The Greatest Unsolved Mystery in Television History (SOLVED)

TV shows often introduce mysteries that don't get resolved, and this can be for a variety of reasons. Thankfully, these mysteries don't tend to ruin the show as a whole. That said, there is one show that TV fandom tends to point to as the prime offender when it comes to introducing mysteries and not giving them explicit answers. That is LOST. In its defense, most of the mysteries of LOST do have answers, but they are answers you have to intuit for yourself. Today, I want to focus in one what I believe is not just LOST's biggest mystery, but what might be the greatest mystery in the history of the television medium.
Inside a Mind's Video on The Lost Experience: • The Lost Experience - ...
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SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 15 OF SEASON 6:
I am of the belief that the light that sits at the heart of the island is the divine force of fate that is orchestrating everybody's life. It is why Locke says that the "island brought them there" in the Season 1 Finale. That is where the electromagnetic fluctuations come from. The DHARMA Initiative are manipulating the electromagnetism coming from the light to alter their fate.

[@leperface]

Lost was really fun when it aired. Talking with everyone at work about the previous episode, and their theories about what was going to happen was great. I really enjoyed seeing their eyes light up with excitement.

[@HeatherHolt]

There was something exciting about having to wait a week between episode instead of binging back to back. It’s a reason I love severance on Apple TV. In between episodes I’m all over Reddit and YT with others trying to come up with ideas of what’s happening next week.

[@gokux75]

I remember going to the lost wiki during computer class and reading the pages trying to find clues. After each episode I would run to the Lost Myspace community and talk about the show. My family watched the show too, but it was great to talk about with so many people online. A few years ago I showed my girlfriend Lost for the first time and she loved it, but I constantly reminded her that watching this show while it aired and having to wait a week for a new episode or months for a new season was part of the experience.

[@thestrangechannelofjeff7426]

It makes me miss the 2000's

[@morgantrias3103]

The fact Hurley's bad luck stopped once he was on the island always made a sort of cosmic sense but this really explains it.

[@angrydrunkengerman2819]

This also follows the theory that we all have a divine fate with a purpose. The further we get from our intended path (order) the less we are guided by purpose or fate and the more negative the outcomes (disorder.) If there is a divine being who has a plan, and we all have a part to play to ensure a positive outcome for everyone, the further we get from that plan and that order the more disorderly and negative the outcomes of our actions. Think of it like planting seeds. If you plant seeds in the optimal setting in an orderly and properly spaced fashion all the plants grow to their optimal size. If you don't follow an optimal order to planting the seeds you are more likely to have negative outcomes. What's creepy is you can test this in real life and you will start to see coincidences unfold one after another, after another, after another. Just by being charitable, kind, and friendly to others. That simple. Try it.

[@jbear3478]

It only led him to misery. Love Hurley

[@jbear3478]

It= his lottery win

[@winningsince1992]

I never thought of it as Hurleys bad luck. More an extention of his good luck. Everything that happened was good for him just bad for those around him.

[@morgantrias3103]

@@winningsince1992 well it could be argued to be good luck for Hurley, but only if you consider money to be the only important thing. Which he does not.

[@wizcatcheslightning]

John Locke gets a lot of unwarranted hate. Sawyer was a better leader than Jack quite often. And I still miss Charlie.

[@maxderrat]

Sawyer had a really fascinating redemption arc throughout the series. Going from the untameable outlaw to becoming a loving and supportive husband of Juliette... usually giving into his darker side but constantly trying to be better. And yeah, Charlie's death was the one that hit me the most on the show.

[@veretos7]

Back when I watched the series I started to get the impression that John Locke was actually the main character. And then later in school I found out that John Locke was actually a very influential philosopher in the 1600s and a lot of the shows themes revolve around his ideas

[@video-luver769]

"Not Penny's Boat."

[@HeatherHolt]

Loche was like the Mulder of the island. Jack was a bully and annoying. Sawyer had more empathy and heart than jack. I never liked Kate tho. I think my favorite character besides loche was Desmond at the end of the day lol

[@soccerandtrack10]

@@HeatherHolt "the rest up to you..." assasins creed 2.

[@morskiyef8999]

I'd love to see you talking more about lost and it's misteries. Considering how you explore meaningful themes, it's perfect for the channel.

[@HyperDefective]

I have never seen LOST. Until now, all I knew about it is that it was a show about a bunch of people stranded on an island, and it had a really divisive ending. This video made me realize that it's apparently much more than that, and that I should probably check it out lol

[@tiki_trash]

@@HyperDefective If you like mysteries and sci-fi you really should check out the series. I got hooked on it, that's for sure. It's one of the greatest TV series ever, in my opinion even better than the X-Files and I really like the X-Files. The acting and drama is fantastic. The ending really pissed me off though.

[@HyperDefective]

@@tiki_trash Yeah honestly it sounds right up my alley. And X-Files is amazing, so I know I can trust your opinion lol

[@kuhpunkt]

@@tiki_trash Why did it piss you off?

