Twenty years later, Lost season 1 is still an outstanding piece of television, but there are some notable flaws that are worth examining. While it’s largely debated what the best season of Lost is, the first is often a strong contender, known for introducing the show’s premise and characters and creating an enormous cultural phenomenon. When the Lost pilot aired on September 22nd, 2004, all of its ideas were fresh, exciting, and brought a level of prestige quality that’s scarcely been rivaled on network television.
Love it or hate it, the Lost finale is undoubtedly divisive, and the reasons for that stem from season 1. In retrospect, it’s easier to spot aspects of the show that weren’t planned well or weren’t planned at all. That shouldn’t detract from one’s enjoyment of an excellent TV season, but it’s fun to consider the aspects of season 1 that work and don’t work when rewatching it, given the knowledge of how the show ends and how the television landscape has changed since it aired.
10 Walt’s Storyline Doesn’t Lead To Anything
The Episode “Special” Is Essentially Filler
By the end of Lost, it’s practically unimportant that Walt came and went, as he left very little impact. Whether that ties to one’s enjoyment of the finale is entirely dependent on the viewer, but it can still affect the experience of rewatching season 1. Michael and Walt present an interesting dynamic on the island, and their direct characterizations are well worth having, especially considering Lost is, at its core, a character-driven show.
However, the problem with Walt on rewatch is that the show builds him up to be something major before seemingly dropping him. It makes episodes like “Special” significantly less valuable in retrospect, as the entire purpose of its flashbacks is to push forward an idea that never comes to fruition.
9 Lost’s Flashback Format Doesn’t Work Well For Long
The Flashbacks Turn To Filler Pretty Quickly
Speaking of flashbacks, the ingenious episodic flashback format of Lost is at its peak in season 1. As mentioned, it’s a character-driven show, and each of the early episodes tells a story that perfectly cross-examines an on-island and off-island experience for one of the main members of the ensemble. “White Rabbit” and “Walkabout” are some of the best Lost episodes, almost entirely for what they accomplish as singular, 40-minute television stories.
When each character’s story is fresh, it’s easy to tie flashbacks to their arcs, but many in subsequent seasons are tedious.
With that praise having been given, the harsh reality is that it sets a bad precedent for the show going forward. For Lost to continue this flashback format all throughout results in so many narratives that are mostly forgettable or downright detestable (“Stranger in a Strange Land”). When each character’s story is fresh, it’s easy to tie flashbacks to their arcs, but many in subsequent seasons are tedious.
8 Kate’s Character Loses Her Impact After The First Season
Kate’s Arc Goes Downhill Quickly
Kate is another aspect of the show that works really well in season 1… then not very well after that. Her initial arc, beginning with “Tabula Rosa” and the pilot, makes her a capable woman with initiative, interesting motives, and an exciting, mysterious allure surrounding her. Kate seems like a rather pleasant woman on the island, so wanting to know what she did to have a US Marshal with such a strong motive to catch her is very compelling.
When the US Marshal is discovered to be alive on the island, Kate is at her best. She’s dealing with an impossible situation in trying to preserve her reputation in what’s essentially her new community, grappling with the idea that she’s finally free from running, yet still has this near-dead force pursuing her until his bitter end. But she quickly loses her sense of agency, and the version of Kate audiences experience in season 1 isn’t who she is for the remainder of the series, as her character becomes solely about her role in the main love triangle.
7 The Lost Pilot Introduces Mysteries That Take Years To Answer
The Mystery Answers Feel Disconnected With Their Original Premises
This point is a blessing and a curse, as it speaks to the long-term planning of the series. The Lost pilot introduces several of the show’s lasting mysteries, such as the black smoke monster or the polar bear. These do ultimately get answered, but it takes several seasons, which speaks to the show’s planning flaws from the beginning.
It’s not inherently bad that mysteries would take so long to be answered, but there’s a notable disconnect between the origins of the questions and the delivery of those answers. When the monster first threatens the survivors in the pilot, it’s a horrifying threat that mercilessly imposes its will in a way that feels animalistic and entirely unpredictable. When the mystery is finally answered, viewers learn that it’s really an evil person with goals and ambitions. It’s hard to connect those dots.
6 The Caves Divide Up The Survivors, Then Barely Get Used
Lost Abandons The Caves Almost Immediately
Most of “White Rabbit” is spent following Jack on a spiritual journey, following the ghost of his father across the island. He thinks he’s going insane, but he eventually discovers the caves and the “Adam and Eve” skeletons. This seems like an outstanding new location for them to utilize, with its shelter and access to fresh water notably highlighted, but as they mention, it reduces their chances of accessing help to get off the island.
