8 Things Yellowjackets Does Better Than Lost
2. The Over-Arching Plot Feels More Focused
What was Lost actually about? Was it the story of a group of plane crash survivors who found renewed purpose? Or was it the story of a mythical battle between good and evil on a magical island? Were they dead all along? A bit of all three. Over six seasons, Lost's core story became increasingly muddled.
Yellowjackets' plot is more focused. What led the team to turn to cannibalism in the wilderness and how is that barbarism bleeding into their adult lives? What helps the series' focus immensely is that the "25 years later" timeline is centered on only four of the survivors - Shauna, Taissa, Natalie and Misty. It's confirmed that there are more survivors in the cliffhanger to season 1, but they will advance the story rather than divert its course.
Through necessity of being a network show, Lost was forced to throw in various red herrings and introduce new characters to keep things interesting. Streaming and the increased reverence of creators has changed the TV landscape, so Yellowjackets doesn't need to bow to network pressure for more episodes and syndication rights. This hopefully means Yellowjackets can tell the story in its own time, revealing more information about the survivors' teenage experiences in the wilderness and the mysterious cult operating 25 years later.