The End-An Initial Reaction
Well here we are, at the end of Lost. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around it. The finale left me with so much on my mind and literally permeated my dreams last night. Before I dive into reading any analysis or theories or what have you, I wanted to write out here and now my initial thoughts. Then I’ll probably give it another watch, and then I’ll dig deeper. My usual good reads will probably take a few days, and even Lostpedia isn’t updated with fun facts or even a synopsis. So, be patient Losties.
So to begin, I really loved it. I know a lot of people did not. Heck, some of the people that I was watching it with were even pissed about it (though why waste energy being pissed off at a TV show, I do not know). The essential message of life and death and what really matters stuck with me for hours after it ended and even when I woke up this morning. It was a very transcendental state, which is incredibly silly, as it’s just a TV show. Yet when you think about it, the finale really hit the nail on the head. All that matters, really, is those we love in this world. All we want in the end is to see them again. I was really moved by each of our characters revelations in the sideways world (now I guess we could call that place purgatory). I loved the reunions; I loved the goofy “I know you” smiles and all of the sentiment. Even though we didn’t get many answers about the island itself, the lack of island specifics just proved that that was never what the show was about. Lost has always been a character and relationship driven show. The flashbacks and flash forwards were never about plot but personal growth and character development. That said; did the writers/producers manage to get out of answering island specifics by flooding us with character sentimentality? I’m sure of it. Do I really mind? No not that much. Like Desmond said, none of that stuff really matters.
So essentially, the sideways world ended up being a kind of purgatory after all. Matthew Fox said on Jimmy Kimmel later in the evening that there are specific branches of religions that believe that one must remember and relive their death in a limbo type place before they are allowed to move on. I’ll look into that later. Now, a lot of folks are saying, “Well then they just all died in the crash” to which I say, uh no people, pay attention. Christian Shepherd specifically said that not all of the Losties died at the same time.
What we know:
-All characters who died throughout seasons 1-6 on the island, did. Whatever happened happened. Thus Shannon, Boone, Charlie, Libby, Sayid, Sun, Jin etc. they all died when we saw them die.
-Those we didn’t see die I suppose we can assume went on to live until old age or whathaveyou: Kate, Sawyer, Claire, Miles, Richard, Lapidus. This includes those on the island like Rose and Bernard.
-Since Hurley and Ben are there as well, we can assume they played island protectors together for a few millennia, and then Hurley found himself a replacement. With no MIB to deal with, perhaps it wasn’t as big a challenge as Jacob had.
-Since Ben specified that Hurley could change the rules, can we assume that Desmond was allowed off of the island to finish his life with Penny and little Charlie?
Questions:
-Where were Michael and Walt? Harold Perrineau said on Jimmy Kimmel that he believed Michael’s ghost/soul was still on the island, as it was when we last saw him. His acts of murder caused him to be trapped on the island to work things out. Walt? Well maybe he’s just not dead yet? I’ll try and get some answers from the more detailed observers.
-Why didn’t Ben go inside or get to move on? I think he still had some things to work through with Alex. Perhaps he was waiting for her.
-Why weren’t some people (like Miles, Daniel, and Charlotte) present in the church at the end? Well I mentioned to a friend that I think that the reunion at the end was more of a “this is who I wanted/needed to be with” rather than an “everyone involved ever” kind of meeting. Those smaller characters (i.e. Libby and Penny) were present because they were important to a person who was important to the group as a whole. And even though Charlotte and Daniel found each other, they didn’t have the kind of enlightened reunion that some other characters had. Perhaps because, again as Desmond said, they just weren’t ready.
That said, I’m glad everyone is discussing the sideways/purgatory world with much more fervor than the lack of island answers. In the end, I don’t think any scientific or biblical answers to those island questions would have been satisfactory. Knowing the business, I know how insanely difficult it is to create an ending that would please everyone, let alone a majority. So I understand why they chose to leave some things in the dark, unanswered. I don’t think there’s anything more to say about the Light, the Source, or the Island, without going into details that A) would seem ridiculous to us to the point where it just got silly or B) pander to a specific set of beliefs that would alienate others. Like Desmond said, none of that really mattered. If the Island is the test and the sideways is the result, then in the end, all that matters is those we end up with, those we’re able to see again one day, and those we love that we can remember.
Let’s let that idea sit for a few days.
I agree with and like everything you’ve said here. The only thing that leaves me with a question is the possibility that Walt and Alex aren’t dead yet. But that shouldn’t matter, right? Boone, Shannon, Libby, and Charlie all died ages ago. And we’re to assume that Kate, Claire, and Sawyer lived for quite a while after they left the island. AND there’s the possibility that Hurley and possibly Ben lived on the island for much, much longer than the normal human lifespan. Yet, regardless of when they died, all these people found each other at the same time in the sideways/purgatory world. So time/date of death shouldn’t be a factor here. I’m thinking there are other reasons Walt and Alex weren’t there. In Walt’s case, it’s probably just the “the actor got wayyy too old” factor coming into play. They didn’t want to show him all grown up because no one else aged. Hell, Aaron was a newborn and Ji Yeon was a mere fetus in the purgatory world. So Walt couldn’t have aged, either. And Alex… well, she was really only important to Ben, wasn’t she. And Ben wasn’t ready to go into the church. So there was no reason for Alex to be there. I’d bet that when Ben does get to that point, he will have his own reunion with Alex.
I think Michael was the one person who never really seemed to “get it,” perhaps because he left the island too early. So maybe he and Walt are still in their purgatory, and, like Ben, aren’t ready to go yet. I agree that Ben’s issues involve Alex, and perhaps Rousseau, since Alex was actually HER daughter. As I was reading this, it also occurred to me that, even though we saw just about all of the survivors’ moments of realization (which I agree were SO moving and very well acted), we basically saw the entrance into the church from Jack’s point of view. So perhaps all we were seeing at that moment were the important people from Jack’s life. Maybe when Locke entered the church, Helen was there with everyone. It’s rather abstract, but hey, this is LOST we’re talking about!
Another way to look at it is from the writers’ point of view. The kid who played Walt IS way too old now, and I’d venture to guess a lot of people just didn’t want to see Michael ever again. I agree with the point that they created questions that would have been disappointing if they had been answered. I was incredibly nervous about what the Smoke Monster would look like before we saw it; imagine how disappointed we all would have been if it was something less abstract, like a giant ogre? I think they did the best they could at pleasing the majority.
In the 2 hour summary before the finale, everyone kept talking about it as a character study, so I think you’re correct in highlighting Desmond’s point that none of the other stuff mattered anyway. I, too, feel a little silly being so moved by a tv show as to question my own views on death and the afterlife. However, I think LOST is one of the few things on tv that truly is art through acting and writing with something to offer for us to think about and chew on. When you look at it that way (a la Nancy Kindelan), it feels a little more acceptable. I think maybe LOST caught us off guard, because we don’t really expect to be moved by tv anymore. As far as series finales go (and series altogether), this is probably the best I’ve seen.
Oh man, I wonder if Nancy watched Lost. If not, I’ll have to lend her my DVD’s. There’s whole class right there man.
This show would blow her mind!
After re-reading my post, I do want to say I always had a place in my heart for Michael, because I’d like to think if I had a child I would do anything I could/had to to get him off that damn island to safety.