I got really into Lost. Like really into it. I was on message boards, sharing theories, doing alternate reality puzzles, hacking websites, going to live events, eating apollo bars, reading bad novels, full tilt. It felt like an actual mystery we were actually solving.

Then the quality of the show started to dip. Plot threads were dropped due to external factors, like Eko dying because the actor hated living in Hawaii. Walt aging too fast. The writers strike shortening Libby's backstory. Nikki and Paulo. The Dharma Initiative being poorly received. And it became clear that there wasn't actually a satisfying conclusion written. The "mystery" was that the writers weren't sure what happens next. They weren't making the show for me. They weren't counting on somebody studying Egytian mythology to decipher the significance of a four toed foot, or learning finite math to establish a relationship between the Numbers. I was imagining answers that were never there, and posting them on the internet created backlash. The writers admitted to changing some plot threads because they didn't want to spawn more internet scavenger hunts.

And looking back, the show was fine. It was clever and twisty and well acted. Characters developed and grew. Some of the show still sucked, but it wasn't the massive disappointment like OG Dexter or Game of Thrones. The end is satisfying, if you're not really thinking too hard about the unanswered questions.

But yeah, I got too into Lost.