6 reasons to watch (or rewatch) Lost on Netflix

This August, Brazilian Netflix will receive the full seasons of a series that represents a lot for TV. You probably already know — because this was mentioned in the title of this article — that I'm talking about Lost.

Over the past 10 years, I've heard a lot of people tell me that it's absurd for me to consider this my favorite series. At the same time, whenever I meet someone who agrees, the conversations about how amazing the creation was are never short.

It's a fact: Lost divides opinions, and they're never mild opinions. Love it or hate it, but you're never immune to six years of mysteries, fights, intrigues, twists and romances. If you've never seen Lost or love the series and want reasons to watch it again, this article is for you. If you hate it… That's okay, it's still not a crime to be wrong. Jokes aside, let's get to the point.

1. Scripts and mysteries

From the very first episode, Lost begins to build in the minds of viewers some relationships that will be important for the entire unfolding of the plot. Each week this construction would grow with the addition of characters, previously unrevealed connections, seemingly unfounded mysteries…

And — at least for the first four seasons — the writers were pretty brilliant at making even the solutions interconnect. It's hard to talk about this without spoiling anything, but Lost won a lot of points with fans at the time for allowing viewers to come to some of the conclusions themselves.

(Reproduction/ABC)

Lost navigated the social media boom very well. All over the world, Orkut communities (yes, that was the big base at the time) discussed complex theories about each of the ends that Lost left.

If you're watching it on Netflix for the first time, just think that you'll be able to binge-watch and get to the answers much faster than we did, who had to wait week after week — season after season — for the conclusions.

2. Storytelling innovations

Lost is more than just a series about people on an island, and this is gradually revealed to you. One of the coolest features the creators brought in was the flashbacks to tell the origins of the main characters, telling how each one ended up there.

As time goes by, we begin to realize that the connections between them already existed before the takeoff of Oceanic Flight 815 and this also contributes to the generation of empathy and to understanding the complex plot that is being drawn.

(Reproduction/ABC)

In later seasons, we will still see flash-forwards that contribute greatly to cliffhangers and many other narrative devices. Lost mixes science fiction, fantasy, drama and several other genres to make the viewer laugh, cry and connect with each of those characters. Which brings us to the next point.

3. Very human characters

Perhaps Lost's greatest asset was its abandonment of archetypes that were too defined by the industry. At first glance, it's easy to define who the good guys are and who the bad guys are, mainly because the characters are presented to us with very defined actions that fit into each box.

But as the plot unfolds we realize that all these characters are much more than just villains or heroes, as they are human beings — and a dog at certain moments — full of desires, anxieties, virtues and flaws.

This means that any viewer can identify with the vigilante doctor, the loudmouth con artist, the fugitive, the pregnant woman or the former drug user. They all have something of you and they all have something that you detest.

(Reproduction/Lost)

4. Soundtrack

I'll be brief here: there are only two drama series that I've watched to date that had soundtracks that left a lasting impression on me. The first of them was Cold Case, with its choice of songs that were always very moving and that connected perfectly with the plot of each episode. The second is Lost, which has some very memorable moments that gain even more beautiful colors because of the choice of soundtrack.

“Maaaake your own kind of music!”

5. Where have I seen you before?

Many of the actors from Lost have gone on to become very successful in other series and some films. And if you, like me, are addicted to saying “wow, I’ve seen that actress in that series before”, Lost is a great choice.

There are plenty of examples. Dominic Monaghan (Charlie in Lost) will certainly remind fans of “The Lord of the Rings” of a certain hobbit named Merry. In this same universe — but in The Hobbit — we have the elf Tauriel played by Evangeline Lilly (Kate). She also appears in several MCU films as the Wasp.

(Reproduction/ABC)

For fans of “How I Met Your Mother,” Jorge Garcia (Hurley) is in the role, and after watching Lost you might even understand a little more about the jokes he makes in the episode he’s in. The list goes on and on — really long.

6. The pilot episode

Another point that doesn't need much explanation to avoid giving away spoilers. What you need to know is that the pilot episode cost between $10 million and $15 million — the highest price for a pilot at the time. It has an impeccable script, memorable performances, storytelling openings, and top-notch special effects. Give this episode a chance at least.

Bonus: Why am I going to review it, anyway?

I started watching Lost on TV. The first season aired after Jô's show, in 2006. And it worked like this: all the episodes came out between 2004 and 2005 in the United States, so the broadcast here was done with several episodes per week. In 2007 I watched the second season in the same way — with what came out between 2005 and 2006.

(Reproduction/ABC)

In the third season, I would go to my father's house to watch it on AXN, which aired the episodes less than a month after the US premiere — can you imagine something like that in 2024? I watched it almost until the end, but in the last season, Orkut theories and spoilers started to get heavy and I confess that I downloaded the episodes in RMVB because I didn't want to wait the weeks between the premiere there and ours.

A few years later, I watched it all again on Netflix — the series was back in the early 1990s. Until a month ago, I had all the DVD boxes — even though I didn't have a DVD player — and I still want to watch it again.

Every time I watch Lost, I discover new nuances and new answers. The mysteries become more interesting and the characters become more human. The plot continues to leave me wanting to know more. And that's why I'm going to watch it… again!