Tonight Lost returns with a shocking, thrilling and provocative all new special entitled “The Story of the Oceanic 6.” Okay, you caught me. It’s a clip show. But the trailer featured explosions, gunfire and people jumping off of cliffs, not to mention very dramatic music. Those hardworking trailer editors and marketing people do what they can, of course, to get fans revved up for a big old bowl of reheated island goulash that’s likely to be hot on the surface but ice cold and hard as a rock once you get into it. That doesn’t sound so special to me. It sounds like Wednesday night on a budget.
As you can see from the photo on the left Juliet isn’t amused either.
The Lost clip show has become a regular part of each season, with past years offering up ‘special’ treats like “Lost: Past, Present and Future,” Lost: A Tale of Survival,” “The Lost Survival Guide” and “Destinatnion Lost.” Expect a very long episode recap, the same kind you see at the beginning of every episode only much, much longer.
The special essentially comes in place of an off week, allowing the network to put something Lost-oriented on the air to soak up some residual ratings from fans who really will watch anything with Josh Holloway and Evangeline Lilly in it. The special also slows the loss of momentum that can be expected during an off week, reminding fans with wandering attention spans that Lost always airs Wednesday nights at the same time.
Calling the episode “all new” is a bit disingenuous, though. Even if the producers snuck in, say, a new extended trailer for the rest of the season as a thank you to the fans loyal enough to watch the dreaded clip show the episode would still only be about 2-3% new.
According to the official press release, “ABC once again invites new and avid ‘Lost’ viewers to take another look at one of the most talked about and critically acclaimed shows. ‘Lost: The Story of the Oceanic 6’ will explore the series in a way that will bring new viewers up to date — but which current viewers will also find illuminating – in discovering what happened to the Oceanic 6 and the remaining island survivors during the three years after Ben moved the island.”
Lost returns a week from tonight with a tale that really is all new, celebrating their 100th new episode with “The Variable.” Well, it’s all new if you don’t count the “previously on Lost” clips. Really, I suppose it’s only about 98% new.
-Henry Jenkins, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Guest Columnist, BuddyTV
