Lost For Dummies
January 31st, 2008 is a date etched onto the very brain tissue of every Lost fan. As it was foretold on Lostpedia, that is the day that the show's creators will issue forth a new, fourth season, full of mysteries, clues, intrigues, and unneccessary grifting backstories for them to watch, revel in, analyze, and over-analyze to an embarrassing degree.
Lost is a unique TV show in that way because its viewing audience is made up almost entirely of Lost fanatics. Due to the show's intricate, maze-like plots, layered references, and the creators' propensity for mindfuckery, it's very hard to be a casual viewer of Lost. If you miss one episode, you may fail to see the significance (or insignificance) of something (or nothing…hi, Jacob!) three episodes down the road.
But ABC is trying to rope in the casual Lost viewers (if they exist), by re-airing last season's finale episode tonight, complete with pop-up explainer bubbles. What? Yes.
From the New York Times: