Lost Series Finale: "The End"

[Mr Awe]

Second, I still feel that the sideways stories were a complete waste of precious screen-time in the final season. It feels like a cruel joke about the common theory back in the beginning that they were all dead. Still, the bit in the church with Christian was pretty poignant. It was just a waste of half a season.

I agree pretty much totally with your post. About the above, I agree, but I'd also add that I think they added the afterlife storyline *because* they didn't have enough story and they wanted to disguise a light ending (no pun intended).

We don't really know what this long chain of people were defending or why. We do know that Jack did successfully defend the island and it seems like Hurley did too. Ok, so? While watching the show, the obvious questions about the details get washed out because you're realizing they're all dead and what's going on now?! But, later you realize that there are too many unanswered questions.

Basically, what happnened in this episode, Desmond took the plug out. Jack and co. killed Smokey. Jack put the plug in. Some people flew off the island while others stayed. No new revelations really. They all died eventually. A lot of missed opportunities.

Mr Awe

 

[Electric Coleslaw]

I voted Excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed all the reunions especially when you know what some of those characters meant to each other. A great aspect of the flash sideways was that it allowed you to have the syrupy sweet happy ending while still having the alternate climatic bittersweet ending. Jack launching himself at Locke was awesome, just wish they didn't cut to a commercial in the middle of it. Kate looked smoking hot in that black dress. And it was nice to see finally which side Ben was on.

I think all the important questions were answered. Some answers were plainly stated, but I think the others you have to put some pieces together and make some assumptions. But the fun part of missing answers is trying to figure it out for yourself. If everything was laid out and explained perfectly, you'd have the nitpickers happy but it would have made for a boring finale.

I feel as if I've just said goodbye to an old friend.

 

[LitmusDragon]

Below average. I really dislike the purgatory angle. There were some touching character moments in this episode, but in retrospect the flash sideways seems like the producers having their cake and eating it too. Jack died, or, he didn't die? He was already dead. In the flash sideways. So they kill Jack, but it doesn't matter, because he's already dead and happy. Or something.

I can't help but feel a little bit of nerd rage that the purgatory answer ended up being the right one. Because they told, they said, etc. Maybe I was paying too much attention. Part of the fun of the fandom was that you had inside information, you supposedly had an inside tract on what was happening or going to happen. Only, it ended up being all wrong.

Series as a a whole: B+. Finale: C-. Yes folks, it really is purgatory, the ending you probably could have guessed five minutes into the first episode. I mean, it's not purgatory. It's both. It's that great? (Kinda not really)

 

[Demonland]

I really think they should have:

a) Found some way to SHOW US what would happen if Smokey got off the island
b) SHOW US what happens if the "light goes out". Seriously, so what if the light goes out?

As much as I loved the finale tonight, I'll agree with this. The only real consequence of the light going out seemed to be that the Island shakes a whole lot.

The whole point of the light going out was this:

Desmond was the only one who could enter the light circle due to his tolerance of the electromagnetic energy.

Taking out the "cork" allowed Smokey and also Jack to be killed. Before this bullets couldn't hurt Smokey but once the light was out he was able to be shot. Before the light went out MIB was not able to directly kill Jacob/Jack but once it was out he was able to.

I also believe that the light going out would have allowed the now mortal Smokey to leave whereas he wasn't able to while the light was there.

The side effect of putting out the light meant the Island started to fall apart and presumably would have sunk. What effect this would have had on the outside world we'll never know.

The thing I don't get is why Jack had to be the one to pop the cork back in a essentially commit suicide in the electromagnetic energy light (it might have been cool if this turned him in to the new smokey). Sure he may have died anyway but impervious Desmond was there and he could have corked it and then helped Jack to safety.

There was a reason to shut the light out and that was to disable Smokey so he could be killed. It was risky because the thing that allowed them to kill Smokey also could have unleashed him onto the world outside. Again what this would have done is anyone's guess as were never given a straight answer only that it was bad.

 

[Seven of Five]

Excellent, really enjoyed it. To say it was a rollercoaster of emotion doesn't give it justice really.

