No but I did listen to Bill Simmons bs report podcast where he only talked about Lost with a couple of tv critic. And got there take. It's a good listen. Carlton Cuses interview from last weeks was good too
Lost Series Finale: "The End"
- Thread starter Agent Richard07
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I was interesting how the stained glass in the church had symbols from several major religions on there. Interesting touch.
As far as the afterlife thing went, I was reminded of some of the ideas explored in Kim Stanley Robinson's The Years of Rice and Salt.
As far as the afterlife thing went, I was reminded of some of the ideas explored in Kim Stanley Robinson's The Years of Rice and Salt.
That book is set in an alternate world which diverges from our own during the era of the Black Death. Here, the plague wipes out even more people in Europe than it did already, almost wholly de-populating it. This means that the continent has to be re-populated from elsewhere - but also that other areas of the planet rise to the modern age in its stead.
However, what the book is really about is the journey of a specific jati - a group of souls who journey together through the path of samsara on a mutual path to greater enlightenment. Each soul is demoted by a letter, K, I, B and so on, and the people the souls become on Earth all have that letter in their names.
Each time they die, they enter a shared holding area in the afterlife - though some struggle against their path, others risk falling behind, and still others try to keep the group together.
For me, the people shown together at the end of this show are a kind of jati - drawn together in life, waiting for each other in death, moving forward to see where the next stage of existence might take them.
Or something like that.
However, what the book is really about is the journey of a specific jati - a group of souls who journey together through the path of samsara on a mutual path to greater enlightenment. Each soul is demoted by a letter, K, I, B and so on, and the people the souls become on Earth all have that letter in their names.
Each time they die, they enter a shared holding area in the afterlife - though some struggle against their path, others risk falling behind, and still others try to keep the group together.
For me, the people shown together at the end of this show are a kind of jati - drawn together in life, waiting for each other in death, moving forward to see where the next stage of existence might take them.
Or something like that.
Yet as a viewer if I loved something I can write paragraph after paragraph after paragraph discussing all the various things I loved about it rather than worrying about whether another fan disliked or hated the episode. Afterall what is the point on a discussion board if not to share with each other what we liked or didn't like. Kinda defeats the purpose if you just check a box in a voting poll and scurry off.
And just because someone didn't just rave about something doesn't mean they are a hater--yes there are some who'll hate anything for any reason and come into post just to get a rise out of people--but there are--gasp!--some LOST fans who had legitimate criticisms about the series and the finale that effectively articulated them. I'm a huge LOST fan so much so I irritate people by going into other tv shows' grading threads that I watch and start comparing how those other shows don't measure up but that doesn't mean I'm blind to its weaknesses. I'm holding LOST up to LOST standards that it set for itself. I expected more from Lindelof and Cuse and am disappointed they didn't live up to it.
I think you need to stop taking every little I word I say quite so literally. I am well aware that not everybody who has criticisms is a "hater."
I'm simply speaking from experience. The BSG finale was much the same way. Something like 90% of people thought it was Above Average/Excellent, but from reading the threads, you'd think it was the worst finale in the history of television.
I'm simply speaking from experience. The BSG finale was much the same way. Something like 90% of people thought it was Above Average/Excellent, but from reading the threads, you'd think it was the worst finale in the history of television.
WORD!!!
You know, one thing I realized that's been bugging me about the Flashfterlife Universe...I wish that it had tied into the Island a bit more.
Someone, I think way back in this thread, compared the ending to the Grey Havens in LOTR or Further Up and Further In in the Narnia books. I think that's quite apt. But what set those apart is that the Grey Havens were for ring bearers and elves, as far as I can tell...I'm no Tolkien scholar. It was a sort of "dying and going to heaven" ending, but it was specifically tied in with Frodo's journey. In the Narnia Chronicles, the new Narnia included the Pevensie's parents, but it very much tied into the adventures the children had throughout the books. You get the impression that it was something made for them, since they were the heroes of the world of Narnia.
In Lost's universe, on the other hand, I kind of got the impression that this is the way the afterlife worked for everyone. These characters would've found each other in the afterlife if they had crashed on a normal Island as well, as long as they formed the same relational bonds. The fact they found each other had nothing to do with Island magic, but the bonds they formed while dealing with the Island. Does this make sense?
So my "criticism" is that I wish the afterlife we saw them get was some sort of reward "Island bearers," or Candidates, received, that "normal" people did not. I think it would've made their experience on the Island all the more meaningful, as a burden they all had to bear in some way at some point, much like Frodo and his ring.
Someone, I think way back in this thread, compared the ending to the Grey Havens in LOTR or Further Up and Further In in the Narnia books. I think that's quite apt. But what set those apart is that the Grey Havens were for ring bearers and elves, as far as I can tell...I'm no Tolkien scholar. It was a sort of "dying and going to heaven" ending, but it was specifically tied in with Frodo's journey. In the Narnia Chronicles, the new Narnia included the Pevensie's parents, but it very much tied into the adventures the children had throughout the books. You get the impression that it was something made for them, since they were the heroes of the world of Narnia.
In Lost's universe, on the other hand, I kind of got the impression that this is the way the afterlife worked for everyone. These characters would've found each other in the afterlife if they had crashed on a normal Island as well, as long as they formed the same relational bonds. The fact they found each other had nothing to do with Island magic, but the bonds they formed while dealing with the Island. Does this make sense?
