Well, what did you think about the Lost finale? Facebook comments right after the show ranged from "Awesome" to "Rip-off!" It shouldn't be a surprise that a show that's kept everyone guessing would continue to make you scratch your head even after it was over. If you were waiting for a tidy ending that served all of the answers up in a neat little package, you weren't watching the same show I was for the past 6 seasons.While the nature of the flash sideways storyline is up for interpretation (I'll share what I believe in a minute), what happened on the island actually happened - Even Christian made sure Jack knew that at the end. Yes, they all crashed on the island. Yes, they all lived the experiences on and off the island. And yes, like everyone else, they all eventually died at some point. Boone died back in season 1, Jack died at the end of the show and Hurley died sometime after (maybe another 2,000 years or more). The show was about the human experience... but that's such a huge story to tell. They had to tell it through one man's experience - and that was Jack. When Jack closed his eye the story, for us, ended.
So WHAT happened on the island? Exactly what we saw. Jack and Smoke Monster both thought that Desmond was there for a reason... That he was able to withstand electromagnetic radiation (the heart of the island). Jack thought that if Jacob wanted him there, Desmond must be they key to saving the island from the Smoke Monster. Smokey was betting on the fact that if Desmond turned off the light the island would be destroyed. They were both right. Desmond turned off the light, which started the destruction of the island. Unfortunately for Smoke Monster, the light was also the source of his immortality. Now that there was no light, he was able to die... and die he did.
Why was Richard mortal all of the sudden? That happened before the light was turned off. He became mortal when Jacob's ashes disappeared in the camp fire. When Jacob's power was transferred to Jack, his rules no longer applied.
So Hurley is now immortal? Yes. A whole new story begins with Hurley. The show isn't about that story... the same way it wasn't about whomever was in charge of the island before Jacob and Man in Black's crazy "mother". Hurley will eventually die, like Jacob did. Ben is the new Richard, and will also eventually die one day like Richard eventually does. Details on this story aren't necessary... but fun to think about. (Theory time) Since the Smoke Monster was "dead" before Jack went into the cave of light, it's possible that he re-released the smoke monster, just like Man In Black did when he fell into the cave. I'd like to think that after Jack dies, the monster takes the form of Jack's body and battles good and evil with Hurley on the island for a couple of centuries... but, again, that's a whole other story. (Theory over)
So, now what about the flash sideways storyline? It's up for interpretation, but this is what I believe: They are in a "purgatory" before moving on after being dead. I hate to use the word "purgatory" because that's been a theory of what the island was ever since season 2. But, remember, the island and all of the stories flashed back and forward were real. They weren't in purgatory during the whole series. The producers led us to believe that there was an "alternate" timeline that started after Juliette detonated the bomb. This wasn't true. Just like the flashbacks that wound up really being flash forwards in season 4; What we thought was an alternate timeline was actually another place of consciousness. After dying, the characters all go to this "place" where they need to become aware of what life they lived, and how they died. Once they become aware they can "let go".
This was a brilliant way to end the series. As each character "let go" we got to see their story unfold one last time. What triggered their awareness was the interaction with the other people who made their life important. It's kind of hokey, but the point is that the experiences we have with other people is the most important part of our real life, and what we take with us when we move on. Some were ready to move on... others, even after being aware, needed more time to sort things out. Ben wasn't ready - perhaps he needed more time to sort out his sins... or just wanted to do it with Rousseau a few times first. This is why Faraday's mother didn't want Desmond to make Daniel aware... she finally was able to see him they way she wanted him to be, and wasn't ready to lose him again. She also wasn't ready to forgive herself from ruining his life and then killing him (again).
While all of this is still up for interpretation... there are some things that are just fact. They really did crash, and Jack died in the bamboo after experiencing everything we saw on the show. The plane flying overhead as Jack was dying was carrying Kate, Sawyer and the gang off of the island - it wasn't Oceanic 815 not crashing... to prove the point, we were shown the same sneaker hanging on the bamboo from the beginning of the series, now old and decomposing after years of hanging out in the jungle. And, we're left with the iconic image of the crash site, to show that it all happened and that everyone involved has now moved on to the next part of their story.
