" (but at the same time not answering it).  Some mysteries are left alone, but when the show runners pumped up the mysteries to retain viewership, the bargain should have been honored to give solutions (even if they were not expected or reasonable). This led to many fans after the finale to be critical and cynical that the writers and producers were making the show up "on the fly," that there was no real story plan, and that the sudden mysteries, plot turns were "a con" to retain viewers and to maintain TBTB employment with ABC.

There was a lasting cynicism in television audiences since LOST. Show runners today are well aware of being caught in a LOST-trap - - - promising something to viewers and not delivering it in the end.