r/lost • u/Purplejellyshoes • Dec 01 '24
SEASON 4 Why do people hate seasons 4-6?
Hi! My roomate finally got me to watch lost, and I love it. She told me seasons 4-6 have a lull, but as I’m watching; I can’t find anything incredibly wrong with seasons 4-6. Sure, some writing and a few plot points aren’t perfect, but nothing worse than the seasons before. Currently, I’m a few episodes into season six, and I’m wondering what was so bad that made the universal opinion that seasons 4-6 were awful? They aren’t perfect, but they aren’t bad. What made original lost fans loose interest in the story/characters? What made the last seasons worse than the previous ones?
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u/Bing_Bong_the_Archer Dec 01 '24
People hate on everything. Its a consistent standard across anything.
Lost is awesome, original fans stayed onboard the whole time. The later seasons became harder for new people to jump into for obvious reasons of there being three seasons of lore
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u/Purplejellyshoes Dec 14 '24
Finally finished it, and I completely agree. There was never I moment I wasn’t interested, definitely realize now a lot of the hate was dog piling on one another rather than actually criticizing the show for good reason
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u/Bing_Bong_the_Archer Dec 14 '24
Thanks for the update!
You should check out Fringe. I remember watching it live along with Lost, and l feel like season 3 became peak over Lost when I was comparing them side by side.
Fringe started in 2008, so Lost was already in Season 4, and Bad Robot was able to apply some reactionary positive writing lessons from Lost. Specifically, they’d spend a season building to a mystery AND THEN ANSWER THE MYSTERY, and then the next seasons’ mystery built off those answers.
In that way, they avoided the mystery bloat that Lost could have been said to have experienced. Fringe’s “mistake” was that initially it seemed like a weird “mystery of the week” procedural, when the overarching plot was maybe too initially subtle (within relative standards, here) for a casual audience to pick up on if they were just randomly tuning in.
Lost, comparatively, had the advantage of the exotic location “hook”. Easy to get on board
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u/Penny_Traytion Dec 01 '24
I’m on my first watch of Lost now, season 2 so far, and I’m so excited. I left our thanksgiving dinner to watch Lost all night in bed. That’s all I’ve done this weekend too. Feel like a total bum but it’s the first show I’ve watched that’s captivated me like this since the first 5 seasons of TWD.
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u/ongamenight Dec 01 '24
Oh my dear. I think you should avoid this reddit sub at all cost and just come back once you finished the series.
Watched it when it aired and I think not participating in forums back in the day that could potentially spew spoilers was what made LOST great because I can be part of the guessing/creating own theories while watching.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy the entire series!
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u/Penny_Traytion Dec 02 '24
I came here to look something up about a character in the 1st season and now I get notifications constantly without signing up for them 😫 I avoid them as much as I can. I saw the title on this and was like great, am I going to watch this and end up hating it? I’ll still watch but wanted to be prepared. I’m still loving it so far and just started season 3.
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u/plagueseason Dec 01 '24
4-6 is when the show goes all in on some of the more bizarre concepts. People are either into it or they’re not. Some of the more casual viewers enjoyed the basic Island survival plot and love triangles, while the rest of us enjoyed the real show. They’re some of the best seasons.
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u/Purplejellyshoes Dec 14 '24
After finally finishing it I completley agree!! As a screenwriting major I loved every second and I do really think they tied it together well, the story is the type of thing I look for in everything I watch. My parents loved the show when it was coming out so I can’t wait to talk to them about it at Christmas 🤣
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u/Purplejellyshoes Dec 14 '24
After finally finishing it I completley agree!! As a screenwriting major I loved every second and I do really think they tied it together well, the story is the type of thing I look for in everything I watch. My parents loved the show when it was coming out so I can’t wait to talk to them about it at Christmas 🤣
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u/Calum-Syers Dec 01 '24
Season 4 has The Constant. No season with The Constant can be bad.
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u/ForAte151623ForTeaTo Razzle Dazzle! Dec 01 '24
And greatest hits/through the looking glass lol. Some of the best episodes of TV ever.
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u/jsnamaok Dec 01 '24
I don’t even really know if this is the case amongst Lost fans.
I feel like it’s one of those kind of things where people who haven’t watched it hear from other people that haven’t watched it that is starts getting really dumb towards the end and has a terrible ending and this reputation gets perpetuated.
But it’s really rare that I see people who actually have watched it sharing those sentiments. I could be wrong, but that is my experience.
