Dear Lost fans,

Be prepared to jump off the bandwagon now because as soon as the show ‘Lost’ is over, you will officially become nerds. You’ll be much like the Trekkies of yesteryear, clinging on to a dead science fiction program and preparing a recipe for social suicide. It’s the beginning of the end for the cultural juggernaut known as ‘Lost’ starting this week after five seasons, and I couldn’t find the timing more appropriate.

Now before you burn me at the stake for this blasphemous remark, understand that I have no personal gripes with the series. If I’m to be completely honest with you, I’ve only seen one full episode of the hit show. I consider this to be a monumental task, given the countless discussion boards and Comic Cons I’ve attended in my day.

For those who have been living on an island (yeah, I said it) for the past five years, ‘Lost’ is one of ABC’s biggest hits. After being marooned on a mysterious tropical island, the show follows a colorful cast of characters trying to survive on the few resources that they have. As the series progresses, the mystery of the island and its inhabitants begins to take center stage. It’s ‘Gilligan’s Island’ meets ‘Lord of the Flies’ with a little ‘Apocalypse Now’ thrown in for good measure.

People haven’t shut up about ‘Lost’ since its premiere in 2004, but I barely grasped the cult following it has amassed. I was a little more than surprised to discover there was a whole other geek category out there. These people were more than just fans: They were fanboys. It was like making contact with intelligent life forms in deep space, like Jodie Foster in ‘Contact.’

Perhaps the biggest treasure I’ve excavated from the ‘Lost’ phenomenon is ‘Lostpedia,’ an online encyclopedia of all things from ‘Lost’ made by the show’s fans. The name may be uninspired, but the lack of creativity in the title is more than compensated in its content.

For starters, the site comes in 17 different languages. Yes, my Polish and Russian friends, you too can now console site member ‘Kain 067’ and his ‘unhappy horrible, negative, nagging monster theory.’ We’re in this together, ‘Kain 067.’

‘Lostpedia’ hosts a truckload of other content that puts all other bloggers and message board advocates to shame, myself included. Chief among them is the alternate-reality game ‘The Lost Experience.’ It’s not much more than a clever marketing ploy by the creators of ‘Lost’ that constructs an alternate reality with a storyline that fleshes out certain plot points between seasons. But why take time to flesh out the main plot points when it’s in a completely different reality? My head hurts.

‘Lostaways’ have carved their own niche in popular culture. The show even managed to scare President Obama’s State of the Union address out of its original time slot. The speech was pushed back in fear that more Americans would tune in to ‘Lost’ than a speech from the president of the United States.

Now this brings me back to why the show’s departure is a good thing. If there’s one thing a geek can’t seem to stand, it’s a show that just doesn’t know when to quit. With ‘Lost’ seemingly at a fever pitch, now is the perfect time for the show (and its fans) to respectfully ride off into the sunset.

The cracks in the series’ accolades are beginning to show. According to Nielson Media Research, last year’s season five premiere had 11.4 million viewers, the lowest premiere ever for the show. While I’m always excited to find fellow geeks deep in the depths of popular culture, ‘Lost’ fans should get out of town now before they start holding conventions in the basement.

Flash Steinbeiser is The Daily Orange’s feature editor and a communication and rhetorical studies and writing major. He has the number of this great psychiatrist for fans trying to get over ‘Lost’ and can be reached at ansteinb@syr.edu.

Published on January 31, 2010 at 12:00 pm