Let’s get polarizing! I already spent one post describing my love for Lost, though, I assure you, I could have gone on to write a 20 page essay about it. One of the minds, if not THE mind, behind it is Damon Lindelof. He has become one of the most criticized writers of our time. Go find some news story that mentions his name and look at the comments. But he’s also got his fans, who love his work, including the one that brought about the term polarizing: the Lost finale.

Obviously, I am a fan. I loved Lost from beginning to end, including the finale. Do I have qualms with the show, especially the final season? Naturally! But that’s just being nitpicky. Nearly six years since Jack closed his eyes, I still long to go back. This is not new information. What? Am I going to devote another post to how obsessed I am with the show? Fortunately, for you, if you’re still reading this, I am not.

Lindelof did a podcast with Carlton Cuse while Lost still aired. They would answer fan questions, clarify episode events, or tease future installments. It was highly enjoyable, and revealed Lindelof as a funny, charming, and self-deprecating writer. He chose not to run this immensely popular behemoth in recluse, but to become one of the faces, and voices, of the show. He appeared in Lost specials, did interviews, etc. By raising his public awareness, he was setting the stage for his later reputation (as polarizing). It was because he was so well known that audiences would be able make snap judges on whatever his name was attached to. They didn’t have to look him up on IMDB. They could put a face to the name.

Whoops. Just did a bit more analysis than I intended.

After Lost, Lindelof went into the movie biz, working on films like Prometheus, Star Trek Into Darkness, Tomorrowland, and Cowboys and Aliens. All of them worth seeing. Most of them having defenders and detractors. Except for Cowboys and Aliens. That was mostly panned. But come on, James Bond and Han Solo in one movie. It’s still worth your time, at least once. I anxiously awaited all of them, and saw each in theaters. And it wasn’t just the stars that attracted me to them. It was the writer.

Then came The Leftovers. If you’re not watching, stop reading and go catch up on HBOGo. Do it now. NOW.

Did you watch all twenty episodes? Yeah, the first season can be a bit of a struggle at times, mainly cause it’s super depressing. But that second season! One of the best on TV in 2015. I’m so glad it’s getting a third season to wrap up. It deserves it.

I suppose I look up to Lindelof because he was responsible for one of the things I love most on Earth. He was also one of my favorite people to follow on Twitter, but now he’s gone. Dammit, trolls!

Every now and then, he’ll pop up in a podcast or sit down for an interview with one of those web magazines, and I’ll kill a few hours reading or listening. What he has to say may be informative, or simply entertaining. It might even inspire, because he’s a successful writer and has a personal story to tell, besides the fantastic ones that come from his imagination.