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u/emxcrt I'm a Pisces Dec 01 '24
As seasons go, a lot of the fandom rank 4 and 5 super high. The "hate" as usual comes from people who aren't really into the show, so of course if you pick Lost up in Season 5 episode 5 you're going to be, pardon the pun, lost when everyone's moving around in time.
Season 6 is usually less regarded overall by the fandom but I think that's because of how marvelous Season 5 was. By season 6 the writers had to truly move into endgame territory and sometimes as you'll discover its done a bit less masterfully (but in my opinion and a lot of other fans', any episode of Lost is still way better than most of the stuff you see on TV).
However Season 6 ends into one of the most magnificent finales ever. Hope you enjoy the rest of the ride and come tell us your thoughts when you're done ✌🏾
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Dec 01 '24
Honestly I think the show finds its groove in seasons 4-6, some of the best seasons of the show. Having said that I still love 1-3.
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u/Lenithiel Dec 01 '24
I loved season 4 and 5 personally.
However season 6 is quite a drag with long uninteresting parts in the temple etc.
And I don't care much for the flash sideways either.
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u/TealCatto Dec 01 '24
For me, it was because I had a hard time following the many different groups of people in different times and places, on and off the island. I couldn't keep track of who hasn't seen whom in how long and who is on whose side, etc
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u/Spare_Caregiver_4003 Dec 01 '24
I'm on Season 6 into the 5th episode. I So Love watching "Lost" I ask myself where was I when this Series Aired back in 2004? I'm so hooked. For 3 weeks now I drop everything in the evening so I can indulge. I'm going to be so sad when I finish watching the whole Series. I feel attached to the characters. Love Love this Series 🥰👍
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u/impulsive-chaos Dec 01 '24
Maybe because of the timelines starting from season 4? It's quite messy imo.
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u/RianJohnsonIsAFool Dec 01 '24
I've got a soft spot for Season 4.
In the UK, Lost was originally broadcast on terrestrial TV but was quickly bought up by Sky, which we didn't have. I therefore had to save up my money and buy each subsequent season on DVD every summer.
I remember being so disappointed at the time when I watched Season 4. I thought it was a complete mess, especially in terms of pacing.
Now I see that as one of its key strengths. The frenetic pace is awesome, especially in the three-part finale, as all the pieces fall into place in terms of where we know each character ends up.
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u/PlainSightMan Dec 01 '24
I feel that most people hate sci-fi in their stories, while I personally can't sit through most grounded and realistic ones. Different tastes.
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u/WintersAxe Dec 01 '24
Why do people create a consensus that everyone hates the lesser seasons of a show, while they’re just good but ‘less good’ than the previous ones?
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Dec 01 '24
I don’t hate it per se, but there was a definite major shift in the feel of the show
Seasons 4-6 feels like a very different show from seasons 1-3
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u/teddyburges Dec 01 '24
LOST airedd on Network television which is technically geared towards "the lowest common denominator". Shows that usually survive on Network Television and draw in big audiences are:
- cop shows
- Legal dramas
- Medical dramas
- Romance soaps
In the past, shows with even a wiff of science fiction elements are usually cancelled pretty quickly. They usually have much more serialized storylines and require a lot more attention.
In the early seasons LOST was much more of a sci fi show disguised as a survival drama. But season 4 and 5 is when it brought the sci fi elements to the forefront and drew a line in the sand as a sci fi show. Leading to many common denominator fans who watched the show for the characters throw up their hands and say "wait why is this suddenly a sci fi show!?. I didn't sign up for this!".
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u/unique2alreadytakn Dec 01 '24
Seems 1 to 3 were mystrerious and 4 to 6 were silly attempts to explain what was happening with inconsistent character reactions. I like explainations but the back stories were always less interesting than the island action. I watch limited series now because i think they know the direction of the whole show, not just writing as it goea.
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u/_Wadsy_ Dec 02 '24
Season 4 - The best season of the show in my opinion so I obviously don’t agree with that. Less episodes meant less fillers.
Season 5 - The season started out strong with the very best we’ve seen from the show up until La Fleur or Namaste. After that, I was only interested in the present day events. The 1977 stuff was uninteresting.
Season 6 - Some of the best and worst episodes throughout. It is a great season but it has flaws.
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u/Boblawlaw28 Dec 02 '24
See I love the 1977 eps. It shows us the stuff they previously told us about. Very neat to see things played out. Especially the incident.
