The Official "Lost" Thread.

[Flagg the Wanderer]

Also, just got this forwarded as well, supposedly from someone at Bad Robot:

Good stuff on here! I can finally throw in my two cents! I've had to bite my tongue for far too long. Also, hopefully I can answer some of John's questions about Dharma and the "pointless breadcrumbs" that really, weren't so pointless ...

First ...
The Island:

It was real. Everything that happened on the island that we saw throughout the 6 seasons was real. Forget the final image of the plane crash, it was put in purposely to f*&k with people's heads and show how far the show had come. They really crashed. They really survived. They really discovered Dharma and the Others. The Island keeps the balance of good and evil in the world. It always has and always will perform that role. And the Island will always need a "Protector". Jacob wasn't the first, Hurley won't be the last. However, Jacob had to deal with a malevolent force (MIB) that his mother, nor Hurley had to deal with. He created the devil and had to find a way to kill him -- even though the rules prevented him from actually doing so.

Thus began Jacob's plan to bring candidates to the Island to do the one thing he couldn't do. Kill the MIB. He had a huge list of candidates that spanned generations. Yet everytime he brought people there, the MIB corrupted them and caused them to kill one another. That was until Richard came along and helped Jacob understand that if he didn't take a more active role, then his plan would never work.

Enter Dharma -- which I'm not sure why John is having such a hard time grasping. Dharma, like the countless scores of people that were brought to the island before, were brought there by Jacob as part of his plan to kill the MIB. However, the MIB was aware of this plan and interferred by "corrupting" Ben. Making Ben believe he was doing the work of Jacob when in reality he was doing the work of the MIB. This carried over into all of Ben's "off-island" activities. He was the leader. He spoke for Jacob as far as they were concerned. So the "Others" killed Dharma and later were actively trying to kill Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley and all the candidates because that's what the MIB wanted. And what he couldn't do for himself.

Dharma was originally brought in to be good. But was turned bad by MIB's corruption and eventually destroyed by his pawn Ben. Now, was Dharma only brought there to help Jack and the other Canditates on their overall quest to kill Smokey? Or did Jacob have another list of Canidates from the Dharma group that we were never aware of? That's a question that is purposley not answered because whatever answer the writers came up with would be worse than the one you come up with for yourself. Still ... Dharma's purpose is not "pointless" or even vague. Hell, it's pretty blantent.

Still, despite his grand plan, Jacob wanted to give his "candidates" (our Lostaways) the one thing he, nor his brother, were ever afforded: free will. Hence him bringing a host of "candidates" through the decades and letting them "choose" which one would actually do the job in the end. Maybe he knew Jack would be the one to kill Flocke and that Hurley would be the protector in the end. Maybe he didn't. But that was always the key question of the show: Fate vs Free-will. Science vs Faith. Personally I think Jacob knew from the beginning what was going to happen and that everyone played a part over 6 seasons in helping Jack get to the point where he needed to be to kill Smokey and make Hurley the protector -- I know that's how a lot of the writers viewed it. But again, they won't answer that (nor should they) because that ruins the fun.

In the end, Jack got to do what he always wanted to do from the very first episode of the show: Save his fellow Lostaways. He got Kate and Sawyer off the island and he gave Hurley the purpose in life he'd always been missing. And, in Sideways world (which we'll get to next) he in fact saved everyone by helping them all move on ...

Now...

Sideways World:

Sideways world is where it gets really cool in terms of theology and metaphysical discussion (for me at least -- because I love history/religion theories and loved all the talks in the writer's room about it). Basically what the show is proposing is that we're all linked to certain people during our lives. Call them soulmates (though it's not exactly the best word). But these people we're linked to are with us duing "the most important moments of our lives" as Christian said. These are the people we move through the universe with from lifetime to lifetime. It's loosely based in Hinduisim with large doses of western religion thrown into the mix.

The conceit that the writers created, basing it off these religious philosophies, was that as a group, the Lostaways subconsciously created this "sideways" world where they exist in purgatory until they are "awakened" and find one another. Once they all find one another, they can then move on and move forward. In essence, this is the show's concept of the afterlife. According to the show, everyone creates their own "Sideways" purgatory with their "soulmates" throughout their lives and exist there until they all move on together. That's a beautiful notion. Even if you aren't religious or even spirtual, the idea that we live AND die together is deeply profound and moving.

It's a really cool and spirtual concept that fits the whole tone and subtext the show has had from the beginning. These people were SUPPOSED to be together on that plane. They were supposed to live through these events -- not JUST because of Jacob. But because that's what the universe or God (depending on how religious you wish to get) wanted to happen. The show was always about science vs faith -- and it ultimately came down on the side of faith. It answered THE core question of the series. The one question that has been at the root of every island mystery, every character backstory, every plot twist. That, by itself, is quite an accomplishment.

How much you want to extrapolate from that is up to you as the viewer. Think about season 1 when we first found the Hatch. Everyone thought that's THE answer! Whatever is down there is the answer! Then, as we discovered it was just one station of many. One link in a very long chain that kept revealing more, and more of a larger mosiac.

But the writer's took it even further this season by contrasting this Sideways "purgatory" with the Island itself. Remember when Michael appeared to Hurley, he said he was not allowed to leave the Island. Just like the MIB. He wasn't allowed into this sideways world and thus, was not afforded the opportunity to move on. Why? Because he had proven himself to be unworthy with his actions on the Island. He failed the test. The others, passed. They made it into Sideways world when they died -- some before Jack, some years later. In Hurley's case, maybe centuries later. They exist in this sideways world until they are "awakened" and they can only move on TOGETHER because they are linked. They are destined to be together for eternity. That was their destiny.

