Saturday 1 May 2010

The thrill of the unknown

As the end approaches, and the chances of a satisfying ending grow ever slimmer, it's worth reminding ourselves why we bothered to watch this ridiculous television show in the first place. Mystery; both in the supernatural powers of the island and in the pasts of it's inhabitants. No clip better sums up this promise than the one below. John Locke knelt over the hatch door, berating fate for all it's dealt him in his sad and lonely life.

Despair, and questioning the very meaning for your existence. All with still only the slightest understanding of the details. Remember that at this point we still didn't know the reason for Locke becoming disabled, what the hatch was, and certainly no idea what this mystery force Locke was yelling at could possibly ask him to do. By being ambiguous, it made it inclusive, and something we could all relate to.



We now know that the hatch, and it's mystery illumination was nothing more than a man living down there turning on a light. That the estranged father was actually some evil con-man, who later threw Locke out of a window. And that John Locke's conviction that he was 'meant' to be on the island, along with us viewers' belief that he was 'special' in some way turned out to be a big red herring. Even worse, we have to watch the actor who once portrayed this exciting, intriguing martyr play an entirely different character every week, reminding us of what this final season lacks.

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