So, that's it. Thanks for allowing me to ramble on about the show for the past 6 years. I don't think I'm gonna get hooked on another show like this for a very long time. As always, I'd love to hear your interpretation, so feel free to comment below... I'll see all of ya in another life, Brothas!
PS - If you're one of those people who didn't like the ending... re-watch the last 30 minutes, now knowing that they are all dead (I just did). The sideways timeline is pure genius! Now that we know they are all trying to "let go" there's so many things that now take on an entirely different meaning. Amazing. Time to completely rewatch the whole last season... I guess it's not over after all!
Im personally dissapointed. I didnt expect to have everything answered. But the number or mysterious questions about the island, the light, Jacob, Dharma, the numbers, why Walt was so important, how Mikhail could die a few times and come back, and so on... There was way to much unanswered. And discovering that the flash sideways were not an alternate timeline but a flash foward to the future when they were all in some kind of afterlife made those flashes seem really unimportant to the main story. I need more time to mull it over but the finale for me so far was a huge dissapointment.
ReplyDeleteBoris,
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome show, I thought ending was great. I guess we'll all have to find somehting to do Tuesday nights now.
Thank you for all of your postings, I have looked forward to reading them each week after the show. They always provided some extra insight into the show.
I thought the entire series was amazing. Loved every second of it. Just really sad its over now. What am I gonna watch now?
ReplyDeleteThank you Boris for all you have written about the show. At first I didn't understand the ending but what you have written seams to make sense. I believe my mistake as i was watching was I didn't listen closely enough to what the characters were saying. In the alternate universe, I thought they were all being found when they had their moment, but it makes more sense now that they were letting go.
ReplyDeleteOnce again Boris... great job... I believe you would make a good critic if you ever give up being the Hudson Valley Radio Legend.
For me the ending was bitter sweet. I have watched for the past 6 years and was lost from the start. The final episode for me still left me confused with a few things but overall I feel closer for the characters that I have come to love,they are what kept me watching even when i became frustrated. I totally understand the meaning of the show even though I got lost with a few details. I am still left wondering -Where's Walt?
ReplyDeleteI know alot of people are killing the creators for this ending but like you, I kind of enjoyed it. Sure it was frustrating in some ways (so were the last 6 years) but how else do you wrap this thing up?
ReplyDeleteLately many people seem to complain about some of the hokiness (sp) of the whole thing like the smoke monster and the light, but as a friend of mind pointed out, you bought into a show about a magical island and now you are going to complain about silly things like uncorking the light?
Two questions that are bugging me this morning are where the runway for the plane came from and when did they get the explosives that Locke wired to the plane off of it?
Boris I think you said it well when you wrote that you don't know when you will again get this hooked into a show, I feel the same way. It is kind of like the end of a football season, you don't know how to fill up your Sunday afternoons.
I can at least answer those 2 questions. The runway on Hydra Island was created by the Others. When Sawyer and Kate were kept prisoner in ploar bear cages they were forced to work on that runway. As for the explosives on the plane. I guess when Smokey removed the one from the plane and said there was more he was lying. It was just the one. He just wanted to con the canidates into the sub and blow it up.
ReplyDeleteTo Jason G, your questions about the light, Jacob, Dharma, the numbers, why Walt was so important, how Mikhail could die a few times and come back and the other things left unanswered, well, who cares. Is isn't truly important to the story why Mikhail could come back to life, or exactly what the light was, or why walt was important. It really has no bearing on the story, and I'm glad things were left unasnwered, because I don't want to be spoon-fed everything.
ReplyDeleteTo the Anonymous above me who posted at 0945, you asked: "where the runway for the plane came from and when did they get the explosives that Locke wired to the plane off of it?"
The runway was built by Kate and Sawyer (and Ben's others) and we saw it being built a few seasons ago.
Locke didn't wire the plane- Widmore did, and Locke took the explosives and used them to create the bomb on the sub.
Ok. Now that I've gotten the answers to the above questions out of the way, I will throw in my two cents about the FANTASTIC finale.
ReplyDeleteObviously, this was the story of Jack. It began with his eye opening, and ended with his eye closing.
I feel that it was a story of redemption. It was a deeply spiritual show, and even though I am not spiritual at all, I was able to see that and not only appreciate it, but like it as well.
Many of the characters throughout the story died after finding redemption, or coming to terms with their inner demons, making amends, or otherwise "letting go". It has been a huge theme throughout the series, and to turn a blind eye to that now would be foolish.
