I know there are LOST fans who really enjoy the love triangles and character relationships, but I fell in love with LOST for the mythology aspect and was deeply disappointed in the first 7 episodes of Season 3.

I am sooooo pleased to see the mythology is BACK!!! :jump:

It sure gives us much more to talk about and research and argue about symbolism. ;) Do y'all feel the same way???

I know, I love the mythology too. And what a dose of mythology it was! My head is still spinning.

I know, I love the mythology too. And what a dose of mythology it was! My head is still spinning.

A huge dose. I don't even know if I can talk about it yet...

awesome tonight!!!!

Mythology, mythology, MYTHOLOGY! This episode was frakkin great. MOAR!

I know, I love the mythology too. And what a dose of mythology it was! My head is still spinning.
No kidding!!! There were so many scenes to analyze and so much dialogue to scrutinize that I'm still not sure what the heck was going on! It will be fun dissecting this episode. :biggrin:

I am also happy to have the mythology back. My brain has been numb without Lost!

Yes, yes, yes!

I got started on the Lost mythology through some of the real and fan-created websites that sprung up during season 2. (Yes, I fell for the Copenhagen pic. ;)) But I think that helped me to appreciate the mystery part of the story in a different way; I am a fan of all the characters on the show but am a fan of the mythology as well. So this episode put me right back into the feelings I had watching the first Orientation film, the flashbacks in "Maternity Leave" and wondering what the heck the hieroglyphics on the timer meant. :D

Hooray for mythology!

right now the poll results are 20-0. I hope the producers see this thread.

right now the poll results are 20-0. I hope the producers see this thread.

Omg, that's true! Maybe if the poll runs really really lopsided, I'll make a comment to TPTB about it. :cool:

I am a bit surprised though that NO ONE has voted for romance. Maybe those fans weren't thrilled with this epi and haven't come to the board yet?

Definately that mythology. As much as I like the romance on the show, I would much rather lie up at night trying to figure out who the others are or what the 4 toed statue is than who Kate would rather choose (although I do think about that sometimes because I do,hate to say it, love the triangle :biggrin: )

I loooooooooooooove the mythology.

I don't need the romance per se, but I DO looooooove the other characters, too. Not everyone is in love.

Great episode tonight!

Romance is all well and good, but romance is found on many, many shows. It's fine that Lost has romance, but the mystery is much more of what makes the show tick IMO.

Oops, I accidently voted on the wrong choice. I like the character interactions, but the mythology is what makes the show so awesome.

IMO, the show wouldn't be what it is without the characters, including the backstories and romance. You can look at dozens of sci-fi or mythology shows... I think the key to Lost's broad appeal is the way they do the mythology, and specifically because of the strength of the characters and their individual stories, and the universally appealing thematic elements of the story.

That said, I am SO glad the last two episodes have gone back to what sucked me into Lost in the first place... the head-scratching, "what the heck did I just see?" moments. Exquisitely done!

I couldn't be happier to have the mythology back! As much as I love me some Jate, I'd much rather spend time with the mythology!

I agree one7 -- the characters do make Lost what it is -- I like the way that THEY are discovering the mythology, too. IMHO the combination of characterization and mythology is what makes Lost work so well.

I understand some folks prefer one over the other, but I really think they're interconnected.

Oops, I accidently voted on the wrong choice. I like the character interactions, but the mythology is what makes the show so awesome.
So you mean the ONE vote for romance was actually a mistake??? :surprise:

No kidding!!! There were so many scenes to analyze and so much dialogue to scrutinize that I'm still not sure what the heck was going on! It will be fun dissecting this episode. :biggrin:

Totally!

it was the first episode in quite some time that actually made me think.....
the problem is, I can't get it to stop, lol.

The episode on a whole brings up so many questions,
i can't even begin to try and decipher and dissect the individual scenes.

This type of episode is what the show is, was, and should be.

So you mean the ONE vote for romance was actually a mistake??? :surprise:

That is so funny.

