Very Specific Interviews™

Rewatching ‘Lost’ In a Pandemic and Having Intense Feelings About Sawyer

“Sawyer swims in jeans the most. And it’s not even always in an emergency.”

This is the first in a new series I am starting called Very Specific Interviews™ where I will ask people about a very specific thing. Today I am talking to Toronto writer Sarah Hagi about Saywer from the show Lost, which ran on ABC from 2004 to 2010.

Sarah, thank you so much for being the first interview in Very Specific Interviews,™ First off, I’d like to congratulate you for deciding to watch Lost during the pandemic. You have made such a wonderful choice. It is so trusting and naive and hope-filled. That said, it is also nihilistic enough to feel truly authentic. Your choice to watch Lost reflects the times we live in, which is apparently important. With all the shows available what made you decide on this one?

Lost really is a fantastic show. People talked so much shit about it being dumb, but watching it with fresh eyes and zero discourse and also not knowing many spoilers at all, I think it’s really one of the best viewing experiences of my life.

I decided on Lost because a friend of mine and I had a really wonderful time watching The Sopranos together in 2018. That happened during a rough time in our lives, and so because we both really wanted to watch a very immersive show right now during this weird time, my friend suggested Lost. It felt really amazing to know there were over 100 episodes of the show and 6 seasons.

My friend is about a decade older and watched Lost while it was on air, but didn’t remember much, so it was fantastic for us to react to things together. Another one of our friends joined us too, and we kept calling it “going to the island” or “island time.” They actually both finished the series way faster than I did, which is surprising because between the three of us I’m the one with no life.

As I write this, I’m nearing the end of season 5, and I’m already panicking because I don’t know what I’m supposed to do when it’s over. I love my island friends!!!

You are socially isolating, and having really intense feelings about Sawyer…