[@wasdwasdedsf]

@@kuhpunkt really philosophical, flimsy, unconclusive and people generally didnt find or werent satisfied with the answers other than that my favourite show of all time, the wonderful mysteries were so fascinating to me

[@ExtraBulla]

Fun fact: If you add the numbers together, they add up to 108...as in "enter the numbers every 108 seconds".

[@HeatherHolt]

I watched Lost on dvd from Blockbuster while laying in a hospital bed in my living room and wheeling myself around in a wheelchair due to a wreck where I shattered my pelvis. For 6 months I was like that. And watching Lost was my relief from the pain, boredom, anxiety, depression, frustration. It holds a special place in my heart. Would love a deep dive! The constant is peak television. As was The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham.

[@ShadowFireXX]

The Constant wins best episode. John's cyclical journey of meaning and being 'special' felt like a (Shakespearian?) tragedy to me. What did you feel?

[@prestonrutherford873]

I always thought the numbers representing a kind of cosmic interconnected determinism was obvious to anyone paying attention. I think a good chunk of the audience got too caught up in waiting for specifc scenes to spoonfeed answers, despite it being clear the writers were more concerned with making the story *dramatically* satisfying, rather than *logistically* so. Awesome video, would be interested in more Lost analyses.

[@choriz0213]

Wadiyatalkinabeet

[@jbear3478]

The numbers are the ultimate candidates at the end, right? Kate, Jack, Sawyer, Jin (i think it's Jin because he's taken off the plane and Sun isn't, also Sun becomes a mother which made Kate lose her candidacy initially), Hugo, who am I missing

[@TheJatonEffect]

I would absolutely love more deep dives on LOST. It's rare to see them these days and I don't want this show to die out.

[@kuhpunkt]

I did a deep dive on the creation of the show. It's on my channel if you're interested.

[@antigrav6004]

I first watched lost on DVD and I loved it right up until that final episode that kinda soured me on the whole thing. It felt like we opened the box and inside was a big foam question mark that popped out without a real explanation.

[@kuhpunkt]

@@antigrav6004 What's the problem with the final episode?

[@TheJatonEffect]

I didn't get that vibe at all and never really understood the hate it got. I can't imagine it ending any differently. The only thing that upset me was when characters started dying in S6 (particularly Sayid and the Kwons) I felt like it was fine because they were still alive in this alternate universe so the emotional weight of their deaths didn't actually hit me.

[@kattnap92]

I agree!

[@andrewbevan3933]

My wife and I never got cable TV and literally hadn’t watched any TV shows for about 20 years until getting Netflix. The first show we watched was Lost, and quickly learned what “binge watching” meant. We just couldn’t stop. We’ve watched a lot of good shows since, but Lost set the standard for sheer addictiveness that is as yet unmatched.

[@tonnentonie2767]

Goddamn, I just looked on Netflix if they have the show but of course not.

[@BigballsTerrence]

​@@tonnentonie2767Torrents man. They're free tok

[@mojonojo3]

Obligated positive comments about usual excellent insight

[@ThornWolf1]

Obligatory response in agreement with astute observation for aforementioned insight.

[@brogamin179]

Obligatory negative comment claiming your bots and insulting your families.

[@austinorlando4326]

Dido

[@TheNinjaStuff]

​@@austinorlando4326Her tea's gone cold.

[@pyrex-fission]

Hearing the words "Season 2 Episode 22" is INSANE to me now. I can't believe shows used to follow those ridiculous episode numbers. Can you imagine now a show like The White Lotus having 24 Episodes? lol

[@BigballsTerrence]

I don't think there's many shows that aren't like a CSI/ cartoon that have over 12 eps per season. IMO the 20+ eps were perfect for Lost. It's actually the later shorter seasons people don't like as much. If a show has a story to tell I'm all for as many episodes as they need.

[@BigballsTerrence]

Like Game of Thrones S8 easily could of done with 20+ episodes to actually flesh out the story.

[@meerkat_ultra]

Phenomenal work. I loved LOST. It was the last true show my family watched together every episode and call each other to talk about it. Very special. Please talk more about it. You’re already one of my favorites who inspires me, so I would love to hear more on LOST.

[@ankuriboh]

I like LittleKuriboh's answer that he gave in his reviews of Yu-Gi-Oh GX: 4 8 15 16 23 42 is the number of turns it takes to get through a game of Yu-Gi-Oh.

[@davivignola5895]

Oh goddamn it, those numbers are scarred in my mind. I tried for weeks to figure them out (I have a math degree), and I was working patterns, etc... then in an interview, Abrams admitted they just made them up semi randomly.

[@diogeneslantern18]

I did too. I became obsessed with them for a while!

[@jbear3478]

Aren't they also the Fibonacci sequence?

[@charleswidmore5458]

the numbers made him say that, and don't try to link them to adinkras equations or cymatic images of sacred sounds until you're ready.

[@nicklafleur7620]

Twin peaks beats lost ten fold in terms of unanswered mysteries

[@-pressxtostart-]

I guess, but they also ruined the greatest mystery of all, "who killed laura palmer" which prompted david lynch to leave the show

[@nicklafleur7620]

@@-pressxtostart- true, but I think they more than made up for that with season 3 with the even bigger mystery "why the hell did Laura palmer scream like that"

[@nicklafleur7620]

@@-pressxtostart- also I don't think lynch ever left the show. The show just got canceled due to declining viewership because the mystery got solved

[@SciontheDark]

I think the main reason we see many repeating themes and numbers is because the series went on longer than the creators had planned. The law of fate led them to reuse what they already had, to stretch out their initial ending.

