Ranting to /dev/null

It had to happen eventually

I've started watching Lost. I suppose it was inevitable.

Overall, it's pretty entertaining. They're really able to generate tension and emotional impact. But there are some things that strike me as a bit... implausible. I'm not talking about the whole Mystery Island bit. I'm willing to grant them that. I'm talking about the fact that the passenger mainfest seems to consist entirely of social outcasts, criminals, ex-soldiers, junkies, runaways, etc., some people being combinations of the above. Just about everyone we've been introduced to so far (I'm up through disc 3 of season 1) was on the plane for some sort of personal mission. While this is in some sense an exploration into the myriad lives and stories that we pass by without noticing on a daily basis, I'd like to think that any random passenger flight would consist of people who are, on the whole, pretty boring.

Wouldn't the flight they're on consist of mostly tourists and businessmen? Why aren't there any families? I mean, the careers we've got so far are con-man, Republican Guard intelligence officer, criminal, failed rock star, and doctor. That's one "normal" job out of 5. We've got some hints that Locke used to be some kind of white-coller management type, but he's not telling everything. Even Michael, who seems to have had a collection of fairly normal jobs, hasn't really said anything about what he does for a living.

Which brings me to my other point of suspension-of-suspension-of-disbelief: why does everyone have a past to hide? I mean, sure, I've done things I'm not proud of, but nothing that would make me lie about who I am or what I've done. I'd imagine that more people are like this than not. But Kate has killed at least a few people, Said is a torturer, Sawyer's a pathological (and quite accomplished) liar, and Locke used to be a paraplegic (which might make people less likely to accept him in his role of Great White Hunter).

I suppose all of this will be explained and brought to light as I see the rest of the series. But frankly, I find Battlestar Galactica to be a much more believable show on a human level.