This isn't LOST at all since-spoilers-the whole thing is a highly organized and planned social experiment being observed 24/7. It's more like the Stanford Prison Experiment, but without consent of the observed. If LOST involved cameras and scientists watching the whole thing, then I clearly missed the whole point of that show. To illustrate my point, they didn't even really crash a plane! It was staged. The "survivors" only think the plane has crashed based on the crap they find washed up on shore and listening to a staged black box flight recorder. After that, they are dependent on "whatever the ocean delivers," but this isn't exactly LOST. It felt more like Naked and Afraid to me (but 8 of the 9 girls don't know that's what it is, nor did they consent to it).
To those questing how all these girls could coincidentally have so much trauma in their history, were we watching the same show? The experimenter says many times throughout the first season that each girl was chosen specifically for these qualities in their backstory! That was by design. Why ... I guess it contributes to their individual psychology, but that isn't fully elucidated (in this first season). Based on a few snipits of the main researcher, I think she believes this is a revolutionary method for treating PTSD and is thus helping these girls to move past roadblocks in their personal development ... like the diver's bulemia, the orphan's rage and rez dancer's denial. I mean isn't that how she sells this all-girl "summer camp" to the parents as a way for the girls to self-actualize, make lasting friendships and enjoy their youth? Perhaps they are leaving these questions for season two when they compare results of the experiment to the Lord of the Flies "control group" of all boys ...
Big diversity points to the writers: I loved the decision to include two Rez girls with what appears to be a realistic portrayal of their backgrounds. I so rarely see Native American stories told in mainstream dramas ...
I have so many questions of my own because the writing was purposefully vague on the island choosing to focus on the girls backstories:
(1) Why are the experimenters worried about Martha's parents suing? Did she die? They never show her in a post-rescue interview, but they also end the first season before everyone is rescued ...
(2) Shark attack? Really. If that's on day 23 (episode 10), then how long have they been at the post-rescue center? Rachel's injury looked completely healed when she's being interviewed and that has got to take months ...
(3) What is with Takis chips? Never heard of them, but the show makes them look like crack. They are referred to several times in different characters backstories and on the island.
(4) What is with Leah obsessing over the 30-something writer who is naive enough to believe she's 18? This relationship is just so hard for me to buy unless both Leah and Jason have some other baggage they aren't showing us ... like what's Leah's relationship with her father? Why don't we see any of her family life? Why would a 30-something man hang out with a teen girl over and over again? Her parents clearly love her and are concerned about how depressed she's been so I feel like her backstory is really shallow and unbelievable. Why would a girl be that depressed and lovelorn over a guy unless there's something else wrong? This needed more for me to buy it. (The actress was great at being melodramatic, obsessive and suspicious-my criticism is only directed at the writing of her character.)
(5) What did they eat until Day 20 exactly seeing as they had only gone two days without food when Martha killed the goat? They mentioned bags of macadamia nuts and gathered fruit, plus Janette's protein bars, and obviously the tainted mussels, which made them worse off than if they had skipped them altogether. How come they weren't more gaunt and low in energy if that's all they'd been eating?! I've watched enough Naked and Afraid to know that you have to eat some protein or you start going crazy after 5-7 days and are delirious by day 10.
(6) Why is Shelby going into anaphylactic shock in the last episode? They should know that she can't eat shellfish! Did she do this on purpose since they mention she's been despondent and angry since rescue? ... all out of character for the perpetually cheerful and optimistic Christian pageant Queen.
Overall I give the first season 6 stars. I will watch the second season-if they make it-if only to see what happens next. This definitely held my interest, and with a few small changes I think it could have been a solid 8/10. I would have liked to see a little more of what happened on the island with a more streamlined look at each girls trauma backstory. Additionally I think they could have advanced the ending of season one to a better point ... when it ended I felt like saying out loud that's it?! It didn't resolve much of any of the conflicts created except that I know how Rachel lost her hand. Too many unanswered questions for a full 10-episode series.
To those questing how all these girls could coincidentally have so much trauma in their history, were we watching the same show? The experimenter says many times throughout the first season that each girl was chosen specifically for these qualities in their backstory! That was by design. Why ... I guess it contributes to their individual psychology, but that isn't fully elucidated (in this first season). Based on a few snipits of the main researcher, I think she believes this is a revolutionary method for treating PTSD and is thus helping these girls to move past roadblocks in their personal development ... like the diver's bulemia, the orphan's rage and rez dancer's denial. I mean isn't that how she sells this all-girl "summer camp" to the parents as a way for the girls to self-actualize, make lasting friendships and enjoy their youth? Perhaps they are leaving these questions for season two when they compare results of the experiment to the Lord of the Flies "control group" of all boys ...
Big diversity points to the writers: I loved the decision to include two Rez girls with what appears to be a realistic portrayal of their backgrounds. I so rarely see Native American stories told in mainstream dramas ...
I have so many questions of my own because the writing was purposefully vague on the island choosing to focus on the girls backstories:
(1) Why are the experimenters worried about Martha's parents suing? Did she die? They never show her in a post-rescue interview, but they also end the first season before everyone is rescued ...
(2) Shark attack? Really. If that's on day 23 (episode 10), then how long have they been at the post-rescue center? Rachel's injury looked completely healed when she's being interviewed and that has got to take months ...
(3) What is with Takis chips? Never heard of them, but the show makes them look like crack. They are referred to several times in different characters backstories and on the island.
(4) What is with Leah obsessing over the 30-something writer who is naive enough to believe she's 18? This relationship is just so hard for me to buy unless both Leah and Jason have some other baggage they aren't showing us ... like what's Leah's relationship with her father? Why don't we see any of her family life? Why would a 30-something man hang out with a teen girl over and over again? Her parents clearly love her and are concerned about how depressed she's been so I feel like her backstory is really shallow and unbelievable. Why would a girl be that depressed and lovelorn over a guy unless there's something else wrong? This needed more for me to buy it. (The actress was great at being melodramatic, obsessive and suspicious-my criticism is only directed at the writing of her character.)
(5) What did they eat until Day 20 exactly seeing as they had only gone two days without food when Martha killed the goat? They mentioned bags of macadamia nuts and gathered fruit, plus Janette's protein bars, and obviously the tainted mussels, which made them worse off than if they had skipped them altogether. How come they weren't more gaunt and low in energy if that's all they'd been eating?! I've watched enough Naked and Afraid to know that you have to eat some protein or you start going crazy after 5-7 days and are delirious by day 10.
(6) Why is Shelby going into anaphylactic shock in the last episode? They should know that she can't eat shellfish! Did she do this on purpose since they mention she's been despondent and angry since rescue? ... all out of character for the perpetually cheerful and optimistic Christian pageant Queen.
Overall I give the first season 6 stars. I will watch the second season-if they make it-if only to see what happens next. This definitely held my interest, and with a few small changes I think it could have been a solid 8/10. I would have liked to see a little more of what happened on the island with a more streamlined look at each girls trauma backstory. Additionally I think they could have advanced the ending of season one to a better point ... when it ended I felt like saying out loud that's it?! It didn't resolve much of any of the conflicts created except that I know how Rachel lost her hand. Too many unanswered questions for a full 10-episode series.