My last Lost post ever: Series finale thoughts
// May 24th, 2010 // fun
Wow…that was about the most emotional I’ve been about Lost in a long time. In fact, most of this season has been lacking emotion for me until maybe the previous episode. Pretty much had tears in my eyes at every “connection” moment.
As far as series finales go…like Friends, Seinfeld, Battlestar Galactica…this has to be one of my favorites. The very best. The way they remembered moments and scenes we loved from the first episodes
There is so much to write about, but I think the big question on everyone’s mind is WHAT the heck happened.
Okay, here is my read on things…which really seems to fit everything that happened:
The Island and everything that happened on it was real.
People are questioning what was real…like the Island, this idea of an afterlife now, etc. Well, the writers always said the show was about PEOPLE, and the Island was a vessel for the storytelling.
I believe that what we saw happen on the Island was part of the real, REAL world going on in this show.
The trick is to ignore the hydrogen bomb having anything to do with anything. That to me was a clever trick by the writers. All that happened at that point was the “Flash Sideways” story started to be told. The bomb did go off…but it didn’t “split the universe” into two or anything. That’s how I see it anyways!
The Island was a real place, Jacob was a real person there, the reason for it’s existence and why things happened the way they did are part of a mystery that obviously wasn’t going to be explained fully. But the fact is…Jacob, the Island…none of them had any idea about the “Flash Sideways.” It had zero to do with the Island…
The Flash Sideways was a sort of Multi-Religion Purgatory.
Like I said above…when the first episode of this season aired…we all link this Flash Sideways to the bomb. I think it was just a way to trick us. In reality, it was just the beginning of the story of these characters’ Purgatory waiting game.
Christian Shepherd pretty much summed everything up for us…and actually gave more answers than I thought they would about this “Flash Sideways” place.
Basically…if you can follow along…all these people had a connection in their lives that was the most important thing they had done: Saving the Island. Because of that connection, when they all eventually died, they came to this “Purgatory” that they “created” and waited for the time when they’d all remember and move on.
Like the Island being at the bottom of the ocean? Maybe it was part of their “creation” in this Purgatory. Nothing to do with the bomb, everything to do with the fact that it just wasn’t part of their afterlife.
One key thing at the end that Hurley said sort of gives it away: “Ben, you WERE a good number two.”
What you can read from that is Hurley and Ben obviously have a long story after Jack’s eye closes in the jungle to end the series. Who knows how long? Years? Decades? Centuries?
When Jack dies, people are still living their lives. Kate may have lived until she was 80…who knows.
But the point is…as Christian said…everyone dies at some point.
The real mystery at the end for me is…WHY these people and no one else? That’s the part that’s weird. Jina and I tried to talk that through and couldn’t come up with a good explanation. Maybe they all redeemed themselves in some way that others didn’t. Maybe that’s it.
Like Jina said…why Penny? Why was she there? She really wasn’t part of their lives aside from Desmond and rescuing the Oceanic 6.
Why not anyone else? Michael wasn’t there…Ana Lucia we actually saw last episode but she didn’t matter to Desmond.
So why them?
To sum it up:
The Island was real, the plane crash was real, the hatch, the button, the smoke monster, the light, Jacob, Man in Black (never find out his name!!!), the others…all of that was real. The Flash Sideways was their Purgatory.
But the point is…the Island wasn’t the focus of the series. It was just an awesome mystery along the way to help tell the story.
So what was the point???
Now, I don’t know how much I loved the final minutes of the series. On one hand, I thought it was very cool…on the other, being a sci-fi geek and loving so much the mystery behind the Island…I was hoping for a more “sci-fi” answer.
That’s my only SLIGHT negative feeling about the show.
But I think…the message of Lost was loud and clear.
People need each other…need to ask for help, need redemption and those relationships are the most important things in their lives. It connects them in a way that transcends real life and stretches into the afterlife, no matter WHAT religion you are or what you believe.
If you noticed, which my wife did astutely and I missed…the room Jack walks into with the coffin had almost every religious symbol of every religion out there. What you believe doesn’t matter…but redemption, love, relationships…that’s the goal. How we all CONNECT with each other.
Essentially…the Island and the stuff that happened on it bonded these people. Everyone was always looking for a point to the Island and WHY they all had to do this…and I’m sure there will be LOTS of annoyed people out there…the kind that “demand answers” and have forgotten what the show was about.
In reality…all the mystery of the Island, the good versus evil, all that…was just a way for these characters to bond and redeem themselves for the afterlife.
