if made today
Goodness, if this was on a modern streamer. 5 seasons with 8-10 episodes. Now, I like tight writing, but shows also need room to breathe.
sharethen we wouldn't have gotten that amazing episode of Jack getting his tattoos in Thailand đ
shareAhahaha, far from a favorite episode for me, but I'd rather have that than have so much stuff cut. As it was, they didn't explicitly answer everything. Don't get me wrong, I actually like the finale and didn't feel everything needed spoon-fed. But lack of answers was a common criticism. If the series were shorter, they'd have had less time and answered less. Yes, one could argue that if they did that, the writing would've been tightened and they could've better answered the questions that were posed. That might've left the show feeling more surface-level than the deep-dive we got. Which is probably part of why it's so memorable that it's still discussed. A lot of new shows that are shorter in all regards probably won't be as widely remembered come 2044.
shareI concur with your position. But I also feel it's worth pointing out to readers that Stranger in a Strange Land ("Jack's tattoos" episode) is not only an amazing episode, but one of the best for Jack. The flashback may seem trivial or boring,so I understand the hate, but how Thailand acts in service to the Island events and provides context for Jack's behavior and characteristics which are further defined later was essential for the fullest storytelling appreciation. Much better than Sawyer making a deal with the warden in prison, or Jin buying a stuffed panda for the ambassador.
"He walks amongst us, but he is not one of us."
Jack: "That's what it says... that's not what it means."