While Lost became one of the biggest TV series of the 2000s, its massive success would have never become a reality without a strong pilot.
The opening episode aired on Sept 22, 2004. While the series told of a group of travelers whose plane crashes on a mysterious island while on a flight between Sydney and Los Angeles, the pilot has the gang figuring out how to get help.
The opening episodes are nearly perfect and have become highly regarded for multiple reasons. But some details could have been improved upon…
Perfect: It Puts Viewers Right Into The Action
The Lost pilot doesn’t waste any time. It jumps right into the action by picking up at the site of the plane crash.
When Jack wakes up, he runs to the scene and starts helping people. A pregnant girl is having contractions, a woman can’t breathe, and a man’s legs have been crushed by debris. The crash is just as chaotic as anyone could imagine and helps captivate viewers with its intense and emotional beginning.
Not Perfect: It’s Hefty
Lost’s pilot is untraditional in that it is over 80 minutes long. Though it was written in a single script, it was broken into two episodes that aired a week apart. This isn’t particularly wrong, but this format might not have been as effective in today’s culture.
Modern TV is required to be fast-paced and snappy in order to hold viewers’ short attention spans. There are many shows to pick from, and therefore, the audience needs to be captivated right away. Lost successfully did this by creating a strong opening scene, but contemporary first-time viewers might have a harder time hanging on for the complete pilot.
Perfect: It Introduces Key Players
As aforementioned, Lost kicks off with Jack. The pilot drops hints about his fears, his career as a doctor, and his relation to alcoholism without ever settling too deeply on any of these things. Jack isn’t the only character who is well introduced, however.
Episodes 1 and 2 also help reveal the goals of and desires of characters including Kate, Boone, and Charlie. We get to know who everyone is even if we don’t know everything about them.
Not Perfect: There Are Lots Of Players To Balance
Lost features a huge cast, and as mentioned, the pilot does a good job of slowly introducing them. That being said, there are still many to remember, and new viewers won’t catch onto the finer details during their first watch-through.
While many lead characters get solid introductions, some like Hurley and Locke are brushed over quickly. This meant they might have been forgotten by some viewers until their more centric episodes aired.
Perfect: It Foreshadows The Future
Lost didn’t tie up every loose end it created, but many events of the pilot are called back in later episodes.
The opening shot has Jack blinking open his eyes as he lay stranded in the jungle. This is referenced in the final scene of the series when Jack makes peace with what has happened and closes his eyes.
The pilot also foreshadowed character traits, coming events, and — most notably — the show’s ever-important numbers.
Not Perfect: The Setup Is Pretty Convenient
Lost is built around a lot of coincidences. Though some of the events of the first episodes are explained in later ones, watching the pilot requires suspension of disbelief.
What are the chances that the group’s plane would get as off-course as it was? What is the likelihood that of all places it could have crashed, it landed on a strange island full of mysteries? How did a doctor, a skilled radio engineer, and a girl who just happened to read some French all survive? It’s like the island knew what characters were needed in order to solve the problems at hand.
Perfect: Good Dialogue
The first episodes of Lost are well-written. Not only is the story engaging, but so is the interactions between characters.
When Kate is picking out thread to sew up Jack’s wound with, she asks him if he has a color preference. Also during this scene, Jack shares a touching story about overcoming fear. Later, when Kate thinks she recognizes Charlie, he reveals he’s in a band by singing along to his own song. All these instances and more bring a very human element to an otherwise intense story.
Not Perfect: Viewers Didn’t Learn A Lot
Though many events play out in the Lost opener, the viewers still don’t know much about what’s happening. The gang is trapped on an island, weird things are going on, no one knows where they are, and no one is coming to rescue them.
The events are vague, and many questions are still beginning to be answered. Though this creates a lot of suspense, more critical viewers might have picked up on how little was solved in the pilot. Because really, where did those polar bears come from?
Perfect: It Is Well-Directed
Lost’s pilot is excellently shot and compiled. It has balanced pacing, compelling scenes, and a strong ending that leaves viewers wondering what comes next.
Of course, the direction was assisted by a relatable cast and well-crafted special effects (especially for TV in 2004). But it’s impossible to ignore the genius of director J.J. Abrams, who also directed big-budget movies including 2009’sStar Trek and 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. His artful touches made a big impact.
Not Perfect: The Serialized Structure Became Standard
Like many of the criticisms of the Lost pilot, this isn’t necessarily bad so much as it is unusual.
Lost is a highly serialized show, and this became evident by the first couple of episodes. While many modern TV series can be picked up at any point and give viewers a basic understanding of what’s going on, audience members who missed a single episode of Lost would be confused as to what was going on.
Every episode of Lost is built on the last, and the state of the island changed frequently. If one were to simply start at the second part of the pilot as opposed to the first, they’d realize how different the show had already become; It transformed from a basic survival adventure to an intense sci-fi drama. The show’s soul continued to shift.