The producers better see this poll. The mythology on this show is always done so well, not that the romance isn't, but this is the stuff that makes the show great.

This type of episode is what the show is, was, and should be.
I agree completely! :biggrin:
Oh and I'm experiencing the same type of thing you are - I can't turn my brain off! I really need to be getting some sleep but there are a thousand and one items whirring around inside my head and my thought processes are keeping me WIRED! :w00t:

While I do love romance and character archs, I definately prefer the mythology above all else!

While I do love romance and character archs, I definately prefer the mythology above all else!

As do I. Lindelof needs to write more episodes. Every episode he has written has pretty much ruled.

Glad the mythology is back and with a bang that is.

This episode certainly emphasized why LOST is the best show on tv.

I agree completely! :biggrin:
Oh and I'm experiencing the same type of thing you are - I can't turn my brain off! I really need to be getting some sleep but there are a thousand and one items whirring around inside my head and my thought processes are keeping me WIRED! :w00t:
Oh yeah, I hear you there. I have to get up in five hours. Can't. stop. thinking. about. this. episode!!

I agree one7 -- the characters do make Lost what it is -- I like the way that THEY are discovering the mythology, too. IMHO the combination of characterization and mythology is what makes Lost work so well.

I understand some folks prefer one over the other, but I really think they're interconnected.

Couldn't have said it better myself. I lean towards the mythology, but only because the characters are themselves so interesting (usually!). This episode had a great mix, tho only time will tell how much of the "mythology" really applies to the island and our protagonists and how much was only in Desmond's head...

I love both

I do enjoy the romance, but in no way is it as compelling and enthralling as an episode like tonight.

Since there wasn't a button for it, I vote for both. I love the mythology of the island in conjunction to how it impacts our characters.

I def agree. Last week w/ the brain washing and this week w/ Desmond's time travel. This is why I started watching Lost. This is a scifi mystery fantasy show. Without that element its just a scripted Survivor. (Wait, I already think Survivor is scripted.)

I really like both aspect and I feel this epi balanced both really well, we got an amazing dose of relationships with DesPenny and we also got a lot of the mythology as well.

I haven't posted enough for the board to let me vote in the poll, but if I could've done so my vote would be an emphatic YES!!!

I love the mysteries of the island and the answers can be just as interesting or mind-bending as the questions themselves, if handled correctly. I continue to have faith in The Powers That Be, even though that faith has been sorely tested over the last few months. I look forward to seeing where the show takes us.

The one type of mystery I'm not very intrigued by is "will this character sleep with that one," which has been perfected anyway by the daytime soaps.

This epi had both, that's when it really works! I usually love the Jin and Sun ones too.

Wow, so after I cast my vote, I see that out of 83 votes only one person has voted the the romance and love triangles hehe. I'm SO VERY HAPPY with this episode.. it feels like my old Lost is back. *sigh* :biggrin:

Thats an amazing landslide! Of course thats not how the show plays out... but at least we all agree

I started watching for the mythology. Yeah the character relations are nice, but I'd much rather find out how a pillar of "smoke" threw a pilot into a tree and ripped him apart.

I think what the producers say is very true and y'all have got to remember it. The characters are what make the show tick. The mythology is awesome, and yes, some like it more than others (I personally LOVE the mythology). But if you don't care anything about Desmond or Charlie, then watching Desmond experience the mythology is irrelevant and uninteresting. If you don't care anything about Locke, then seeing him deal with the hatch is irrelevant. We've got to care about these people so we understand the context they are making their discoveries and decisions in.

Neither of the poll choices is the right one for me, because I love the mythology (hey, the weirdness is what makes it Lost!), but what really made this episode for me was Desmond's suffering and confusion and his relationship with Penny.

Which makes it sound like I'm leaning toward the second choice, but I'm really not, because I don't care AT ALL about 95% of the romance they've had on the show. I hate the triangle (and wish I could erase the cage sex from my memory :sick:) and hope there's never another one. I really don't care about the ups and downs of Sawyer/Kate, or Jack/Juliet, or Charlie/Claire.

