By Kofi Outlaw
Never underestimate the island! Just when you thought you had all its answers figured out, LOST is throwing another curveball at viewers. The show has slipped back into mainstream media with a series of
webisodes, which premiered this past Monday and will air weekly on network website
abc.com.
The web-based episodes are two–to–three–minute shorts of a series collectively titled “Missing Pieces.” Despite the implications of that title, these will not be deleted scenes from previous seasons, but rather newly-shot material designed to fit into the show’s broad and convoluted mythology. LOST creators are leaving it up to the fans to piece together where each “mobisode” (as they call them) fits into the show’s timelinee. The Nov. 12 premiere mobisode was “The Watch,” a story that focused on Matthew Fox’s character, Jack Shepard, a day before his doomed-marriage to wife Sarah. While throwing rocks on the beach Jack’s questionably deceased father came to give his son a wedding gift, a watch passed down through the men in their family.
Originally the “mobisodes” were produced as a special incentive for Verizon Wireless customers to utilize the company’s mobile TV function on their phones and it definitely feels that way when you watch them. However with
rumors circulating that LOST’s upcoming season (originally scheduled to premiere in February 2008 and run uninterrupted through June,) could face serious delays due to the
WGA strike, it seems the suits at ABC are looking for any contingency plans in case LOST is forced off the airwaves until as late as 2009 (!)
The show currently has eight new episodes already canned, but its creators feel that airing those episodes with no subsequent material to follow would be a mistake. According to co-creator Carlton Cuse:
“Damon [Lindelof] and my concern about running the [eight] episodes we will have made is that it will feel a little like reading half a Harry Potter novel, then having to put it down…”
Will you be satisfied enough with a little taste of some LOST “mobisodes,” or are you the type who needs the whole enchilada to satisfy your craving? From what I’ve seen so far, the mobisodes are more fluff than substance and offer nothing viewers can’t get from the show without viewing them, in my opinion. Rant back and weigh in on how you liked “The Watch” and what you think should be done to ensure LOST is found again.