Are you angry? Feeling cheated? Quickly realizing that all the effort and attention you put into Lost in the past six years was for naught? I don't blame you.
But I also understand if you feel entirely satisfied with how the series wrapped things up.
"The End" will go down as both one of the greatest disappointments AND joyous series enders in television history, and which side of the line you stand on will largely depend on what Lost meant to you. Those of you who were caught up in the mysteries and stories of the show probably picked up the shattered remnants of your television this morning after destroying it last night in a fit of rage and a cloud of unanswered questions. Those of you who really focused on the characters likely called your mothers and close friends and told them how much you love them and that you'll see them in another life, brutha.
In the end, we never really learned what the island was, never found out what made Walt special, never got the whole Egyptology thing, [I could go on and on for a few hours with more questions that will remain questions, but you get the picture], and I thought that would be okay with me. But I'm not so sure it was.
Instead we got a series finale that spun things around so fast and felt a wee bit tacked on. Let's face it, the whole Limbo/Purgatory ending could have happened at any point in the series—it was that sharp of an ending.
Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate the ending. In terms of a spiritual, character-centric finale, it definitely did the trick, albeit in a fairly easy way. We're all lost souls waiting for the next step in the overall timeless and spaceless sense of things. Next stop, eternal happiness. And I'm very grateful for the nonsecular, non-preachy way the producers went about things.
Seeing Jack in the final moments speak with his father was, for me, probably the second-most emotional point in an incredibly emotional series (nothing will ever top Charlie's death). And when Jack finally "let go" it hit hard. Here was a character I've loved and hated and loved again finally getting what he deserved most, and I felt it big time. This was the ending Cuse and Lindelof crafted when they repeatedly said "Lost is all about the characters."
But the problem for Cuse and Lindelof is, despite downplaying so many of the mysteries of the island and this universe they created, they accidentally created a scenario where we cared about the mythology just as much—and in most cases even more—than the characters.
Lost has always been a two-headed monster for me. I'll always relate to Jack wanting to fix everyone he sees. I'll remember the heroic sacrifices that Charlie made to save his friends. I think Sawyer is one of the best, most wonderfully complicated characters I've ever had the joy to watch on TV. And I'm glad that all of them got what theoretically and spiritually is one of the happiest endings of all-time. Eternal bliss sure beats just defeating the bad guy or riding into the sunset.
But dammit, the other head of the Lost monster just feels like it got lopped off. And that's what makes "The End" such a bittersweet final chapter for such an engrossing show. So much of what we grew to love about the series was glossed over and simply faded out.
If Lost was, as Lindelof and Cuse state, all about the characters, then why were we always asking "what do the numbers mean?" and "what is the black smoke?" As I've said before, a disappointing finale doesn't ruin the series as a whole, but don't Cuse and Lindelof have a little responsibility to satisfy the fans that stuck with the show for the sci-fi? Just sayin'.
This is one of the best articles you've written here, Tim. It seemed honest and not just an attempt at provocation (which is what I see too many articles on this site playing at lately.) But, honestly, if it had truly ended with the *collective* leap of faith they all took at the end of season 5 to avoid the crash, and season 6 had done nothing but explain the island I'd have been more fulfilled. I don't need a show like Lost to tell me that, "Good people go to Heaven." That's a conclusion I could have come to without their assistance.
I liked that they did not answer all the questions, it would have felt artificial. The mystery of the series was the thing that made me it special. I would not have wanted all the answers spelled out. I liked it.
well said, CHARLIE had the most tragic and yet touching sacrifice !!!
Loved it! it was so amazing....funny that everyone who says they hated it can't spell of write complete sentences :) The finale was one of the best episodes of the show ever. The series barely lives up to the emotional punch of those last 10-20 minutes...it takes some life lived and some loved ones lost to appreciate it. The young kids on here will find out someday..."everyone dies sometime" as Christian said...achingly beautiful~deep~mature writing...
dont get me wrong i do love the show!! But the finale worst episode ever!! Jeffrey Lieber, J. J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof you ended one fabulous show on one big giant flop!! Curse you, curse you all!!
far most stupid finale ever,they think that we are all stupid
far most stupid finale ever,they think that we are all stupid
Lost, specially last episode, was a complete waste of time. I just cannot imagine how can people watch it again or even threw their money to own it. I wouldn't add it to my DVDs collection even if It was for free.
Amen to that Muderboy...
