My crash course in Lost last summer probably makes my perspective on the show a unique one. While most of you toiled and questioned the show’s numerous “wtf?”s for over three years, I watched all 70 episodes in a third as many days. Lost currently ranks high on my list of favorites. My excitement to actually watch it unfold in real time (the way I think serial TV is best enjoyed) is immeasurable. Most agree that the series has seen its share of awesome highs and desperate lows since its 2004 debut, but for me there is no question that this past season (its 2007 installment in particular) saw the show at its strongest. My bizarre rationale for this assessment: Juliet Burke.
I often feel like the only person who is completely obsessed with her. For me, she’s the most interesting and dynamic character the show has yet to offer. My major obstacle with Lost was that I had a hard time getting into the survivors of Oceanic flight 815. You have to try to love them. This may be a failure on their part and it may just be my own laziness, but it was enough to keep me from watching until the demise of Veronica Mars left my TV roster mystery-deficient. Juliet hasn’t just fueled my interest in “the others” and the origins of the island, she’s made me care about Jack again. I’d sort of written him off as the same old Party of Five whiner, but his lust for the morally ambiguous Juliet (combined with his dismissal of the seriously not that swoonworthy Kate) has put our noble lead back in my favor. The first thing I’d like to see in this season’s potentially flash-forward-tastic season? Juliet’s role in Jack’s melodramatic descent into alcoholism.
You’re not the only one obsessed with her. I truly think she’s the reason why I enjoyed the third season so much.
I’m shocked this is so high on the list. Shocked…