Lost is well known for its Easter Eggs. Little bits of info, shout outs, literary name dropping, hidden in the minutiae of the show. This past Monday, NBC’s Chuck, even though on a totally different network, contained a Lost Easter Egg of its own, and while the shout out to the guys at ABC may have been done in good spirits, it did cause a momentary furor amongst fans. Some thought it was part of Lost’s canon.
The scene occurred when Chuck was having memories extracted from the database in his brain. After a few mundane revelations, Chuck uttered the statement “…Oceanic Flight 815 was shot down by…”,
Almost immediately Lost fan boards lit up with speculation. Was the cheeky nod to ABC’s hit show a secret message that revealed part of the Lost mythology? If Oceanic 815 was shot down, why the whole thing with the Swan? Was this an Oceanic 815 from an alternate universe?
Of course, none of these are true. NBC has not suddenly decided to get in the business of helping other networks tell their stories in a viral scheme of cross network hint dropping. Imagine the mess that would ensue.
Still, the event was definitely a symptom of how bored the Lost fandom has become. For even a few fans to buy into the concept that the reference on Chuck was anything more than a shout out to their industry contemporaries betrayed a sense of desperation amongst Lost fans starved for something, anything, that can tie into their mythology.
At least one bit of relief may be coming in the next few months. With the release of the Season 3 DVD in December, it would make sense for ABC to begin taking measures to stir the coals in the Lost fan community. That could mean, perhaps, the first promo for Season 4 to feature actual footage.
– Jon Lachonis, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of NBC)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