It’s almost kind of weird to think that five years of the show…the hatch, the Dharma Initiative, the Others…all that really wasn’t important to the end of the show…it just aided these people in discovering themselves.
Favorite moments in the finale
As far as series finales go, this one was brilliant. Loved so many scenes…so many of them. Jin and Sun doing the ultrasound together…Kate delivering Claire’s baby again…Charlie being there and recognizing them…all of that.
I had two favorite scenes though. The first was Jack and Locke fighting on that cliff. The wide angle shot was awesome…Jack up high, Locke down low…the storm, the rain…then Jack charges, jumps and the commercial break comes. Thought it was just an epic battle scene almost…fantastic.
And the second was right after that…Jack and Kate’s final moments together until they find each other again after death.
It was just a perfecting ending for them. They love each other and always have. That kiss was magical. Such a beautiful moment.
I also loved Hurley asking Ben to help him at the end. Ben…we’ve hated him and then we’re suddenly on his side…but the fact that someone finally found some worth inside of him to ask him for help…was a solid way to end his story as well.
Closing Thoughts
I don’t know what else to say. What a fantastic series. A solid story, solid adventure and a solid ending. The show changed the landscape of television as we know it now. So many serialized shows are on the air and successful because Lost first made it possible. And I do thank them for that, because I love this method of storytelling.
One of the best television casts ever assembled I’m sure. And some of the best quality in writing, acting and production I’ve ever seen. I think their level of quality overall made television suddenly leap to a new level.
People used to go to movies for the real stuff, but now lots of TV shows are just as well done as movies.
So thanks to Lost for a great ride and thanks for taking us fans into consideration and not wanting to extend the thing until the end of time. Thanks for ending things before it got old and stale.
What about you guys?
To the two or three people actually reading this, what did you think? Did I get it right or am I totally wrong? Did you love it or hate it?
23 Responses to “My last Lost post ever: Series finale thoughts”
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Mike, great write up…I was more moved by Juliet and Sawyer’s awakening; they had lived a life together already…happy together. To me, that was the reunion I needed to see. I loved Jin and Sun laughing at Sawyer “the cop.”
Nice point on Kate living a long time…she said that she had missed him soo much or soo long, but you felt that there was a lot of life she lived without him and I didn’t really think about that until you mentioned it. Leaves another interesting thread about Sawyer and Kate in the life after they flew away…
Yeah man, loved Juliet and Sawyer…but also, the biggest surprise of the night was Sayid and Shannon, I thought that was just so unexpected and awesome
And you are right about Kate…the way she said she missed him certainly does make you think about the life she may have lived without him. Wow. Sort of heartbreaking and tragic when you think about it.
I loved it. The nerd part of me had stilled hoped to get some answers about the mythology of the island, but I can embrace the idea that those things will remain a mystery. In the end, the show wasn’t about the island but about them. I think it was very bold to go that way, but I think it made it more beautiful.
One correction, in the regular timeline the bomb did not go off as they had hoped The crater is from when Desmond used the failsafe key. Nothing changed because in the end, whatever happened did happen. Or better said by Jack to Desmond in the finale, “There are no shortcuts. No do-overs. What happened, happened. Trust me. I know. All of this matters.”
I think you’re right on, Mike. Alive on the Island and finding each other in the Afterlife during the flash-sideways.
I think I’ll take a year away from it and then re-watch the series. …or, maybe I won’t. You know, Cheesebeef (must seem like such an odd name for a non-ASFNer) has always said that the writers didn’t have an ultimate plan for the show. So I wonder when this plan came together and how it would affect a re-viewing of the series? Would there be plot holes too big to look past? I dunno. With a re-viewing would things in the last two seasons become clear, or would it make less sense because we’re forgetting the things that don’t fit.
I’m torn on whether or not I want to watch it again for fear it won’t be as sweet the second time ’round…but then, maybe some of the secrets would open up and reveal themselves knowing how it concludes.
Wow Adrian…thanks for correcting me…I think I forgot that part. I guess I thought the bomb went off but didn’t stop anything, totally forgot about the hatch exploding, DUH!!
Jason, I dunno…I think on one hand, people will have an issue because for the most part, everything up to this final season was about the Island, Jacob, etc. So the afterlife part of it wont even be something you can pick up clues about, unless it’s just the redemption part of things.
Still, I think all the stuff leading up to the Jacob/ManInBlack story…I think that’s all still there. Good versus bad in the first season…the cave with the skeletons, etc.
I do wonder though…did the writers come up with the afterlife midway through, but always knew the main Island story was going to be this Good versus Evil and Jack’s eye ending things?