Okay, to all you Pollyannas out there that refuse to admit it, The Lost finale was ridiculous. Those of us who hated it don't need it explained to us - and save your pity. But be sure to go out and buy all the DVDs and Blu-Rays you can, as these A**holes need more money for their crappy writing, and judging from the responses, they'll get plenty. I simply can't believe how many of you bought that crap. It's truely amazing...
This show has and always been about your own personal interpretation. There is nothing set in concrete, its what you, the viewer thinks it means and is. That is the beauty of it, they don't spell it out and tell you everything. I love a show like this that lets me draw my own concusions and make me feel I am right!Everyone watching, I'm sure, had their own definitions of how things went!
I really liked the finale. Sure there were questions that I'd have preferred get answered but that was always going to be the case. I feel sorry for the people that expected more than what we got. What made you think that?
Lost never happened. So what's all the hubbub?
I guess if you're a Believer, the ending was OK, but for those of us who wanted to know what HAPPENED(as in The Real World and Not Penny's Boat), this ending was a joke. Six years and hundreds of hours and hundreds of dollars and all we get is beatific smiles and Hollywood radiant light. The whole Sideways ploy was unnecessary; who cares about the details of a "collective dream"?--whatever that is. If it wasn't enough that Jack died for the group, then that should not have been the ending. The stunning character development and plotting of the first three seasons certainly implied something far different from the purgatory getaway scene. This is truly painful...
well i did hated the finale... i think there were so many ways i thought it could end, i was only hoping they didn't choose that one... but, they did... ABSOLUTLY HATE IT!
to the commentators glad they gave up the show after an early season because of the ending, I am not pleased by the ending (because it makes the season long alt. universe stories unnecessary and not relevant to the series) BUT I am totally happy to have watched every season, yes even the alt. parts. It was a fantastic story told with great acting and unexpected twists and turns, and I got enough answers with fake locke/smoke-monster vs jack in the finale to put it into the greatest of series category alongside a select group of all time great series. I would love to see the DVD reorganized with Jacobs story before richards, and ALL the ALT segments after the series finale as they should be as a literal afterlife story. That would make it the story it should have been in the final season. But would I not watch knowing the way it ended...? No way! I'll watch it on DVD when it comes out. (But I might watch it in the order I mention above!)moreless
Hey Selaspy.....I answered some of your questions in an earlier post. It's just a little further down the page. I know it's a big post, but it's worth the read.
I didn't think it answered all my questions but you just got to let a good series END.
I feel a little bit satisfied with the story line of the characters then again I feel cheated that most of the burning and underlying questions went unanswered. All in all it is a weird feeling
i'm not angry and dont feel cheated, i only feel sorry for those who actually watched the series to the end. 1st season was EPIC, since the 2nd season it was pure, unadulterated garbage.
I love lost. but the sideways world wound up being a total waste. Nothing in it was relevant. Sun got shot? so what? didn't happen didn't matter. the same with everything else! Jacks son? didn't even exist! so why did we go thru half an episode about him and jack? All those sideways stories could have given us answers instead. As a separate story, i loved the ending in sideways purgatory, but as part of the storyline, sideways world became a big failure of colossal proportions, a major jump of the shark in retrospect. But the island stuff all season was great. Too bad they gave us sideways with it.
Nah!! jajaja I did it two. I was all like: "FINALLY!! she's Back!!" jajaja
was i the only one who screeched when Juliet showed up and then FINALLY ran into Sawyer
I feel the ending was tacked on and I knew there were questions they'd never even try to answer, but I feel like the ending they made had a few major flaws within itself. There were certain people that should have been there in "heaven" or whatever it was. Like Ji Yeon (or however it was spelt) and Frank and Miles. Other people off the freighter were there, so why not them?
But anyway, they could have easily put in some of the other characters we'd grown to love in "heaven" and I don't understand why they didn't and there were several questions they could have easily answered but didn't. Maybe they will in the special features? I don't know. I hope so.
I just feel ripped off.
And other questions which I felt should have been answered like did the plane get off the island? Why was Hurley (amongst others) in "heaven" if he hadn't died yet? (although technically you could get around by that assuming "heaven" is outside of time and whenever they died, they still arrived at the same "time".moreless
gr0ck123, you're a moron, they didn't 'live through' a parallel universe and the egyptians couldn't have built it to stop the black smoke, as the black smoke was created long after the island.
