The biggest nail in the coffin for me was the ill-conceived (and tremendously arrogant) Lost Experience. Average, busy viewers like me didn't have the time or inclination for an optional multimedia snipe hunt. One hour a week is plenty, and besides, I figured anything important would surely be revealed within the show itself.

Instead, after sticking carefully to the show for two seasons, I discovered that many of the questions I had been pondering were answered in between seasons in The Lost Experience. In order to get up to speed, I had to read an online FAQ about what was revealed in the course of the game (easily the least fulfilling plot experience of my life).

The Lost Experience spoke volumes about the show and its producers. First, it was an indication that the team isn't talented enough to properly weave the mythology into the plotline. They have these underlying mysteries, they have these characters, and, ah hell with it, let's just make a website explaining some of the island's backstory so we don't have to deal with it.

Second, had viewers like me known how much would be revealed, we might have been bribed into participating. Instead, loyal viewers of the show were punished for non-participation.

Third, what about viewers who didn't have the time or resources to play an internet game? What about old people who like Lost but don't use the internet, or poor people who like Lost but don't have access to the internet, or parents and law students who like Lost but don't want to spend hours every week being screwed around by the producers. The answer from the producers was quite simple: "We don't care about these viewers."