Something's Lost And Something's Gained

Rewatching Lost's first season, there's no question it has a different tone from later years. It would have to. Every show's first season seems odd in retrospect. No one's sure how the characters will turn out. And since the Lost creators didn't even know who'd live and die, they were especially in the dark.

I don't know, as great as later seasons are, if the show has ever recaptured the magical feeling of season one. The Island is there, and mysterious, but we're not too far into its mystery--we're still hugging the shore. The Others are a vague threat (no Ben or Juliet in sight), there's no Desmond, no freighter folk, no time travel, nothing. In recent seasons, there's so much plot (and a third less episodes) they can barely fit things in. In the first season, it's all about exploring these wonderful new characters. Every episode is a revelation, as the characters deal with each other, and we discover who they are.

Also, later seasons split the characters apart. In the first season, we're often on the beach, where everyone is in the same place. You never know who will pop up in the plot.

This is the mildest of spoilers, but, lately, there's been talk that the last season will reintroduce some of the first season situations and characters. I have no idea if this is true or not, but if they somehow keep the plot moving forward, while exploring the first season in a new way, they may have found the perfect way to end the show.