They were NOT linked to Anna Lucia, Daniel, Roussou, Alex, Miles, Lupidis, (and all the rest who weren't in the chuch -- basically everyone who wasn't in season 1). Yet those people exist in Sideways world. Why? Well again, here's where they leave it up to you to decide. The way I like to think about it, is that those people who were left behind in Sideways world have to find their own soulmates before they can wake up. It's possible that those links aren't people from the island but from their other life (Anna's parnter, the guy she shot --- Roussou's husband, etc etc).

A lot of people have been talking about Ben and why he didn't go into the Church. And if you think of Sideways world in this way, then it gives you the answer to that very question. Ben can't move on yet because he hasn't connected with the people he needs to. It's going to be his job to awaken Roussou, Alex, Anna Lucia (maybe), Ethan, Goodspeed, his father and the rest. He has to attone for his sins more than he did by being Hurley's number two. He has to do what Hurley and Desmond did for our Lostaways with his own people. He has to help them connect. And he can only move on when all the links in his chain are ready to. Same can be said for Faraday, Charlotte, Whidmore, Hawkins etc. It's really a neat, and cool concept. At least to me.

But, from a more "behind the scenes" note: the reason Ben's not in the church, and the reason no one is in the church but for Season 1 people is because they wrote the ending to the show after writing the pilot. And never changed it. The writers always said (and many didn't believe them) that they knew their ending from the very first episode. I applaud them for that. It's pretty fantastic. Originally Ben was supposed to have a 3 episode arc and be done. But he became a big part of the show. They could have easily changed their ending and put him in the church -- but instead they problem solved it. Gave him a BRILLIANT moment with Locke outside the church ... and then that was it. I loved that. For those that wonder -- the original ending started the moment Jack walked into the church and touches the casket to Jack closing his eyes as the other plane flies away. That was always JJ's ending. And they kept it.

For me the ending of this show means a lot. Not only because I worked on it, but because as a writer it inspired me in a way the medium had never done before. I've been inspired to write by great films. Maybe too many to count. And there have been amazing TV shows that I've loved (X-Files, 24, Sopranos, countless 1/2 hour shows). But none did what LOST did for me. None showed me that you could take huge risks (writing a show about faith for network TV) and stick to your creative guns and STILL please the audience. I learned a lot from the show as a writer. I learned even more from being around the incredible writers, producers, PAs, interns and everyone else who slaved on the show for 6 years.

In the end, for me, LOST was a touchstone show that dealt with faith, the afterlife, and all these big, spirtual questions that most shows don't touch. And to me, they never once waivered from their core story -- even with all the sci-fi elements they mixed in. To walk that long and daunting of a creative tightrope and survive is simply astounding.

:shrug:

 

[bishbash]

Conclusions from ScreenRant (Part 1):

THEY WERE NOT “DEAD THE WHOLE TIME”
I don’t know why people are having trouble understanding this, as it is CLEARLY explained in the final minutes of the finale episode by Christian Shephard (Jack’s dad). The original Oceanic 815 plane crash happened. Everything on the Island through seasons 1-6 happened. The “flash sideways” universe introduced in season 6 was a sort of stop-over point between life and afterlife (referred to here as the “purgatory universe”).

Each person in this “purgatory universe” created a reality for themselves based on their lingering issues in life – that which they could not “let go” of. For Jack it was Daddy issues; Kate, the guilt of murder; Sawyer, the quest to find “Sawyer” and be a better man; Sayid, the unrequited love of Nadia; Charlie, looking for something “real” in his hollow life of fame, etc…

Everyone was still attached to their Earthly concerns (we’re getting very Buddhist here, bear with me) – but when they made contact with those people they’d met on the Island, they remembered the journey and growth they had experienced because of the Island, and could finally understand the connections and “purpose” brought into their damaged lives by being there. With that greater understanding of themselves, they were each ready to “leave” or “move on” to the next phase of existence – i.e., the true afterlife.

WHAT WAS THAT FINAL IMAGE OF THE CRASHED PLANE?
Some people are convinced the final image during the end credits of the Lost finale was the “clue” to the characters being dead the whole time. OK, let’s think about this: The image appears during the closing credits, after the final appearance of the “LOST” logo. That means that the story had officially ended. Saying that the biggest reveal came while the end credits were rolling is like saying a movie’s climax happens during the end credits. Not bloody likely.

The image of the plane crash (if you look closely) has memorabilia from the Lostie’s time on the beach where they first made camp. Shacks, towels, etc… it was one part nostalgia (remember where it all began?) and also one part commentary on the circular nature of the Island.

Like the Black Rock ship that brought Richard to the Island (“Ab Aeterno“), or the downed plane with the heroin that had Mr. Ecko’s brother’s corpse inside of it (“The 23rd Psalm“), the remains of Oceanic 815 and the evidence of a small community built on the beach are just more monuments of the Island. The next time somebody crashes there, they’ll see that stuff and wonder what the “mystery” behind it is…

Then they’ll whine and complain about how unsatisfying the answer is. (“What? That’s how that mystical guy “Hurley” came to the Island? LAME.”)

WHAT WAS DESMOND’S POWER?
One of the biggest things people seem to be questioning is how Desmond was able to “wake up” from the purgatory universe and how he had the know-how to “wake up” the other Losties. For that answer, you really just have to look back over the history of Desmond.

Desmond (specifically through his connection to Penny Widmore) is a sort of “constant” in the show. No matter what happens, when, or where, Desmond seems somehow immune to the Island’s energy (which has electromagnetic properties) and has a sort of awareness that can transcend space and time (his consciousness shifts seen in episodes like “The Constant“). These “shifts” and Widmore’s explanation that Desmond is special because of his resistance to the Island’s energies, imply that Desmond would even be able to “shift” his consciousness back and forth between this universe and the purgatory one, catalyzed by Widmore’s team placing him in that huge electromagnetic machine in the season six episode, “Happily Ever After“.

