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

[hamudm]

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


....how old is Richard, when did he get there, and why he was made ageless....

From the S5 finale... [WARNING SPOILERS!]

































when we saw the (presumably) Black Rock sailing in the distance from the POV of Jacob and his buddy, as well as Richard being referred to as "Ricardo," I have a feeling that Richard perhaps came from the Black Rock however many hundred years ago and for some reason has been charged/punished with serving the island. Why? you may ask. Inference really. Richard/Ricardo is hispanic, and perhaps the Black Rock was a Spanish boat of some kind? Whatever transpired with him landed him the ageless roll of the island leaders' advisor.

 

[Chess Piece Face]

As long as they give us SOME explanation I will be happy. For example, I don't really have a problem with "God did it" being the answer to BSG. I have a problem with not knowing A SINGLE THING about this God character.

When I saw that one, I went "And?" As in "God did it, And?"

Lost better not make me go "And?" or I will be so disappointed.

 

[Alpinemaps]

I think back to Charlie's question at the end of the first episode - 'guys, where are we?'

That's what I want answered. I would love to have everything else answered (but know it won't be). Let's get that first question answered in a why that we can answer it (nothing ambiguous), and we'll go from there.

 

[penny dreadful]

I think that it would be best that a few of the mysteries remain
unexplained. Leave it to the fans to come up with their own
solutions to some of the questions. I fear that if the writers try
too hard dot every i and cross every t the final season will turn
out to be a convuluted mess.

 

[MikeS]

I think I read an interview where they said they will not answer everything. They will answer the biggies like the Dharma food drop, Smokie, The Island etc.

That will do me nicely.

 

[Alpinemaps]

If they don't answer everything in the show, I hope they will write a book, or do some sort of 'behind-the-scenes' interview, or a DVD-set that will reveal what was going on. I'd love to hear them talk about 'well, our idea was *this* but it turned out like that' or 'this is where we were going with this', etc.

 

[Nardpuncher]

I think they'll answer enough of the big questions, like what's the nature of the island and the smoke monster and Jacob, and we'll be able to figure out the rest of the littler things by ourselves.
The show really shouldn't take time at the end to have someone like Jacob do 10 minutes of exposition on the reason behind everything.
I have a feeling the day after the final episode, if someone who hasn't followed the show asks me what it was all about, it'll be something that can't be explained in one sentence (like the surprise of The Sixth Sense) but would take 5 or 6 sentences.

 

[I am not Spock]

I'll be so annoyed if they just pull something out of their ass, and give us a lame finale. I'm really hoping not to be disappointed. Lost could end up as either one of the greatest shows of all time, or just a waste of time. We'll know way way it goes soon enough.

 

[Nardpuncher]

^^ That also depends on what sort of answers and ending you want.
Some people expect that the last 10 minutes or so should melt our brains and show the face of God.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Some people expect that the last 10 minutes or so should melt our brains and show the face of God.

Damn straight it should!

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Indeed! I'll be severely disappointed if that doesn't happen!

 

[LitmusDragon]

As long as they give us SOME explanation I will be happy. For example, I don't really have a problem with "God did it" being the answer to BSG. I have a problem with not knowing A SINGLE THING about this God character.

Having never watched BSG is this gonna ruin the show for me?

Not sure how big/serious a spoiler this is.

 

[Lindley]

Nah.

 

[LitmusDragon]

Speaking of spoilers, I just want to say that I'm glad that I'm watching this show as it airs. If the ending is anywhere near as thought-provoking as I'm expecting it's going to be, I feel sorry for those who are going to read about it before ever seeing the show.

 

[Hober Mallow]

^^ That also depends on what sort of answers and ending you want.
Some people expect that the last 10 minutes or so should melt our brains and show the face of God.

Yes, I want the finale to make my face melt like in Indiana Jones.

