At Long Last Lost (Meant To Write This A Week Ago)

As all Lost fans know, bitch/beauty Shannon bought it last week. Too bad her obit was announced online almost a month earlier--it really ruined the surprise factor. I'm not sure how outsiders got the inside information, though it might have been that Maggie Grace, who played the part, was suddenly at large, and no longer in Hawaii.

But even if the audience didn't know the bullet had her name on it (I'm guessing it was a bullet), the moment was still ruined by ABC's ads letting us know someone was going down. While I understand the idea is to get people to watch, how about just doing good shows and letting us enjoy them? That way, when they kill off a regular, the effect is complete. This isn't a movie where you've got to convince your audience to put down money, it's a TV show where creating a satisfying viewing experience will keep 'em coming.

I was a bit surprised it was Shannnon. I gave odds earlier this year on who would die. Shannon seemed fairly safe to me because 1) they already killed her brother, Boone, so her death would be the producers admitting they'd made a mistake in introducing these characters and 2) the show had fake killed her in a first season dream sequence, so a real killing seemed redundant. Also, it didn't hurt that she was a hot babe.

Reason #1 still bothers me. While the producers claim to have a road map for the entire show, it seems they've improvising quite a bit if they can kill off a whole line--Shannon and Boone--before the middle of the second season. I can see killing characters to prove the situation is serious, but if Shannon and Boone were red-shirted (Star Trek style), I'd guess that shows they discovered along the way they'd miscalculated regarding an entire plotline.

I was sorry to see her go. I thought her character had room to grow. I must admit there are a few characters I wouldn't mind losing. The real question is when, if ever, will they kill the truly popular ones? I don't see it happening this season, or even the next, unless the ratings start to flag (or an actor wants to leave for a David Caruso-type film career). I'm figuring Jack, Kate, Locke and Sawyer can safely buy homes in Hawaii. Hurley and Sayid aren't that far behind. The others, even the relative "names" who play Michael and Charlie, should maybe still be renting.