Dana Doggett’s Blog

Lost vs. The X-Files

June 26th, 2008

I got it figured out!

So I went down to Texas to visit my parents for a week last week and my sister and I were successful in making our parents fans of “Lost”. We were able to watch most of the first season with them and since coming back home I’ve been able to get through the rest of season 1 and all of season 2 and I have come to the conclusion that “Lost” is the best television show that I’ve ever watched. The characterizations, the way each plot weaves in with the next, the continuity… it’s just brilliant. No offense to any other show out there, but none even come close in comparison to “Lost”. I can’t wait to see where the last two seasons will take the show and I especially can’t wait to see how it ends.

Now I don’t participate much in the “Lost” fandom, but tonight I decided to actually go google “lost theories” and wound up browsing through the official ABC “Lost” site on the forum where theories are posted and there are so many interesting theories out there, even ones that I hadn’t considered. I think I could get into reading those. I’ll probably stay away from registering and participating in discussions because frankly I don’t feel the need to discuss this show with *g* others.

So then I got to thinking about what makes me participate in one fandom over all others. I’m rather active in “The X-Files” fandom (if you call being registered on one fan forum that’s not my own “active”) and I typically post at least once a day when I’m on my computer. I have things I like to discuss about “The X-Files”, I have strong opinions (usually a minority opinion or a controversial one) and I’ve met most of my online friends through “The X-Files” fandom. However with “Lost” - my favorite show of all time - I don’t feel the need to get active in the community. Which brings me back to me pondering why. I think the reason is that “The X-Files” series was brilliantly constructed to leave questions unanswered which leaves open so many different discussions that you can have with other fans. Chris Carter never really answered anything that was left up in the air on his show, we were left with suggestions only. I think that is why I feel and want to discuss “The X-Files” more than “Lost”. With “Lost”, I feel that show has direction and intends on answering questions that have been asked (and in some cases have been answered) and it is because of this that I don’t participate in the community much at all, there’s a sense of impending closure with “Lost” that wasn’t there in “The X-Files” and it is that lack of closure that leaves us wanting to discuss the show six years after it ended. Whereas with “Lost”, I feel it’s going to end and fans will be sitting there on their sofas in front of their television saying “wow, that was quite an experience” and will be able to look back on the “Lost” series in awe and admiration and having a sense of completeness that “The X-Files” did not have.

I probably only make sense to myself, but that’s ok, I know what I wanted to get across. Thank you for reading.

Entry Filed under: Lost, X-Files