[@jbear3478]

I actually think they did plan all six seasons

[@jbear3478]

In fact, the seasons were even shortened due to the writing strike in 2007

[@willn4667]

You forgot the real biggest mystery: Why doesn't Ross, the largest Friend, simply eat the other five?

[@makeshift_battlefield_music]

This is awesome Max! I am so psyched that you're a fan of LOST. It was an important part of my teenage years watching it with my dad. Ive seen the series 6 times in my life and I can't say that about any other show. You did some great work here, you've delivered an informed, constructive and transforming perspective on my favorite show, and I've enjoyed your work for a good while now, and that is pretty cool.

[@theclawyaww3740]

The first 3 seasons of Lost were peak television. John Locke is one of my favorite characters. The last season wasn't amazing, but it was still decent, and the ending made total sense. I dont get why people were confused.

[@jamescarr1265]

i agree the last season wasn’t amazing but i completely disagree about seasons 2 and 3 being peak. they had so much filler (middle of season 2, start of season 3) and multiple bad episodes and storylines.

[@kingdavid7516]

people say the ending was dumb/bad and the apologetic response is usually "it made sense! they're weren't in purgatory the whole time!" - we know that. for me my main criticisms of the ending are: 1) *the flash sideways* you're telling me they all created some kind of post-death pocket dimension and they'd all meet up outside of time - even those that already died - and Hurley an Sawyer are buddy cops? that... that's _good_ writing to you? okay... it was just "oh my godddd, what is happening?! [lost noises]", and when it's explained it was really, really silly. sure, it made sense, if you ignore all the plotholes, but it wasn't good, in my opinion. 2) *not explaining mysteries/lackluster explanations* remember the bird that said Hurley's name? well the writer's didn't. remember the 4-toed statue? well, that was just, like, a statue of a Egyptian god or whatever, not important, lol. oh, you envisioned maybe some type of 4-toed hominem on the island? nah, that'd actually be kinda interesting. just a statue... 3) *over explanations* this might seem in conflict with my previous criticism, and maybe it is, but seasons 1-3 were really good because you didn't know what was happening, the characters didn't. "what IS Dharma??" oh, that was it? okay... this i don't blame as much as the show itself, it's just the nature of mysteries. the more you know about it, the less appealing they become. like a lot of horror movies, sadly

[@FaceFister]

@@kingdavid7516 Don't you just love mystery box storytelling, where not even the writers know what's going on haha

[@kingdavid7516]

@@FaceFisteri can be easily duped by the mystery box, but they almost always fumble it. me an the gf watched From season 1 together and it was actually pretty good. immediately, season 2 took a huge nosedive. it's soooo baaaad.

[@FoxFireUnlimited]

People weren't confused. JJ stated outright from season 1 that he PROMISED that the answer to everything was NOT that they were already dead or it was all a dream. He's a PoS liar, and he ruined Star Wars. RabbleRabbleRabbleRabble

[@MichaelJamesActually]

You're forgetting the "man behind the curtain" aspect of the show. The numbers were not connected to any mystical behavior. Jacob, as quoted in the show, would nudge people towards the ways that would lead them to the island. You see him constantly interacting with the candidates off-island. For hurley, he was acting as man behind the curtain, doing all the things that would make him feel like he was jinxed. I felt that the show was explicit about it in the 6th season.

[@maxderrat]

True. He was operating on behalf of the light and I didn't mention that... but like the whole "light" thing, I kept it out of the video and relegated my comments on it to the description box to not inject too many spoilers into the video.

[@xIQ188x]

It wasn’t mystical behavior, Jacob just made a meteor hit that restaurant to fuck with Hurley

[@MichaelJamesActually]

@@xIQ188x there is that

[@mauriciofontes]

But we could argue that Jacob was nothing but an agent of Fate/The Light, realizing its will, but not being the will itself.

[@Loreweavver]

Yeah. My favorite part was when he used meteor.

[@FoxFireUnlimited]

First two seasons of Lost are amazing. Everything else is stockholm syndrome to JJ's narcissism and abuse.

[@maxderrat]

Abuse? I didn't know about this. Is that true?

[@kuhpunkt]

JJ hardly had anything to do with the show...

[@davidrowntree8250]

Given the way Hurley's story ends, your theory makes total sense on the light. Hurley ends up its protector so of course "fate" shows itself to him more aggressively to alter his path to that point

[@SuperBeardWill]

Thank you for this, those numbers have bugged me almost as much as Hurley for flipping years! Please, I'd love some more info on Walt other than "He's just special"

[@Ar1AnX1x]

watching Lost was so weird it would just go nowhere all the time but since I was new to Series I didn't have much expectations and just watched it go nowhere

[@VersusArdua]

Lost's smoke monster was one of the scariest antagonists in any TV show imo, at least before its origin was revealed as the man in black and its presence changed from a mysterious unstoppable force of nature to just Jacob's satanic brother lol Honestly, the sounds the monster would make when it got close still give me a serious chill down my spine to the point where I'm on edge when I hear it on the show.