So, it does stand to reason (at least Lost reasoning) that Desmond – after having his consciousness “shifted” to the purgatory reality – would “wake up” after encountering HIS constant, Penny. It’s another fast and loose metaphysical explanation, but one that (for me) still works within the framework of the show.

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH THE ISLAND’S “RULES?”
Over the course of the show people have wondered about the mythology of the Island – where it came from, what it is and what are the “rules” that govern it and its mystical protectors? Admittedly, this is an area where the showrunners played things fast and loose, hoping that the momentum of the characters’ story arcs and the whole “good vs. evil” showdown would be enough to appease most fans. Alas, not so.

Season six of Lost did a great deal to semi-explain what the island was – a sort of container for a very important energy that seemingly links this world with worlds beyond… or something. That energy is represented by light and water, and if that light goes out and the water stops flowing, the world is basically screwed. Everything magical or fantastic about the Island stems from this energy, and many of the technological oddities found on the Island (the Swan Station from season 2) are a result of the Dharma Initiative trying to harness and control that energy (i.e., man trying to bend magic and mysticism to the will of modern science).

However, there are some things that were definitely left unexplained: Why did the Man In Black become a smoke monster when he was exposed to the light (was it a manifestation of his corrupted soul)?; What is the nature of the “rules” that governed certain aspects of the Island – who could come and go, who could kill who, who was healed from injury (Locke, Rose), who lived forever (Richard). How were these rules established and maintained?

The Jacob/MIB origin episode, “Across The Sea”, attempted to fill in that aspect of the Island mythology, but what we came away with were a lot of vague pseudo-explanations. The protector of the Island basically makes up the rules and once those rules are established they are set until somebody (a new protector?) changes them. This is the reason why the MIB was obsessed with “finding a loophole” in order to kill Jacob; it’s also why Jack was ultimately able to kill the MIB. Smokey was connected to the energy source, and when Jack had Desmond “turn off” that energy, Smokey lost his powers and was merely flesh and blood again.

THE WIDMORE/LINUS CONUNDRUM
Ok… so there’s implication of what the Island’s “rules” are, but that gets a bit problematic when you think back to season 4 of Lost – which is basically about Charles Widmore sending operatives to the island to do what he cannot (get revenge on Ben Linus). There was that whole sub-plot about how it was ‘against the rules’ for Widmore to return to the Island, and how Widmore “changed the rules” by killing Ben’s adopted daughter, Alex. But why would the “rules” of the Island’s protectors apply to these two guys?

In the end, I think the showrunners went for an “It is what it is,” approach with the mystical rules governing the Island; they are convenient plot devices that support the story at various points, but don’t really hold up when looked at in conjunction with the entire series. The Widmore/Linus conundrum is simply one of those holes – a weak point of the Lost mythology, for sure.

WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE BLACK PEOPLE?
Remember when Lost had African-Americans as part of its “groundbreaking international cast?” Yeah, I vaguely do too. One friend of mine (and I’m sure of yours) watched the finale chanting “They better bring back Walt!” over and over – but no such luck.

Walt and his father Michael did make latter season Lost appearances: Locke visited Walt off the Island in the season five episode “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham” and Michael appeared to Hurley as a ghost in season six, explaining the whole “whispers on the Island” thing. Still, many fans wondered why Walt, Michael and the “tailie” priest, Mr. Eko, didn’t reunite with the other cast members at the purgatory all-faith church in the finale.

Well, Michael we know is stuck on the Island as a “whisper” because he can’t move on, due to his killing of Libby and Ana Lucia in season two. Walt was freed from the Island early on, so the journey that bonded the Oceanic passengers in the purgatory universe was one that Walt was never really part of.

As for Mr. Eko, his death in the season 3 episode “The Cost of Living” showed that Eko had come to peace with his life. When told by the ghost of his brother Yemi to “Confess his sins,” Eko refused, saying that he had no guilt to confess; in his life, he did what he had to do to survive. The smoke monster evaluated Eko, who stood resolute about himself, his sins and the faith and redemption he’d ultimately found. After smokey beat Eko to pulp, Eko’s last vision was his young self walking away with his brother, holding the soccer ball they used to play with.

In short: Eko, by finding his faith and coming to peace with himself, had no reason to be in the purgatory world with the others. Wherever his soul was going, it was prepared for that journey – unlike the other passengers, who still had to come to peace with themselves and their deaths.

That all sounds deep, sure, but I’m sure off-screen conflicts with the actors and the fact that Macolm David Kelley (the kid who played Walt) hit puberty were also major factors.

http://screenrant.com/lost-finale-explanation-kofi-61464/

 

[bishbash]

Conclusions from ScreenRant (Part 2)

WHAT ABOUT THE POLAR BEARS?
If you’re asking this question, you weren’t really paying attention to the show. Go rent Lost season 3 on DVD and see if you can’t figure out the polar bear “mystery” when the rest of us did… back in 2006. I’ll give you a hint: Dharma Initiative experiments.

WHAT ABOUT THE NUMBERS?
In the season six episode “The Substitute” Un-Locke takes Sawyer down to “Jacob’s cave” on the cliff (where Jack ultimately killed MIB) and in that cave, Sawyer observes that Jacob’s list of “candidates” for his replacement – our Losties – have numbers by their names. The list of candidates (Sawyer, Jack, Locke, Hugo, Sayid and “Kwon”) equate to the numbers 4-8-15-16-23-42 – the numbers that both steered Hurley to the Island in the first place (he went to Australia to find out about them), and served as the code for releasing the Island’s tapped energy in The Swan station. The numbers also showed up again and again throughout the show (Danielle’s papers, on medicine Claire and Desmond take, on Mr. Eko’s stick, etc…).

So in the end the numbers had to do with fate, and were a nice little numerology motif for the showrunners to play with (and a mathematical mystery for fans to agonize over). THE END.