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

I wouldn't be happy. 90% of the time, "interpret it yourself" endings seem gimmicky and stupid. The best endings imo have wrapped most all things up in a satisfying way. BSG, The Wire, and The Shield were some of the finest. They had an air of finality to them, like the last chapter of a great novel.

Like, I thought the Sopranos ending was kind of funky and interesting when it first aired. Now I just roll my eyes when I think of trying to interpret what it means, and that silly song going on while Meadow tries to park. It just seems stupid now.

 

[Hober Mallow]

I wouldn't be happy. 90% of the time, "interpret it yourself" endings seem gimmicky and stupid. The best endings imo have wrapped most all things up in a satisfying way. BSG, The Wire, and The Shield were some of the finest. They had an air of finality to them, like the last chapter of a great novel.

Like, I thought the Sopranos ending was kind of funky and interesting when it first aired. Now I just roll my eyes when I think of trying to interpret what it means, and that silly song going on while Meadow tries to park. It just seems stupid now.

Yes, but on the otherr had do you really want all the mystery stripped from the show. What kind of afterlife would the show have?

The producers have been pretty clear that they aren't going to explain everything. There have to be some answers, but we're bound to be disappointed if the ending is, "And the answer is -- the island is Atlantis! The end!" Do you really want everything spelled out for you at the end?

I think of Lost kinda like the old Myst videogame. At the beginning of the game you're plopped onto a mysterious island with no clue where you are or what you're supposed to do. It's only as you play that you learn more and more about the history of the island, it's mystical nature, and your ulimate destiny. But by the end, there's still an air of mystery to the game. You learn that each land you reach is an "age" created by a mysterious writer, whose books come to life in a way that's never explained. Were those things carefully and fully explained, we'd lose some of the mystery.

 

[777]

Yes, but on the other had do you really want all the mystery stripped from the show.

For me, yes, I do want to know everything. Or else, whats the point? There is no finality to the show, just frustration that you were waiting half a decade for the answer you never get. What a colossal waste of my life that would have been. To me the show IS about the mystery. Such an ending would be like a who-did-it mystery, without ever finding out who the murderer is in the end.

I know some people like open endedness, but I'm not one of them.

 

[Hober Mallow]

For me, yes, I do want to know everything. Or else, whats the point? There is no finality to the show, just frustration that you were waiting half a decade for the answer you never get. What a colossal waste of my life that would have been. To me the show IS about the mystery. Such an ending would be like a who-did-it mystery, without ever finding out who the murderer is in the end.

I know some people like open endedness, but I'm not one of them.

Well, here's Lindelof and Cuse's take on it.

Q: Are we going to learn more about why Richard doesn't age soon?

Cuse: Yes you will. You will definitely learn more about Richard Alpert this season. Now, whether it's enough for you to be satisfied, that'll be up to you. But we're definitely going to explain more about him.

Lindelof: We've been coming up against what we call the chicken and the egg conundrum, which is every time we answer a question, there's two questions left in its wake. So we have to decide where we draw the line. So if the question is, "Are we going to learn more about Richard? Are we going to see his origin story?", the answer is, we would be remiss if we were not to present that. But if we were to say, "Are we going to definitively answer all these mysteries regarding Richard?", it's literally impossible to do.

It's crystal clear we aren't going to get definitive answers that leave no room for interpretation. When Lost ends, there's still going to be some mystery remaining.

 

[Chess Piece Face]

As long as they give us SOME explanation I will be happy. For example, I don't really have a problem with "God did it" being the answer to BSG. I have a problem with not knowing A SINGLE THING about this God character.

Having never watched BSG is this gonna ruin the show for me?

Not sure how big/serious a spoiler this is.

Nah, it doesn't ruin anything knowing this. Just understand that you will put all this time and effort into the show, pondering all the plans and mysteries and then at the end, in the last second you literally get zero explanation. It is the only show I have ever watched where the finale made me actively dislike what came before, which I loved. Seriously, I can't watch any BSG now, not even stuff that was my favorite of all time.

It's crazy.