I had a good cry as the side-Losties gradually began to remember each other, especially Charlie and Claire. With all of the old characters and scenes from old episodes I was totally nostalgic, and found it all very heartwarming. The revelation later that the sideways universe was really a pre-afterlife of sorts made me sad, but I loved the scene between Christian and Jack.

The final scene with Jack lying next to Vincent, broke my heart.

I'm glad we didn't see the island reality erased in the end, which is where I thought we were heading for most of the finale. It let everything that happened on the island remain relevant to the Lost mythos. Having a few Losties finally make it home, one presumes, made me very happy in the end.

 

[doubleohfive]

^ 1) Hell of a way to make your finale a clip-show, eh?

2) Vincent lying down next to Jack was about where I lost it too. Perfect.



Having slept on it, I've come a new conclusion:

The flash-sideways, everything we saw of them since "LA X" -- all of it was Jack, in that "staging area."

Think about it.

Jack had a son with Juliet.
Jack fixed Locke.
Jack saved Charlie's life.
Oceanic 815 never crashed.
Jack got to meet and take care of his sister Claire.

All these things were things Jack didn't have the opportunity to do in the 'real' universe. And true to Jack's character, he also couldn't let go of life without the help of all his friends.

I don't know why everyone seems so hell bent on saying they were all in purgatory. They weren't. Jack wasn't either. About the only one who really struck me as being anywhere near purgatory was Ben, sitting on the bench by himself outside the church while everyone else was together inside.

 

[Trippy]

@ LitmusDragon

I'm confused. What do you mean by purgatory?

I suppose you mean the flash sideways? I took it to be a Nexxus-style staging area for the afterlife.

The 6 seasons on island happened just the way we saw.

Jack died right at the end. Hurley, Ben, and Desmond were still alive at the end on the island. Lapidis, Miles, Richard, Claire, Kate and Sawyer flew off the island (I imagine they finally made it to Guam ).

The only dead were the ones who died on island.

 

[Mr Light]

"Once the light was snuffed out in the tunnel, the Black Smoke monster was 'trapped' in human form which is why he didn't turn into the monster in the first place in his final fight with jack..he was stuck." Yeah I got that part. My point is that I was disappointed we didn't see the Monster in the final episode, and that they never actually fought him. And why the hell didn't the Monster just kill Jack/Ben/Hurley? Why allow them to accompany him to the Source? Now that Jack is the new Protector they're not Candidates anymore. Richard isn't immortal anymore. It looks like Jacob's magic has worn off at that point. Maybe he can't kill Jack at that point but he could kill the rest. He was certainly happy to kill every other character a few episodes ago. And once he became mortal, that means Jack was mortal again too. Why didn't he brain Jack with the rock before leaving?

 

[exodus]

"Once the light was snuffed out in the tunnel, the Black Smoke monster was 'trapped' in human form which is why he didn't turn into the monster in the first place in his final fight with jack..he was stuck." Yeah I got that part. My point is that I was disappointed we didn't see the Monster in the final episode, and that they never actually fought him. And why the hell didn't the Monster just kill Jack/Ben/Hurley? Why allow them to accompany him to the Source? Now that Jack is the new Protector they're not Candidates anymore. Richard isn't immortal anymore. It looks like Jacob's magic has worn off at that point. Maybe he can't kill Jack at that point but he could kill the rest. He was certainly happy to kill every other character a few episodes ago. And once he became mortal, that means Jack was mortal again too. Why didn't he brain Jack with the rock before leaving?

Why bother, the island was sinking anyway and they were all going to die on it as it went down.

How do you fight black smoke?

 

[kdalton_69]

I thought they were all dead from Season One and the island was a purgatory where their souls could reach some sort of peace.

 

[Trippy]

No. What happened, happened.

The sideways flashes were, interpret as you will, an 'afterlife'

Christian explained it all in the last 5 minutes of the finale

ETA: And it only ends once. All the rest is just progress.

 

[Agent Richard07]

I think we can now establish that when Juliet detonated Jughead at the end of "The Incident", two things happened.

1) The bomb detonated, and combined with another time flash, the released energy sank the island in 1977. This theory is supported by the fact that in the flash-sideways universe, the island, complete with Dharma barracks, Tawaret statue, and Dharma shark are all under the sea as Oceanic 815 flies by (as seen in "LA X."