BEN CONTROLS SMOKEY?
In the season 4 episode “The Shape of Things To Come” Ben Linus witnessed the murder of his daughter Alex at the hands of Charles Widmore’s mercenaries. Ben then accessed the secret room in his Dharma house and disappeared into a secret passage covered in hieroglyphics. When Ben returned, he brought the smoke monster with him, which murdered the team of Widmore’s assassins. Now we know the smoke monster was the Man In Black, but some viewers are still confused why Ben was able to “control the monster” in this season 4 episode, but not later in season six.

However, it is never said that Ben “controls” the smoke monster – the best word would be “summons.” This makes sense to the story, as Alex’s death is the event that makes Ben turn to the MIB for a favor – a favor which he later repays in season 5 by killing Jacob for the MIB. It’s the ultimate corruption of Ben Linus – the moment where he goes from being a blind servant of Jacob to serving evil. So I don’t quite consider this a loose end – just another case of misinterpretation by some viewers.

JACOB vs. THE DHARMA INITIATIVE
Ok, so this is MY major question. In one of my favorite Lost episodes, “The Man Behind The Curtain“, we learn all about Ben Linus’ childhood with the Dharma Initiative. The episode ends with the chilling revelation that Ben – conspiring with Richard – betrays “his people” in the initiative and mass murders them using nerve gas – including his own father. Ben then reveals to Locke what ultimately became of the Dharma Initiative: The Others threw their bodies into a gruesome mass grave.

Looking back from the series finale and the “Across The Sea” episode about Jacob’s past, I can’t help but wonder: did Jacob murder the Dharma Initiative?

We know that Richard is an emissary of Jacob – that is, Richard does Jacob’s bidding. So if Richard instructed Ben to kill the Dharma members, doesn’t that imply that Jacob instructed Richard to do so, much the same way Jacob’s “mother” slaughtered the men on the Island when the Man In Black got to close to them?

I find it hard to explain the death of the Dharma Initiative any other way, and that’s a huge narrative problem when you consider that our Losties – many of whom lived with and befriended the Dharma Initiative in the 70s – ultimately serve Jacob as well. They’re serving the man who most likely gave the order to murder their friends and co-workers!

It also blurs the lines between good and evil. Mass murder is never a good thing, so the fact that Jacob at least allowed the mass murder of the Dharma Initiative (it’s his role as “protector,” right?) is pretty ghastly when you think about it. This is the embodiment of “good” we’re supposed to root for? Makes you think the Man In Black wasn’t ALL bad…

WHAT ABOUT THE BOMB?
For me this is also a major problem of the Lost mythology. For much of season 6, many fans assumed (based on the opening to the season six premiere, “LA X“) that the bomb that Jack and Co. detonated in the 70s (the season 5 finale) resulted in the Island sinking and an alternate timeline being created, in which Oceanic 815 never crashed, and things were slightly different in the lives of the passengers.

Now we know that the “alternate timeline” was actually purgatory where the Losties all met up when they were dead, and the whole “alternate timeline” bit was a red herring. So what, exactly, did the bomb do?

The obvious answer is that the bomb propelled the Losties back through time to the present day, where the the Swan station (a.k.a. “The Hatch”) was now a slightly different version of its former imploded self.

Like most time travel narratives, the situation with the hatch raises a ton of logistical questions, such as: Would Desmond still be on the island if the hatch had been destroyed in the past? Wouldn’t that alteration to the time stream have a ripple effect that disrupted everything else regarding the Oceanic 815 crashing? And so on…

Instead what we got was a time travel scenario where that one location, the 70s Swan station, seemed to “overlap” on its present-day self, while leaving the rest of the time stream unaffected (or something like that). It’s confusing and very problematic – yet another reason why time travel is something you probably want to stay away from as a storyteller…

In the end though, the outcome is the same: Whatever conduit to the Island’s energy source that the Dharma Initiative tapped when they made the Swan station was ultimately exhausted. Whether it was exhausted by the bomb Juliet set off, or the the moment in season 3 when Locke lost his faith and refused to push the button (“Live Together, Die Alone“) the energy was released, and The Swan was destroyed. The Losties made it back to the present, and there was never two timelines, apparently.

http://screenrant.com/lost-finale-explanation-kofi-61464/

 

[Grumpy_Bottom]

Also, just got this forwarded as well, supposedly from someone at Bad Robot:
:shrug:

Good writeup, I'd have hoped someone "inside" would at least have spelled Widmore and Lapidus correctly though

 

[Flagg the Wanderer]

Good writeup, I'd have hoped someone "inside" would at least have spelled Widmore and Lapidus correctly though

Yeah, I noticed that as well - part of the reason I said "supposedly." (Also, I'm not sure of some of his assertions, which run contrary to what I've seen in a bunch of other places.)

But I consistently spell the words "judgment" and "attorney" wrong (in fact I tripped the spell checker on the former even typing it now), so...:shrug: Sometimes you just get something in your head the wrong way and it just sticks.

In any case, it's good stuff. I'm waiting for Vozzek's final piece to come out, and I'll post that as well. His stuff has just been incredible right along, and the source some of my lame insights.

 

[sonsofkraftybob]

I wonder if SOKB liked it

Actually, I did. I was mostly just playing my role this year. Just the fact that you could see the producers hastily putting something, anything together to end this show kinda pissed me off this year. They really should have had an endgame since season 2.

With that said, this was the only way they could tie everything together. It had to be...for lack of a better term...purgatory. They just used what we all thought 4-5 seasons ago, flipped the script on us and made "purgatory" the flash sideways.

Anni is spot on. Everyone died at different times. Some on the island (shannon Boone, etc) some off the island (Locke, and everyone else...eventually. Hence Ben telling Locke he's sorry for killing him. The guilt he carried preventing him from going into the church. And Kate telling she missed him, maybe for 5 years or maybe 50 years until she died.

I take away that there is no heaven nor hell, just what and where they were.

