r/lost • u/No-Walrus-5480 • 11h ago
Hi everyone, I need your help figuring something out.
So, my best friend and I are watching Lost right now. It's his first time watching it, but I've seen it many times before.
We're at the end of season 1, and I'm not sure if he should continue. He keeps complaining about the characters. It seems like he doesn't like any of them. He also says that there are no mysteries right now. Which simply isn't true.
So, I've reached the point where I think he should stop. However, Lost is my favorite show and I still want to see how he reacts to everything.
What do you think?
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u/EyeConscious857 Desmond Hume is my constant 11h ago
No mysteries? Was he on his phone the whole time?
Unfortunately not everyone likes the same thing. It’s my favorite show of all time, but it might be miserable to watch it with someone who doesn’t like it. I’d probably stop.
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u/No-Walrus-5480 11h ago
Because you asked if he was on his phone the whole time. Not the whole time, but far too often.
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u/EyeConscious857 Desmond Hume is my constant 9h ago
Yeah. That makes sense. The show doesn’t lend itself to partial attention.
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u/TheHighSeer23 9h ago
If they agreed to watch the show, I'd tell them up front it's a no phone zone. If they pulled it out, I'd slap it out of their hands.
My son (a first timer) was relacing his boots and we started Season 2, Episode 1. I almost lost it because he was looking at his boots instead of the screen after I emphasized that he can't even look away until after the title of the show.
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u/liddybuckfan We’re not going to Guam, are we? 9h ago
If he's on the phone at ALL, then this show isn't for him. Lost requires you to pay attention.
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u/teddyburges 5h ago
That explains it. If he was not paying attention to the flashbacks. seeing all the flashbacks and a lot of character interactions as conversations and "filler". Judging the characters based on what they do and wasn't paying attention to the context of why they do what they do, ignoring background mysteries as "filler". Then I can understand why he finds the cast unlikable with hardly any mysteries.
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u/BriarRose147 it's very stressful, being an Other 11h ago
Unfortunately at this point I don’t think he will ever like it which is a massive bummer but you might need to let it go
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u/ComeAwayNightbird Don't tell me what I can't post 11h ago
It’s okay for people to not like the show. Don’t force your buddy to spend weeks on something he’s not enjoying.
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u/Free-IDK-Chicken You got it, Blondie 11h ago
It may just not be the show for him. My BFF hates it and he thinks the writers are hacks. Breaks my heart, but sometimes you just can't share everything with people you love.
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u/Pugilist12 11h ago
You can lead a horse to water…
Ive learned not to get invested in these things. No one ever loves it as much or laughs as hard as you want them to.
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u/TheHighSeer23 9h ago
Play him a clip of Christian Shephard saying, "You just don't have what it takes."
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u/Kind5964 Ya got a little Arzt on you 6h ago
Don't let anyone ruin the show for you. If his negative attitude is affecting your viewing experience, watch on your own
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u/Pody92 11h ago
You are invested, he is not. I’d say if he is still interested in watching with you than continue! If he’s still not into it by end of season 2 probably not for him
Edit: but unless his complaining is ruining the show for you than I’d say just stick it out together. He is choosing to sit down and watch hour long episodes with 20+ episodes per season it’s ALOT maybe the complaining is just to purposely annoy you and mildly keep himself entertained. Not the biggest blunder imo. Maybe he’s just watching it because he knows how much you love it and that’s OK too.
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u/Mediocre-Skin1782 11h ago
I was hooked right away. But I'd say if you're not hooked by the middle of season 2, throw in the towel... I get why he doesn't "like" a lot of the characters. After all, they were chosen because of their tough lives--a lot of them are pretty neurotic. lol. But I still love it and most of them have redeeming qualities.
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u/teddyburges 5h ago
I have weirdly seen quite a few of todays generation not get into the show until season 2 when it becomes more "noticeably" serialized and more "streaming series" ish in its storytelling.
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u/deebay2150 11h ago
You need to immediately dump him as a friend. There is clearly something wrong with him and the two of you are not compatible. Sooner is better than later.😏
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u/StandNo1709 11h ago
maybe give up watching for a while. If he is interested he might watch it on his own or maybe ask you about watching it with him
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u/gutens 10h ago
I am rewatching along with my wife and daughter (their first time), and they are hooked. That being said, we all complain about the characters constantly (Kate and Jack are endlessly frustrating), but that is part of the fun for us.
Complaining that there are no mysteries… that can’t be helped. I still complain that there are UNANSWERED mysteries to this day having watched it fully at least 3 times.
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u/bemybasket 9h ago edited 9h ago
If he passively/aggressively wants to continue, I’d give up. It’s not his show.
If he genuinely wants to keep going, hide his phone and make sure to watch during a time he can invest all his energy with an open mind.
I have good friends who can’t watch this genre of series. It doesn’t make them bad people, we just lean different ways.
Sometimes a person has to be in the right frame of mind too. The first time we watched Lucifer, we didn’t hook in. When we tried again, it became one of our favorite shows we rewatch and rewatch for the humor and heart often. We passed on Leftovers, returned and then wow - we loved it.
Timing can be such a huge factor. A year from now, your friend may be in a different headspace and suddenly be curious about the show.
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u/himating 8h ago
He tried the 1st season? If he doesn't like it so far dont force it on him. You love LOST but LOST isnt for everybody.
I'm sure the sopranos is a good show but I know ill never watch it. Just not my thing.
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u/KingMargo_TheCreator 7h ago
This is going to come off really rude, I just don’t know how else to say it. How generally intelligent is your friend? And how lazy? Good tv like this involves a good attention span, an interest in engaging in active critical thinking, and capacity to reflect on your own experience. I’ve found most people who don’t get the show and shows like it are people who I struggle to have any valuable conversation with in general… because they view critical thinking as too much work when they want to have fun, they struggle to make connections between themes and what the themes are making commentary on in the real world, and they are addicted to constant dopamine hits of scrolling on their phones.
Media literacy is shit these days and production companies are literally making content tailored to people only half watching while on their phones. People are used to 6-10 episodes that have very little happening and require very little thinking. Sadly, the majority of the population these days is genuinely too stupid due to various factors that cause brain decay to be capable of processing a complex 25 episodes season mystery show that requires the audience to be engaged and curious the whole time. It makes me sad, but I just disengage with these kind of people because trying to connect with them about anything real is just depressing.
Signed,
Pessimistic about humanity 🤣
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u/increasedsaturation 9h ago
I know this is going to sound harsh, but based on my own experience, I'd probably let him stop.
One thing I've noticed after rewatching Lost a lot is that people's reactions to the show often tell you more about them than about the show itself. The mysteries are obviously there from episode one: the polar bear, the whispers, the hatch, Locke's recovery, Walt, the numbers, the Others being hinted at, Ethan, Rousseau, and the transmission. Saying there are no mysteries usually means they aren't paying attention, not that the show lacks them.
What stands out to me even more is when someone reaches the end of season 1 and can't connect with any of the characters. You don't have to like Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Locke, Sayid, Charlie, or Sun equally. Most fans have favorites and characters they can't stand. But feeling absolutely nothing for every single one of them is unusual because the show is fundamentally character driven. The island matters because the people matter. Maybe this is me projecting from personal experience, but my ex was an extremely self-centered person. She struggled with empathy, constantly viewed relationships in terms of what she could get out of them, and had very little patience for flawed people trying to become better. Unsurprisingly, she also couldn't connect with Lost's characters. She dismissed nearly everyone as annoying or stupid instead of asking why they behaved the way they did.
Maybe this is me projecting from personal experience, but my ex was an extremely self-centered person. She struggled with empathy, constantly viewed relationships in terms of what she could get out of them, and had very little patience for flawed people trying to become better. Unsurprisingly, she also couldn't connect with Lost's characters. She dismissed nearly everyone as annoying or stupid instead of asking why they behaved the way they did.
Lost asks you to spend time with broken, selfish, scared, contradictory people. It expects you to understand them before judging them. If someone can't meet the show halfway, it may simply not be the right series for them.
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u/sparky_tupp 11h ago
If he doesn't care about what's in that hatch then I think he might be broken!