Hell Has Harbour views & Lost

This column was first published in the Age on January 29, 2005

Tomorrow night, the ABC is showing the engaging telemovie Hell Has Harbour Views, which puts forward the thesis (again) that Sydney is so incredibly beautiful it must be evil. The same argument could be made for the island that is the cradle of the drama in Channel 7's new drama series, Lost (Thursday, 8.30 pm), a series based on the premise that a plane crashes on an unknown tropical island - it's filmed in Hawaii - and it seems the survivors wont be rescued. What seems more likely is that they will be eaten alive by some (I assume) genetically modified monster or prehistoric throwback that crashes through the jungle. Like the shark in Jaws, you don't get to see the beast and while the idea is B Grade horror, the results are transfixing. Lost is created by Alias's (and Felicity's) J.J. Abrams, and there is no doubt that his aggressive approach to genre mixing and plot twisting makes him one of the most exciting producers working in American television today.

The plane that crashes was flying between Sydney and the States so there are a few Australian scenes and actors among the back stories that emerge with Melbourne born Emilie de Ravin, playing a pregnant Aussie girl. Overall the cast is good, and includes Matthew Fox (formerly of Party as Five) as our hero, Dr. Jack; Dominic Monaghan as Charlie (he played Merry in Lord of the Rings); Naveen Andrews (The English Patient) and Harold Perrineau (Oz). Unknown actress Evangeline Lilly is strong as Kate, one of those kick-arse heronies that Abrams is fond of.

While Hell has Harbour Views has modest ambitions, Lost is one of the two series that Channel 7 are using to announce that they mean big business this year (the other is Desperate Housewives, beginning at 8.30pm on Monday). Both suggest that hell may be a place we inhabit daily. Hugh Walker (Matt Day) is charming, handsome, and a senior associate in the largest law firm in the land. His employers see him as a litigator who will eventually join their esteemed ranks as a living God, and, consequently, a guy with a harbour view. The question is, how far will this once decent bloke go to fulfil his dreams - or will his regular, alcohol fuelled nightmares, prove to be more prophetic? It's not that original but still manages to feel fresh. Day is just terrific and really carries the film - indeed he has to, as the narration is first person and direct to camera. This device is hard to pull off, and the fact that Hell Has Harbour Views manages to is what distinguishes it.

Meanwhile TV conspiracy nuts are arguing on some websites that the twist in Lost will be that the 48 'survivors' of the plane crash have actually died and their creepy paradise is a form of hell. Abrams insists that isn't the case, but I assume that rumour springs from the fourth episode when Jack says to one of his traumatised co-survivors, 'We all died three days ago,' referring to the fact that they have to start their lives over now. Each episode covers a day and reveals time and time again the ways in which this accident will give some passengers a second chance while being the end for others. Paraplegics will walk, junkies will be forced to go cold turkey, several citizens from countries deemed the 'Axis of Evil' will prove to be decent folk, and prisoners will find a freedom on the island they never had at home.

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