I wonder what it's like in translation?

Watched the third season of Lost this week and despite spoiling it for myself on the internet, and despite not being a huge fan of the series overall, it was awesome.

The fact that the writers are able to foreground new characters so far into the show demonstrates the depth and intricacy of the plot, in that the foregrounding never feels forced. It also speaks to how compelling Lost has been, which has always been one of its greatest strengths.

I know some of what happens in season four, yet I was utterly hooked by season three's fantastic finale. That said, I do think Lost is better when episodes are viewed consecutively, as I'm then more willing to forgive some of the more blatant time-wasting that goes on.

I've also been watching The Tudors, which is not as good as Rome, in terms of both period detail and compelling characters. Rome depicts people from all castes of Roman life, and was thus able to add a certain air of mystique to the proceedings, although I may just be showing my ignorance of classical history here.

In The Tudors, while King Henry and his court are energetically rendered, all the big reveals are telegraphed by some 400 years or so. King Henry himself is portrayed as a kind of medieval rock star, but the show holds together because of some decent ensemble acting.

Some members of the cast do more acting than others, though, and Sam Neil plays Cardinal Worsely as a cartoonishly obvious bad guy. He tries to make a genuinely bad character, but as far as villainy goes he doesn't come close to Michael Emerson on Lost.

One of the reasons I'm so eager to see season four is because I'm convinced that Ben Linus is one of the great modern TV villains. Emerson's refreshingly understated, amoral portrayal is a great contrast to some of the bombastic anti-heroes that have become fashionable lately.

While you always get the sense that these rule-breakers are basically good people, you never get that sense from Ben. The fact that the audience doesn't really know what his aims are, makes it all the more riveting as he mercilessly goes about achieving them.