So Lost is mid-way through its second season, and I think I’ve finally come to grips with the show’s very unusual dynamic. I have a very love/hate relationship with it, mainly because I know it can be brilliant (see ep. “Walkabout”), but it sometimes doesn’t live up to that potential. This is partially because the show takes its
sweet time moving the greater plot along, and in true X-Files fashion we get more questions than we do answers by the end of an episode.
Despite Lost’s inability to satisfy me with the island mystery, the flashbacks, on the other hand, tend to be far more compelling. I love how the show wraps up these character’s histories and integrates them into the island’s mysteries. There’s no doubt that what has happened to these characters before they got on the island is much more interesting than their new island life.
The flashbacks are impressive not only because they are integrated well with the current timeline, but they also turn the show into a very unique multi-genre platform. Just look at the background stories for some of the main characters: Kate’s story is a very rich fugitive tale, Jack’s a dramatic hospital procedural, Jin’s an asian gangster story, and Sawyer’s a revenge flick. That the show can juggle all of these different genres, and handle them well, is cause enough for my affection. I only hope they can figure out a better way to satisfy the audience with the greater mystery.
Unlike the X-Files, this show can’t simply fall back on an episodic crutch, that is telling individual tales in a few episodes and ignoring the greater plot. Lost needs to keep the larger story arc interesting while fleshing out the individuals on the island, I only hope they find their rythm soon enough. We don’t want this turning into another Alias. I’m glad J.J. Abrams is only a co-creator to this show mainly because it won’t suffer as much if he ignores it like he did Alias 
