We watched the premiere of LOST last night. I wasn't disappointed. There were plenty of bloodied people screaming other bloodied people's names. Plenty of incomplete, cryptic dialogue. Plenty of shots where the camera didn't show a key person in the frame so you were left to guess who he/she was. And plenty of Sawyer and Juliet drama, WHICH I DON'T BUY FOR A SECOND, thank you very much.
All in all, it looks like we've got a great setup for the final season, with parallel (?) timelines. I have to admit, I am really intrigued by the timeline where the plane didn't crash. Seeing Charlie and Kate and Sawyer again in all their unredeemed turpitude was moving. So was seeing Jack and Desmond and Sayid wallowing in all their untested potential. It was also nice to get a glimpse of the old Locke, before we knew what a crazy rascal he would turn out to be.
The thing is, though, as much as I like the show - and I like it very much - it will never be as cool as it used to be. That's because no matter what the Big Answers are, no matter what resolution the show comes to that will resolve all our questions, it can never match up with the expectations we all had. An unseen monster that made clicking noises and knocked down palm trees? A four-toed statue? Polar bears in a tropical jungle? In those early seasons, I was sure there was going to be a cohesive explanation for all of these things, and it was going to be oh so terribly AWESOME.
But now I realize that there's no way the show's resolution can live up to that hype. The mystery will remain more intriguing than the answers could ever be.
So I've accepted that fact and moved on, ready to appreciate whatever the show gives me as best as I can. How about you?