It was kinda wierd that everyone was dead but most didn't know it until they "saw" their past life.

So they all created this world to "live" in until they all find each other...I'll accept that.

 

[Flagg the Wanderer]

Just the fact that you could see the producers hastily putting something, anything together to end this show kinda pissed me off this year. They really should have had an endgame since season 2.

I agree, but remember they didn't know what their schedule was until after season 3, so they were stringing it out more than a little and biding for time. I remember originally it was supposed to be 8 seasons, then it was 5, then finally they settled on 6 as they were working on season 4. Hard to write a story when you don't know how much time you have to tell it.

 

[Flagg the Wanderer]

I'm waiting for Vozzek's final piece to come out, and I'll post that as well. His stuff has just been incredible right along, and the source some of my lame insights.

Here's the first part of what Vozzek has done for every episode along the way - this is from Tuesday's episode. It's always part recap, part literary analysis, part predictions, etc.:

THINGS I NOTICED - WHAT THEY DIED FOR

If there's one thing to be said for the writers of LOST, it's that they learn from their mistakes. In past seasons, the pre-finale episodes contained an over-abundance of setup. There were a lot of stories to be wrapped up, a lot of characters to touch on, and a whole lot of traipsing through the beautiful jungles of the island.

Not here though. Not this time.

Maybe it's because they've been putting the pieces together for a while now, but What They Died For was a fantastic non-transitional episode of LOST. With a huge monster of a series finale looming just ahead of us, our gameboard is all set to go. The last pieces are in place, and that's left are the final moves that need to be made. Things I Noticed:


Claire's Here Now? Good Thing They Picked Up the Family-Sized Box of Super Bran

The timelines are merging for our characters. Realities are coming together. In our opening scene, the wound on Jack's neck is getting bigger and redder and much more prominent. What's even scarier, is that it now exists in the off-island universe... and not just in the mirror.

During LA X, I theorized that Jack's mark existed solely in the other timeline. We saw it reflected back in the mirror of Flight 815's bathroom, but we never saw it directly. "Whatever happened to cause the wound on Jack's neck, perhaps it only happened in the one 'true' universe. It's possible the mirror is reflecting back something that happens to Jack later on, or maybe even at the end of the show."

It now looks a lot like this might happen. As Jack chows down on the gigantic spread David put out for breakfast, we see there's a definite horizontal cut on his throat. After seeing what happened to Zoe this episode, this might be really bad news for Jack. It could easily be an omen of bad (island) things to come.

After dropping mention of the upcoming concert, the writers once again tease us with the last big LAX reveal they have left: David's birth mother. At this point, the identity of this woman is almost a running joke. It would be both funny and anticlimactic if it turned out to be Sarah, but I'm rooting along with the fan who wrote me in hoping that it's Nikki. After a half season of Zoe, it would actually be good to see Nikki again.


There's Perfect Harmony - In the Rising and the Falling of the Sea

In a parallel that reaches all the way back to the pilot episode, Jack is now the one stitching Kate up. Although the wound might be different the thread is still black. Sawyer watches zombie-like as a bunch of (very red) life vests wash up on the beach. The emptiness of these vests reflect not only the loss of Sun, Jin, and Sayid, but of the many friends and loved ones our characters have lost over the past six seasons.

Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley stand there looking out over the ocean - finally together, finally united and with a common goal: the destruction of John Locke. For me, this was an awesome image. It took a lot of struggle and a lot of death to get all of their interests aligned, but for once in a long while it seems that everyone is finally on the same page.

Even cooler than that, these characters finally stop blaming each other - and themselves. On their walk through the jungle, we can see the deep conflict going on behind Sawyer's eyes. He faults himself for getting their friends killed, knowing inwardly that Jack was probably right about the bomb. This is where - despite being raked over the coals for the death of Juliet - Jack lets his friend completely off the hook. "He killed them", Jack tells Sawyer in reference to Locke. Jack already knows the guilt associated with being responsible for the deaths of others, and it's noble of him to try and spare Sawyer that same type of pain.


I'm Gonna Pound You Into The Next World, Brotha!

Desmond's on a mission this episode: first he prank-calls Jack, then he sets himself up to burn another set of treadmarks into Locke's back. When Ben shows up again Desmond almost kills two birds with one stone, beating the snot of of Dr. Linus in front of what seems to be a pretty resilient student body. A violent madman stalks the parking lot twice in one week, but somehow school still goes on? I wonder if they get off for snow days.

At any rate, Desmond is serving up way more than the FDA-daily recommended allowance of reality. As we later find out, he's also got plenty to go around. I'm not sure he intended to cause Ben's flash here, but he did it anyway; Ben suddenly remembers getting beaten up by Desmond back on the docks. It seems to me that although Desmond is helping things along, unknown forces are still at work trying to get these characters to remember each other. Not sure if that's an island thing or a Jacob thing.

"You want to know who I am?" - This is another often-repeated phrase within LOST, and this time it's Desmond who drops these words like the hammer of his fist on Ben's face. In the overall big picture, I've always thought this dialogue had a much deeper meaning. Now it looks almost like a metaphor for dual-identity; the characters we see in the alternate timeline aren't exactly the characters we see on the island. Not yet, anyway.

Desmond's beating puts Ben in the nurse's office rather than the police station, where he reflects upon his experience in a full-length mirror. His left arm is back in a sling, just like last time. Locke conveniently shows up so the two of them can bounce cross-timeline clues off one another, and this one last coincidence is the straw that breaks the camel's back for Locke. Time to see Jack again.


'Secreter Room'? C'mon, You Just Can't Beat That

"I lived in these houses 30 years before you did... otherwise known as last week." If anyone is wondering why the writers are still keeping Miles around, you're out of your mind. He's the one voice of reason we can count on when everyone else is accepting the most ridiculous of circumstances, and besides that, he's also funny as shit.