Because the afterlife part could easily have been thought up even as late at this past summer. Maybe…
Good write up Mike. I think you hit the key points. Overall, I loved the series, but the finale left me a bit cold. To me the ‘people need people’, redemption, flash sideways, was all fine, but a bit too easy. What I was hoping for was why did these people end up together? Why did Jacob pick them? Why were they the only ones who lived through the plane crash? Just too much in the big picture was left unanswered, but with a show like Lost I think that’s to be expected.
All in all were left with much to ponder and I suppose figure out for ourselves.
Desmond said Anna Lucia “wasn’t ready yet,” I think they all have a purpose that still needs to be accomplished. Or a viewpoint that they need to realize before they can enter “heaven.” Penny not being there would have ticked everyone off. Plus she was important to Desmond that’s why she was there.
I think the people who were a part of the Island but didn’t make it to “heaven” still need to fulfill something. (Why Ben didn’t go into the church). Maybe this is where a lot of after LOst spinoffs will come.
In the end, Juliette and Sawyer were together, and that makes me happy
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One thing that was a little “why did you have to add that in if it doesn’t really make a point?” Was to have Jack have a son, what was that about? John even tells Jack that he doesn’t have a son. But we never really find out what that means? Is it that in purgatory they can add random characters in order to make someone “let go.” Jack needed to fix his viewpoint of the relationship between a father/son, and through his son he was able to see how much his dad actually loved him. Not sure why they threw the son in there though. Maybe to also show the relationship between Jack and Juliette?
Anyways, I LOVED it when people began to remember. All of my fav moments were the ones that dealt with babies. When Sun and Gin saw the ultrasound, it was beautiful. The moment Matt and I saw our baby for the first time during the ultrasound we were so happy and rejoicing. That moment of seeing our baby rub his eyes will be forever in our hearts. That was a perfect moment to get them to remember.
Also, yay for Charlie and Claire being together! What a beautiful way for him to remember. All of them were great!
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Sushi?
I am SO happy that they showed Rose and Bernard, it explained why they were allowed to live on the Island. That was always my question, where and what are they doing on the Island? And why are they allowed to live? They just stayed out of it. I wouldn’t mind living on and Island with a puppy and having fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner
great recap mike.
i totally get all that you wrote and see the finale in much the same way. i think it was a beautiful ending and i am so glad they were all together.
i agree w/yasmine that the people still in the sideways are not ready to “move on” yet. like anna lucia, ben and faraday. what i am confused about is if all of that plot is made up in their imagination or if it is real too? like kemy getting killed. was he really there and died in purgatory? or was the reason he was allowed to die in purgatory b/c he was not redeemed and was a bad person? i guess the same goes for michael. how he told hurley he was trapped on the island b/c of what he did. and how will the other people remember and “find eachother” since so many of the survivors already left and moved on? i guess some how the stories of daniel, charlotte, miles, etc will intercect there? wouldn’t it be funny if ben and widmore “move on” together. that would be a good spinoff, haha! and i am also confused about eloise. she seemed to know so much but hadn’t “moved on” herself and almost didn’t want the connection to be discovered. is it b/c she didn’t want to let go of faraday since she killed him in the past?
anyway, i’m rambling now. LOVE THIS SHOW. i cried after it ended last night. and Yasmine made fun of me.
You guys do bring up the interesting points…some people weren’t ready…so what happens to them? Do they all end up at the church when it’s their time to head home?
I sort of had it in my mind that it was just some made up place, not everyone was real except this group that “Created” it according to Christian.
But now I’m not so sure. Maybe Kemy is evil and thus doesn’t get to move on?
I pretty much had tears in my eyes for every connection, and at the the end and all that. Jack seeing Boone…loved it.
Nicky, did you think like Jina and me and yell out “Boone’s alive now because he’s a VAMPIRE!!!
LOL!
OK, here’s my take on this…just some rambling thoughts
The whole show is Jack’s interpretation on death when he is dying. The plane crashes and he dies moments later. The whole show is in his mind.
The plane has turbulence and then crashes. Jack actually dies moments later. I think this because when the plane goes through turbulence on the flash forward, Rose says “It is ok to let go” – this is when he actually dies.
While he is dying, the others around him start dying, maybe he is aware of it, and maybe he isn’t. They die in the order that they die on the show. While he lays dying, he subconsciously thinks of this whole thing. He doesn’t even know the people. He doesn’t even know the names, he makes them up in his head, and that’s why the names are familiar, Faraday, Locke, etc…..He is a smart guy and has done plenty of reading. The kid a few rows away is reading a comic book and this plays into his subconscious.