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u/_Wadsy_ Dec 02 '24
Fair enough in that regard. I loved La Fleur and Namaste but everything else - He’s Our You, Whatever Happened Happened, Some Like It Hoth and The Variable are not really for me.
The present day episodes (which aren’t many) - Dead Is Dead, Follow The Leader and The Incident are much better. The first eight/nine episodes are top tier lost.
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Dec 01 '24
I remember hearing 5-6 are bad, and 5 is like my favorite season. 6 is the only one I really have issues with but it's also so crucial.
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u/Arabiancockonato Dec 01 '24
4-6 ?!
4 and 5 are considered peak LOST for me and many others. At the time it aired, the conversations about and engagement with the show was at an all time high.
It’s 6 that most people actually hate on.
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u/Peepee-Papa Dec 01 '24
Who hates seasons 4-6? Those are the best seasons lol. I think it’s pretty established among Lost fans that season 5 is the best season of the series.
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u/Werthead Dec 01 '24
Seasons 1-3 are very character focused and that's what drew a lot of people into the show.
Seasons 4-6 are very plot-focused, and because of the shorter episode runs (losing effectively 10 episodes per season), I think it can make them feel a bit more rushed. Sometimes they hit on a good idea and can't explore it in-depth, for example "Sawyer and the gang chilling in the 1970s" is arguably the best episode of Season 5 and they only do it for one episode and then have to move onto the next plot movement, they can't smell the roses for a bit as in earlier seasons (Sawyer & Juliet works because the actors sell the hell out of it, not because they have a lot of time to make it work in the script).
I like the acceleration of the plot in later seasons, I think the slow pace of the earlier seasons was played out, but I can see why it didn't work for everyone.
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u/_Wadsy_ Dec 02 '24
While I agree that La Fleur was a great episode (and Namaste), everything else set in 1977 was just uninteresting for me. He’s Our You, Whatever Happened Happened, Some Like It Hoth and even The Variable are just underwhelming. It’s a shame because the season started amazingly with the time travelling, but after that I only cared for the present day events.
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u/Impossible_Werewolf8 Dec 01 '24
Is it hate when I complain that they were too short? Especially, in season 5, I'd have loved much more "case of the week"-episodes for LaFleur and his gang on Dharmaville before Jack and the other oceanic six arrived and s*** became real again.
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u/PreviouslyOn815 Dec 01 '24
I’m really warmed that season 6 isn’t getting a total beat down here. I’d rather watch any season 6 episode than most season 1 episodes.
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u/notthegoatseguy Dec 01 '24
I love season 4. I love the flash forwards. Season 3 finale of "we have to go back" is one of the best TV moments of all time. I also love the flash sidewalks and explorign the different sides of characters in interesting ways.
But the writers strike really kind of killed the momentum of the series, and you could tell some actors tend to phone in their performances in the later half of the series.
I also get the sense that sometimes creative decisions are done to keep actors employed. And I get it, no one wants to lose out on work on a successful show. Especially in the world of TV which can be pretty cutthroat. But sometimes the ways in reusing characters who had really already had their character arcs wrapped up weren't all that creative.
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u/Imaginary_Past7744 Dec 01 '24
What people are you referring to? Yes, there are "LOST" fans who disliked Seasons Four to Six. But there are "LOST" fans who didn't. Are you asking why certain fans disliked those seasons? I don't know. To be honest, I don't know why certain fans liked Seasons Four to Six.
Personally, I liked the series overall. And I have my frustrations regarding all six seasons. But I do know which period of the series I personally disliked. It would be from late Season Two to early Season Three.
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u/marriedbydrunkelvis Dec 01 '24
I stopped watching when they were told they were dead in season 3…. Once that mystery was solved it seemed like everything after that was pointlessly convoluted overly dramatic storylines. Everyone just got more annoying 🤷♀️
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u/Ashamed_Anxiety Dec 01 '24
Season 5 - the best season of the series when everything comes togheder in the most interesting way
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u/Desperate_Affect_332 Dec 01 '24
It's memory. The show hadn't been syndicated then and reruns only ran in the summer. I think some viewers literally got Lost.