I thought it was cool that Richard had taken the time to bury Alex. It seemed he'd done it out of respect for Ben rather than out of necessity. As colleagues - if not friends - for so many years, it seemed something vital and necessary to the Ben/Richard relationship.

For a long time we've also wondered why burying or burning people seemed so important throughout the history of the island, as if the smoke monster couldn't take the form of those who were buried and gone. This leaves the question: did the monster appear as Alex during Dead is Dead before or after she was buried by Richard? Hard to say, but at this point it's probably not all that important.

This is very likely the last time we'll see the barracks, too. It's pretty far removed from the first time we saw it - an immaculately-groomed community where people watered their lawns. Now the swingsets are broken and the landscaping has gone all to hell. These images of desolation are shadowy echoes of what once was: people used to live and thrive here. Our island was once lushly populated with people, monsters, and mysteries. Now, in stark contrast, there are only a few souls left. The writers are slamming these images home for a reason: to let us know the end is near.

"That's where I was told I could summon the monster. That's before I realized it that was the one summoning me." Pretty cryptic, even for Ben. We'll probably never know who told Ben how to call the smoke monster, but it might've actually been the MIB himself. After Dead is Dead, Ben was smart enough to realize this little mud-toilet was put into place as a mechanism to keep tabs on him. Moving the Others to the barracks and behind the safety of the sonic fence defied the very rules of the island. The monster, constantly passing judgement, could count on Ben to call it in the case of intruders or interlopers. Maybe it even needed to be invited, in order to show up.


If You Need Miles, He'll be Running Through The Jungle. Again.

Okay, so it finally looks like Widmore's going to give us some answers. By breaking into Ben's house in broad daylight he allows their story to come full circle, mirroring Ben's midnight intrusion during The Shape of Things To Come. He brings Zoe with him presumably so she can get killed, because it's not like she's doing much of anything else. The real story here is why Charles came back to the island.

Ben seems genuinely surprised to see his old nemesis, thinking he'd banished him from the island for good. Widmore happily informs him that he was invited back by Jacob, and this may be why he was able to find the island again. They have a little pissing contest, mostly over who's the better chess player and who gets to blow up the Ajira plane first. Widmore sends Zoe out to pick up some more of the high-tech equipment that seems to have been working out so well for them lately, and that's when Flocke shows up.

Once again, I believe the dark man underestimates one of LOST's biggest characters. Here, after unceremoniously launching Richard into the jungle, he offers Ben the one thing he believes he wants more than anything else: dominion over the island. "When I'm gone you can have it all to yourself" - Locke's offer is pretty straightforward and very simple. So is Ben's answer: "Alright."

Here's where Ben betrays Widmore, and not out of his lust for power OR service to the man in black. His hatred for Charles stems back to the belief his enemy was directly responsible for the death of his daughter, Alex. Ben sells Widmore to Flocke out of pure spiteful revenge, wanting to both see and hear Widmore's screams as the monster tears him to pieces. And when it appears this might not happen? Ben takes matters directly into his own hands.

As for Zoe's death, well, I'm sure it was widely embraced. The problems with her character were similar to the problems stemming from Nikki and Paulo: she was introduced abruptly and in a very "know-it-all" type of way. She was combative and secretive, insistent and annoying. You don't get island-cred by acting like you're hot shit, or by trying to convince everyone that you're somehow important. You get it the same way Miles, Faraday, and Lapidus got it: by jumping onto the roller coaster and taking the ride along with us.

Widmore's storyline has been weak so far, and I was really expecting it to strengthen up. Instead, this once-great character is reduced to hiding like a coward in a closet. Less than one minute after being found, he's willing to sell out his whole operation on the off chance that the MIB will allow his daughter to live. The guy spends his whole life trying to get back to the island... just so he can whisper the darkest secrets of his master plan right into Flocke's ear?

And what about the end of the world? "If he gets off the island, everyone you know and love will cease to exist!" It's like all that stuff just flew right out the window the second Penny was mentioned. Ben shooting Widmore to prevent him from saving his daughter was a pretty cool scene, and I loved the line he delivers immediately afterward. But Charles Widmore? Unless there's an underlying storyline we don't know about, he went out like a total chump. His only apparent purpose - both times so far - was to get Desmond to the island.

Ever the scheming opportunist, Ben ensures his longevity by asking the monster "Did you say there were some other people to kill?" With Widmore gone and his plan revealed, Ben knows that the dark man has very little need for allies at this point. There are still some candidates Flocke can't touch directly, however, and I like to think that Ben somehow knows this. Maybe he's playing up to the monster to keep himself alive.

Ben's a character that's already seen some level of redemption. If Illana accomplished nothing else, bringing Ben back from the brink of the dark side seemed to be kind of important. I'm pretty sure he's playing the monster here, and that he'll betray it in the end. Ben's good at really playing people, and it would be great to watch him play the man in black into a very bad situation.

And no matter what, I hope that Richard is still alive! After all the trouble Hugo went through during Ab Aeterno to bring him back, I'd like to think he has some sort of ultimate purpose. It's "He who would save us all", not "He who gets his throat collapsed and flung into the jungle". Hopefully.


Oh But We Insist! Even if We Have to Kidnap You!

In the alternate timeline, Ben's place in Alex's life parallels a good many aspects of the on-island world. The one thing always missing on the island however, was a sense of family. Here, twisted and genius writing puts Ben at the very same dinner table with the woman who's child he once snatched away.

In stark contrast to her mentally-wrecked counterpart, LAX_Danielle is a well-adjusted mom who's happy to host her daughter's favorite teacher and father figure, Dr. Linus. The irony here is overwhelming. Ben is genuinely touched by the love felt for him in this household - the same household he once so violently broke apart. If and when his on-island memories come crashing home, I can see him feeling even more emotionally connected to both of these people.