The problem with the caves’ plot line is that it divides up the survivors in where they live, creating character drama, but then, ultimately, doesn’t have much impact on anything. Most of the cave’s plot effects are on things that happen off-screen, such as their system for gathering and delivering water, and sleeping. Then, it’s quickly replaced by the hatch as the alternate location and dropped from the show, scarcely mentioned again.
5 Michael & Sun’s Romance Tease Doesn’t Amount To Anything
Lost’s Love Triangles Never Really Work
One of the early love triangles teased in Lost is that between Michael, Sun, and Jin. Given the marital disputes going on between the South Korean couple, it’s not surprising that the Lost writers wanted to tease the possibility of Sun looking the other way. But it’s just one of those plots that doesn’t really go anywhere, and it seems strange in retrospect.
Sun and Jin end up having one of the most enduring romances on the show, being split for three years and determined to find each other against all odds. Not to mention, Michael and Jin move on from their initial animosity and become good friends despite their language barrier, even going on the raft journey together. Considering how far the Lost cast comes along is interesting in general, and how many minor dynamics the show goes through in its six seasons.
4 Lost’s 20+ Episode Season Count Was Never Sustainable
Lost Would’ve Been Better With Shortened Seasons From The Start
The problem with Lost filler episodes is similar to the issue with the flashbacks. It’s not as much of a problem in season 1, which, for the most part, uses all of its episodes wisely to some degree, but it becomes an issue in subsequent seasons as the filler becomes more apparent. This could also be because the show gets more plot-driven in season 2, and the character-centric episodes that don’t advance the main narrative are more noticeable.
Having 20+ episodes per season was never going to work for long, though, and continuing with these network expectations was always going to be an issue for the series. By the time Lost trimmed down its season length, it wasn’t as impactful. Season 4 is the most action-packed season of the series due to only having 14 episodes, and the limitation pays off in the quick pacing.
3 Lost Season 1 Lacks A Compelling Central Narrative
Lost Season 1 Is Way More Episodic
This is another element that works in favor and as a disadvantage for Lost season 1. The character stories of the first season are the series at its best for a lot of fans, as it’s essentially a supernatural survival situation with big philosophical ideas at play. But Lost doesn’t really start to enter its true form until the very end of season 1, when Jack and Locke finally have their big blow-up, and the science vs. faith dynamic really kicks off.
Every subsequent Lost season has major plot lines to follow, such as discovering and combating the others, defending the island from the freighter folk, or ending an eternal battle between good and evil. Meanwhile, season 1 is really just about figuring out the little things, like how to find sources of food and water or how to get radio reception. It has its charms to it, especially regarding its character dynamics, but seasons 2 & 3 are when Lost really finds its stride, balancing character and plot.
2 Lost Seasons 1 & 6 Feel Like Entirely Different Shows
Season 6’s Light Vs. Dark Battle Doesn’t Work As Well As The Early Seasons Science Vs. Faith
The disparity between Lost seasons 1 and 6 is notably apparent on rewatch, again speaking to the flaws in planning on the series. The show’s early seasons build up fascinating ideas with Jack and Locke’s conflict of science and faith. But by season 6, that debate falters, and the show instead becomes about a conflict between good and evil that’s more complex in lore and world-building but less complex in how it treats its characters.
Removing John Locke from the show is a fascinating choice, and his effect on Jack lingers through the remainder of the series, but it’s tough to consider the final duality being between Jacob and the Man in Black when season 1 had already introduced the perfect dynamic. Had Locke been kept around for the long run, his story could’ve ended in a similar manner while still representing his central philosophy.
1 Lost’s Main Love Triangle Never Matters
Jack, Kate, & Sawyer’s Love Triangle Never Amounts To Anything Compeling
Starting with the pilot, Lost introduces Jack and Kate with some underlying romantic tension. While they end up together, that first meeting is about as compelling or interesting as they ever get together. It becomes evidently clear that Jack and Kate just don’t really work that well together and have way less chemistry than, say, Desmond and Penny or Sawyer with literally anyone. The problem is that Jack and Kate seemed to have been planned as the end game couple from the start.
Sawyer ending up with Juliet resulted in some beautiful chemistry and outstanding dynamics, but it almost feels like he was a better fit for Kate, and Jack for Juliet. Lost teases this idea around seasons 3 and 4, and it works pretty well, but this was one instance where a long-term plan seemed to take precedence.