Jab123 made the comment'Jacob was about as powerful as it gets for us mortals', but how do yuo know this, for a man who was born on the island, raised on the island by a psychotic murderer and also previous protector of the island, that when Jacob drank the special water and a little prayer said (incidentally this little prayer was not passed from Jack to Hurley and when Alpert drank the water, he was not immediately ordained with all the secrets of the island so we have to assume the little prayer is what passes the knowledge and makes one able to be invisible???)we immediately assume Jacob has all the answers. Jacob could be in his impossible to find hut, to being invisible, to knowing all about,well everything, to being quite mortal to easily being killed by Ben with this special dagger. We saw how MIB became the smoke, but how did Jacob become more then immortal (like Alpert, immortal but oblivious) to someone who was almost omnipotent? It all screams weak to me. This is where we as viewers are to have faith? Bollocks! There is a severe lack of continuity with in the mythology of the show, to which the writers at one point or another, have placed great emphasis on. If there was no island, would we have watched the show?, the answer is, hell no! I reiterate my earlier statement, they only finished the character part of the story, and in my opinion, the writers need to apologize and provide a comprehensive list of explanations. You can't just make something up, that defy's all logic and basic science, without explanation. for those people who say, they are satisfied with the ending completely, then you are a moron and have probably never actually used your imagination, even within comics, fantasy/adventure to any science fiction, there are certain rules, to which the writers quite nicely used to get all of our intrests, but never sated it. I guess I am annoyed because Lost had everything going for it, drama, action, mysticism, symbolism, sciFi, intrigue, spiritualism, and a slew of other genre's, had it all, but finished so poorly and expect the viewers to what?use your imagination to fill in the blanks?? Ummm that is what YOU were paid big money for dude's!
A massive dissapointment.
And for those who say the unaswered questions are not what is important... do you actually know how many there are???? look in lostpedia and a number of other sites that have kept a log, read those and then come back and say those questions are not important, you are lookinng at well over 100 unaswered questions!moreless
@Andiezinha, no, ur missing the point, Ben was taking orders from MiB who was posing as Jacob. Through all the time he was thinking that he's doing Jacob's work, so in fact Jacob didn't kill all those ppl.
I knew that show would end with them dead, but I didnt know they would live threw a pararell universe
The Island was created by the eyptians. To keep the black smoke monster block off from everyone else for no one else could be harm from it. It's a prison............
That's my Theroy......... I have no theroy about what is the black smoke monster is......
zaibutzu: Those sneakers were there in the very first episode, presumably from the plane crash. (Another nice touch.)
hiI just wanted 2 vent really about the season finale. Well basically how can they after six years end it in that way. it is a joke.I almost want 2 say that it sort of feels like I have wasted six years of my life watching it. Yes it was all great and good that they were all there at the end together like jack and kate back together as it always should have been, but where were all the other people? Where was the black guy and his son? where was the guy who could talk 2 the dead? what about the police woman Ana-Lucia she played a big part in lost at times.What about mr eko and also what about richard? he was there the whole time, where is he in all of this. they are just some of many who should have been there are were not. There are some other things i felt that really needed to be explained for instance; jack (etc) having all these fights against 'the others', all these adventures they had on the island, all their efforts trying to get off the island for six years and all the mythology that occurred. I understand they cannot explain everything and i do not want to be spoon fed the answers but there are some things that really should have been explained. What was the point of it all if they were all going to die in the end? This all makes everything irrelevant and a waste of their time. There are soo many things left unexplained. I feel that most lost fans really wanted to seem them get their answers and be able to leave the island as that was the whole point. I almost feel as though the producers got lost themselves and really had no clue what was going on in the end and simply made something up to round it off by trying to appeal to peoples emotional side and fobbing it off in that way. Yes i understand that it was about the characters journey but they really needed to get off the island as that was what they were striving for. All in All I am a very disappointed lost fan.tell me what you think....moreless
If the side flash was actually purgatory and when you die you get to see some of that(like Juliet did) then why the hell didn't any of the other dead characters see any of it? Why weren't Charlie's last words "See you at the concert" or Boone's "Hey Hurley" or something? Just proves that the writers had no idea they would end it like this when the show was over. I think the biggest problem I have with the finale is that we did get an answer and Iadmit for any other show it would have been a nice ending, everyone just being happy and going to heaven or whatever together, but for me that just isn't a good ending to Lost. Lost was about wondering what the numbers are, asking yourself what the hell the island is, and sure it had some great characters but with a show like lost I was expecting more than just a good ending for the characters. I would have been fine with the ending as long as we also had goten more answers and at least some vague idea of what exactly the island is. I feel like the writers gave a decent explanation for what happened to the characters but just completely copped out on the mythology aspect of the show. They just showed us a happy ending for everyone but gave us no clue about what exactly the answers to the show were. Also, what exactly did the hydrobomb do? And what the hell was up with that electromagnetism?moreless
"No Man is an Island"
@susmart3 Yeah, I agree, there was no good against evil... I mean, Jacob seemed to have killed as many people as the MIB. Didn't Richard and Ben (when has was a kid), murder all of the people of the Dharma Initiative under Jacob's orders?