He knows he is on an island. He opens his eyes and then dies. He thinks Sayid is an Iraqi guard because of his looks. Sayid may be really “Mike Jones”, Sawyer may be a pharmacist. He doesn’t know, but in the state of unconsciousness, he creates the people in his head based upon the experiences he had in the brief time he saw them on the plane. The only ones who may be real are the kid who looks like a rock star that he helped when he swallowed the drugs (Charlie).
The pregnant woman seemed nice. That is why she became his sister. Juliette was a total figment of his imagination – she was the caring person that his ex-wife wasn’t, but in the end, she too fell for someone else. A parallel redemption.
Kate was the woman he yearned for – someone who needed his help but still admired him.
Was Hurley really Hurley? Did he win the lottery? Probably not. Just another story made up in his head.
The people who were closest to him died in the crash. They were sitting next to him, so they were the “closest to him.” All of it was in his mind.
He created his own purgatory to give him resolve for his life. It was a split second, but sometimes dreams are too. Have you ever had a dream that seemed to go on for hours or days, but wake up and find out that you have only been asleep for a few minutes?
Jacob and Esau – the story from the Bible. Jacob became Isaac’s chosen son after he duped him on his death bed. This may be part of him that wishes that he grew favor in his dad’s eyes before his dad passed away. When Jacob needed someone to perpetuate his work, Jack volunteered to gain favor….
Desmond wasn’t on the plane, but as Jack lay dying, he remembered meeting a man while running at the stadium and he said “Jack, I’m Desmond. Good luck, brother. See you in another life, yeah.”
So that’s my theory…..Jack made up the people’s lives, names, etc. Sort of like if you see someone and try to come up with that person’s name or story without knowing them.
…oh yeah, when the closing credits rolled, they showed the plane wreck on the beach and there were no apparent survivors this time. it happened all in a flash
Kevin, that’s all so wild, I need time to digest it
But honestly, I think the beach was just a retrospect to the sets on the show…I don’t think it was part of the ending at all
kevin- very cool interpretation!!
but what i am confused about is why christian shepard made a point to tell jack everything that happened was real? and why jack said that this all mattered to desmond. that seems to make me think that it was all real. they really crashed, found this place, had experiences there, etc.
Nicky and Kevin – I think people read too much into the final scene of the wreckage on the beach…like it meant something when in reality it didn’t. It’s thrown a lot of people off I fear…
Yeah, I think there were lots of lines to reinforce the idea that all the island stuff really happened. I think showing the wreckage on the beach was just a simple way to remind us where this all began for those characters.
BTW, Mike. You should return to some short story writing and write some fill-in-the-cracks stories regarding the mythology of the island. Plenty of opportunity in the mysteries
Seriously Adrian…there are a ton of good stories fans could write about the origin of the Island
I second Adrian, too much supporting material that shows that the Island was real. Plus I think Christian Shepherd made a point to tell Jack (and us) that the Island really happened.
Nicky, I wasn’t making fun of you, I was just teasing the lady on TV who happened to be crying for the same reasons you were… ;P
Mike, I think the best praise I can offer for your write-up is that after reading it I felt settled. You bring up similar points to Kirsten from E Online (who has a direct communication line to the producers), but perhaps it didn’t feel real/plausible until I read your separate take on it. So, I can let loose any reservations I had about how everything wrapped up and feel how I really wanted to feel about the finale of this show: Everything turned out right.
Thanks man, that’s great though…I honestly do feel pretty settled afterwards. I don’t have any lingering questions other than the wondering about what the Island actually is and all that stuff. What is the light?
I think Adrian above had a nice idea about a set of fan fiction that explains it all. I may have to think on that a little
I should go read Kristen’s blog.
Mike, I agree that the Flash Sideways was a multi-religious purgatory. I think the island was a real place where they crashed but I don’t think that everything that happened on the island was real. I think everyone died upon impact. I think the past 6 years were about people accepting that they had died and letting go, which was the only way to get off the island.
I think all the experiences on the island were created from the collective consciousness of the 815 survivors. They were the ones who couldn’t let go of life. That created their bond, which is why they all had to leave the island together. Although they awakened at different times, they stayed in the Flash Sideways until they all awakened. Then they could start their next journey, as implied by the open doors with the blinding light and by Desmond’s frequent quip, “see you next lifetime”.
Nice blog. I just bookmarked you on my bloglines.
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