Lost Metaphor

Granted, "Lost" is no "Casablanca"... maybe more of a combination of Casablanca and Mario Bros.

Think of Jack and Kate on the island in "Lost" as in parallel worlds with Rick and Lisa at Rick's Cafe' in "Casablanca," encountering a vast assortment of characters who seem to collect sporadically around them for various reasons, all with the ultimate goal of getting out of there.

Jack and Hurley, in a sideways world, are the Mario Bros. who wander the island's paths, hatches, and tunnels as if in a "plumbing system" full of odd monsters and snares. Not only do they evade a gruesome death, but a permanent one as well.

In our brave new world where young mixed media audiences seem to be becoming increasingly bored with web sites, blogs, and MySpace and... increasingly satisfied by instantly updating on Facebook and Twitter, it's no wonder "Lost" enjoys both critical and popular acclaim with its quirky instant plot twists and 14 million tongue-in-cheek viewers per episode.

After all, who really wants anybody to stay killed?