By AJ Grillo

May 23, 2011

It is time to revisit an old friend, not that this friend has ever been far from my thoughts. I am speaking of Lost. We are one year removed from the series finale, and websites and chat rooms all over the world are doing a re-watch of the finale. Lost was an amazing roller coaster ride of mystery and intrigue. It made us think; we could play along with the cast of characters in trying to figure out what was going on. A few times from season four on I was afraid that the journey was going to be better than the destination. Was I right? Possibly. Then again, why did it matter?

Lost kept us riveted for six years. I myself had the honor of being there for the beginning of the "web mazes." Lost related fan sites popped up everywhere, not to mention all the official online content. This was the first time that a show had bridged the gap of television and internet so flawlessly. Even when Lost was on hiatus we still had plenty of online content to mess with to keep us occupied.

However, after awhile it seemed Lost had presented too many questions for them to all be answered: what's the smoke monster, what are the whispers, who are The Others, and hundreds more. But none so prolific as the line that became the benchmark of the show uttered by Charlie in season one, "Guys, where are we?" Did Lost answer the many, many questions presented? Some yes. Were we happy with some of those answers, mostly not.

In the end, it didn't matter. Lost was not about the island per se. Yes, the island itself was a character, but the show was a character driven show about survivors of a plane crash who happened to be on a mystical island with unusual abilities. The characters themselves were "lost" in life, not just on the island. It was about redemption and finding themselves.

For an hour each week you could cuddle up with the Losties and enjoy their journey and forget about life for awhile. It was fun to get immersed into the insanity that was Lost. Then it ended and we were left with a feeling of loss. Some felt cheated, others indifferent; I myself was content. Not the ending I expected, but I could live with it.

So here we are a year later, looking for the next Lost. Sadly it does not work that way. Lost didn't happen because it was planned. It grew into greatness because of it's fans. Without the enthusiasm from the fans, I don't think Lost would have become what it is today. There will never be another Lost; it was unique. That's not to say that another show can't captivate the audience the same way.

I for one will always hold a special place in my heart for Lost. I met my future wife in a Lost chat room. She walked down the aisle at our wedding to "There's No Place Like Home" (by Michael Giacchino). Lost is a part of my life and always will be. So was the journey better than the destination? For the show itself, I believe so. But it doesn't really matter, because I believe that the journey of Lost is still alive and well today, and will be ten years from now.