But I agree completely with SenatorKent -- the mythology is interesting because I'm seeing it through the experience of characters that I care about. By itself I could take it or leave it. Um, leave it, probably, because I sure couldn't get interested in the Lost Experience thing. :rolleyes:

Hardcore Jater here who LOVED last night's episode, so can I vote both?
But if the poll had been a choice between character development and mythology, I'd have chosen character development because that's where the depth of Lost really is, the way we see what makes these people tick because of their past experiences and how it they react to all the stuff Mystery Frickin' Island throws at them. But I love anything involving the supernatural power of the island and this time-bending stuff from last night. Dharma conspiracies, not so much.

I like the romance, but heck there wouldn't be a freakin show if there weren't mysteries!! I love the fact that we are given more questions and we have to wait for all the answers!! I know it's hard to wait, but in the end it will have been worth it!

without the mysteries,
we'd all be watching,
a very weird version,
of Survivor.... or maybe an updated Gilligan's Island.
:biggrin:

I voted yes.
Amber said exactly what I was thinking - it feels like the old LOST.
and I'm so :lol2: it's back.

Though we need to have the romances and character relationships to get to better know the characters and their personalities, the main thing about LOST for me is the mysteries. I like trying to figure out what's going to happen and why things happen.

I like it split 50/50 so I'm not gonna vote on either. Too much mythology/mystery would break my brain and too much romance/character development/relationships would turn the show into a soap opera. I feel that you have to have both of them and even amounts of both.

For those who feel strongly in either direction, the score is at 127 to 1 right now, as one of the "luv triangle" votes was admitted as a mistake.

Mythology for the win!

:biggrin:

For those who missed it last night, don't forget to vote in the mythology poll!

:velho:

^
as of now the vote is 135 to 3 and one of the romance votes was a mistake!

yeah it looks like the fans really want more mythlogy.

I had become bored with Lost lately, but this latest episode made me excited all over again. I don't mind the relationship stuff, but it can't be the whole show. This episode got back to the mysteries surrounding the island, & any episode that focuses on Desmond is wonderful to me (what is it with me & Scottish guys lately? The actor who is currently playing the Doctor in Doctor Who is Scottish, & I also like him quite a bit).:biggrin: Let's have more mysteries, okay?

Mysteries are always fun.;)

I had become bored with Lost lately, but this latest episode made me excited all over again. I don't mind the relationship stuff, but it can't be the whole show. This episode got back to the mysteries surrounding the island, & any episode that focuses on Desmond is wonderful to me
Let's have more mysteries, okay?
I agree that this epi made me more excited about LOST. :w00t: I was so SO disappointed after seeing last week's epi because I was hoping to get away from the Jack/Kate/Sawyer show. I thought if it was going to be like THAT, I wouldn't keep watching, so this epi was a welcome sight!!!

I really think that they should have ended the mini-season with last week's epi and started the 2nd half of the season with this one. It would have made more sense.

But I'm lovin me the mysteries. ;)

Thanks for posting this thread, I personally feel this is an important debate in regard to the show. I for one LOVE the mythology, and feel without it Lost would not be Lost. TPTB stated this season was going to focus more on the relationships, which reduced my enthusiasm for this season. Not because I do not like the relationship stories, but I personally feel the mythology is needed more at this stage of the show. Thank God the mythology is BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LIL, you know I love you, but I don't think this is the most fair poll in the world. ;) I mean, you are kind of phrasing the options pretty drastically. I love mythology but I also love the character-based stuff.
And I do love romance, but I don't love the Triangle, so where does that leave me? ;)

Plus, to me, last night's episode was very much focused on romance and love, in addition to the crazy mythology. Romance was a huge theme of the episode! (DesPenny forever.) :inlove:

So I'm not voting. ;) :hypocrit::p:kiss: