How would you feel about a slightly ambigious ending to Lost?

[Joe Washington]

What if only most, if not half, of the show's lingering questions are answered and the rest are left up to our imagination to ponder about? What if everything isn't explained? Would you feel disappointed? Angry? Or satisfied with what you got and understanding the need for some remaining mystery?

 

[Zulu Romeo]

I see two ways this could go. If everything was resolved, then there would be nothing left to tell, but on the other hand, if many strands were still hanging, then a future project could pick them up - be it a novel series, a movie, a mini-series, a web show, mobisodes, a computer game, etc.

The Missing Pieces were a good opportunity to tie up some of those strands, but also of course brought up even more questions. I also liked the idea behind the various ARGs adding backstory to some non-crucial aspects of the story, such as the LOST Experience (which was all about what happened to the Hanso Foundation and the old DHARMA Initative).

I think the crucial thing is to make sure that the hanging threads are not ones vital to the important storylines, and of course this implies that we need to identify what the main storylines of importance are. For example, I and maybe several others had been hoping that the story of Libby might be fully explained, including how she ended up in the Santa Rosa MHI. Maybe it will never be explained because the creators don't feel it's as important a story thread as, say, the story of Widmore. Maybe it will be picked up in season 6. I don't know.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

It's not a matter of how much is explained by the end but rather what specifically is explained. For instance, I can live without a full explanation about Cindy (why she became so loyal to the Others and such), but I'll be pissed if we don't get a full explanation about Lostzilla.

 

[AntonyF]

I think we won't get all answers. That is a given.

Expecting full answers = asking for pain.

I hope they leave some bombshells but mostly I hope they crystalise in that final episode what Lost is all about.

The two shows I can hold high in this regard are new BSG and Six Feet Under. To me, their final episodes summed up everything what they were about in a nutshell albeit with some closure.

I want Lost to do that.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

The two shows I can hold high in this regard are new BSG and Six Feet Under. To me, their final episodes summed up everything what they were about in a nutshell albeit with some closure.

I want Lost to do that.

I'd personally hold the original "Life On Mars" up there too in that regard, but it had the advantage of not having too many balls in the air (of the juggler's variety, anyway).

 

[auntiehill]

Of all the things on LOST that puzzle me, I think Lostzilla, aka Smokey, is the ONE THING for which I simply must have an explanation.

 

[Starbreaker]

I am going to need explanations about Desmond and time travel and Smokey and DHARMA and the Others.

 

[Hober Mallow]

I have a feeling the ending is going to be more than just slightly ambiguous.

The only ending that will really piss me off, though, is if everyone dies except Ben. That would be a real kick in the crotch.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

I have a feeling the ending is going to be more than just slightly ambiguous.

The only ending that will really piss me off, though, is if everyone dies except Ben. That would be a real kick in the crotch.

Won't happen. In fact, I see Ben dying in the series finale without too much difficulty at all. It's really the only way to redeem the character, IMO.

Now that Locke is dead and has succeeded in bringing Jack back to the Island as a Man of Faith...I see Jack living for sure - probably as Leader of The Others in the end. But I think everyone else is pretty much up for grabs, except maybe Desmond...who they wouldn't dare deny his happy ending...or maybe Sun, since she has a child back in the real world. Some of them will live...but I think we will see a few casualties this season...particularly as we get close to the end.

But to the OP's original question - I think they need to answer the BIG questions, for sure - the nature of the Island...the relationship between Jacob/MIB and Ben/Widmore...how did 'the rules' come about...the Mysteries of the Temple...the nature of Smoky....how old is Richard, when did he get there, and why he was made ageless....what is with the walking dead...were the losties pre-destined for the Island, and on what basis were they selected and by whom....what was the reason for the purge of the DI and who ordered it...

These sorts of things, they really need to give us answers on. But I don't really care, for example, about what makes Walt 'special'...or how the polar bears got loose on the main island when they were originally kept on the other island.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I don't want all the answers. Don't see how that's possible anyway. What full and coherent explanation could there be for The Numbers for instance?

I'd like Smokey explained (although maybe this is explanation enough?) And maybe a little hint about just wtf is really going on with the island - is it just some kind of magical confluence of mystic energies, a chunk of a sentient planet that hit Earth eons ago, or what?

 

[I am not Spock]

I'll feel cheated if we get a tacked on, or ambiguous ending. Even worse:

'It was all a dream'.

 

[Python Trek]

"It was all a dream" or "it was all a VR simulation" would be crotch kicks, but I'll be equally pissed if there's a time travel re-set button, and no one (or almost no one) remembers the events of the series.

All that I really insist on knowing is:

1. Who are Jacob and his Adversary?

2. What is the origin/special nature of the island?

3. What is the Smoke Monster?

4. Why are the 815 passengers all connected by "six degrees" back home?

I assume, based on the season 5 finale, that the answers to all four questions can probably be answered by asking, "Who is Jacob?".

 

[omegaone]

I just hope it doesnt end like the Sopranos! I have a feeling some elements arent gonna be answered and I hope it doesnt raise too many new ones....

 

[sidious618]

And maybe a little hint about just wtf is really going on with the island - is it just some kind of magical confluence of mystic energies, a chunk of a sentient planet that hit Earth eons ago, or what?

They already hinted at that heavily in "SOS."

 

[Python Trek]

How would Jacob and his Adversary fit into the "sentient planet" scenario, I wonder?

 

[777]

I will be royally p**sed off with a non-ending. I know many people love to leave some questions unanswered to ponder over, but I hate it with a passion. What is the point to watching a mystery with no resolution?

It is one of the reasons why i hated the BSG finale (no resolution to what the heck's the deal with Starbuck). I don't watch stories only for the drama or acting abilities of the cast.

 

[Hober Mallow]

What if it turns out in the final episode that -- somehow -- the Oceanic flight 815 they found at the bottom of the Ocean was, in fact, real, not planted by Widmore, and that everyone on the plane will die? Perhaps time will be reset again, or something.

Remember, when Daniel first saw the plane on TV, he cried uncontrollably, but didn't know why he was crying.

 

[Plomeek Broth]

This show has been built up so much for 5 seasons I am expecting a total letdown which is okay because it has been a fun ride and I'm sure it's hard to come up with a satisfactory ending on something that is so complex and has been boiling for so long.

 

[Plomeek Broth]

I could see the ending being the original flight going perfectly and none of them knowing each other and the trials they went through. Sad.

 

[hamudm]

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