[@SegeMarl]

The luck in service of fate idea is a pretty heavy theme of the character Teela Brown from Larry Niven's ring world series of books. Without spoiling too much, an alien race was trying to breed humanity for luck, and she was born from three generations of birth lottery winners. If you haven't read ringworld I would highly recommend giving it a try at some point, there are certainly some deeply profound and philosophical things to bite into in what is otherwise a fun sci-fi tetralogy

[@sinancemunlu]

Please do the smoke monster or black smoke whatever it is and the other mysteries of the island such as dead people or disappearance of walt etc.

[@Aggravated_brain9344]

Hey, I am somewhat new to your channel, but I am loving the content. I would love to see more videos on Lost.

[@Lesandira]

I really loved LOST back in the day. It had so many great characters - John Locke, Desmond, Charlie, Benjamin Linus and also the mysteries were great. I feel like the final season and the ending were a major let-down and I'm sad that LOST isn't that much a part of pop culture anymore. Great video, as always!

[@maxderrat]

Yeah. You're not the only person who feels that way. I loved it all the way through, but it's hard to argue against a lot of the critiques, especially of Season 6. And thanks brother.

[@theendisthebeginningistheend]

@@maxderrat I'm not surprised. You do also like the sequels to The Matrix. Didn't the creators of Lost say back before the series ended that they weren't going to end the series this way?

[@kuhpunkt]

@@theendisthebeginningistheend No, they said they won't end it with "Oh and they were dead all along" and they didn't end it like that.

[@HeatherHolt]

@@kuhpunktnever understood why people think they were dead all along, just bc it shows the set at the end… but for sure everything that happened on the island actually happened. I think it was sweet they all loved each other so much they created a limbo that helped them move on together to whatever happens next. I cried at the end NGL

[@Sandux930]

basically what happened to game of thrones but earlier. Incredibly impractical tv series that lost relevancy after their finale

[@AI-mg3hy]

Yeah dude I'm here for all of that if you are going to go for it. This is my favorite show too. It was my favorite when it aired and then in 2020 it pretty much cemented itself as an all-time classic for me. My mom was dying, not of covid but of some bastard of a cancer in her heart and lungs. It's weird how things work out, but because of covid I wasn't working and could be with her every day to take care of her. My parents were living a couple hours away at that point so I would bring my 12 year old with me to stay a few days every week so he could have as much time with her as he could get before she was gone. I would bring dvds for us to watch and I have every season of LOST so I thought it would be a good time to introduce the kid to it. He loved it, which made me a seriously happy dad, and it helped us talk about stuff I didn't really know how to start conversations about. Like how good and evil aren't really black and white. Everyone has the capability for both and it's never too late to do good even if we've done things that make us feel like we don't have any good in us. And the importance of forgiveness to others and most of all to ourselves. I think we finished the series about a week before she passed, and I really believe it helped us be in a better mindset to handle it when it happened.

[@region9159]

Thanks for sharing this, Im sorry about what happened to your mother. Cancer is a horrible thing. . My son will be 12 in October. I have tried a few times to get him to watch it but he doesnt seem interested. Maybe as he matures he will catch on.

[@wasdwasdedsf]

yes, thanks for sharing. take care

[@swankidelic]

This is just as unsatisfying as the church of light ending. The writers really couldn't care less about the story they were telling, they really only cared about how it was told. Loved the video, thank you for taking the time to condense this into something manageable. This doesn't "redeem" LOST for me but I'm glad I'm subscribed anyway.

[@kuhpunkt]

Why do you say that they couldn't care less about the story?

[@ChronoTactIX]

Great video. The addition of the Mass Effect music added a perfect combination of nostalgia and intrigue.

[@Ickarichi]

I’ve never commented on your videos before max, but the more I hear you the more I feel like I’m looking in a mirror, I suppose that made me rather uncomfortable to begin with but all the questions you tackle speak to me on a level I can barely put into words. I’d love to hear what you have to say on Lost’s other mysteries and see where our analysis’s line up compared to one another.

[@shmallowlol]

As someone who hasn't seen lost, this has inspired me to watch the show, but I'd love it especially if you could dive more into it.

[@gokux75]

Do it. You won't be disappointed.

[@-pressxtostart-]

Well please watch first

[@diogeneslantern18]

It's such a mindfuck. You get a different sense of obsession with it - like it sucks you in. It has this "offish" vibe to it, like those low frequency signals that make you feel uncomfortable, but it beguiles you at the same time.

[@Jacksongirard]

LOST deep dives are what I want as much as some friggen answers! Dude, this is not timely at all but im here for it lol

[@damouze]

I love how three of J. J. Abrams shows, Alias, Lost and Fringe all tie into eachother using fragments of this sequence, suggesting a shared universe.

[@kuhpunkt]

It's not a shared universe.

[@damouze]

@@kuhpunkt Actually, there are loads of plot elements and motifs suggesting they are in fact in a shared universe. Not just the numbers, but also characters from Lost having cameos in Fringe, the crash of flight 815 being news in Fringe AND Alias, etc.

