Okay, so the title of this blog sounds a bit more academic than I'm actually feeling right now. To be honest, I think there's a paper there, and if I ever get REALLY, REALLY bored, I'll write one. But the fact is, the mythology we're finding in shows like Battlestar, Heroes, Lost, Fringe and basically anything else that has to do with J.J. Abrahms has a great number of us dedicating hours to television without actually (and conceivably ever) sitting down in front of one. The symbolism in numbers, the complications of history, the meaning of the name of a character, a passing character, even a hydrogen bomb - the diehards in our audience spend hours dissecting, to varying levels of insanity. Occasionally I find myself asking "why?" It's like succumbing to a spell, this dedication to determining meaning, often in things that were never meant to be determined.
Ask yourself this - is it really necessary to ponder whether or not the H-Bomb in this week's episode of Lost was named after an Archie character. Is it a coincidence? Are we wasting our time searching for meaning in the meaningless? Or are we mean to decipher that fact? And even if we do, what answers, insight, NEED could that reasoning ever really supply/meet. What I'm asking is this - why does it even matter?
It's at times like this, when I'm wondering if I'm playing ridiculous mind games with a dubious, manipulative opponent who's spinning me around like a carefree marionette player, that I wonder why I even bother. Sometimes, it just feels like too much energy wasted on something that will only in a very small percentage actually change my life (if at all).
But then again, that isn't the point. We may be putting too much faith in these shows, dedicating too much of our lives to popcorn entertainment (I'm 87% certain I am with Heroes), but it's fun. We're not going to stumble across a life-changing secret. But we can debate, relate and contemplate with our fellow viewers, dorking our way through this new age of entertainment the same way great philosophers dorked their way through story time, and great minds studied Shakespeare. What makes Shakespeare so worthy of studying? What does his work have that Lost does not?
Nothing, if not prestige. So yeah, I'll continue to read the Doc Jensen columns over at EW. (daily, as long as I'm trapped at my desk at work). And at some point I'll delve into BSG. Because a.) it's fun b.) it's intellectually stimulating d.) it's every bit as artistically credible as fucking Kafka.
Peace n Love
-Bheeler
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I must agree that Lost appears to be caking in 'red herrings' passing as myth, although I can't speak for BSG. Almost for the sake of throwing a curveball to the audience. Like the fact that "The Others' would communicate in Latin. Why??? I have chosen to call these Mini McGuffins. They may seem juicy and filling, but provide no sustenance whatsoever.
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