Maybe the most cinematic pilot ever made, and almost certainly the most expensive (at a reported $10 to 14 million). The first few minutes alone are some of the most gripping and tense moments in TV history, starting with Jack’s (Matthew Fox) eye opening in silence (an image the series will return to often), and gradually increasing n scope to encompass the full horror of a recent jetliner crash on a tropical beach, with bloodied survivors screaming in panic. We’re quickly introduced to more than a dozen major characters and what looks like a simple premise: Survivor: The Scripted Series.
But nothing in J.J. Abrams-land is ever straightforward, as we discover early on, with the unseen monster that kills the pilot, or the French distress call that’s been playing over and over for 16 years. There’s little hint of what’s to come – the grand leaps into mythology and metaphysics, the Mobius-strip narrative structure – just two hours of breathless suspense, summed up with some final words from Charlie (Dominic Monaghan): “Guys, where are we?” It was a question that hooked Lost fans and kept them coming back in search of answers for six seasons.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=porIM7qtN38]