Well?

Despite your violent behavior...

Good it's done, now I can start.
Just like Galactica, arc shows are best on DVD.

Yeah I will probably watch it now.

Never been a fan of the show, never watched many episodes, but my friend is a hardcore fan and watched it at my place tonight.

All I gotta say is that if I was a fan of that show for 6 years, and they ended it how they did, I would be extremely pissed. Yes, they ended on a high note, and what they did I can see a sort of justification, but killing off crew or doing the whole "WHOOPS, THEY'RE ACTUALLY ALL DEAD!" thing has been done, and it is one of the biggest cop outs and easiest ways to end a series ever. Seriously, IMO it was a half love letter to the fans and by doing this it was an easy way to get the entire cast, back from episode 1 all the way to the final one, together for a "reunion" nice and conveniently while they all were in Purgatory.

My interpretation of how it ended was this...Correct me if I am wrong..

Although there were members that escaped (i.e the four or five guys on the plane at the end flying over top that escaped 2012 style) and obviously went on to continue their lives, what happened on the island timeline were the real events, and the other timeline where the plane didn't crash, was Jack (not sure if that's the right name for him) stuck in Purgatory not being able to let go and move on. When he finally met his father, he was told that although Jack had died and the others had not died, time had no meaning in the place they were, and because of that fact they could be together regardless of whichever people died first or last.

I know it's a huge stretch but that's the way I interpreted it as a fresh viewer, cause I couldn't figure out how it could be explained any other way.

I'd really like it cleared up if I am wrong because even if I am correct it still leaves a LOT of things unexplained... Like what the hell happened to that Hugo guy and the other one left on the island? What happened to the ones that escaped in the plane? WHY was everyone in purgatory even if Time had no meaning, how can they be dead if an event in time hasn't happened? Said "time" shouldn't even exist.

I dunno..

Did you work it?

I preface this in that I probably have no clue what actually is happening, but having watched every episode and been a pretty avid fine, these are my mutterings. Also of course MAJOR spoilers, but THE SERIES IS DONE NOW! So if the Lost wiki has decided to undo spoiler tags, then god damnit I'm going to as well. Not to mention the great thing about Lost is that none of this would probably make sense to someone who hadn't seen a lot of it. My theory departs from a lot of what people are saying right now that the flash-sideways universe was purgatory or the afterlife. I think it was real, but just another step towards redemption.

First, Hurley and Ben did continue living on the island. This is proof because they are obviously aware of it in the flash-sideways universe. However, I think this is also proof that neither the island nor the flash sideways were universes where the characters were dead. I think events in both were VERY real. The final funeral was in a figurative sense just all the characters finally coming to grips with their redemption that took place on the island (the whole reason that Jacob brought there in the first place). So even though some had died earlier, some had died much later (like Christian said), they all had essentially come to grips with their life and moved on. So it wasn't like they were finally all dead. It is just in death that they will have all moved on, or will move on, which is why I think the final scene was more figurative than literal. All the characters eventually will die at different times, but they are at least all together in that sense because of their relationships with each other which was the whole reason they are allowed to move on in the first place. Ben decides not to join because he still has some unfinished business with his daughter and wife in the alternate universe. Ben committed many sins, namely one of them letting his daughter die in front of his very eyes. I'm sure that he wants to spend more time with them, even though he has become aware of his island happenings. He's there, but decides not to move on QUITE yet. So I would say that he was present at the figurative funeral, just by his choice he has not chosen to quite move on yet.

My analysis was that while it doesn't answer some questions, you can deduce a pretty good explanation of what happened especially given the context. In my opinion, it re-established that Desmond was easily the most important character in the show. It makes sense that Widmore kept saying that if Desmond didn't go through the electromagnetic pulse that "everyone you'd love would be gone". Without Desmond being able to re-connect people in the flash-sideways, all the relationships built on the island would be gone and these people NEVER would've been "re-enlightened" to their island existence and hence never really would've had some true purpose, and never would've moved onto death. I think that finally answers all those times that all the characters would say "IF YOU LET THEM GET TO THE ISLAND ALL THAT YOU KNOW AND LOVE WILL BE DESTROYED" times that pissed me off so much during the series. It kind of makes sense now knowing that the island was a platform for redemption.

Everything on the island that did happen was real even though it may have been purgatory. I think that's what made the island so attractive and special to so many outside sources. It clearly "existed" because people could come and go to it through special means on numerous occasions. It's very much a possibility that those who were able to leave the island did just go about their own lives. Those versions of the people would still be well aware of all their island happenings. The flash sideways was not just exclusive to Jack. All Season 6 was about was all the separate characters in the flash sideways. In my opinion though the island was still purgatory, and the flash sideways was merely the alternate timeline created when they dropped the bomb. It was well established that the island could jump through time and the electromagnetic pulse had something to do with this, so when they dropped that bomb into the heart of the island I think that's what caused the split. Some people had probably achieved their redemption before that, but there was still unfinished business left with the characters that remained hence they remained on the island even after they detonated the bomb. Juliet died soon thereafter because she had redeemed herself when she detonated the bomb. The other characters still hadn't, so they remained. They weren't done on the island yet.

The island itself was a platform for the characters who all had incredibly dirty pasts to re-enlighten themselves and redeem themselves. Sayid did so when he took the bomb, Jack did so by protecting the island and sacrificing himself, etc etc. Juliet did by detonating the bomb at the end of season 5. Ana Lucia in the flash sideways was still corrupt, which may give a hint about why she didn't "move on". So I don't think they "died", then moved onto the flash sideways. I think the flash sideways was just the alternate timeline, the island was purgatory but the events were still very very real. Once business was taken care of on the island, when everyone redeemed themselves, it was the job of Desmond in the flash sideways to make sure they were well aware of their purpose and redemption that occurred on the island. The show has alluded many times to religious overtones, so it would not surprise me if there was some element of Buddhism that was in play, as well as Catholicism with the island being "purgatory". I know the purgatory theory has been thrown around a lot, but so has the Buddhism one as well and I think it actually offers a very good explanation of what happened with the different stages of existence and enlightenment.

