'Lost': Let's Talk About '6'!

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THE DOC'S PRESCRIPTION The Doc hopes season 6's struggle plays out in a way that first and foremost lets the writers please themselves, then in a way that pleases...the Doc

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DOC: Final question for now, and Adam alluded to it earlier. Do you think Lost has any hope of being watched in the final season by fans that dropped away after the first couple seasons, or is that just an ABC pipe dream? Do you think there's really this huge body of viewers who've been eyeballing the show on the periphery and have been planning to jump back on here in the final season? Or from another angle: Do you think the buzz going into the season has been enough to get lapsed viewers re-intrigued about the series?
WHITNEY: I fell asleep for like 15 minutes of that one episode where Mr. Eko died, and I'm convinced that's why I have no idea what's going on sometimes. Or maybe I'm just slow. I'm betting it'll see an uptick in viewers for the last couple eps (again, like The X-Files), but that will just be the lookie-loos swinging through to make sure they aren't missing anything.
ADAM: ABC is nuttier than Patchy if they believe Lost can find its way back to the 20 million-plus viewership it had in the first two seasons. Anyone who left the show after those first few years will, I think, feel rather impossibly baffled by all the time-travel, pseudo-historical hoopdeedoo that permeates so much of the show's storytelling now, and most likely throw up their arms all over again. But if the writers do firmly answer some big questions in the first two episodes of the season like I've been arguing, anyone who does return to the show will hopefully feel like, ah, yes, they really DID know what they were doing and it's worth my sticking around to see what the Master Plan really is. And if I may totally contradict myself, I also feel pretty strongly that the writers should NOT be writing for those lapsed fans. If they want to jump back onto this moving train, more power too them, but Darlton should be charging ahead at full steam by now — no slowing things down for the stragglers.
DAN: I don't think we need to save too many extra Dharma jumpsuits in anticipation of hordes of season 1-2 fans coming back for the final season. I would imagine that for most of them, the ship has sailed for good; they wanted faster answers way back when, and when they didn't get them — and things got even weirder — maybe they decided to seek refuge in more ''satisfying'' or less enigmatic shows. If these folks have any inclination to tune back in, my guess is they'd do it only for the finale, just to see if they can get a quick, digestible punchline. If they don't — which they probably won't, because we're all hoping that the finale will deftly tie together six seasons of story, not one or two — they'll say, 'Okaaaaaaay, I'm glad I didn't stick around for THAT.' Sure, ABC would love to welcome these fans back into the fold, but that shouldn't be the producers' concern: They need to reward the long-haul fans who've remained loyal.
JENNIFER: I WANT people who dropped away to pick it up again. I really do. Because this really is my favorite show, and I think anyone who doesn't watch is missing out on a distinctive television experience. HOWEVER. I cannot imagine coming in on this season without having watched every single episode that led up to it. The reason it's so distinctive is that it wraps so much into every episode and has taken us on this completely crazy journey that feels absolutely possible because we've been with it every step of the way. Baby steps have gotten us to the point where we're like, Sure, there could totally be a Man In Black and a Dude In White whose centuries-long battle of wills led to the crash of Flight 815, time travel loops, and smoke monsters! But could you just step in on this now? I'm not so sure. But, hey, I'd love it if people gave it a try. I do feel like the buzz is big enough to be at least a little intriguing — an assessment I base purely on the cocktail party conversations I have had of late. That, and this.

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And on that (semi-abrupt) optimistic and humorous note, we bring the conversation to a close. But look for my Lost roundtable to make occasional return visits throughout the season to help us make sense the show, because I surely can't do it by myself. Live together, die alone, you know?

I now leave you to your premiere prep. For those holding parties, I'd love to see pictures: please email them to docjensenew@gmail.com! But before you migrate away...do you dare watch the sorta-kinda NSFW season premiere of ''Totally Lost''? Juicy teasers! Special guests! Questionable humor! It's everything you expect from us, and too much more! So...enjoy? And I'll see you here tomorrow at the recap!

Namaste!