2) The time flash also, coincidentally transports Juliet, Jack, Sawyer, Sayid, Kate, Hurley, Jin, Rose, Bernard, and Vincent back to 2007.

The flash-sideways are the result of the nuke going off and sinking the island, killing Jacob and the Man in Black in 1977, and thus neither of them being able to affect any of the lives of the Oceanic passengers.

Now, whether or not this means that once the island sank the entire world ended is open to debate. It could just be that the world continued on, or it could be that the world did end and that everything from the flash-sideways is the afterlife. Or, it could be that the lives of the Oceanic passengers were better for the lack of interference from Jacob and his quarrel with the Man in Black.

The bomb didn't cause the island to sink and it didn't create an alternate timeline, it only propelled Jack and the gang back to 2007. We saw the island at the bottom of the sea because like everything else, it'll meet its end eventually.

 

[beneldon]

Then there is the scene in the closing credits of a plane crash and all we see is wreckage and all we hear is the beach.
So? That's where it all started....they had come full circle. Jack had closed his eyes, died and then we are left to either reflect on how it all began, or to conclude that another plane crashed and the cycle was beginning again. (Which is kind of how the Dark Tower series ends)

Very good point, Label!

I'm still on only my first viewing so, who knows... Though, it all began with a lot of screaming and fire and survivors dodging exploded bits of metal

 

[label]

Below average. I really dislike the purgatory angle.

and

I can't help but feel a little bit of nerd rage that the purgatory answer ended up being the right one

and

Yes folks, it really is purgatory, the ending you probably could have guessed five minutes into the first episode.

There was no purgatory angle.

Purgatory =

a temporary condition of torment or suffering; "a purgatory of drug abuse"
(theology) in Roman Catholic theology the place where those who have died in a state of grace undergo limited torment to expiate their sins

They were not being tormented or tortured until they were purified so they could be in "God's" presence. They were simply processing the lives they were lived and once they were done and had reconciled their lives and actions and found each other, they moved on to whatever lies next. I seriously don't get why some people thinking the sideways reality was purgatory unless they just don't understand what the word "purgatory" actually means.

Besides that, everything that happened except in the flash sideways was in real life where they were all alive until each eventually passed away. And who knows how long it took Hurley to die..........as the new Jacob he could have lived for hundreds of years long past when Jack died and the remaining few left the island.

 

[zengoth]

somewhat satisfying - more than likely disturbing - above average.

As a whole, season6 disappoints. Not so much for the flash sideways - but for the island story.

The whole thing with the temple and Dogen and the coming of the Man-in-black-trapped-in-Locke's-body and is Sayid dead or not and Widmore-was-turned-good-by-Jacob-offscreen and we-brought-Desmond-back-why? That's what I will have the most problem with.

The fact that the sideways universe was a "holding area" (in the buddhist sense, not the christian-based purgatory) was a nice idea to counteract all the suffering the characters had to endure for 6 years.

 

[Spot's Meow]

I was very unsure how to feel about the episode. I didn't really have any reaction to it, it was just like, hmm, okay. The Jimmy Kimmel special afterwards was funny.

I went to bed not really thinking about Lost. However, all night the finale kept replaying in my dreams, I just could not get it out of my head, and I woke up this morning crying. But I still don't really know how I feel about it all.

I have accepted that it is a character-based show, and that the "island mysteries" weren't really meant to be solved. However, there were some characters I was hoping to see in this finale or at least have mentioned. Most of all is Cindy and the kids. What was up with her, why did she act so strange and seem to know things that the other plane crash survivors didn't? And I was hoping we would see at least some vague mention of why Walt was special or what has happened to him since leaving the island.

I guess what I was most unsatisfied with in the finale is that we don't see the futures of Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, Ben, and Desmond (I don't care much about Frank or Miles). I cared very much about these characters and would have liked to see some resolution to their stories. It didn't have to be in great detail but at least a few seconds showing Claire reuiniting with Aaron and living with Kate, Sawyer coming to terms with his parents' death, Hurley sitting on his throne of Dharma peanut butter jars, something at least, if only a small flash forward. I hate it when books or movies end with the characters just going on living their lives without us being able to see it. I want to know how they died, it matters to me a great deal. I know that it was ultimately a show about Jack, but he wasn't the only character I cared about and wanted to see the death of.