So, I feel that the sideways timeline was their reward for their redemption- they were able to live their lives over again in the best possible way. Their journey finally culminated in the realization of the best parts of both of the lives they had lived, which allowed them to let go of their mortality and move on to whatever comes after we die.
Faraday's mother tried to stop Desmond so that her son wouldn't move on, but he wasn't ready. Neither was Ana Lucia, or Eko (although I think his character was, they just couldn't get the actor lol) or Paolo or Ardzt or Widmore, or any of the other people they didn't show. Or- more likely, they were ready to move on, but were in their own "Church" in the end, and just not associated with the losties. Even Libby showed up!(Amazing what a ton of makeup can do for a woman).
Big reveal to me was that every time Sayid mentioned being in love with a woman who died- I always figured he meant Nadia. Aparrantly, he meant Shannon!
I really wish I had someone to just sit and talk to about the show's end, heh. Most of the people I know who watch it just kind of watch it, and don't really read into anything. I loved the ending, and if they answered any more than they did, it would've ruined it. Lost is truly about the human experience, spirituality, and the unknown- and things like that are up to interpretation- no one can give us answers to those questions that man has had since the dawn of time, we all have to find out on our own, and go with what feels right...
Just like Lost.
Verge,
ReplyDeleteSo right about Sayid and Shannon! How awesome that she was "the one". That totally made sense why he was still unsettled in the alternate timeline (purgatory). He never resolved his relationship with Nadia and she never triggered his awareness... she never truly was the love of his life.
It was great discussing the show with you. Thanks for being a big part of these posts!
My only beef is that they still never explained where the island went at the end of season 4 after Ben turned the wheel. They show the island at the bottom of the ocean, but this is during the flash sideways, not reality. In reality the island continued to exist, since they were all still present on the island in present time after the hydrogen bomb exploded. So where did the island go?
ReplyDeleteWhen the show ended I was so frustrated! I thought I would get more answers. But after a sleepless night, I realized how amazing the end was, it was soooooo good! First thing, in the flash sideways, whenever anyone would remember the island, it was the cutest, saddest thing ever. And of course, final shot being Jack's eye closing, very fitting and meaningful.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna miss this show so much, no more premiere/finale parties for each season, no more sharing theories every Wednesday morning...it's so sad!
Anyway, Boris, thanks for posting after every episode! You helped support my Lost addiction when everyone else would get tired of listening to me.
So, Lost is over...Now what?
Boris,
ReplyDeleteI will truly miss your Wednesday morning chats about lost. I have watched this show from the very begining and truly am sad it is over. I felt the ending was perfect. No there were questions not answered however people forget the show is called "LOST." Here's to the last 6 years no show will ever give us the experience Lost did.
one thing i wanted to know was what was the question mark map inside the hatch? any ideas?
ReplyDeleteI will address this to all those looking for answers that weren't present in the finale (or the other episodes either)....quit complaining.
ReplyDeleteIf they had answered your questions, and done so in an exact way, the show would have lost much of what made it great. Every week during the season for the past six years I had the privilege of looking forward to new mysteries that would occupy my thoughts for days on end.
If the writers would have simply opened the doors to all their secrets, I would have had nothing to ponder, the show would have required nothing more than my vacant attention for an hour.
I am glad that they left much unanswered for two reasons. For starters, this was never a show about a supernatural island, it was a show about the people stuck on that island, particularly Jack. My second reason is that, like every great book I have ever read, the story does not truly end...the writer merely stops writing and leaves the rest of the world that they have created in the minds of the reader.
Overall, I thought the finale was amazing. I could not have thought of a better way to end the show, than to end just as it began.
Like Boris, I doubt a show will come along again that will demand so much of my attention and rightly deserve it as well. I had some slight hope for "Happy Town" as I am an avid Twin Peaks fan but the show was not given much time to produce...
Great finale. They did live together and did not die alone. Will miss the show for sure. Thank you Boris for all the posts.
ReplyDeleteOne question. If Jacob was "good" and was the others were his people, then why did they kill so many of the Oceanic survivors?
