"LOST" concluded its second season Wednesday night, so I thought I'd take this moment to give my thoughts about the good, the bad, and the ugly of season 2.

I'm not certain whether I prefer season 1 to season 2, but ultimately, it's not important. Season 1 seemed to be a little more mysterious and other worldly, while season 2 seemed to be more allegorical and conspiracy driven. I sometimes get the impression that the staff behind season 1 didn't have as much of an idea as to what direction the show was going to take, but by the last scene of season 2, any doubt that this show didn't know where it was headed were put to rest.

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The Bad

There really wasn't much "bad" about season 2, but there were a few things that kind of irked me about the show. I'll get these out of the way first, so that I can get to the fun stuff later...

-Ana Lucia-

She never really bugged me as much as she bugged other people, but she was one of the weaker parts of the show this year. Season 1 did such a good job of setting up characters and storylines, that bringing such a strong personality as Ana Lucia into the show was a bit of a no-win situation. But luckily, after her initial episodes, she kind of fades into the background of the show a bit. It got to the point where I kind of liked her and what she brought to the show. She grew on me so much, that I was a bit saddened to see her go.

-unrealistic personalities and situations-

If I have one issue with both seasons of the show, it's that people behave in ways that seem to defy the way most sane people would act. One of the themes of the show is that these people have serious trust issues, but I have a hard time believing that these people would refuse to talk to one another about all the mysterious stuff that's been going on around the island.

-Gilligan's Island syndrome-

There were times this year when I thought the show *almost* ventured into Gilligan's Island territory. This issue is similar to the one I just brought up, but there were times when it seemed like they were *too* comfortable on the island. Everything from the pantries they have set up, to their expertly built huts seemed to be a little too unrealistic for my taste. But at the end of the day, it's a pretty minor gripe.

-repeats-

LOST really suffered a lot this year by showing too many repeats. Nothing kills the momentum of a show faster than long, unexplained breaks in new episodes.

-sub-par episodes-

I understand the need to appeal to both the geeky and adult sides of the show's fanbase, but some of the episodes really broke the momentum. I thought Kate's story was a bit of a retread. Rose and Bernard's story was pretty good, but it didn't really get too much into the mythology of what's happening on the island. Jin and Sun's story was pretty good too, but I have to say that I prefer episodes that seem to purposely advance the mythology, instead of giving us subtle hints as to the island's rejuvenating ways.

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The Good

"The Good" could actually be titled "The Great" since there were so many great moments in Season 2.

-the Season Opener-

So last year ends with Locke, Jack, and Kate staring down into a darkened hatch. There is no possible way that we as viewers could possibly have guessed as to what was in the hatch. So when season 2 began with a man waking up in a modern room, typing on a computer, and exercising on a fitness bike, I naturally assumed that Season 2 began with a flashback, most likely Jack's. But then a rumble shakes dust from the ceiling and we quickly realize that this is not a flashback at all, but is instead the inner workings of the hatch. Well, it was pretty mind blowing. It was yet another instance of the show taking pre-conceived expectations about where the show was going, and blowing them out of the water. Oh, and the Mama Cass record was a brilliant touch.

-the artist formerly known as Henry Gale-

Henry Gale was one of the high points of season 2. His subtle acting brought a high level of creepiness to the show. I'd think that he was telling the truth one moment, only to have him say something that made me not believe anything he's saying the next moment. I'm glad that he appears to be a regular next year. Should be interesting to see where they take his character, and more importantly, the character's he's holding captive.

-Character lapses-

It seems that one of the themes of season 2 is that most of the major characters lapse back into the people they were before their season 1 epiphanies. Sayid went back to torturing. Sawyer went back to conning. Kate went back on the run. Jack went back to his controlling ways. Locke went back to the supposed pathetic person he was before the island. It's almost as if these people can't escape who they really are. I thought it was nice character work on the part of the writers and actors.

-theory disproving-

I liked that they took a few theories and shot them down. The biggest theory they shot down was in Hurley's second episode "Dave," where they basically took the theory that this whole show is one person's dream, and shot it down. Although this isn't as concrete, it also appears that they shot down the scenario that the island is the last remaining piece of liveable real estate on the planet. And I could be wrong on this, but it also seems that they shot down the theory that there was a sickness to contend with.

-that wicked cool Map-

"Lockdown" was one of my favorite episodes of the season. The ending of the show revealed that Henry really was an other and that there was some entity out there sending food to the people on the island. But the coolest part of the entire episode, was when the trapped Locke saw that black-lit map on the wall. It was one of those great creepy moments that LOST is so good at creating.

-Mr. Eko-

Eko's episodes were my favorite episodes of the year. I liked that he wasn't just this simple priest, but instead had this really detailed backstory. I also loved his second episode because it dealt with the issues of faith and religion in an expertly way. I loved the discussions Eko and Locke had throughout season 2. And ultimately, Eko was right. That's the great thing about this show. It's fair to all sides.

-Character kill offs-

You gotta respect a show that actually kills off major characters. Season 2 saw the end of Shannon, Ana Lucia, and Libby. Though they didn't kill them off, Michael and Walt also seem to be off the show, as they made it off the island at the end of the finale. Any show that would be so sure of itself that it could terminate entire story arcs is either crazy or genius. Or maybe both.

-Claire's episode-

I love that we got to see what happened to Claire while she was away for that brief period of time in season 1. Her story is one of the more interesting parts of the show. I can't wait to find out what's going on with her and her baby, and more importantly, why the Others were so intent on taking her baby.

-Locke pounding on the Hatch/Desmond hearing Locke-

One of the genius things about LOST is how the show goes back and shows the audience what exactly happened in seemingly minute details of previous episodes. Locke's second episode of season 1 was probably my favorite episode of season 1. I loved how in his moment of desperation, that light turned on inside of the hatch. Well, I loved seeing why that light turned on and what it meant for the overall story arc of LOST. That scene from the finale was probably one of my favorite moments of the entire show.

-Those creepy heiroglyphic symbols-

Admit it, you got chills when Locke couldn't type in the numbers on time and those red heiroglyphs showed up where the numbers were. That was some awesome stuff.

-The Season Finale-

They packed so much information into the final episode that I'm still trying to wrap my brain around all that was said. It was not only my favorite episode of LOST, it was probably one of the greatest things I've ever seen on television. It's also great that they Desmond back into the fold. If there was any doubt before, fans now know that there is a definite plan for the show. I can't wait to see how it all unfolds. As they did last year, the season finale once again answered some questions, while bringing up a lot of more questions. Some fans complain about this, but I really appreciate a show that is complex enough to answer some questions, while opening up a lot of more room for questioning.

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Now that the season's over, I'm probably going to take a little summer long break from LOST, so that I can re-energize my batteries for next season. I can't wait. I've said many times that I think season 3 is going to be the best season of LOST thus far. I can't wait to find out.

matt out