So my "criticism" is that I wish the afterlife we saw them get was some sort of reward "Island bearers," or Candidates, received, that "normal" people did not. I think it would've made their experience on the Island all the more meaningful, as a burden they all had to bear in some way at some point, much like Frodo and his ring.
Interesting point on the Havens. Without going into the mythology, in LotR the Havens serve as the exit point for the fantastic. The Elves are leaving Middle-earth via the Havens, and taking the magic with them. What is left behind is mundane, less exciting, more industrial and rational. Frodo is nearly unique in that he is a human who left the mundane human world to participate in the magical world. He bore fantastic burdens, and left with the other fantastic beings--not just as a reward, but because all the fantastic was fleeing Middle-earth, and there was no place for him anymore.
I could see something like that happening to the lostaways. Their shared experiences with the fantastic would render them unable to live happily in the mundane world, and the mundane world would have no place for them. So, they'd have to leave. I wouldn't have sent them to Unitarian Universalist Heaven, but I'd definitely shove them off to retire somewhere magical and fantastic.
I could see something like that happening to the lostaways. Their shared experiences with the fantastic would render them unable to live happily in the mundane world, and the mundane world would have no place for them. So, they'd have to leave. I wouldn't have sent them to Unitarian Universalist Heaven, but I'd definitely shove them off to retire somewhere magical and fantastic.
The arguing of the merits of this episode between the Posters of Science and the Posters of Faith in this forum amuses me highly. 
My thoughts on the episode:
My thoughts on the episode:
The worst part of the episode for me is the fact that I didn't realize it was airing on a different night.
Just watched it here ... finally. Loved it. Quite powerful and emotional.
Excellent. I was very wary of Jack dying in the finale as he is my favourite character but the happy ending of sorts was enough to win me over. The finale has done enough that I'll be adding the complete LOST series on DVD to my collection in the future.
Lots of fantastic moments in the finale but up near the top for me was Locke and Ben's scene outside the Church...those two are fantastic when they are on screen together on LOST, no matter what they're doing and that last scene was definitely something special
Lots of fantastic moments in the finale but up near the top for me was Locke and Ben's scene outside the Church...those two are fantastic when they are on screen together on LOST, no matter what they're doing and that last scene was definitely something special
That is awesome.
Excellent.
Six Feet Under's "Everyone's Waiting" remains my gold standard for series finales but this is right up there.
I never expected to have every i dotted and every t crossed. The more I think about it the more I realise that for me, Lost wasn't about the mysteries; it was about the people. They're why I kept watching, and seeing them together at the end was just about perfect.
I'll wait for the uber massive everything-and-the-kitchen-sink DVD set and watch the series again. For now, I just want to recover from the impact of that finale. It could take a while.
Six Feet Under's "Everyone's Waiting" remains my gold standard for series finales but this is right up there.
I never expected to have every i dotted and every t crossed. The more I think about it the more I realise that for me, Lost wasn't about the mysteries; it was about the people. They're why I kept watching, and seeing them together at the end was just about perfect.
I'll wait for the uber massive everything-and-the-kitchen-sink DVD set and watch the series again. For now, I just want to recover from the impact of that finale. It could take a while.
Deeply ambivalent (is that a rating?)
Unlike OZ, the show, for me was always about the mysteries, the mythology, the carefully crafted (we hoped) story unfolding.
I only ever felt that Locke and Ben were the only truly indispensable characters/actors on the show, and it wouldn't have bothered me one bit had Jack disappeared in Season 3 or something.
Anyway, the big softy in me got a lump in the throat at some of the reunions...it was touchy feely...it was nice I suppose.
But the reason this show ultimately had groups of 10 people in my living room watching it all weekend on DVD was not to discuss whether Jack would end up with Kate or whatever, but to dissect, analyse and generally nerdishly obsess over the backstory and 'what was really going on'. For those of us who took that approach, I can't help but feel the writers have taken the easy way out.
The armchair critics at our place have all felt this whole season has been 'off', so expectations were neutral for the finale, and that's pretty much what we got.
5 excellent seasons, one not so thrilling. Another brilliant TV show that went on just a bit too long and couldn't pull off the finale.
All that said, I will miss this show very much.
Unlike OZ, the show, for me was always about the mysteries, the mythology, the carefully crafted (we hoped) story unfolding.
I only ever felt that Locke and Ben were the only truly indispensable characters/actors on the show, and it wouldn't have bothered me one bit had Jack disappeared in Season 3 or something.
Anyway, the big softy in me got a lump in the throat at some of the reunions...it was touchy feely...it was nice I suppose.
But the reason this show ultimately had groups of 10 people in my living room watching it all weekend on DVD was not to discuss whether Jack would end up with Kate or whatever, but to dissect, analyse and generally nerdishly obsess over the backstory and 'what was really going on'. For those of us who took that approach, I can't help but feel the writers have taken the easy way out.
The armchair critics at our place have all felt this whole season has been 'off', so expectations were neutral for the finale, and that's pretty much what we got.
5 excellent seasons, one not so thrilling. Another brilliant TV show that went on just a bit too long and couldn't pull off the finale.
All that said, I will miss this show very much.
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