Lost Celebrates 100 Episodes!

This Wednesday, April 29th, Lost will air its 100th episode of the series entitled "The Variable". It has been more than four years since that fateful airliner, Oceanic Flight 815, crashed onto an Island on September 22nd, 2004. After 99 episodes full of ominous mythology, startling discoveries, shocking cliffhangers, buried secrets, and stunning character development - we have reached the 100 episode milestone. To celebrate the grand acheivement, the "Ace of Cakes" team went to Hawaii to make a special 100th episode cake for the cast and crew of LOST. Jorge Garcia (Hurley), Daniel Dae Kim (Jin-Soo Kwon), Jeremy Davies (Daniel Faraday), Josh Holloway (Sawyer), and Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet) are amongst the cast that celebrated the filming of the 100th Lost episode "The Variable".

After four entire seasons of Lost goodness, we are now on the fourteenth episode of Season 5 (and the 100th episode overall), entitled "The Variable". I have been watching Lost since the start, and the journey thus far has been amazing and unforgettable. With only 21 episodes left, Lost is unraveling its compelling mysteries, and showing us secrets of the Island we never thought we'd see.

So what makes this show so great? Is it the intricate and intriguing mythology? The unique characterization? The captivating storylines? Or a mix of all of these? I think that Lost has a very unique recipe that makes it the best show in television history:

Recipe for LOST
(Yield: 1 series)

• 2 cups Characters - The main ingredient in Lost is the charismatic characters. Lost has tremendous character development. There are so many incredibly interesting characters that make Lost great -- all of the characters in Lost are different and unique in their own way. The fearless leader Jack Shephard, the enigmatic John Locke, the conman James Ford, the Korean couple Sun and Jin, the fugitive Kate Austen, the assassin Sayid Jarrah, the time-trveler Desmond Hume, fertility doctor Juliet Burke, and the scheming / diabolical / manipulative Benjamin Linus are just a fraction of the incredible ensemble that is a part of the characters on Lost.
• 2 cups Mythology - Almost equally important as the characters is the mythology of Lost. Lost's mythology is very unique -- DHARMA, the Others, the four-toed statue, Hanso, the DeGroots -- it all makes for a compelling story. The DHARMA Initiative has become such an integral part of the Lost universe -- the Swan, Flame, Staff, Arrow, Hydra, and Looking Glass are just some of the many stations that continously intrigue us. Who can forget the plethora of subtle references to an ancient island history -- the four-toed statue, ruins, Temple, and significant references to hieroglyphs. The mythology of Lost is always developing -- Season 5 has given us a much deeper look into the DHARMA Initiative, which is arguably the most mythological aspect of the entire show.
• 1 tablespoon Cliffhangers - Lost typically ends with that L O S T blackout that we all know well -- what does that mean? Cliffhanger! Lost is full of unexpected plot shifts and character development -- it's what always keeps us coming back for more. Some of the most classic cliffhangers have been (in my opinion) - The Others kidnap Walt (1x24); Michael kills Ana and Libby (2x20); Ben shoots Locke and leaves him for dead (3x20); Jack and Kate in the future (3x23); Sayid working for Ben (4x03); Locke in the coffin (4x14); Sayid shoots young Ben (5x10). The classic cliffhangers of Lost continuous shock us, and always leave us wanting more.
• 4 teaspoons E.U. - Lost has a very interesting expanded universe that exists outside the realm of the show. All of these EU (Expanded Universe) elements add to the overall story and mythology of the show. These include ARGs, video games, DVD features, mobisodes, magazines, and novels. The Lost Experience ARG focused on the origins of the D.I.H.G., and gave us more insight into the complex mythology of Lost. The video game Lost: Via Domus showed us a new perspective of Lost, from the eyes of Elliott Maslow, a survivor of Flight 815. The Lost: Missing Pieces showed us thirteen missing pieces from the storyline -- from Michael's talk with Doctor Arzt, to Christian's fateful encounter with Vincent.
• 1 (15 ounce) can of Locations - all of Lost is filmed on the beautiful island of Hawaii -- all of the locations we see (both on-island and off-island) are filmed on the tropical island of Hawaii. DVD features such as Lost: On Location gives us a look at the scenery of the Island. All of the breathtaking Island scenery is essential in the overall look and production of the show.
• 2 Writers/Producers - there are a myriad of talented and gifted writers/producers behind Lost, but only two of them steer the overall direction of the show -- Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have constructed the series of Lost since Season 1. Their brilliant storytelling ability has provided us with 99 fantastic episodes of Lost. I applaud them for constructing such an incredible series.

Each season of the series thus far has been amazingly unique -- they are filled with the spectacular character stories and mythology that we all know and love . We have had 99 episodes of LOST -- all of them unique and special in their own way. This week we will see the 100th episode of this incredible series; with only twenty more episodes to go after that, the end of our journey is in sight. Lost is the most captivating show on television -- I have been following it avidly for more than four years; it has been a very long and rewarding journey for all of us fans. Even after the series ends, we will always be able to relive Lost and rewatch episodes; it will still be sad when the series comes to a close. Let's enjoy the rest of Season 5, and celebrate 100 episodes!