You also have to remember this: Ben took Alex away to save both her and her mother's lives from Charles Widmore. After seeing his own beginnings on the island, we learned that Ben was never given the choice, or chance, for a normal life. Despite all the crazy things he's done, I find myself rooting for Ben to have a happy ending. If he ended up with both Danielle and Alex, it would fitting and cool.

Unfortunately, it's hard to find all his stuff collected in one place. Even his website (thingsinoticed.com) doesn't seem to have them collected, which is just bizarre. You can find them (all?) at darkufo, but it's tough slogging for sure.

 

[PatsRUs]

I'm still hoping for an R rated movie where we see kate, shannon, alex and claire full frontal nudity.. that's the biggest unsolved mystery for me.. oh, and the hot MILF from V

 

[Maxjax]

I thought it was a great ending to all of it. Granted the answers weren't exactly hanging down like ripe fruit, but I thought it was all brilliant.

Good read here.

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[BradyManny]

I'm not sure brilliant and LOST should be used in the same sentence again. That episode had the depth of a Hallmark ad. An enjoyable one, but please - let's separate entertainment from art. LOST was entertainment written by a couple middle-aged stoners who mistakenly thought they were achieving deep art, when really they were compiling cliches from fortune cookies and barfing them onto the audience in about as on-the-nose and heavy-handed way possible.

 

[PatsFan09]

I'm not sure brilliant and LOST should be used in the same sentence again. That episode had the depth of a Hallmark ad. An enjoyable one, but please - let's separate entertainment from art. LOST was entertainment written by a couple middle-aged stoners who mistakenly thought they were achieving deep art, when really they were compiling cliches from fortune cookies and barfing them onto the audience in about as on-the-nose and heavy-handed way possible.

:shrug: I completely disagree with you. Show me other shows that deal with religion, faith, free will, quantum physics, love, among many, many other themes and still create a very comprehensive, amazing show.

It's your opinion, of course. I would argue that there's never been a show that even comes close to rivaling LOST's creativity and complexity, nor do I think such a show will occur for a very long time.

 

[PatsRUs]

I'm not sure brilliant and LOST should be used in the same sentence again. That episode had the depth of a Hallmark ad. An enjoyable one, but please - let's separate entertainment from art. LOST was entertainment written by a couple middle-aged stoners who mistakenly thought they were achieving deep art, when really they were compiling cliches from fortune cookies and barfing them onto the audience in about as on-the-nose and heavy-handed way possible.

Art can be very entertaining at times, and it doesn't always have to be deep. I used to enjoy Hulk comic books. They used cliches.. I think the $$ speaks for itself. LOST was created to make $$.. it did that brilliantly.

..and Kate was brilliant like a diamond.

 

[BradyManny]

:shrug: I completely disagree with you. Show me other shows that deal with religion, faith, free will, quantum physics, love, among many, many other themes and still create a very comprehensive, amazing show.

It's your opinion, of course. I would argue that there's never been a show that even comes close to rivaling LOST's creativity and complexity, nor do I think such a show will occur for a very long time.

That's the thing: it DEALT with these issues. Did it really teach us anything about them? Or do anything interesting or new with these ideas? At the end of the day, the depth of LOST comes down to them borrowing from some other great art, throwing it all together in a blender, and failing to connect the dots between any of the grand ideas they were throwing out there.

And you can throw the quantum physics out the window - they made clear in that final season they had no interest in the subject - or electromagnetism or whatever other sci-fi junk they tossed in - save for using time travel as a device to fill up a decent chunk of the final few seasons. Like most everything in LOST outside of the characters, it turned out to be nothing but a red herring.

And to some extent, even the characters - as great and entertaining as they are - are only great b/c of the actors. Were they well-written characters? Ultimately, not extraordinarily - they were all essentially one-note, archetypal characters. Jack, the Man of Science who finds faith. Locke, the Man of Faith. Sawyer, the outcast with a soft side. Sayid, Kate, Hurley, Charlie - all these characters were defined by ONE aspect of themselves. They did it beautifully, yes, but deep? Not really. It came down to Fox, Holloway, Andrews, O'Quinn, etc. just owning these characters and really taking them to a new level.

Again, don't get me wrong...it was a great show...that could have been a whole lot better had it not thought so damn highly of itself. Ultimately, it turned out the actors truly carried this show. I just wish I hadn't wasted 6 years of analysis thinking that a weekly network TV show could be as deep, complex and intriguing as it claimed to be - because, in the end, it wasn't even close. I could've saved a whole lot of time if the creators hadn't BS'd us into thinking this show was something it wasn't. And we probably would've enjoyed the entertainment value of the show just as much - if not more.

 

[PatsRUs]

That's the thing: it DEALT with these issues. Did it really teach us anything about them? Or do anything interesting or new with these ideas? At the end of the day, the depth of LOST comes down to them borrowing from some other great art, throwing it all together in a blender, and failing to connect the dots between any of the grand ideas they were throwing out there.

And you can throw the quantum physics out the window - they made clear in that final season they had no interest in the subject - or electromagnetism or whatever other sci-fi junk they tossed in - save for using time travel as a device to fill up a decent chunk of the final few seasons. Like most everything in LOST outside of the characters, it turned out to be nothing but a red herring.

And to some extent, even the characters - as great and entertaining as they are - are only great b/c of the actors. Were they well-written characters? Ultimately, not extraordinarily - they were all essentially one-note, archetypal characters. Jack, the Man of Science who finds faith. Locke, the Man of Faith. Sawyer, the outcast with a soft side. Sayid, Kate, Hurley, Charlie - all these characters were defined by ONE aspect of themselves. They did it beautifully, yes, but deep? Not really. It came down to Fox, Holloway, Andrews, O'Quinn, etc. just owning these characters and really taking them to a new level.

