Storytime

What makes a good story? It's a question that people have debated for as long as we told stories and as long we shall continue to do so. It's a subjective question, though there are some agreed upon standards.

When it comes to contemporary storytelling there a lot of options and a variety of mediums. I'm going to talk about television storytelling. In say...I don't know, the last ten years reality television has dominated programming. It's cheap to make and it's easy to find subjects that titillate viewers. Also, there is no shortage of people that are willing to debase themselves for the opportunity to make a little bit of cheese. I don't think people that watch reality television are stupid, I don't like to make sweeping judgmental statements like that. I do think that reality television has damaged our modern understanding of storytelling. Of course, there are many contributing factors to the longing for instant gratification, not simply the popularity of reality television. Anyways, I should get to my point I suppose.

Lost is without question my favorite television show ever and in the top five of my top favorite stories, written, filmed or otherwise. I understand a lot of the criticisms of the show, some of the most rudimentary being that the show simply doesn't have a rational plot and that the writers seem to be making it up as they go. After watching hundreds of recap videos and reading a lot about the show, I'm very confident that this is not the case. Being a television show that requires actors, there are bound to be snags, major snags, that the writers will face. An actor wants to leave, an actor is fired, some actors even grow too much! Still, I think the mythological framework of the story was very much in place throughout the tenure of show. I know when it's all said and done there'll be unanswered questions, the writers/producers have said this outright. Just because something is left unanswered that doesn't mean it's crap, life if filled with things that simply have no explanation...stories shouldn't necessarily be held to the same standards.

What I love about Lost is the mystery and the constant and fluid development of the characters, even minor ones. The shows many characters react to events in the story, interpersonal relations and their own pasts. Lost in my opinion is one of rare stories that is both plot driven and character driven, a perfect balance has been struck. I love the large themes of the show, not only human themes but mythological themes. It's been a true pleasure to watch these years and while I look forward to the end I can't help to also feel a little sad. When Return of the Jedi ends I couldn't stop from feeling a bit sad. Sure, they defeated the Empire and light prevailed, but still, there's just something about an ending. I suppose however that's an essential element in a good story. If it triggers something deep, perhaps even something we don't have words for then I believe the storyteller has tapped into something remarkable, something worthy of eternal remembrance.