jumping the shark...

Has LOST done it? Is it inevitable that they will? These are the questions that keep me up at night.

Committed though I am, I find myself almost dreading Wednesday nights rather than looking forward to them--trying to muster up the energy to go through the motions of believing that I'm ever going to understand a single thing that goes on, longing wistfully for the good old days when there was only one set of Others and you had total faith that there would be a perfectly reasonable explanation for the smoke monster, taking guilt-filled glances at other soul-devouring shows like Heroes and 24. It's like a bad marriage.

While pondering this sad state of affairs yesterday, I was reminded of just how much I enjoy the phrase "jump the shark." I wonder how many people nowadays know or remember where it originated. I, of course, was an avid Nick-at-Nite watcher in its hey-dey, before all this Family Matters and Home Improvement nonsense. I can vividly remember watching the iconic Happy Days episode where, in a last-ditch effort to save the show's floundering ratings, they decided to launch a 3-part on-location episode in which Arthur Fonzerelli, the biker thug with a heart of gold, attempts to jump over a shark on water skis.

I must couldn't have been more than 10 years old when I saw this episode, but even then I believe my immediate reaction was, "WTF, mate?"

Oh man. Poor Fonzie. Note that he's still wearing his signature leather jacket, although personally, my favorite part is the cut-off jean shorts. Did you know that Henry Winkler was a classically trained Shakespearean actor before landing his role on Happy Days? He was also my second celebrity crush (after the Green Ranger), although that status was drastically affected by the cut-offs.

As long as they don't stick Sayid into a pair of frayed Levi's, I think we'll be okay. =)