Last scene through the bamboo forest, jack walks past some sneakers. Whose are those?
My main issue was that the ending was pretty much a rip off of the movie Passengers.
I smell Spin Off, There is still too much story to tell
[zionmatrix] : "The beginning of the alt. timeline/ purgatory that we saw at the start of season 6 actually occurs (for Jack anyway) at the end of the season when he dies. This is why when the plane has turbulence and then straitens out instead of crashing, you see Rose tell Jack "You can let go now" (let go meaning letting go of his mortal life to move on) and you see him let go of the armrests and he lets out a big sigh. This represents him dieing and coming into the Purgatory that he created along with the others."thanks, man. very well explained. this was Jimmy Kimmel's theory that even Matthew Fox himself agreed with but I never really got it until, now.
For those of you who still care, perhaps buying the 6th season on DVD will provide answers. I mean, if you still want to invest more time in the show. And if you do, will you still be Lost?
to me it's all clear, i got answer to every question, it is the best tvshow i ever seen.
Finale explainedOK here it is. When they detonated the bomb we were to think that they changed history and created an alternate timeline. This is not what happened, It just seemed that way. The bomb is what actually caused the need for the hatch to be built. It is a time paradox. The alternate timeline was a kind of purgatory where everyone went to after they died to find each other again (make the connection) and remember their lives before letting go/ moving on together. It was not happening at the same time we were watching the events of season 6, that's just when the creators showed it to us so that we would think it was an alternate timeline instead of what it really was.The beginning of the alt. timeline/ purgatory that we saw at the start of season 6 actually occurs (for Jack anyway) at the end of the season when he dies. This is why when the plane has turbulence and then straitens out instead of crashing, you see Rose tell Jack "You can let go now" (let go meaning letting go of his mortal life to move on) and you see him let go of the armrests and he lets out a big sigh. This represents him dieing and coming into the Purgatory that he created along with the others. They don't realize they are dead until they make the connection with the others that passed. Represented in the show buy the flash that shows them their real life and experiences. Desmond realizes this first and takes it upon himself to enlighten everyone else. This is why when Sun and Jin make the connection in the hospital they are not afraid for their safety when Sawyer comes to protect them. Because they realize that they are dead and nothing can hurt them.(Jack and his father, church scene)Jack: "Are you real?" Christian: "I sure hope so. Yeah I'm real. You're real, everything that's ever happened to you is real. All those people in the church, they're all real too" = Everything that happened on the show was real. The only thing that wasn't real was the alt. timeline/purgatory because they were dead at that point.Jack: They're all, they're all dead?" Christian: "Everyone dies sometime kiddo. Some of them before you, some long after you" = Jack dies at the end of the episode. Sayid, Jin and Sun died on the sub. Locke died off the island when Ben killed him. (before Jack) Sawyer, Kate, Claire, Miles, Richard and Lapidus left the island and returned to the mainland at the end of the episode and went on with their lives. We don't see their lives after the island, but they lived on until they died and joined the rest in the Purgatory. (after Jack) The same goes for Hurley and Ben who stayed on the island and lived for how ever long they did before dieing and going to purgatory. Hurley protected the island with Ben's help until he found a replacement and died. This is why Hurley says to Ben "you were a great #2" and Ben replies "you were a great #1". We don't know if Desmond died on the island or if Hurley found a way to get him off the island to join Penny and then he died on the mainland. Jack: "Why are they all here now?" Christian: "Well there is no now, here." = This place exist outside of the realm of time. That is why everyone is there, even though they died at different times.Jack: "Where are we dad? Christian: "Well this is a place that you, that you all made together so that you could find one another. The most important part of your life, was the time that you spent with these people. That's why all of you are here. Nobody does it alone Jack. You needed all of them and they needed you." Jack: "For what?" Christian: "To remember...and to let go." Jack: 'Kate, she said we were leaving." Christian: "Not leaving, no. Moving on." Jack: "Where we goin?" Christian: "Let's go find out."They all meet in the church and ascend to wherever it is they believe they go when they die. This is represented by the white light.moreless
No matter how thay ended some people would be complaining. The fact that there is so much discussion about it shows the writers did their job.
