'Lost' in transition

Absence, at least as it pertains to me and my reasonably unhealthy obsession with all things "Lost," has made the heart grow fonder. Contrarily over the 90-plus days since its last episode (with its newest installment airing just last night), it has also seen the attention spans of a significant number of once casual "Lost" fans turn tail and seek comfort in such inane pursuits as saving the cheerleader and finding out who's on "the list" and why. Hey, "Heroes" fans, remember that show where there was a mysterious list and people were trying to find out why they were on it? Yeah, it was called "Lost." \nWith "Heroes" surging out of the gate as a sort of ADD-friendly, soap-operatic alternative to "Lost's" glacial pacing and intricately layered mythology, television drama is definitely beginning to play into the hands of the short of attention. When the most recent Emmy and Golden Globe winner for Best Dramatic Series is not only NOT an actual drama but consists primarily of random sex, coached crying and laughably maudlin music cues, I begin to recognize the warning signs. "Grey's Anatomy" fans, your wrath is welcomed. \nThis culture we've created for ourselves, saturated with ever-slimmer cellulars and drive-thru espresso pick-me-ups, seems to be leaving "Lost" in the lurch, and, like an injured bird, I'm compelled to nurse it back to health in any way I can. Far be it from me to assume that one of the few best shows on television (yes, still) needs my advice for increased longevity, but I'm confident that "Lost" can regain its status in the eyes of casual fans in just six easy steps. \n1. Learn a lesson from "24"\nThe producers' haphazard episode spacing games of Season 2 were nearly disastrous, and the three months between episodes six and seven of Season 3 didn't help matters. Luckily, the rest of Season 3 will air uninterrupted, but Jack Bauer's got his shit together with 24 straight episodes with no breaks. If "Lost" can manage to figure out its budget in advance and keep a tighter lid on set-leaked spoilers, it could present Season 4 with no breaks, a proposition sure to delight a viewing public that's become more dependent on iTunes and DVD for their "Lost" fix than planning their schedules by ABC's calendar. \n2. Clean up after yourself\n"Lost's" mysteries and obscurities pile up at breakneck speed, and while a fair amount of our most pressing questions have been answered (what's in the hatch, what exactly is DHARMA?, is Michael a self-serving bastard?), there are still befuddlements lingering from Season 1, which the writers seem less than concerned about clearing up. While the keys to certain overarching mysteries seem more appropriately left to the series' end, at least let us in on the little things, like why there's a skeleton-filled slave ship from the 1800s sitting in the middle of the island and a well-groomed show horse cavorting around the jungle. \n3. Be careful with new characters\nFor a show that already features more than 15 primary characters with their own blossoming back stories, "Lost" seems keen on introducing us to even more. So far this season, Rodrigo Santoro's Paulo and Kiele Sanchez's Nikki have amounted to little more than expository eye-candy, and for a show that's always been more about story and character and less about pretty people gazing dreamily off-camera (ahem "Grey's Anatomy"), the duo's presence sends up a red flag. If you're going to introduce new cast members, make sure they're interesting from the get-go. Rose and Bernard turned out to be great characters, but so far the man with the eyepatch on the Pearl Station hatch camera displays more promise than Nikki and Paulo. \n4. Cool it on the cliffhangers\nSeason 1 ended with one of the greatest cliffhangers in television history, and season 2's ending was close. It's hard for me to remember the last single episode, though, that didn't end on the edge of a moderately steep cliff. Some of the finest moments of the first and second Seasons came by way of more subdued endings and personal character connections, and it's a fallacy for the writers and producers to believe they have to end every week on a moment of extreme tension. If the characters are where they need to be, even if that's in a moment of false comfort with the smoke monster lurking outside their tent flap, then trust your endings. There's no need to manufacture tension for the sake of tension. \n5. Keep flashbacks in focus\nThe best "Lost" flashbacks not only give insight into the lives of the characters they chronicle but illuminate happenings on the island as well. Occasional flashbacks in the last 25 episodes have meandered off course, focusing more on character quirks than character arcs. Charlie's breakup with Driveshaft and Locke's stay at a commune were curious instances within themselves but did little to drive the overall series forward. On the other hand, Ana-Lucia's trip to Australia with Jack's father and Michael and Desmond's on-island flashbacks late in Season 2 displayed "Lost" at its best. In the interest of sustaining interest in each character's individual life story, its best to relate it to the island in one way or another. \n6. Don't leave it open-ended\nIt's no big secret that "Lost" works best in marathon viewings as opposed to week-to-week appointments with ABC. It's statistically the most legally downloaded, TiVo'ed and DVR'ed show on television, and its DVD sales profits have old, crusty ABC execs rolling naked in a bed of money like Demi Moore in "Indecent Proposal." Being that "Lost" flows more like an extended film or lengthy novel than a serial drama, I believe it's detrimental for the producers not to have set an end date by now. After all, movies have a designated running time and novels have a final page. For "Lost" to pretend to be indefinite is a mistake. Be it destined six seasons or seven, the producers should let us know now, providing a sort of early closure that would allow fans to enjoy the show knowing there's a logical, pre-planned conclusion on the horizon, however far the journey.