Episode 507

It's official: Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn will be reuniting with J.J. Abrams in what will essentially be a buddy-cop show. Like most, I think this is the best idea ever. Like many, I am terrified that it will flop. If Will Arnett can't save Running Wilde (and after a viewing of Episode 2, it's pretty certain he can't), then Linus and Locke can't save whatever not-as-good-as-LOST-script is thrown their way.

Until the show premieres, I don't want to speculate too much, but I would like to revisit another LOST-inspired concoction that I mentioned in a previous post: The Event. This turns out to be one of those shows where I'd rather read a plot summary than actually watch. I had that same experience when trying to get through the original Beverly Hills, 90210, if that's any indication of its quality. Basically, The Event is trying so hard to be LOST that it either rips it off completely or somehow achieves the exact opposite effect. Some examples:

1) Mystery. LOST's mystery was developed as the series progressed, constantly creating questions that, in the end, didn't even need to be answered to satisfy the viewers. The Event is a mystery from the first episode. Yes, we had Charlie on LOST asking "Where are we?" quite early in the series, but other than a ghost horse and a polar bear on a tropical island, there wasn't one question that needed to be answered. The only reason anyone is watching The Event is to find out what "the event" is.

2) Others. After only two episodes, there is already a group of Others (semi-humans who barely age). There are already questions surrounding these Others' iinherent goodness/badness. There is already an Other or two infiltrating the non-Others. Now all we need is a plane crash and some electromagnetism...oh wait.

3) Plane crash and electromagnetism. Really, The Event? Really? In the first episode (and explained in the second), a plane disappears into an electromagnetic field. Sound strangely familiar yet all wrong? When the electromagnetic phenomenon was explained to the president (Blair Underwood), I was half expecting him to say "Wait, that's like straight out of LOST!" We all know that if a plane disappeared into an electromagnetic field in real life and it was reported to President Obama, he'd definitely think J.J. Abrams was punking him.

If you're still not convinced it's an unsuccessful remake/rip-off, try Google-ing " 'The Event' electromagnetism." The first hits are about LOST. And The Event is nowhere to be found.