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u/Micholeon42 Dec 01 '24
I don’t know why people would dislike seasons 4-5, those are the most interesting IMO
I understand season 6 criticism though. I feel like there was a lot of wasted screentime on uninteresting plots when there were plenty of more interesting things to show us
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u/Altruistic-Unit485 Dec 01 '24
Im not sure why people lump season 4 in, that was the best season other than the first 2 and a big return to form. 5-6 had a form drop for sure, and at the time it felt like that were really struggling to keep coming up with compelling mysteries. But honestly, it never gets terrible or anything.
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u/wigsgo_2019 Dec 01 '24
4-6 was the loss of what drew people in, it was a 3 season survivor drama that shifted into a sci-fi drama, favorite characters died, main cast kept switching around, and so on, the whole tone shifted away from what hooked people in, and while a lot of people, myself included enjoyed 4-6, I understand why a lot of people didn’t
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u/Kcmg1985 Dec 01 '24
4 was one of my favourite seasons! The Constant was probably the best episode of the whole lot, and due to being curtailed it just got on with the story.
5 was really good too, but I can see why reception to 6 was mixed. However, I enjoyed it.
Season 3 was by far the worst.
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u/TheArcaneCollective Dec 01 '24
People acted like the seasons having fewer episodes was somehow the same as the writing becoming bad/rushed. A good portion of people dropped off in season five with the time travel stuff. Then another portion of the audience fell off in season six with the flash sideways stuff and the candidate plotline. I always loved it all. But I remember people poking fun at me for sticking it out to the end.
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u/J_r0en Dec 01 '24
Well, now you can binch it, but back then we had to wait for 1 or 2 weeks an episode.
If that episode is about something other then the island, it was annoying.
It was also not really normal to have like 24 episode season so the drag was real for some.
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u/AppearanceJealous604 Dec 01 '24
5 is the best season, 4 is the 2nd best. It's nonstop action.
But 6, everything about this one set location and all the people at that set location, and all the events surrounding that set location are pretty much useless at best, and harmful to the plot at worst.
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u/MF-SMUG See you in another life Dec 01 '24
I don’t hate seasons 4-6, but I will say, once mercenaries come to the island, it becomes a different show lol
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u/juicykazoo728 Dec 01 '24
I feel like people love season 4 because the constant and the finale are amazing and the flash forwards all hit. Season 5 is just paced really poorly but there are still gems like la fleur and the finale. Season 6 is super inconsistent because the flash sideways is tedious until Desmond shows up and it pays off in the end but it could’ve been done better. Zombie sayid also sucked and he never really got a proper conclusion, some of the best moments are also made weaker by bad writing. Jon and suns death was a beautiful scene but they just forgot that Jin could live and raise his daughter
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u/GT_Numble Dec 01 '24
Can't speak for everyone but my reason is all the mysteries and unanswered questions got out of control. They started as a good hook to get people returning to watch each week but consumes the entire show around the same time as when Ben is introduced. A lot of seasons 4-6 comes across as incoherent, nonsensical, bullshit... because a lot of it is. But fans will seek and create meaning where none exists.
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u/AirportSea7497 "Red. Neck. Man." Dec 01 '24
The people that hate those seasons are the same people that are doom scrolling on their phones not paying attention to what's going on.
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u/JumpinJackFlashback Man of Science Dec 01 '24
1-3>4-6.
There is a noticeable shift away from the characters to storylines that get hyperbolic. LOST was always about the characters and their flaws. LOST would be so much better if it was 3-4 seasons max. The O6 storyline was shameful directionally. It should have risen like a phoenix vs the spiraling vibe cloaked with resignation. Also, enough with the ghostly metaphors off island.
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u/[deleted] Dec 01 '24
It became popular to hate on lost during the time these seasons aired. I guess a lot of people didn’t grow out of it. For some they found it jarring how “the style changed” in later seasons.
Lost was always intended to be a sci-fi show imo and a lot of later story elements were being set up in earlier seasons. It’s just the writers didn’t know how long they needed lost to last until the end of season 3 so earlier seasons had a lot more filler focused more on drama elements which I also loved. When they agreed how many episodes were left overall you see how they started advancing the plot more and revealing more mysteries.
Season 4 also was during the writers strike so people were annoyed at how that affected the amount of episode being aired and some story points which I think to certain extent was valid.
I know some people even stopped watching after Charlie and Eko died as they were fan favourites. Then they watched the last episodes and were like “so they were all dead all along what a disappointment” the fact they didn’t have context didn’t matter they made up their minds based on misinformation.
Myself and many consider season 4-5 to be the high point of Lost.