If You Miss LOST, You Can Still Remember The Good Old Days Every Sunday

     No, another network didn't pick up the old episodes of LOST and decide to start airing re-runs every Sunday night. So then how, you may ask, can you jog your memory of the joy you used to experience when watching LOST? Simply tune in to ABC's Once Upon A Time, written by some of the most influential LOST writers/producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, and there is no doubt the avid LOST fans will find at least one reference in every episode.

     I would even recommend going back to the beginning and catching up on the episodes you missed because there have already been some great shout outs to the show we once held so dearly. However, LOST references are not nearly the only reason to start watching this show, especially if you are a fan of classic Disney fairy tales. While I could go into detail about the premise of the show, I will leave that for you to discover. Just know that many of the characters are people that everybody is already familiar with or at least heard of. Though the entire series is live action, Snow White, Prince Charming, Cinderella, Geppetto, Jiminy Cricket and Rumpelstilskin are just a few of the names you'll recognize and there will no doubt be more classic Disney characters waiting to make their eventual appearance in the storyline in the upcoming weeks. To be honest, even if Disney fairy tales aren't quite your cup of tea, this plot has more of an edge and a mystery to it than any of the originals. In fact, in some cases it either strays from the original story or takes creative liberties with some of the characters' back stories in order to make for a very interesting ongoing story that continues to build toward a major conflict. Did I mention that there are two 'universes' in which characters not only exist, but apparently attempt to cross-over or somehow effect the outcome of events in the alternate universe? I'm not quite sure how that is going to pan out either, but now that I have the attention of the LOST fans again, please enjoy this list that I have put together chronicling the references to LOST that have been seen in Once Upon A Time ranging from the obvious to the very subtle.

- One of the initial scenes involved a town clock that was stuck and it just happened to be 8:15.

- The initial catalyst of the plot involves a wicked witch or evil queen who vows to drain the happiness from everyone in fairytale land, in other words casting evil over the entire region, which materialized in the form of black smoke. Not the obvious column of power and destruction that ran ramped all over the island, but similar enough to bring a nostalgic smile to my face.

- In the 'real world' universe, the wicked witch / evil queen lives in a house numbered 108.

- One of the opening scenes when returning from a commercial break began with a dramatic extreme close-up of a closed eye opening suddenly.

- An Apollo chocolate candy bar appeared as someone's snack.

- MacCutcheon brand whiskey appeared as two of the main characters attempted to wind down with a drink.

- Speaking of MacCutcheon, did I mention that Alan Dale, the actor that played Charles Widmore in LOST, also plays the role of Prince Charming's father?

- There is a wheel in the window of what looks like an antique shop that bares a very striking resemblance to the large, frozen underground wheel that helped the Losties travel through time. 

- Emma Swan is the name of the main character (whose backside is pictured above). Is it a coincidence that the Swan DHARMA station was so crucial to the plotlines of the early seasons of LOST?

- And speaking of Emma Swan, apparently she is a Geronimo Jackson fan (a fictional band created for the LOST story) as you can barely make out their logo in the form of a sticker on the rear window of Emma's car.

     Aside from these visible references, it is hard to ignore the same eerie feel that the soundtrack evokes even if it is a different composer, and of course the episode always ends with somewhat of a cliffhanger in typical LOST fashion. In the last episode I even noticed that a character said "I hope you find what you're looking for" when speaking to another character. My excitement for this line wasn't met with the same enthusiasm from others as some of the previously mentioned references, but us true obsessive LOST fans know that those words were chosen carefully and they would again bring back that warm, comfortable feeling that I got the last time I was captivated by a mysterious, thought-provoking television series.

     That is not to say that Once Upon A Time ranks on my list of favorite television shows quite yet, but the nods to what is arguably my favorite show of all time certainly boosts the level of enjoyment that this show brings me. Aside from the story itself, part of the excitement is waiting anxiously to see if an Oceanic Airlines promotional luggage tag shows up on someone's bag or if one of the characters passionately declares that no one can tell him what he can't do! So if you're a LOST fan, I highly recommend Once Upon A Time, even if only for the memories.