Lost is Lost 

Lost is nearing the midpoint of its third season, and I'm nearing the endpoint of caring. After a phenomenal first season, and a second season that meandered but eventually built up steam to an interesting season finale, the third season has been disappointment after disappointment. While the Others are interesting, the pieces of the story, the revelations, the so-called answers have been so incongruous and so minor that it seems rather obvious the writers and network are stretching the story out to ridiculous lenghts.

Every article during the first two seasons talked about not wanting to be The X-Files and never answer major questions. Well, at least The X-Files answered something each season. Each mythology episode of The X-Files at least furthered the overall story. I just don't feel like Lost is moving in that direction. The backstory device is running thin the 3rd, 4th, 5th time they revisit a characters backstory, revealing such intriguing story items as "the meaning of Jack's tattoos" and "how Locke lived on a drug farm."

There's a chance that Lost's uninterrupted run will lead to the show hitting its stride again, but I've got less faith this time, given that at least the "bad" episodes in season two were fun to watch. There's just not been anything particularly great this season.

Lost is still ok. It's not as good as Veronica Mars. It might even be worse than the exposition-heavy Heroes. Where those shows differ from Lost is that they're at least advancing their stories in ways that make you want to turn in each week. Lost, to me, is falling to 24 territory: a show where I could just read a recap of an episode and how it fits and be happy enough to have not spent the hour wondering why the show isn't better.

I do think, though, that like The OC, if the show doesn't pick up by the end of its third season, I'm not sure I'll be there for the start of the fourth.