(Warning: Explicit Language)
Dear Mr. Lindelof,
For the last three years, I have watched/read as you have had to defend yourself to people who shit you and Carlton Cuse, about the ending of Lost. Your twitter feed is filled with self-deprecating comments such as, “Yeah I’m the guy who ruined Lost” and defensive tweets trying to convince the masses that the passengers of Oceanic 815 were not dead the whole time and that in fact everything that happened on the island, happened (you know the argument; you’re the one that told the story).
For the last three years, you have had to wade through a river of hate with each new project that you take on. When Prometheus was announced and your name was attached, fan-boys lost their shit, expressing that they felt the franchise which defined them as a human-beings was being handled by that asshole who desecrated Lost! They were cruel and immediately against the idea of you dipping your finger in the water that is Alien. For three years, you seemed to have taken the brunt of the insults and disdain that the collective fan base has armed themselves with.
I’m here to tell you that it’s three years too long.
Yes, I thought the ending of Lost was perfect. To me, it was the perfect blend of character satisfaction and display of a theme I find all too familiar: letting go. To watch Jack Shephard transform from a cynical man with a superhero complex, into a man of faith was beautiful in my eyes. It was an arch I could get behind, an arch that transcended the mythology of the show. Never before have I cried so much at not only saying goodbye to characters, but also at their reunion to go into the beyond.
I could continually gush about LOST and how it truly inspired me not only to write, but to want to create a television show that could match the depth and awe that you gave to me for six years. But this isn’t about that. This is about you.
Your Hollywood Reporter article (see full article here) stirred up some serious emotion inside of me. In your praise of the finale of Breaking Bad, you found yourself feeling bit like a double-standard. In speaking of how perfect and emotionally heartbreaking you found the finale, you wrote, “In the comments section of the piece I did not write, the following sentiment would have been echoed dozens of times over: ‘What the f— do you know because you f—ed up Lost?!?’ ’’ You lamented on how your twitter feed received hateful tweets almost immediately as the credit started to roll on Walter White’s story. When reading that part I felt compelled to write you and say f— them!
F— those that are willing to perpetually bitch about the ending of Lost. To them I say, get over it. It’s been three years; find a new show to gripe about.
F— those that don’t realize what Lost did for current television! Do they realize Lost broke the mold on what serialized drama was? Before Lost, it was a villain of the week. The protagonist always seemed to be the archetype of Johnny Goodman who always had the issue of catching the bad guy by the sixth act and doing so without batting an eyelash. Additionally the only genres we had on TV were police procedurals and medical dramas, with a little courtroom drama sprinkled in there (Yes Dick Wolf you’ve given us many years of a formula that works, I admire you for that).
Before Lost, characters weren’t explored as deeply and not nearly as cared about, nor were they as international. What Lost did was tell other story tellers that you could have more than two (2) main characters and that those other stories mattered.
In The Dark Knight Alfred tells Bruce that some men aren’t looking for money, they can’t be bought. That ‘some men just want to watch the world burn’.
That is what these haters are Mr. Lindelof. They have no rhyme or reason to their hatred; they refuse to see your point because they would rather live in conflict and chaos. It’s because of that choice that you can’t/won’t get through to them.
I know that you realize this, hence the subject of your article. Yet my reason for writing is that there are those out there that appreciate what you did with not only Lost, but what you’ve done for television. You changed how stories are told; you changed how audience consume TV. You changed TV for the better.
This is just one fan’s ramblings. Hopefully it helps. I look forward to see what else you have to offer.
Sincerely,
David McGuire
