So my husband was listening to a TED Talk by J. J. Abrams, the creator of the TV show LOST which we have followed since it began.  I have complained about the show here on several occasions, I believe. So my husband tells me that in his talk, Abrams tells his audience about a box, given to him by his grandfather, that he has never opened. He find the mystery compelling.  He says “What I love this box is that I find myself drawn to infinite possibility — mystery is the catalyst for imagination. In my work, mystery boxes are everywhere.”

Ok. Mystery is all well and good. But if you are in the entertainment industry there is a delicate balance you must find between mystery and revelation. If you don’t give your audience enough answers they will turn on you. Maybe Abrams doesn’t care about the bottom line but I suspect that the network that is airing his show does.  And when a significant portion of your audience is that Type A personality that would have torn the box open 10 seconds after receiving it, you’d better give them a little less mystery and a little more fact or they are likely to start fire-bombing your home.

Eh-hem. Not that I would get so worked up over a TV show or anything.  Because I’m way too classy for that.