LOST. The Finale That Made The Sopranos Feel Like Closure.
As you can see from the sign I posted on my bedroom door last night, I’m a huge fan of Lost and was way pumped for the series finale. I had questions about that mysterious island and only blood or fire would stop me from getting the answers I needed. I was ready to know the secret of the island. Complete dedication to 121 episodes and here is what I know.
- The joke is on the viewer, you still know nothing and you’re supposed to feel stupid if you didn’t get the deep, super profound ending.
- There’s a lot of fans running around saying they totally got it and blablabla. They didn’t get it. They’re just in shock from the brutal slam by writers.
- The name of the series doesn’t come from the characters being lost on an island or because they were lost souls trying to find peace. It’s called LOST because you just freaking lost 121 hours of your life that you’ll never get back.
- Jack Shepherd, like Tony Soprano, has betrayed us all. And I hate him.
Huh. I got it, and loved it.
I’ve watched all the Lost shows and was not really suprised by the ending at all. It was on keeping with many clues in the first 2 seasons.
I will admit, I didn’t understand all of the side stories throughout the series, but they kept it entertaining enough to keep cong back for more.
I don’t think Jack mislead anyone. He stayed in character until the very end.
Merritt- I’ll be honest. I have seen every episode multiple times. I read LOST blogs and probably talk and think about this more than I should. I loved last night. I tend to be someone who is a bit more comfortable with mystery and ambiguity though so I was ok to not have all my questions answered.
Can you figure out what TV show I should get hooked on next. 🙂
LOVE this sign Merritt!
This just in from an Overheardian with a little time on his hands:
So I feel compelled to explain it all since you’ve besmirched the finale of the greatest show ever by comparing it to the finale of the second greatest show ever (all they had to do was tell us if Tony would die or not, and that detail was left to the viewer’s imagination). Warning: this is REALLY LONG and is going to make me sound like a serious geek.
1. The plane crash was real. It happened. They all lived on an island.
2. Mother, Jacob, Man in Black (MiB), and Richard all have supernatural powers bestowed upon them by the island. The island is a place that allows good and evil to play out against each other through classic, tragically flawed characters selected by those who harness the island’s power. Each of those chosen (the candidates and their comrades, to some extent) were able to perform extreme tasks and face extreme hardships and choices on the island even though they would have been looked at as less than capable individuals off the island. If you believe in the mysteries and power of a God (any God), then certainly you can appreciate a powerful island acting as the center of the power in this world. Not too farfetched if you are willing to accept the former.
3. The island is not purgatory, heaven, or hell. It may be a testing ground, but I don’t think it is a test for purgatory, heaven, or hell.
4. When all of these individuals crashed on the island, they were alone in the world outside. They find, through each other, that there are others out there with completely different paths, but all to similar flaws. They all bond and become closer than they were to others before the island (even the pre-island couples, like Sun & Jin and Rose & Bernard find renewed commitment to one another).
5. Because their lives have all become so intertwined and dependent, their existence in the next life/stage/existence/heaven depends on them moving forward together (at least for those who chose to move forward together and those that are ready).
6. In 2007, Jacob, the MiB, Sayid, Sun, Jin, and Jack die (along with Locke from the 2007 in season 5). Daniel (the 70’s) and Charlotte (the 19th century or something like that) died before their original birthdates because of the time flashes once Ben unlocked the island with the wheel.
7. Kate, Sawyer, Lapidus, Miles, and Claire escaped the island (presumably) and lived their lives out in the real time. Some may have been hit by a car the next day, others may have lived to be 103, it doesn’t matter. Bernard and Rose likely died of old age, happily together in the hut they’d been living in for several years on the island.
8. Hurley, Ben, and Desmond all died. It could have been the next day or it could have been 1000 years later (like the Jacob/MiB/Richard timeline). I’m guessing that since Ben says “That’s the way Jacob ran things and maybe there is a better way,” that Hurley may have the authority to allow people to come and go from the island as they desire. In fact, with MiB and Widmore dead, who is really interested in unsettling the peaceful existence of the island? It would have to be someone who knew there was a source of unlimited power available under a mysterious island in a location that was apparently very difficult to find since many of the characters stayed there for decades and never found the glowing cave. I think that Desmond eventually died of natural causes (ie: not given eternal, Richard-esque life) and that Ben was given some kind of power to live longer (when Hurley and Ben address each other at the end with “You were a great number two” and “You were a great number one,” it made me think they’d been together longer than just a few years or so). Maybe Hurley found a replacement (Walt? He was special at one point, and he’s not in the church) or maybe he just relieved himself of the duties once they were content that the island was safe.
