I recall the exact moment I knew the storytellers on Lost had lost their way.

For those not familiar with the show - Lost revolves around a plane crash on an island where miraculous healings, smoky monsters, mystic magnetic auras, and ghost-like Others from the jungle happen every week. Something mysterious is going on, and the pleasure of the show is seeing the mystery unfold.

(Minor spoilers ahead for those who haven’t seen season 3 of the show.)

One of the plot lines this season revolved around three characters (Hurley, Ben, and Locke) finding a mysterious cabin which held the even more mysterious “Jacob.” Jacob is set up as a shadowy but godlike figure, who gives directives to the mysterious Others and apparently orchestrates (or is involved in) all the otherworldly phenomenon of the island. Several episodes set up the idea that if Locke reaches the cabin and talks to Jacob, all the answers will be revealed.

Because this is a TV show, it takes an ENTIRE SEASON for Locke to reach the cabin. However, with three episodes left, Locke finally reaches the cabin. With about five minutes to go in the show (a sure sign that a cliffhanger is coming), he lights a lamp and enters. He sees darkness, and a figure in a rocking chair greets him from the shadows. He raises the lamp, moves closer, and the figure leans forward, to show that it is in fact…

NOT JACOB.

So, no answers for that show. No larger mysteries revealed. In fact, Locke’s meeting only raises new questions (and thus plot threads) which need to be resolved before the show’s end next season.

When I saw that Jacob was not there, I knew the writers of Lost were treading water. Locke had met the goal that had been set up over about three story arcs on the show, and STILL there was no resolution

There’s only one more season, and I’ve watched every episode so far, so I’m hooked for the duration. Hopefully by the end of the show we’ll get to see Jacob more closely, and get answers to the questions.