[@kuhpunkt]

@@damouze Fringe has multiverses and stuff. Lost explicitely doesn't. Both shows even share actors like Lance Reddick - but they don't play the same role. Those aren't cameos by the same figures. When was the crash of Flight 815 ever mentioned on Fringe? And why do you upvote your own comments?

[@chriscross7278]

I'd say the greatest mystrery in Television was Twin Peaks Season 3.

[@JMD314]

Something I feel a lot of people who watched LOST failed to understand is that the entire show was basically a love letter to the people who paid THIS much attention. It is not something you just binge watch once or watch casually. You have to REALLY pay attention to it, do research, theorize, talk to other fans about it, etc. to understand what is happening. If that’s not your style, that’s fine, but just admit it wasn’t for you instead of claiming they didn’t answer things.. because they did answer most questions, they just didn’t spoon feed it to you.

[@IdgaradLyracant]

I still hold that LOST is the prequel to Fantasy Island and Hurley and company become the first Roarks using the Island to better people. Ultimately taking it back in time, so far back, people think of it as Atlantis. Then they periodically 'move' the island to serve it's new purpose.

[@FLStelth]

Lost, lost me. I was initially enthusiastic about it, but slowly realized the writers were making it up as they went. I bailed long before the series ended.

[@kuhpunkt]

How did you realize that? And even if it were true - how would that be relevant?

[@WobblesandBean]

Yeah, things weren't explained because they had no explanations. They were winging it. And it shows. The ARG was made to try and sloppily tie everything together after the fact. It was launched after the third season had already been wrapped, and was an attempt by JJ to answer things he failed to do. Also, one shouldn't have to jump through hoops to get answers from a mystery driven story. If it wasn't in the show itself, then that's a failure on the creator's part.

[@ricardomiles2957]

yeah, S6 defenders fail or purposely hide the fact what the Show was selling out to be. The invested on that, on the hunger for answers, they pretty much spent the whole airing proclaiming everything would be tied in and explained. S5 was a little weird, had some missed opportunities and short comings but S6 is a big backstab at the viewer's created dressed up on a very on the nose tear jerker to hide the clear signs of incompetence handling the show

[@Kenb3d1]

This guy gets it.

[@Starlightean]

This is exactly what I was going to say. Viewers shouldn't have to resort to outside sources to understand one medium's contained story or elements. It's the same when people say a movie left them confused, and others answer by saying "You have to read the book to get it!". That's not how storytelling works. However it did feel like the creators didn't have the answers themselves anyway. That's not how storytelling should work either.

[@ricardomiles2957]

@@Starlightean The "expanded media" was in part what made the show boom, the mystery box concept was new, there was a guy who dropped work just to study Lost and make theories.

[@Choekaas]

Stop making up things. JJ Abrams didn't create the ARG. He left Lost after the Pilot. The ARG was created by Javier Grillo-Marxuach amongst others. And it was created in May 2006, during the last episodes of season 2. They never introduced a mystery unless they knew what it was going to be.

[@shsrpr]

They answered the question of where the numbers came from I don't know how many times on the show. And each time they did, people were like, "yeah, but where did they come from before that?" And then the writers would go back further. Where'd they come from? Hurley heard them from Leonard. Before that? The French lady heard them on the radio tower message and wrote them on her map. Before that? The hatch code. Before that? The Valenzetti Equation. Before that infinity? Jacob wrote them on a wall. Before that? They were on a lighthouse that pointed at people in their houses far away. Before that? I dunno, the Romans? Egyptians? And people are still apparently wondering "yeah, but where did they come from before that?"

[@BlazeMakesGames]

The problem is that none of those answers in the show were actually a meaningful answer. They just kept pushing the answer down the road without ever actually explaining why the numbers are the way they are and can seemingly have such an effect on the world. Just saying “oh he heard it from them, who heard it from her, who heard them from…” isn’t a satisfying conclusion, which is ultimately why the show as a whole was so disappointing for so many people

[@charleswidmore5458]

the numbers have been around long before us and will be here long after we are gone. you can wonder about them but do not get too deep into them. if you notice to much, and they notice you notice too much, things could escalate.

[@charleswidmore5458]

and don't try to link them to the adinkras equations or cymatic images of sacred sounds until you're ready.

[@OnyxSkiesXIX]

Not sure if anyone else has pointed this out, but the numbers add up to 108. As in 108 minutes to reset the computer, 108 days on the island before the Oceanic Six are “rescued.” And 108 is considered a sacred number in Dharmic religions (get it, Dharma).

[@renakunisaki]

They're also all prime numbers, except for the ones that aren't 23.

[@SkarrGaming]

Yes to more Lost videos. Loved it back in the day and I'm seriously overdue a full rewatch of the whole series.

[@ooPINHEAD]

To this day, there's never been another experience like watching Lost, as it was being released. So many blogs and forums... We'd go hours, days, trying to extract every last detail, sometimes frame by frame. To me, that (small, in retrospective) hiatus they had on season 3, between episodes 6 and 7, was the most memorable in terms of forum discussions and theories. And here we are. Nearly 20 years later and still debating and theorizing about the themes that the show brought forth. Not the best show ever, sure. But absolutely the most unique experience!

