The 2009 LOST Calendar is Rather Generic But Lovely Nonetheless

The first time the television show LOST released a calendar, it was a Big Deal at the kiosk where I worked. Every year there seems to be a calendar or two that just flies off the shelves, and in 2005, that was it. I was glad, as I had a gut feeling that LOST was a Very Erin Sort of Show, but as I hadn't yet managed to get caught up on it - and refused to start watching partway in - I didn't nab the calendar. The following year, I managed to get myself up to speed, but by the time I finished with season two, which was depicted in the calendar, we were all sold out. So it wasn't until post-season three that I first bought a LOST calendar for myself. I don't know if they'll continue making them beyond the conclusion of the series, but I'll certainly be snagging the ones for season five and six.

I say the 2009 LOST calendar is a reflection of season four, though that's not entirely accurate. The main photos on the top page are publicity shots for the fourth season, I think; With the exception of Sun, each character is set against a leafy jungle background; trees are prominent in Sun's picture as well, but at more of a distance, as she is situated in across from a tree-lined beach, with water behind her. I'm having trouble putting my finger on just where she's standing; it seems like some kind of lagoon. The smaller photos mostly depict scenes from the fourth season, I think, though the moments are generally not as iconic as they could be. And none of the season's new characters make an appearance at all. Perhaps the calendar creators wanted to avoid spoilers; I was rather annoyed when a glance at the 2007 calendar tipped me off that Hurley and Libby had a relationship. But I wouldn't think they'd completely disregard all of the newbies just for that reason. I suppose they just weren't considered important enough.

The calendar is set up in homage to the Pearl station, whose occupants are tasked with the job of monitoring those in other stations. Each month features three rounded television screens in the style of those seen in the Pearl. The top page is entirely taken up by one screen with an upper-body shot of a particular character; nobody doubles up this time, even Sun and Jin. On the bottom page, the top half is occupied by two television screens. The left shows a scene from the series featuring the character of the month, while the right lists that person's name atop five blank lines to be used "to track character developments". This is according to a note at the very beginning of the calendar, in which the top page shows all twelve characters together against a stormy background and the bottom has two screens full of blank lines atop four mini-pages listing the months from September to December 2008.

It's nice to have an ample amount of room for pictures, but this leaves the actual calendar space for each month quite limited, restricted to a mere half a page. The rectangular boxes are still big enough to write in, but only just; I'm really not much for writing on wall calendars, but those who are may well find this an annoyance. Also, though I don't think previous calendars have done this either - and with the limited space it's probably not such a good idea - I think it would be fun to list significant dates in the LOST timeline on the calendar. Designate December 19th as Ben Linus's birthday and September 22nd as the date of the Oceanic 815 crash and March 22nd as the date the Black Rock set sail from Portsmouth, that sort of thing. I do like the design of the calendar portion, though; the grainy whitish-gray background and stocky black letters are very Dharma-esque.

January is Jack Shephard's month, and the bottom shot is of him standing, hands on hips, next to Sayid, probably in Confirmed Dead or The Economist. February is Kate Austen, and the bottom has her talking to Jack, her hands locked together. I'd put this one in The Beginning of the End, around the time of "Are we really going home?", though again I'm not positive. Her evasive stance in the main picture seems appropriate for her wishy-washy nature at this point on the Island, flitting between Jack and Sawyer and between wanting to leave and fearing what will happen if she does.

I like that on the main James "Sawyer" Ford shot for March, there's a bright gleam of sunlight peeking through the clouds, as if to indicate Sawyer's impending march toward redemption. He made fairly steady progress through the first three seasons but often backtracked; season four marks the true beginning of his leap from anti-hero to hero. I think the smaller picture, in which he stands near Sayid against a dark backdrop sprinkled with torches, is from The Beginning of the End, around the moment when, apparently swayed by Hurley's speech, he decides to join Team John. Sayid Jarrah, in April, is essentially by himself in his smaller picture; there's someone on either side of him, but I can't make out their identities or pinpoint the scene, in which part of the plane seems to be in the background.

May is Ben Linus, who looks shifty as always, and the smaller picture shows him and Sawyer sharing a not-so-cordial conversation in Confirmed Dead. June is Juliet Burke, who is shown in the smaller picture with Sayid covering Jack's back with guns, also in Confirmed Dead. July is Claire Littleton, and there's not much to go on in the smaller picture, except that someone wearing a watch is standing nearby. I'm guessing it's from The Beginning of the End when she's looking for Charlie as the survivors reunite. I think the smaller picture in August, Hurley Reyes's page, is from around the same moment; it's night, and he stands (sporting his thankfully misleading red shirt) with Sawyer and Sayid, with the cuff of Desmond's blue shirt just slightly visible. I would've preferred Hurley and Ben Share a Candy Bar from Cabin Fever, but this is fine.

September is Desmond Hume, standing with his hand reaching up to a tree branch, exposing his bicep. In the smaller picture, he's sitting in a kumbaya sort of pose near the plane; it looks more like a shot from season three's Left Behind, but I'm not sure. Desmond of all people ought to have something more iconic, since as far as I'm concerned - and I know many fans agree with me - The Constant was the best episode of season four. Couldn't we have had a shot of him with a phone in his hand, grinning from ear to ear? Jin Kwon, in October, also seems like it could be a season three shot; it looks like him enjoying a beer in the Dharma van in Tricia Tanaka Is Dead. But maybe this is him in the medical station or something.

Sun Kwon is November, so she and her husband are only separated by a month. In the smaller picture, she stands with Claire, Kate, Desmond and Sawyer; this, too, is most likely from season three, probably Greatest Hits, since Claire and Desmond are never in a scene together during the day in season four. The calendar wraps up with John Locke, looking determined with his arms crossed and the knife on his belt clearly visible. The smaller shot is of him lying on the ground bloody and bewildered, apparently in season three's The Man Behind the Curtain or Through the Looking Glass after he finds himself in a ditch full of Dharma purge victims.

This is a good calendar, though I'm not sure if I like it quite as much as the 2008 one. For one thing, I liked that season three included quotes by the characters. For another, each character got several photos, though they were smaller than the ones here. Also, it just seems a little lousy that none of the supporting players from this season turn up at all. I suppose maybe everyone who appears in the calendar has to get paid for it, so whoever put this together didn't want to include any more than 12 characters if it could be avoided. But Daniel Faraday, Miles Straume, Charlotte Lewis and Frank Lapidus all deserve a little time in the spotlight, to say nothing of "Kevin Johnson," Captain Gault, Penny Widmore and Martin Keamy and the ever-neglected Danielle Rousseau, Alex Linus, Rose Henderson and Bernard Nadler. Another dozen characters right there, and that's just a start.

You won't get much of an idea of what season four is about by studying this calendar - and as much as I like the Pearl convention, it would be more appropriate for season two or three. Still, if you want a daily reminder of this fascinating show and some large shots of its stars, the 2009 LOST calendar is nice to have hanging around.