I want to know WHAT HAPPENED to Kate, Miles, Sawyer, Lapidus and the others on the plane that flew off the island????????? If the sideways universe is where all the characters meet up, what happens to those from the plane that leaves?
@MsDemeanor66 were you actually listening what Christian said to Jack? Don't think so...About The Numbers, I thought that it was clear from the Lighthouse. The Numbers were just degrees on the wheel with mirrors, probably from 1 to 360, so when Jacob set it to 23 degree he saw 'Jack's life', when set to 8 degree - Hugo's life, etc... So to remember who was where (on what degree) he just put their names next to the numbers. At least for me that's the explanation for The Numbers, and I'm ok with it.What to the Finale. The second it ended, I was confused, and didn't know what to think. I wasn't too happy about the way it ended, cuz I was equally as much for the characters as for mysteries, so I wanted both - happy ending for them, and some answers for me. But the more I'm into it, the more I'm reading on the net what people's thoughts are on it, the more I understand, and the more I'm satisfied. And to be honest, now I'm FULLY SATISFIED with the ending. I don't need all the answers, actually I have all I wanted. I wanted to know who, why and where Jacob was, wanted to know what the black smoke was, wanted to know what's the deal with Richard Alpert (and some more, but I can't come up with them now) - and I got all that in the previous episodes. For me it was enough, the rest can be whatever I imagine it to be, so yeah, I'm happy with the ending. One of the best moments of it, for me, was when Sawyer and Juliet reunited, it was just something that I wanted(needed) to see. I'm just sad that it ended, for me it could last forever.I remember Cuse and Lindelof saying something that they want to end the show the way so that everyone would have LOST in their minds for a long time after it ends, and to have everybody speaking/chatting/conversing/commenting about it as long as possible. And I think that they made it. It worked the way they wanted it to work. I'm happy for ppl who understand it, and I'm sorry for those who don't, or who wanted more answers.moreless
Folks. They DIDN'T all die in the plane crash! At least that's my take, Anything and everything are possible here.... Plane crashed, some people (Boone, Shannon, Charlie) died prior to the Island Exodus (which as Kevin Stern below posted was a bad idea for the show), Jack and Co. returned. Locke was killed in the "Real World", Sayid, Sun, Jin died on the Sub in 2007, Jack died saving the World, Hurley and Ben stayed, Sawyer, Kate, Lapidus, Alpert (what would he think of the Ipod and all the new technology?), Claire, Myles, Desmond flew off in the wild blue yonder, lived their lives for however long, then joined the crew at the Church of Purgatory Intervention as they all were in 2004 (hence Aaron as a baby but no Ji Yeon) on Jack's terms. The "date" of the sideways scene is ??? because time there doesn't matter. I get all that, I like how they played that and the character development but in retrospect how much of the time travel, Season 5 for that matter was needed? They should have all just stayed on the Island instead of spending One season being coaxed back. But whatever. Again great show. Could have done much better on the mystery!moreless
To me it seemed like that finale could have been the finale to any TV show ever. The final season of Friends could have been had an alternate reality in which they didn't know each other and then when they touch hands they remember good times at Central Perk. And then die happy. Blah.But if Gunther had been a smoke monster that killed people, we would have required a more in-depth explanation than "Who cares! Ross and Rachel got together!"
I knew from the 3rd or so season that they were all dead,,so not surprised at all with the ending.
My biggest annoyance was the whole good and evil thing, and "The terrible that would happen if the MIB/Smokey got off the island." Jacobs stepmother murdered a pregnant mother, right after the twins birth. Thirty years later she massacres the dark twin's entire village. This is the GOOD side? Didn't actually expect them to make sense of all the seasons questions anyway. So, after so many years of shootings, stabbings, kidnappings, torture, etc., I am happy they at least gave the characters a happy reunion. It is to the shows credit that they got us to care about everyone.
No offense Tim, but whoever even says that that they all died in the initial plane crash obviously didn't pay any attention AT ALL to the finale. Christian said "You spend the best years of your life with these people"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If they all had died on the plain, Jack would've spent about an hour tops with them. SOOOOOO there is NO WAY AT ALL, that they all died in the plane crash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.