Again, don't get me wrong...it was a great show...that could have been a whole lot better had it not thought so damn highly of itself. Ultimately, it turned out the actors truly carried this show. I just wish I hadn't wasted 6 years of analysis thinking that a weekly network TV show could be as deep, complex and intriguing as it claimed to be - because, in the end, it wasn't even close.

Most art is inspired or created from other art. Artists call it inspiration. How many times has Shakespeare been used in film.. is Lion King not art or entertainment? I don't think it ever claimed to be deep, I think people expected that and over analyzed it, that's not on the writers. They provided something that was fun and entertaining, that would hold peoples interest and make money. They didn't set out to create a Rembrandt, people just expected it to turn into one. It was a made-for-TV soap opera with cliff hangers each week. Do I really need to know what the island was, or why it had rules? No.. not really.. I didn't need to know exactly how gama rays made hulk big, or why hulk pants no rip on sides either.

 

[BradyManny]

Most art is inspired or created from other art. Artists call it inspiration. How many times has Shakespeare been used in film.. is Lion King not art or entertainment? I don't think it ever claimed to be deep, I think people expected that and over analyzed it, that's not on the writers. They provided something that was fun and entertaining, that would hold peoples interest and make money. They didn't set out to create a Rembrandt, people just expected it to turn into one. It was a made-for-TV soap opera with cliff hangers each week. Do I really need to know what the island was, or why it had rules? No.. not really.. I didn't need to know exactly how gama rays made hulk big, or why hulk pants no rip on sides either.

Valid points for the most part - though it wasn't just equivalent to how the Hulk became big. In the end, we're talking about probably well over 100 unanswered questions that people spent time on week after week trying to pick up clues, too. It would've been nice for a heads up that it was a big waste of time.

And, the show did claim to aim for something higher - particularly when its showrunners come out each week and tell us to have faith in the show, and faith in having our loyalties being rewarded. It didn't happen. We got an even more convoluted & contrived show by the end.

But that's just a small part of the problem. Ultimately, the writing was just flawed, week after week - and it had set the bar so high early on.

Had this show decided to call it quits after season 3 or 4, and wrapped things up a bit earlier, I bet it would've come together a lot more coherently, smoothly - and been done much better.

 

[Annihilus]

Valid points for the most part - though it wasn't just equivalent to how the Hulk became big. In the end, we're talking about probably well over 100 unanswered questions that people spent time on week after week trying to pick up clues, too. It would've been nice for a heads up that it was a big waste of time.

And, the show did claim to aim for something higher - particularly when its showrunners come out each week and tell us to have faith in the show, and faith in having our loyalties being rewarded. It didn't happen. We got an even more convoluted & contrived show by the end.

But that's just a small part of the problem. Ultimately, the writing was just flawed, week after week - and it had set the bar so high early on.

Had this show decided to call it quits after season 3 or 4, and wrapped things up a bit earlier, I bet it would've come together a lot more coherently, smoothly - and been done much better.

The bolded part cannot be labeled as fact. It happened for me. I had faith in the show (though that's a stretch really, after all, it was just a TV show and not something one really 'puts faith in') and was perfectly happy with the ending.

I didn't have a problem with the writing, for the most part. Sure there were some holes, but nothing that took the enjoyment of the show away from me.

 

[BradyManny]

The bolded part cannot be labeled as fact. It happened for me. I had faith in the show (though that's a stretch really, after all, it was just a TV show and not something one really 'puts faith in') and was perfectly happy with the ending.

I didn't have a problem with the writing, for the most part. Sure there were some holes, but nothing that took the enjoyment of the show away from me.

That's fair enough - to each his own. I can't say much other than I disagree.

I know I'm a bit of a nitpicker when it comes to these things. I spent a couple of years of my studies focusing on screenwriting and specifically script analysis, so I have a predisposition to bitch about these things, and am essentially wired to try and find issues. I, ultimately, ended up on the other side of the production process and have been there ever since (mildly regrettably, perhaps) - but I took with me the inclination to take the writing and crafting of the story rather seriously, which I still try and do. My conclusion would be that the writers didn't take the craft as serious as they should have - and started to take their success for granted. But again, that's just my 2 cents, coming with the caveat that I am negative by design. At the same time, I can still enjoy the show for what it was worth.

 

[Flagg the Wanderer]

That's fair enough - to each his own. I can't say much other than I disagree.

I know I'm a bit of a nitpicker when it comes to these things. I spent a couple of years of my studies focusing on screenwriting and specifically script analysis, so I have a predisposition to bitch about these things, and am essentially wired to try and find issues. I, ultimately, ended up on the other side of the production process and have been there ever since (mildly regrettably, perhaps) - but I took with me the inclination to take the writing and crafting of the story rather seriously, which I still try and do. My conclusion would be that the writers didn't take the craft as serious as they should have - and started to take their success for granted. But again, that's just my 2 cents, coming with the caveat that I am negative by design. At the same time, I can still enjoy the show for what it was worth.

How's this:

Concept and overall ambition: A+
Writing: B
Overall execution, plot, etc.: B+ (I didn't see nearly the holes that many did, thought most questions were answered at least within the framework of the LOST universe)
Connecting with audience: A
Overall show rating: Much better than the vast majority of TV out there. A-.

 

[raven]

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/wat..._lost_more_proof_they_did_not_all_die_in.html

The plane wreckage at the end of the ep was added by the network. The last shot of the show was supposed to be Jack's eye closing.

Those final images of Sunday night's series finale—of the plane wreckage on the island with no survivors—were not the producers' doing.

The show's ABC rep just told me:

"The images shown during the end credits of the Lost finale, which included shots of Oceanic 815 on a deserted beach, were not part of the episode but were a visual aid to allow the viewer to decompress before heading into the news." The statement was first acquired by the Los Angeles Times.

The images were added by the network, not Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, to soften the transition to the 11:00 news.