So now that I own the first season of "Lost," it seems as if I can't put the remote down. Once one episode ends, Anya and I look at one another, look at the time, look back at each other, and decide to go again.

The show is every shade of brilliant. The acting is really good, but I think it's the writing and direction that really make the show stand out above all other shows I've ever seen on Network television.

Don't get me wrong, the acting is stellar. Whomever cast that show picked the perfect actor for each character. It's to the point now where I can't even imagine any other actor performing any of these roles.

But the genius of the writing of this show feeds directly into the acting of the show. I mean, certain characters stand out over others, but the writing and format of the show is such that everyone in the show gets their moment to shine.

One of the drawbacks to owning the dvd to a show like this, is that my brain feels like it's going to explode with information when I watch a string of episodes in one sitting. There is so much happening on screen that I sometimes have to pause it and think about what just happened. But what adds to this, is that there's a lot of information to process by what they're showing you, but there's an almost infinite amount of information to process about what they're *not* showing you. You'll think that you have something down and understood, only to realize that this story gets really complex as it moves along.

I really don't have many long reaching theories as to what the island is or why it's doing what it's doing. I initially thought that they were playing into a heaven theme. That's the way I thought that they were headed. The opposite of "Lost" is "Saved." John Locke seems to be acting as a spiritual and paternal advisor of sorts, getting people to figure something out about themselves and their castaways. The opposite of a "Lock" is "Free." I like to think of Locke as a mix of Clint Eastwood and Yoda. He's the wise teacher who's going to get your ass in gear.

There's something very other worldly about Locke. He's the only person who really seems to have a handle on what the island is and what's going on. He has an almost psychic ability to get people past their baggage in order to survive on the island.

I particularly liked how Locke handled Boone. There was something very primal about how he had him tied up, but only tied up enough that he couldn't escape unless he had the ultimate in motivation. It was like you were seeing a transformation right before your eyes. Before Boone was kind of the rich preppy boy, but after that, he was the person who was going to be able to survive on that island.

What in the hell is up with Claire's baby? That storyline is straight up wack. And what's up with Ethan Rom? And what's up with that psychic stuff about her raising her child, and ONLY her raising that child? I guess time will tell.

There's just so much going on in this show that it'd be impossible for me to try and guess as to what the overall significance of everything is. There are other people on this island besides the people who crashed in the plane: Is the Island attracting people? If it is, who's pulling the strings? Is it some kind of experiment? Are they in some kind of heaven/hell/purgatory? Is this all imaginary? Is this nothing more than an illusion?

I really love how one can watch this show with different tinted glasses on. Through one shade of the glass, it's a sociological study about how people form different different groups, and how these groups are influenced by race, class, and gender. Or I can watch the show with my philosophical glasses on, and watch how there's almost an element of fate or kharma attached to the island. Or I can watch the show from a religious perspective, and see how there seems to be an element of good and evil interacting on the island.

Perhaps the most fun of them all is watching this show from an anthropological standpoint. There have been so many times during the watching of the show where I'm thinking, this is how early man began as well. You eat, you live. You hunt, you get food. You don't hunt, you die. You learn how to survive. You learn how to survive, but you also learn that there is also a time to have fun. The early humans on this planet probably sang and dance, the people on the island build a golf course. Whereas our ancestors largely learned to survive by using their instincts, many people on the island have to learn to shed their "norms" and rely also on their primal level of instinctual behavior.

I guess I've rambled on long enough. I'll close by saying that I really have liked every single episode I've seen. My favorite episode thus far has been the one where Sayid tortured Sawyer. I thought that it was one of those episodes that felt very "real" to me. The one where he goes into exile (they might be the same episode) was brilliant as well.

Speaking of exile, what in the HELL was up with that woman who captured Sayid. That storyline is INSANE!

matt out