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So, What DO Those Numbers Mean?
Over the course of the summer, there has been an online game linked to Lost, one which, if played right, apparently fills in the background of the Dharma Initiative, and the Hanso Foundation. It's pretty much a clever marketing tool, keeping at least some of the audience busy during the summer break.
But I guess fans of the show can ignore the game at their own risk, since it really does seem to have actual canon answers about the Numbers.
Sort of.
You can watch the complete video from the game at YouTube. Or you can just read ahead.
So the DHARMA Intitiative - it's an acronym - was founded by the UN and funded by Hanso after the Cuban Missile Crisis, to save the world from the threats of war, disease, etc. The numbers are something called the Vanzenetti Formula, which somehow represent the state of things that will lead to mankind's demise. DHARMA was created to changes those numbers (and the environment) as to save the world.
I think.
The initiative failed, and now the remains of the Hanso Foundation are doing something nasty with a virus for some reason.
I think.
A lot of this is obscure, on purpose as to keep viewers guessing, and as to fit the nature of the show as one surrounded by the obscure and the unanswerable.
On the one hand, it's all rather interesting, seeing pieces of the Cold War haunting us, seeing that there really might be a bigger plan. Someone really did think about all of this. The old film of Alvar Hanso is interesting to watch, as is the more contemporary footage of the evil Dharmans. And I think that it's very likely the Others really are the good guys, trying to stop the Dharmans. Or maybe they really ARE the Dharmans, thinking they are saving the world.
As you can see, I am looking forward to season three.
OTOH, I never watched Alias but suspect that its long-suffering fans are feeling a bit of deja vu. There are wheels within wheels, linked by a bit of pseudo-science, or maybe pseudo-math, that doesn't really make much sense at all. What kind of equation has six unlinked numbers? Does any of this make any real sense at all? Has JJ Abrams failed to learn from his past mistakes?
None of this will affect my enjoyment of Lost at this point. It's possible that the backstory will only be uses sparingly. And the producers have promised us that we will see a lot more romance this season, which implies a lot less time for conspiracy and over-plotting. Lost works mainly because we like the mix of story and character. If the cast continues to be as good as they were, if the character play stays as believable even when the events are anything but, I'll still be happy.
But I will also be wary nonetheless. A show like this one can easily fall apart fast. Indeed, some who loved it at first are now distancing themselves after only two years. I think JJ is aware of this, and is trying to strike a balance. But I cannot say that I would be shocked if this show makes a few majot missteps this season.
Lost returns in two weeks, for a six-week "mini-series" and then vanishes until next year, when it comes back for 16 weeks straight through till May. Odds are that I will always be a few days behind on watching it, but that once I get caught up, I will offer some commentary this season.
But I guess fans of the show can ignore the game at their own risk, since it really does seem to have actual canon answers about the Numbers.
Sort of.
You can watch the complete video from the game at YouTube. Or you can just read ahead.
So the DHARMA Intitiative - it's an acronym - was founded by the UN and funded by Hanso after the Cuban Missile Crisis, to save the world from the threats of war, disease, etc. The numbers are something called the Vanzenetti Formula, which somehow represent the state of things that will lead to mankind's demise. DHARMA was created to changes those numbers (and the environment) as to save the world.
I think.
The initiative failed, and now the remains of the Hanso Foundation are doing something nasty with a virus for some reason.
I think.
A lot of this is obscure, on purpose as to keep viewers guessing, and as to fit the nature of the show as one surrounded by the obscure and the unanswerable.
On the one hand, it's all rather interesting, seeing pieces of the Cold War haunting us, seeing that there really might be a bigger plan. Someone really did think about all of this. The old film of Alvar Hanso is interesting to watch, as is the more contemporary footage of the evil Dharmans. And I think that it's very likely the Others really are the good guys, trying to stop the Dharmans. Or maybe they really ARE the Dharmans, thinking they are saving the world.
As you can see, I am looking forward to season three.
OTOH, I never watched Alias but suspect that its long-suffering fans are feeling a bit of deja vu. There are wheels within wheels, linked by a bit of pseudo-science, or maybe pseudo-math, that doesn't really make much sense at all. What kind of equation has six unlinked numbers? Does any of this make any real sense at all? Has JJ Abrams failed to learn from his past mistakes?
None of this will affect my enjoyment of Lost at this point. It's possible that the backstory will only be uses sparingly. And the producers have promised us that we will see a lot more romance this season, which implies a lot less time for conspiracy and over-plotting. Lost works mainly because we like the mix of story and character. If the cast continues to be as good as they were, if the character play stays as believable even when the events are anything but, I'll still be happy.
But I will also be wary nonetheless. A show like this one can easily fall apart fast. Indeed, some who loved it at first are now distancing themselves after only two years. I think JJ is aware of this, and is trying to strike a balance. But I cannot say that I would be shocked if this show makes a few majot missteps this season.
Lost returns in two weeks, for a six-week "mini-series" and then vanishes until next year, when it comes back for 16 weeks straight through till May. Odds are that I will always be a few days behind on watching it, but that once I get caught up, I will offer some commentary this season.