Mark Watches ‘Lost’: One of Them

Thank you to my new friend Megan, who I had the pleasure of meeting whilst on tour in Texas. After many LOST discussions, it was clear I needed to revisit the very first episode of this show that I’d ever seen: “One of Them.”

The video file for “One of Them” is available for download here, and all Mark Watches videos are indexed in my Dropbox.

• Sorry that this is late! I had a ton of errands to run this morning, including trying to find a new water filter. Apparently the greater Bay Area is COMPLETELY OUT OF THEM EVERYWHERE. What the hell?
• Anyway, I also wanted to remind y’all that two unscheduled commissions went up this weekend! One was for the unaired pilot of Dollhouse, and the other was for the independent fantasy thriller Ink.
• NOW, ON TO LOST. So, if you don’t watch the video for this, I’ll repeat what I said there. In 2005, my roommates were obsessed with this show. I routinely heard them say that it was the greatest show currently airing. One of my roommates was a huge fan of The X-Files as well, and when she compared it to my holy gospel of television, I didn’t get interested. I got mad. HOW DARE SHE COMPARE ANYTHING TO THE BEST SHOW OF ALL TIME. HOW DARE SHE. It got to a point where I’d refuse to listen to them talk about the show, and I’d make a point to not be home when a new episode aired.
• (This was during a particular period in my life where I assumed all television shows were evil cesspools of mediocrity, which is a terrible thing that I am glad I grew out of.)
• Finally, the other roommate sat me down and said that I could not talk shit on a show I hadn’t seen. I conceded the point and agreed to watch the next episode just to get a taste of it. This was the episode that aired that night. OH MY GOD, IT WAS THE BEST POSSIBLE ONE TO WATCH.
• “My name is Sayid Jarrah, and I am a torturer.” WELL, SIGN ME THE FUCK UP.
• Truthfully, there were multiple moments that drew me in. Michael Emerson’s performance. That countdown with the Egyptian symbols. The use of flashbacks as a storytelling device and as a way to build character. The acknowledgment of the tropes and stereotypes assumed because of who Sayid was. Sayid.
• I’ll always have a lot of affection for this show because it made me realize my opinions of television were awful. I got into The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, and The Prisoner not long after starting LOST, and it helped me find some fantastic writing in the medium.
• F E E L I N G S