Is 'Lost' Too Complicated for Its Own Good?

In a column reminiscent of something Dave Barry might write, San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jon Carroll penned a sarcastic piece saying that Lost isn't as complicated as some of its fans may make it out to be:

"A large plane crashes on a Pacific island. Some of the passengers survive but most don't. After a time, the surviving passengers discover that other people also live on the island. They call these other people the Others.

After a time, a freighter happens by, and a helicopter from the freighter eventually rescues six of the survivors. The six return home -- most to the United States, one to Korea -- and resume their lives, somewhat chastened by the experience. The people remaining on the island try to create a viable society, but there are inevitable difficulties, like time travel.

And that's it."

Clearly, this was written with Carroll's tongue firmly planted inside his cheek because he then proceeded to detail some of the insanely convoluted details of the story. But the column is funny nonetheless and takes aim at one of the show's biggest criticisms: That it loses viewers because people perceive it to be too dense. (Or people are too dense to understand it, whatever the case may be. I don't get most of it, but I'm still an avid viewer.)

If ratings are any indication, viewers are fleeing the island odyssey faster than Hurley can hurl a microwaved Hot Pocket at Ben Linus. Ratings for its two-hour fifth season premiere last week were down 26 percent compared to its fourth season premiere, and ratings dropped "for every half-hour it was on" TV, the Los Angeles Times reported. Did the island time travel aspect -- which continues to befuddle me -- turn folks off?

What say you Lost fans, do you think the show gets an unfair reputation for being too complicated? Do you have friends who won't watch it because they say it's too confusing? Do you find yourself scratching your head after episodes?

Image credit: ABC.