Seven episodes into the fifth season the veteran show still proves itself to be the most original and compelling drama on television. With the seasons now shortened (this years run is only seventeen episodes) the drama nips along at a quick pace, clearing up some mysteries, teasing at others and as always raising new questions in the build up to the sixth and final season.
So far this season we've seen Locke's journey back to the real world, the Oceanic Six take to the skys together again, discovered the enigmatic Ms Hawking from Desmond's time travel/flashback is Daniel Faraday's mother and, thanks to the island's quantum leaping through time, we've seen glimpses of "The Others" in their early day, a young Charles Widmore on the island, the French shipwreck survivors arrival and death at the hands(?) of the monster, and we have seen Daniel and Jin wearing the uniforms of the mysterious Dharma Initiative circa 1970. Yet despite all this and much more you'll still find plenty of people who regard the drama poorly.
Part of the reason for this is negative press. The British tabloids, desperately furrowing their caveman brows struggle to understand where the drama is going and despise it for asking it's viewers to think. The show's other detractors are frustrated, paradoxically, by what makes the show so gripping: The questions. The viewing public seem to hate the show constant cycle of questions and answers, seemingly wanting to know the answers to all the big questions all at once.
Way back when season one ended I remember the general consensus being one of anger that the protagonists were not off the islands and that it was not explained what the island was. This general feeling is the same today, only with new questions being the source of the viewers (or, more often than not, no viewers) irritation. The excellent writers and creators of the show have proved time and time again that they do have the answers and will reveal them when they feel the time is right, and still this does not sate said detractors.
The issue people have seems to be that they do not seem to appreciate that what they are watching is science fiction. To be fair the drama may have been misleading at first, seeming to be about the survivors of a plane crash. However, even if you started watching the drama on this small pretence, the appearance of 
'The Monster' in the first episode should have clued you in that this wasn't going to be a modern day Robinson Crusoe. What people also do not seem to realise is that without the questions there would be no show. Lost is not suitable for the episodic formula of wrapping things up neatly at the end of each 45 minute chapter and does require that you invest yourself into its viewing. If you are the type of person who simply wishes to tune in and drop out this is not the show for you.
In fairness, the show is not for everyone, though if you do watch it then you must, especially at this stage of five years in, be prepared to accept the fantastic. Most importantly, if you do not want your entertainment to make you think, switch to another channel (X Factor or American Idol may be more your speed). I, for one, am loving every minute of Lost just I always have and have complete faith in the produces, writers and actors to keep me on the edge of my seat until the last frame.
