Lost Hearing About Lost?

Good news for people like me who didn't catch Lost from the beginning, and by the time the buzz built, felt it was too late to catch up. Today at the TCA, one of the show's executive producers Carlton Cuse announced that, preceding the debut of the show's 6th and final season on February 2, ABC will air a one-hour special recapping the show's first 5 seasons. The thought of that elicited giggles from critics, who could not imagine summing all of the show's legendary twists and turns so succinctly. "It's all in 43 minutes, and it's really done pretty well," Cuse enthused.

The show's upcoming ending is something which co-creator and executive producer Damon Lindelof says includes a "final image" which they've had in mind for years. And, once ABC "allowed" them, as he worded it, to work towards an end date, the writers have been able to concoct a final season which crafts a satisfying story, rather than staying a few seasons past the show's welcome.

As Evangeline Lilly, aka Kate, admitted from the stage, filming the show's finale will be bittersweet, because the cast has spent six years "in the jungle, growing up together, and growing up in front of all of you." But, as the cast really does spend its time trapped together on an island, where, she explains, you can't just run off to Vegas for a weekend escape, she does also feel like the end of the show may be a big "golden horizon" of opportunity.

In either case, before the actors go their separate ways, Lost's final season will be a reunion of sorts, Lindelof announced, as some of the show's departed stars like Harold Perrineau and Cynthia Watros return. Also on today's panel were Emilie de Ravin, Michael Emerson, Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Daniel Dae Kim and Terry O'Quinn -- but not Matthew Fox, who of course will return as Jack. Perhaps he's off somewhere, living out the actions he read in Faraday's journal to keep flight 815 from crashing in the first place.

Lost airs its recap special on February 2 at 8 PM, followed by the 2-hour season premiere at 9 on ABC.