When lost came for the first time on air on ABC it was an instant hit with over 100 million viewers over the first few episodes. After spending time watching the DVD for the first time I am now able to explain why it is all the craze.
The episode starts with a plane crash on a jet that is traveling from Australia to Los Angeles. The initial science fiction of the show starts when the more than 50 passengers survive the crash but are not left unscathed as they get inflicted with bruises and wounds. The cast which is made up of at least 14 main characters immediately realizes that they have crashed on what they think is a deserted island somewhere in the South Pacific. They only realize from a surviving stewardess, that they had been diverted back to Australia due to mechanical problem. This tells them that they were 2 hours off course and that they have no hope of rescue.
By the time you are through watching the first episode, it is evident that the survivors are not only alone on the island but that the others on the island are also not going to help them escape back to civilization. The movie enables you to answer common questions that we face in our day to day lives because the backdrop of survival and the fight to leave the island and be rescued enables us to peer into our society from a distance. How sincere are we and how should we act? Are we basically decent people? What good thing will you do to your children? How much will you value your family?