ReplyDeleteTo answer the anonymous question at 12:36. LOST has out 4 jigsaw puzzles that give away info on the island. When you put all 4 together and flip them over they have glow in the dark paint on the back. All 4 together make up the full map with the descriptions to all the hatches including the question mark hatch that they had in a few episodes. It was really interesting and worth the time if you're really into LOST and like puzzles.
ReplyDeleteI want to see a spin-off where Hurley is protector of the island and signals for his number 2 (Ben) by throwing a hot pocket at him.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna miss this show! I've gone through the five stages of grief since last night, and have finally accepted that it was a great finale to an incredible series.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the end of lost but feel cheated by the writer's a bit.
ReplyDeleteCaught something new yesterday... In the season premiere Juliette was drifting in and out of death while talking to Sawyer... she had a conversation about buying coffee and going dutch. She was actually having that conversation with him on "the other side" when they were standing by the vending machine. As Juliette lay dying she wanted to tell Sawyer something else, but never got to. Sawyer got Miles to use his talk-to-dead-people skills to find out she said "It worked". We assumed she was talking about the bomb, setting off an alternate reality. She was actually talking about unplugging the vending machine and getting the Apollo bar. Brilliant!
ReplyDeleteBoris;
ReplyDeleteI think you are mistaken. First off in the sideways scene she first says it worked and then Juliet talks about coffee. Second, her dying words to him were about getting coffee to calm him about the inevitable. In the flash after they touched she repeated that to James in a daja vu kind of way just like him calling her Blondie. Keep these thoughts coming becuase I can't let go but I think you missed the mark on this one.
First off, good catch, Boris, on the vending machine, “It worked.” I’m waiting for the final season to come out in August (since I didn’t tape it), and watch it all again. There are so many little things in the show that shows remarkable planning by the writers.
ReplyDeleteI would also agree that not every little answer needs to be given. In fact, every book, every writer, that has been worth my time has stated that there should always be some part of the story left to ponder in the reader/audiences mind. If not, it doesn’t continue to live, is not talked about. To all who disagree: If you were a writer, wouldn’t you want to keep people talking, and passing on by word of mouth, something intriguing, or even frustrating about your work? Television that wraps everything up too neatly has spoiled most people for stories that have any sort of depth. I’ve heard people say, “I just don’t want to think.” What a statement. What a crying shame that producers in Hollywood need to write most stories for the average twelve year old in order to be successful.
Like life, some people in Lost vanished without further word or explanation. I won’t go into Walt, or hazard theories on smaller details. As I said, I want to re-watch with what I now know, and will no doubt pick up plenty of things that were implied subtly, or worked into the story in such a way that were not meant to be picked up by the audience at first glance. The show was an amazing exercise in suspense. It kept most people guessing right up to the end, and for many, beyond that.
I believe the island was a metaphor for life as we know it, within the small, but important sphere of people, we live out our time with on earth. The light, as the Crazy Mother said, is a spark of the light we all have inside. And what might allow life to be a sort of paradise (compared to the world as we know it), is fought over by the greedy people “out there” who seek to control, devour, even kill to keep such a wealth to themselves. Sound familiar? Like a visit to the six ‘oclock news maybe?
Of course, the show was dramatized in a very symbolic way, with loads of theories concerning philosophy and religion, but these things are a part of life in the real world, no matter if we choose to “think” or not. People have been, and are, feuding over who is really in control, who gets the light--I mean wealth (money, power, control)--since the dawn of man. Because the greedy never feel there is enough to go around--in spite of some currently attempting to redistribute wealth. History teaches us exactly how that works once someone gains that sort of control. And Lost portrayed it very well.
I would be hard put to think of a better ending to the show. Jack’s struggles with life, people, good, and evil, came to a brilliant end. He lost himself, found himself, and did what he believed he was put there to do. And how better to wrap things up than the spiritual way-station where each life has to be realized, contemplated, and let go--even forgiven in Ben’s case. And who lead them to the source of the light but a Christian Sheppard. Where do they go then? Let’s just see. They even left that to the individual to ponder the greatest mystery of all, one that no writer can truly answer. But it was done beautifully in my opinion. Yes, it was all about the people. And gave us much to ponder as we view the universe, gazing outward, from our own personal islands.
Oh damn- you just got that? Yeah- that was awesome! Sawyer and Juliette had some of the best writing of the series!
ReplyDelete