Anyway...thank you, doubleohfive, for your explanation and feelings on the show, because it put it in better perspective for me. Especially your comparison to the end of Titanic, which had me crying like a baby, and still does if I think about it enough. The ending of Lost is just like that (and I will note also that I was a little disappointed at the end of Titanic that we didn't get to see more of Rose's life, but at least we got those pictures of her and to see her death as an old woman).

Overall after watching the show I just feel really depressed. I'm sure at work today people will be asking what's wrong with me.

 

[RobertScorpio]

It was a good story, but I can't help but feel like it was ultimately pointless or served as a poor finale. The largest focus was the flash sideways, and the afterlife/sideways was never really the focus of the show. So season 6 all seemed like a completely different bookend than what the show implied. That's a total cop-out, and everyone should see that.

Yeah I saw it that way, but you have to be careful around here. If you don't say LOST is the greatest thing since sliced bread, some people around here take it very personal.

But yeah in the end, it felt like a waste of 6 years. Oh well.

Umm...I'm not saying that. What I am saying is that it was better than MOST of the STAR TREK TV shows...as a whole.

I liked LOST better than TNG-VOY-ENTERPRISE and the same as DS9. (TOS I don't include because it is far removed from modern TV)

Rob

 

[RobertScorpio]

Christian said everyone dies "eventually" and that everything Jack experanced was real.

Of course it was real! We all watched it for six years

It was "real" in the sense that it was clear that the events on the island (and off-island) occurred while they were still alive. Hurley took over as the new Jacob (and he was alive) and Ben was his number two (and he was alive) and the people (Sawyer, Lapidus, Kate, Miles, Richard) on the plane made it off the island (and they were alive). They didn't die in the original crash (flight 815), they didn't "imagine" the events on the island or off island and only the flash-sideways from this season dealt with the characters after they all died.

...but in time Hurely died too.(time has no meaning in the flash sideways. Ben didn't go into the church because he wasn't dead yet

Ben was dead, as was everyone in the sideways reality. He didn't join them in the church where they were ready to move on together into the next existence because he wasn't ready yet, nor was he really part of the core group that had become each other's family.

Then there is the scene in the closing credits of a plane crash and all we see is wreckage and all we hear is the beach.

So? That's where it all started....they had come full circle. Jack had closed his eyes, died and then we are left to either reflect on how it all began, or to conclude that another plane crashed and the cycle was beginning again. (Which is kind of how the Dark Tower series ends)

Great post label!

Rob

 

[Brent]

I think we can now establish that when Juliet detonated Jughead at the end of "The Incident", two things happened.

1) The bomb detonated, and combined with another time flash, the released energy sank the island in 1977. This theory is supported by the fact that in the flash-sideways universe, the island, complete with Dharma barracks, Tawaret statue, and Dharma shark are all under the sea as Oceanic 815 flies by (as seen in "LA X."

2) The time flash also, coincidentally transports Juliet, Jack, Sawyer, Sayid, Kate, Hurley, Jin, Rose, Bernard, and Vincent back to 2007.

The flash-sideways are the result of the nuke going off and sinking the island, killing Jacob and the Man in Black in 1977, and thus neither of them being able to affect any of the lives of the Oceanic passengers.

Now, whether or not this means that once the island sank the entire world ended is open to debate. It could just be that the world continued on, or it could be that the world did end and that everything from the flash-sideways is the afterlife. Or, it could be that the lives of the Oceanic passengers were better for the lack of interference from Jacob and his quarrel with the Man in Black.

The bomb didn't cause the island to sink and it didn't create an alternate timeline, it only propelled Jack and the gang back to 2007. We saw the island at the bottom of the sea because like everything else, it'll meet its end eventually.

It is also possible that Hurley at some point really does sink the Island, perhaps that is what was required to create this meeting place for everyone when they died, the Island had to die as well.

 

[Trippy]

Just a little nuance. Desmond's 'See ya in another life, brothah' to Jack, and his 'See you in another life" to him, actually happened! They did see each other in another life