9. Because Hurley and Desmond remained alive on the island longer than the rest of the Oceanic passengers, it was fitting that they would be given the role in the flash-sideways (a possible version of purgatory, but more like a staging-ground for preparation for the next life/stage/existence/heaven) of finding everyone and forcing them to remember their real life (the love, struggles, bonding, etc) and how much that meant to them. Originally, most of these people were flawed or down on their luck types. In the flash-sideways universe, it appears that many of them have found a new streak of luck, a legitimate life, or are somehow still flawed, but more compassionate with their actions (ie: Kate is still the fugitive claiming innocence (they never let on what the crime was in the flash-sideways universe), but she quickly forgets her own selfishness and at risk to herself helps Claire, etc).
10. Because Libby and Charlie had found significant love on the island and had both tragically died on the island, it was fitting that they were the catalysts for making Hurley and Desmond remember their real life and thus starting the domino effect in #9 above.
11. When the MiB told Sayid he could give him the one thing he wanted and could even bring back the dead, I think it’s clear Sayid wanted Shannon (maybe this is why the flash-sideways universe made Nadia his off limits sister-in-law).
12. In the end, those who died in the 19th century (Charlotte) and those who possibly died an infinite amount of time later (Hurley) were found to be universally bonded by their experiences in their real life surrounding the island and they were destined to move on together. Ben knowingly chose to stay behind in a presumed effort to make Rousseau and Alex remember (Ben did truly care for Alex, and I think that Rousseau would forgive him should she remember him as the one who took care of Alex while she was going bad-hair-Claire-crazy). Some were found to not be ready (Ana Lucia, who was still a crooked cop).
13. The show doesn’t say whether they go to heaven or wherever, just that they can move on. The imagery of the religious symbols on the stained glass (Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism) in the room where Jack and Christian are talking makes it seem like the producers want you to believe that all of the world’s major religions are welcome to “move on.”
14. So, the flash-sideways universe took part at an undisclosed time in the future based on how you think a handful of lives turned out (who died when). It was a staging ground for those worthy and ready to “move on” that was created so that those individuals could handle and make sense of the transition. Call it purgatory if you will, but I don’t think it was a place where people are sent to determine heaven or hell. I just think it was a transitional universe for these intertwined souls to find peace and accept that they were dead, that they needed each other, and that they were ready to move on together. (See also What Dreams May Come and, more comically, Defending Your Life).
So, was the ending perfect? It was for me. How did you want it to wrap up? If you can’t answer that, do you really have room to complain? Did you want a power point presentation of all the ins and outs of the island? To me, the mystery is left intact and that’s what matters. If you want all the mysteries of the Lost universe explained on the show, you must be really frustrated when you leave church every Sunday!
If you want to complain about something, complain about Jimmy Kimmel’s “Aloha to Lost.” They didn’t even have Evangeline on their live panel. What kind of farewell doesn’t involve Kate? And to promise alternate endings and then go the parody route, it’s a bit disappointing. I’m hoping for more insight when I order the complete series, deluxe, special edition, box set. Surely they’ll load it up with extras for the price they’re likely to charge.
The same Overheardian followed up with this point:
A co-worker points out that Daniel and Charlotte didn’t make it to the church (Desmond tells Mrs. Widmore that he’s not taking Daniel yet). I chalk it up to them falling in love in the flash sideways before they can move on since their original timelines were so intertwined yet they didn’t get to tell each other how they felt until she was dying. They deserve to rediscover each other before they can move on.
End scene.
Was I right? Did I sound like a serious geek? Survey says “yes.”
While I appreciate the time and effort Overheardian put into the recap, it is just his interpretation(and an excellent one at that).
The producers have made it quite clear they don’t want to be hemmed in to too many specific answers and want to leave some things to the viewers imagination.
Brilliant writing, acting and interesting story lines.
I’ll miss it.
Thank you!
I got it and LOVED it, I thought Matthew Fox did an amazing job as well as Carlton and Damon. I think people missed the whole purpose of the show if they got too caught up in why certain questions were not answered and didn’t enjoy it for what it was…Great, smart television and an amazing ending. Who didn’t tear up when Vincent came over to lay down with Jack as he died!
@M,
They pulled the dog card (which also book-ended the whole series). It was tough holding back the tears with Vincent over here too…
@grump,
I never meant it to be anything beyond just my interpretation. That’s the best part of that show leaving with unanswered questions, in my opinion.
@bc, Good effort, well done. I also agree with @grump, there are no right answers, which I think is cool.
Hi, also love the Shrek movies, awesome film!