Re: I disagree with your disagreement - Edit 1
Before modification by Zalis at 15/03/2011 08:35:35 PM
I don't think it was a character-driven show at all. Sure, there was some character development there, but the driver of the show was the mystery of the island. Almost everything that happened was based on the characters either trying to find out the mystery or trying to get off the island.
Not every episode moved the Island plot forward, but every episode did center around a specific character's past or future. To me, that made it more about the characters than anything else.
I like good writing. I really like shows that have a good story with a bit of clever humor. Whether that involves character development doesn't matter to me. Action is irrelevant to me.
So, you're not looking for good characters. See, was that so hard to admit?
I did enjoy watching Lost, however. I kept watching to see what was so special about the island.
That's my point. You're not into characters. That's okay, too. It's just that LOST was very much about the characters, even to the point of sacrificing plot progression. I think that's part of what angered and annoyed the Island viewer camp.
But it was a soap opera, the way it was presented, just a rather unique one. The characters so often left thoughts unsaid and actions undone, that they didn't accomplish anything in regards to their relationships with the other characters. Their individuals stories didn't move along at a normal pace, thus leaving the audience hanging on the cliff, so they'll tune in next time to see when such and such will finally happen. It's a typical soap opera device.
So, was 24 a soap opera, then? To me, it seems to be the guiltiest party on TV if "tune in next week" hooks are the signs of soap.
I also enjoyed Battlestar Galactica... another show that has been maligned with the "soap opera" claim at times. I'll give you this: both LOST & BSG had undesirable love triangles in certain seasons. (Apollo/Starbuck/whats-his-face, Jack/Kate/Sawyer) THOSE, I can agree with as soapy and annoying moments. Stupid, plot-harming love melodrama. Would I then characterize the whole show as that, though? Nah. The respectable and significant romances we saw, Desmond/Penny and Adama/Roslin, were to each show's benefit, IMO.