Are you into "Lost"?

Matthew Fox, who plays Jack Shepherd

Tonight is the much-anticipated Season Three opener of "Lost."

I will DVR it, because we attend a midweek prayer meeting at our church. But I'm definitely one who is anticipating it. Yep, I'm a fan.

Honestly, the first season rolled by without me paying much attention to it. The thought of a group of plane crash victims stranded on an island just didn't do much for me. What? a fictional version of "Survivor"?

Then, my son Jonathan gave my husband the DVD set of Season One for his birthday. My husband had never had any desire to see it either, but he figured it would be rude not to watch the DVDs since they were, after all, a gift.

It captured me from the very first episode. The story is intriguing, the writing excellent, the acting exceptional. It makes you care about the characters, as you see their individual stories in flashbacks. And there's always the questions--what exactly IS going on on that island, and will the survivors ever be rescued?

USA Today has a feature story about "Lost" today, along with a review of tonight's season opener, which critic Robert Bianco gives three-and-a-half stars. Bianco calls the five-minute opening segment of tonight's show "astounding," and the show's producers apparently want it to be a "Holy Mackerel!" moment for viewers.

Since I watched both of the first seasons on DVD, I didn't have to deal with commercials and cliffhangers. Now that I've chosen to watch it week-by-week, I'll have to endure both, and I know I'm not going to like that. But frankly, I can't do as I did last season and ignore the show so I could watch it on DVD later. My curiosity is just too strong!

Do you like "Lost"? Why, or why not? Who are your favorite characters? Let me know in my comments!