Even from the first few scenes of Lost, it is clear this is no ordinary television series. The cinematography, haunting soundtrack and international cast give Lost a movie-like feel unmatched by any other show.
And that's before the mysteries of the island start to unfold. Polars Bears, Cursed Numbers and The Hatch are just the beginning of the series of discoveries the survivors of Flight 815 will make as they explore the Island.
Strange as it all sounds, it's truly addictive.
Let's start at the beginning. A plane flight from Sydney to LA crashes somewhere in the South Pacific. Radio contact was lost a few hours into the flight and their exact location isn't known. 48 passengers have survived the crash and have set-up camp on the seemingly deserted island they landed on.
After the initial shock of watching people die, bits of the plane exploding and of course, not being promptly rescued, things aren't looking good for the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. Fear and in-fighting among the camp leaves Jack Sheppard no choice but to step into the role of their leader, declaring, "If we can't live together, we're going to die alone".
Bigger problems start to emerge, as they discover there is more to the Island than first meets the eye: monsters in the jungle, a ship full of dynamite, perhaps even other inhabitants.
So what is all of the fuss about? For me, it's the emotional connection: I laugh and I cry. In his thick southern drawl, Sawyer gets away with more arrogant (and hilarious) insults than any character I think I've ever seen. Charlie shines as a constant source of funny one-liners. At the same time, there are notes of sadness and struggle for every character. None of these people have led an easy life and through a series of flashbacks, each episode reveals a complex history which haunts the characters through their current experiences on the island.
Nothing is as it seems and no character is who they appear to be. The tragic stories of the characters' pasts have fueled the theory among viewers that the Island is Hell, or a state of Limbo, but the shows producers are remaining tight-lipped. Clearly the writers of Lost even intended The Island to be a character within itself.
Many of the most intriguing aspects of the show are also the most hated: The Others, the monster, the spooky whispers in the jungle, Kate's romantic flip-flopping and Jack's struggle as the lonely leader. We wait in frustration for each episode to unfold and thankfully, the makers of Lost have rewarded our patience with exciting revelations and even more mysteries.
Lost creator J.J. Abrams said, "To me the use of extraordinary circumstance colliding with ordinary people is the most interesting storytelling." Indeed, we relate to these seemingly ordinary people as they fight for survival first against the Island, then against the mysterious "Others" who have attacked and threatened them.
Each series unveils a new world for the characters of Lost. In Season 2, we see inside the Hatch, a new location that will feature heavily in the entire season, and we also discover that there are other survivors from the tail section of the plane and witness their experiences in the first 42 days on the other side of the island. In Season 3, Jack, Sawyer and Kate are separated from the group and spend much of the season in cages at the "Others" camp. They have in fact traveled to a nearby island once again, a whole new setting.
Who knows what new discoveries will be made in Season 4? No doubt we will continue to learn more about these intricate characters and their star-crossed lives. As we've all learned by now, when it comes to Lost, "Everything Happens For A Reason".