Next week is looking like a good one for TV. Not only have the NBA playoffs been good, but both season finale's of "24" and "Lost" are coming in the form of two-hour specials. My goal of going to the gym three times a week is having a tough time these days...
With "24", we pretty much know that the tragedy du jour will come to some sort of a conclusion by the end of the season. That's the way the whole show has been built all along. As infamous as the show has been for giving episode-ending cliffhangers, they haven't pulled any similar stunts at the end of each season, with the (sort of) exception of the assassin trying to take out President David Palmer at the end of season one.
But "Lost" is another matter. Last night's episode seemed to be little more than a warm-up for next week's finale, setting up a clash with the "others". The preview was saying all kinds of stuff like "your questions answered" and "possible rescue", the latter obviously referring to the boat that washed up on shore at the end of last night's installment. You almost got the sense they were going to try to wrap up the whole show, or at least make you think it could happen.
As much as I love "Lost", I'm not so sure it wouldn't be a really cool idea. I was bummed when Michael Jordan retired the first time, until I realized how cool it was for him to pull the plug when he was the undisputed Master of the Universe. Of course he screwed that all up. Barry Sanders and Jim Brown didn't, and now they've cemented legendary status the same way that James Dean and Marilyn Monroe did by checking out at or near their primes. Heck, Dean only made three movies. Three flicks and three million posters...
If "Lost" really did finish things off, it would fend off the bug that utterly wasted "The X-Files". It would rival "Fawlty Towers"--another short-lived series--for all-time "best show" status, even among the stingy critics. It might--actually definitely--be disappointing for fans, but in the end would be the ultimate way to go out in style.
Do I think it's going to happen?
Nope.
But that's fine. I think they should pull the plug after season three.
