Whenever someone mentions the TV show Lost, I often feel a pang of mild irritation. As I’ve mentioned before, I watched four seasons of that show before I realised it was effectively trolling its viewers and that the writers were making it up as they went along, flying by the seat of their pants. I appreciate that the entire “what the hell is happening now” approach was very appealing to some viewers but I felt I was being manipulated. I believe that there is a loose and informal social contract between the viewer and the powers that create and run popular television shows. I recognise that it is their intellectual property so they can do what they please but one cannot totally ignore viewer expectations. It is not unreasonable to expect story arcs to be concluded or at least progress in a manner that gives them meaning. When watching Lost, I got that same feeling I get when watching a street magician. Yes, they are doing something clever but ultimately they are misdirecting you.