[@-pressxtostart-]

If you havent, please watch Twin Peaks, lost was hugely inspired by the show 😊

[@fripptricky5099]

I maintain to this day that season 2 of Lost is the best season of any tv show ever.

[@rodan9773]

Season 1 of Heroes is up there for me.

[@jamescarr1265]

i believe season 2 is the weakest season of Lost due to the wack amount of filler in the middle and that awful Charlie episode.

[@fripptricky5099]

@@jamescarr1265 Season 3 was the one that I felt was weakest, personally. The Sawyer/Jack/Kate love triangle got old FAAAAAST

[@Ar1AnX1x]

it can't compete with the high level writing of pimp my ride

[@jamescarr1265]

@@fripptricky5099 season 3 is for sure one of the weaker ones, the first half is such a mixed bag but the second half is incredible

[@morgantrias3103]

I've seen Lost over 11 times and I even watched Nightmind's video on the ARG and I had NO IDEA about any of this.

[@user-ip3fl9db7j]

Love your content as always Max and yes, more lost videos would be amazing.

[@sikViduser]

God lost was the most overrated show made by a bunch of fools who didn't know what they were doing.

[@maxderrat]

I disagree, but there are a decent number of people who share your opinion and they have arguments to draw from. I just find myself disagreeing with enough of them.

[@ricardomiles2957]

you are right that the people behind them show didn't know what they were doing, plus actively lying about it and exploiting the hype but no one can disregard what Lost represented in viewer engagement and interactivity. There simply wasn't anything like before and i don't think there's anything like it now, like yeah people like to theorize and discuss and there are countless mystery like shows but never like Lost was. It's somewhat like the difference between people who waited a decade to see Thanos and waiting for every movie, trying to piece everything together and theorize based on trailers and leaks and people who now will pop up Disney+ and watch Iron man 1 to Avengers End Game in one week or two

[@kuhpunkt]

@@ricardomiles2957 No, he is not right.

[@samdoehart1333]

I'd really love to see more dives into the mysteries of Lost. My mom loved the show when I was growing up but it always came on right around my bedtime so I couldn't ever see much of it. I'd love to find out more about it!

[@Pensive_Scarlet]

I think this show is something that is only going to be truly appreciate with time and discourse, so, for reasons I'll avoid going into for now, I'd really appreciate if you continued to be a part of that discourse.

[@gamervet4760]

I don't get the hub bub about this show. It was just bad television to me.

[@ricardomiles2957]

It's quite simple. It was probably the first tv show to engage with the public and more specially online. The show's plot was basically a giant puzzle, There was bunch of official ARGs made with varied levels that fermented the interactivity and engagement from the public. The show itself on a tecnical and writting level is pretty standard but everything around it created a tight cycle of engagement and interactivity

[@gamervet4760]

@ricardomiles2957 Quite simple? The show had many plot holes and subplots that were just dropped. Maybe I missed out on the interactivity, but the show couldn't stand on its own. Let alone entertain me.

[@ricardomiles2957]

@@gamervet4760 That's pretty much it. Now with the show finished anyone can easily see the people behind the show were incompetent liars but when it was airing, it was gradual, the show was sold as having answers to all it's mysteries would be solved and that everything was tied in since S1 and it to some degree... it was like that, mysteries and plot points being introduced and only being closed half a season later, drop feed pieces of a puzzle that by all measures seemed to lead to somewhere and to be planned. Which is why the ending is so hated, there it became it obvious there wasn't a plan and they hadn't the slighstest idea how to end the show, worse they never thought about it and were completely out of touch with their audience

[@kuhpunkt]

@@gamervet4760 Name the plot holes.

[@gamervet4760]

@@kuhpunkt How about the ending? Ya douche.

[@nadermansour7487]

I never watched the show, but saw a LOT of friends obsess over it, then lose interest. I found this video fascinating.

[@wesleyhunt7599]

Surprised you didn't mention the sum of the numbers is 108. The number of trials in Buddhism. This is part of the show too.

[@IDoubleJ]

I never watched this show. But this video was great. I was invested beginning to end

[@Gigamex2]

This is probably a stretch but Leonard saying Hurley opened the "box" could be a reference to when Ben says he has a "box" he can open with anything he wants inside. Ben's "box" is also one of the mysteries the show never revisits.

[@kuhpunkt]

Never revisited? What's there to revisit? There is no box. He tried to manipulate Locke.

[@Gigamex2]

​@@kuhpunktYeah, you're probably right. It's been a while since I've seen the show so I don't remember the episode too well. It's probably just a recurring theme I didn't pick up on at the time.

[@keganritz4418]

I can't belive you didn't take the opportunity to throw in the cod classic. "The numbers Mason, what do they mean?!"

[@danielmcdonald8637]

More lost content please ! This was great !

