"A Small Theory About All The Mystery"

This is not an earth-shattering thought or anything, I admit. But I was wondering, is it possible that TPTB are not just being annoyingly coy in telling the LOST story in such a frustratingly cryptic structure? Could part of their M.O. be to immerse the viewer as much as possible into the story? That is to say, the TPTB might want us to experience the show as if each of us was a terrified Flight 815 castaway -- to place each of us into the story as if we were one of the passengers who crashed and was trying to deal with everything that was happening, as it happened. As a passenger, we would not know anything about the other passengers, the Others, the Stations, or the island, etc. We would be just as clueless as we are at this point as viewers actually, and we would learn the details bit by bit as passengers, like we are while watching. It's as if we were playing the LOST game, as that new "third person" that was created for it, only we are moving through the show each week with no controls, just as an observer to everything that's going on.

Of course, in order to tell the story sometimes TPTB have to make us, the viewers, step out of our 815-selves, and observe things from the other characters' viewpoints, or else it would be a pretty flat story line. Sometimes we have to see things as another castaway, and sometimes we see things as Ben or Juliet, to be told the stories that surround us outside the immediate circumstances. But for the most part, we are in the dark as much as any Lostie in the beach camp. And the choppy non-linear way in which we are learning about the island and its inhabitants is pretty much the same way that the 815 entourage are learning about it...piece by excruciatingly tiny piece, as every beach day goes by...just like one of the survivors.

If TPTB are creating the show for this kind of immersing effect, I think that they took a very bold and impressive gamble trusting that there would be enough intelligent or curious viewers that would be able to "play" along, until they get to the point where the Losties and the viewers started to learn all the mysteries together. I don't know if I'm correct in this theory, because most likely TPTB would have told us that this is how they are writing the story for us to view it, and I've never read that they have stated this. They have told us about other ways that they have been inspired to write the story to explain their method, so they would probably mention this angle as well. But I wonder. The show sure does often make me feel as clueless as one of the Lostaways who have been left out of the loop, as Hurley put it. And I have a feeling that as the secrets and mysteries are revealed to Jack and his gang, that we will be having the same "Eureka!" moments that they will be experiencing, and at the same time. It can't be too much fun to present a show's story in this fashion, so if they are, there are sure to be big payoffs as we and the Lostaways learn more about their predicament in Season 4 together.