[@RoshDroz]

I could've sworn you were going to say twin peaks, after asking which show had a billion unanswered mysteries

[@FlexxibleFree]

I was too young and it was impossible to watch a show that aired after 11pm on tv, so I only somewhat completely remember first season. No one can deny how cool it was then

[@MilesHadley]

The mystery of the numbers has been hanging over me ever since I started watching the show back when it first aired. Thank you, Max, for giving me the satisfying conclusion I was never aware of this whole time despite being a rather big LOST fan and even being partially aware of The Lost Experience.

[@adamcarlson4922]

More Lost content please! I’m also a fan of the show, having watched through it all multiple times, and I was in the 90% that had no idea the answers to the numbers were ever even out there. So thank you very much for this video.

[@HideousKojimbob]

oh wow! I can't believe a new Lost video in 2023 I loved this show back in the day

[@TheTrueRandomGamer]

Gotta give you credit for capturing how I felt after rewatching Lost. A deep sense of disappointment and resignation.

[@kuhpunkt]

Why?

[@Treesarewoke]

@@kuhpunkt Bro I get it you're exhausted by seeing people constantly shit on the show you like, but you dont need to respond to every single comment every time someone expresses a negative opinion about it lol edit: sorry if I came off as rude, my point was that you already know people are stuck to the idea that the show is bad, and I assume you already know why people dont like the show, so you arent really going to accomplish anything.

[@kuhpunkt]

@@Treesarewoke It's just research for a project :>

[@th3d33pc4]

Thank you so very much. The deeper meaning of these numbers has haunted me since the shows end, and I never thought I would know any more about them. Excellent work!

[@notoriousbmc1]

All of the forums & theories made this show unbeatable imo. They really enhanced an already great show.

[@ArnoSelhorst]

Oh that was much needed throwback Tuesday!

[@angrazero8296]

MORE! MAKE MORE! I never heard of this show and I'm interested!

[@daverhodus]

I found the first few seasons of Lost entertaining on a surface level. I didn't care much about the underlying themes.

[@TheHi-NoteFunClub-BeatsByMike]

Definite vote for more Lost videos... For one, I would suggest the answer to "the mystery of the numbers" that the show actually DID give... The actual supernatural force using the variables to allow the choice to be made to determine humanity's ultimate fate. There was a hint at the answer in the vid, so I'm guessing you are already on this, Max, but, just saying 🙂.

[@catch-uppackets2664]

Best LOST analysis I've ever seen. If there's more, I want to watch it. If there isn't, please make more.

[@Melancholy_Chill]

I was young teen, when the show was airing, and still remember those numbers to this day

[@Teflora]

I love lost and i love this format! I remember seeing a video years ago that explained EVERY mystery of lost, bit it was only text with low quality. Having those answers in a format like this would be amazing!

[@sandrafaith]

I was HUGE into Lost at this time, a giant internet nerd since Usenet days, and _still_ somehow did not know about this associated ARG, either as it was happening or up until now. Thanks for the video! Off to watch the Inside a Mind video...

[@jerm5466]

0:12 your videos don’t normally make me laugh but this was hilarious

[@brood5184]

How have I never heard about this??? I've ALWAYS wondered what the numbers were. Would love more videos like this!

[@anachibi]

Wait, hang on. How is that string of numbers meant to be months and years?

[@renakunisaki]

You could read it as a date and time: 4/8/15 16:23:42. Which could be April 8th or August 4th depending which country you're in. But, I think they meant each number represents some way that humanity would destroy itself. Maybe there would be a huge war in 4 years, and if that were prevented, there would be a pandemic in 8 years, etc...

[@Incomudro1963]

Excellent. I'm re watching Lost right now, coming to the conclusion of season one. This is the best and clearest (some people get overly wordy and deep) summation of what the numbers mean.

[@shsrpr]

14:53 I am/was aware that these answers exist(ed). I didn't partake in the Lost Experience ARG while it was live though. I started watching the show when my friend lent me her Season 1 & 2 DVDs during the mid-season hiatus in Season 3. I got caught up to S3E6 before S3E7 aired, and watched weekly from that point on. I did look heavily into the ARG at that time though and got all the videos, as well as all the webisodes and any other LOST related media and podcasts I could get my hands on. It was such a fun time, with a huge community of people online researching the shows as they aired and posting various theories.

[@andruspirogov389]

About your theory... How do you think Jacob fits in? Because Jacob kind of acted like an avatar of fate. He manipulated the lifes of the candidates so that they would end up on flight 815. Often also these little manipulations would involve the numbers somehow. So did Jacob become something like the god of fate when he took over the role?

[@kuhpunkt]

I think he was just doing his own thing. Had he been aware of the numbers like this (and thus of the six final candidates) he could have same himself a lot of time.

[@andruspirogov389]

@@kuhpunkt My last rewatch was 3 years ago so my memory is fuzzy, but didnt he assign each nunber to a candidate? And what do you mean with wasting time. I always saw him as having these precog powers. He knew that manipukating one event in a characters oast would lead them to that exact flight.

[@kuhpunkt]

@@andruspirogov389 By wasting time... I mean he had a list of over 300 candidates, but fate dictated that candidates number 4 8 15 16 23 and 42 would end up being the final candidates. So why bring candidate number 1 and 12 and 47 and 209 etc. to the island in the first place? :D

[@bobbyedge5833]

I would love to hear more of your takes on the themes in Lost.

[@TheStardustConspiracy]

I’m also onboard with more Lost lore videos!! They too have some deeply psychological and esoteric themes trough the show

[@dipshitsiclethemighty3054]

10:25 I’m so happy to see that you have a ‘Xeno’ folder bookmarked

[@Conradh13]

I was obsessed with the show and I never knew about any of this stuff... time for a rewatch

[@growupjohnny9374]

I had no idea that I needed this information today. Thank you random video.

[@oldsoul3539]

In JJ Abrams' TED talk "The mystery box" he talked about how he got a mystery box from a magic store when he was a kid but never opened it. To this day he doesn't know what's in there because whatever was actually in there was unlikely to be as interesting as keeping it a mystery. In other words his forumla is setting up mysteries with the intention of never answering them.

[@kuhpunkt]

Yes, but what does that have to do with the video? He didn't write the show.

[@ValenteOchoaJr]

Great video! I’d love to see more videos about one of my FAVORITE shows of all time LOST!

[@Vrlad]

This content is absolutely excellent! Lets see more lost!

[@SurinaSlackArt]

More LOST content pls, Max. This was so needed

[@tommapar]

There is an answer that is more magical in a sense and tied to the themes of fate and free will and THAT IS in the series. Of course, spoilers. In season 6 Jack gets to a lighthouse, Jacob's lighthouse, which by this point had already gotten his screentime as a being that argued for the light inside of people's hearts, against his dark brother who has a more cynical outlook in that all that people know is corruption, destruction, fighting each other. They also talk about, and this is reinforced by everything else in the series, that Jacob is the one bringing them to the island to prove his brother wrong. Jacob having this lighthouse show the numbers tied to angles on a dial that show each number's correaponding candidate. I'm assuming we know what I mean by candidates, since we all watched season 6. Each of the candidatea gets touched by Jacob at some point or another. And he's also very involved in every thing that brings people there. Luke how everyone gets sent to Australia very forcefully so that they're on the same flight for instance. Returning to season 6, Jacob's brother, the smoke monster, having taken on Locke's form, shows Sawyer to a cliffside cave where apparently according to his dialogue, Jacob and him used to frequent. In the walls of the cave, there are the names of the candidates with each person's corresponding number. He crosses out the ones that are dead, since they can no longer change. Faraday tends to explain the logic of the show as if the writers spoke through him. Yes, there's constants in every equation. But in the end, the variables are the people. People with free will. Maybe it was this realization that made him play part in the fateful events that went to become "the incident" but it is through that event that Jack realizes his actions and decisions are the ones that cause people suffering. This leads to him reconciling the man of science he was before ever wanting to come back to the island, and the man of fate he became when choosing to do so. In reality he is the one that changes throughout the show. The number, the variable in the equation that truly changes, that shows that Jacob was right, everything until the point of them killing each other is progress. Jack's character arc mirrors the meaning of the numbers in the Valenzetti equation. The fact that the darkness was kept at bay by the island and if it ever escaped humanity would be doomed is Valenzetti's reckoning for mankind. A threat of doom is what ultimately sends Jack towards his last confrontation. Only by removing the metaphorical cork that keeps the darkness at bay is that he is able to beat the darkness. There may be a jungian psychology interpretation of facing your shadow to become your ultimate self to be made there, but that's another topic.

[@mundanestuff]

I appreciate the engagement they drove, even it was for a small percent of their audience. They went above and beyond, for sure.

[@dfailsthemost]

Man, remember when a series like this would have so many episodes per season?

[@greywaren621]

LOST is my favorite show. I have so many amazing memories attached to this show.

[@mauriciofontes]

Yes please!!! Do keep on making videos about Lost. Since it aired it has been my favorite TV show, ever. And I don't mean this because of the super fun science fiction layer, or the fascinating mythology the series created...I love it deeply because it is brilliant at telling relatable, human stories of aspects of live that many of us go through. In the journeys of the main characters, the show examines: family issues, relationship between parents and their children (from both perspectives); drug problems; free will vs determinism; running away from your problems; marriage; etc etc.

[@Davitron_87]

More videos on Lost please. It was the first show I got truly invested in. Still one of my all time favourites.

[@TheGrinningViking]

They made it up as they went along and it got a bit tattered at the end, in a way I'm glad they never explained the numbers. They would have felt completed to tack something onto the end.

[@kuhpunkt]

Reducing the entire creative process to "they made it up as they went along" is absolute nonsense. Even if it were true (which it isn't) - how would that be relevant?

[@shadquirk607]

Lost is truly one of the only times in history that a mere title has represented more than just the name of the show, but instead also refers to the fans, the story, and the creators themselves.

[@kuhpunkt]

Aaaaaaaaahahahaha, clever! I never heard that one before!

[@jessekeene5809]

Playing Starfield when this vid came up and the MAss Effect music coming up threw me HARD for a moment.

[@PinchyTheKittyGirl]

Thank you so much for this! I would personally love if you went over the other "LOST" mysteries.

[@danteduran]

Oh yeah! I hope for an entire series of videos of you explaining my favorite tv show of all time!!! 😻