All playful mutterings. I probably contradicted myself in there, but hey, only 2-3 hours of sleep so cut me some slack. From a TV episode viewpoint, I thought it was a pretty "weak" finale though. I thought it was slightly anticlimatic.

But the one thing it does actually make me want to do is rewatch some episodes. Even though the "THEYRE ALL DEAD" thing seems like a cop out, there were obvious clues that were established a LONG time before (Season 4's The Constant, anybody) that showed that they knew exactly what would bring the characters redemption and finally allow them to move on with their lives. The flash forwards in season 4 of them getting off the island was also I think a larger statement that Jack WAS right. They DID need to go back to the island because they still hadn't redeemed themselves. You also get the sense that Eloise never wanted Desmond to fulfill his mission because she thought it would've taken Faraday away from her, but his purpose was different than those who were chosen by Jacob to land on the island. Also you get the sense that Widmore wanted the island to be destroyed because he thought it would be the thing that kept Desmond away from Penny (even though they had already met again thanks to Faraday).

(Also for the record, I was happy in the end because I called Locke (not Flocke) being good, and also Linus ending up good as well. BOO YEAH)

I gave up on Lost about 3 or 4 years ago but I wouldn't be surprised if it ended with Matthew Fox coming out of the shower and realising that it was all a dream.

I was a bit disappointed w/ the ending but I can't say that I was surprised w/ it. However, the series as a whole is amazing. I honestly wish that it would've went on for at least 10 seasons.

I watched bits of 5 or 6 episodes, none of it made any sense.

I watched the first 3 series as they aired. It was annoying waiting between episodes, more-so waiting months between series. I'd forgotten most of the seeming minor details between series and these generally became big details.

Around the beginning of series 4 I gave up. I do plan on getting them all on DVD (hope there will be a box set!) and watching them from start to finish.

I haven't watched it (or any TV really) since late 2008... but from the spoilery bits and pieces I've read, they really went ahead with the purgatory thing? Lame!

I thought everything but the first 2 seasons were dumb. It's a big long love song to Campbell, and I don't like the tune at all. I get everything they tried to do, and none of it was satisfying or worth watching. A big cock-tease.

As soon as the button stuff started I should have never watched again because everything bad that I assumed would get worse did. This last episode was such a cop out it hurt. Everything was a throw-back, an in-joke, a ret-con. None of it made the whole story meaningful, it just answered the various unanswered questions.

When they all got to the Island Jacob could have just said 'Okay, I need one of you to guard this island from the smoke monster who is my brother that was brought here with me when I was not yet born. A woman on the island killed my real mother and raised us to protect this light in the center of the island. He's the devil and wants to rule the world. One of you people on this list: Stop him. Along the way you're going to learn a lot about yourselves!' In the midst of the rest of the story the promise is that eventually these things will mean something, but then it never does. The memory of that "what's next?" feeling when they're learning about for instance the Dharma initiative is the only thing we have from an entire season.

I don't think LOST is good by any measurement. Characters barely remained consistent throughout the show. People became a stand-in for whatever the writers wanted them to be for that show. Characters and plot devices were recycled monthly when things would start to drift. I think they're hoping the general audience forgot the details to or simply accepts all of the things they invented to make the show interesting that never actually made sense or was consistent.

It's a muddy, dirty show, and part of me feels like they meant it that way. They really could have had this all planned and simply told it at whatever rate kept people talking and confused, simply to generate interest and viewers. The show was always aggravating to watch because it was cut to keep people from changing the station during the commercial. I don't imagine they minded hurting clarity and craft for income. Mystery writers love torturing readers.

Watching the finale I felt I didn't feel like I wasted six years, and actually enjoyed the finale. So yeah, it was worth it. Sure we didn't get answers to every single question, but I always watched Lost for the characters than the mystery.


Also, best moment of the finale: Frank ****ing Lapidus being alive.

I disagree completely. While the characters kept some general traits, they most definitely grew throughout the series. Or in the case of Locke, turned into one of the most bad ass characters ever. I'm not saying Lost had the best character development ever, but most Hero stories had these type of 1 dimensional (well i guess 2 dimensional in the case of lost) characters.

Anyway, I kind of enjoyed the episode. I'll have to think about it more, but it was neat. I'm glad it focused more on the mythological than the science behind things. They wrapped this up really well I thought even if some stuff still doesn't make sense.

Is it just me or does anyone else see there being something a little... off, about a woman (evangeline lilly's character) being so in love with Jack's character while at the same time ****ing around with the other guy (the cop, don't know his name) and then when it's convenient going right back to Jack... And in the finale she then kisses him and says she loves him..


Island Slut? Convenient storytelling?

Mayyybee

Really MB? Jack from the first two seasons was awesome. There are really awesome moments of development and insight, and then he suddenly becomes the lead-along "chosen one" half way through the show and only develops through having traumatic experiences and crying a lot. The show took all the cheap routes when it was once really challenging and well thought-out. I recently rewatched major episodes from each season and it seems apparent to me: The show became about appealing to as many people as possible at any given time.

I thought the Sun and Jin story was the only cohesive, logically consistent thing in the whole show that was interesting or meaningful and didn't get contradicted by major plot swings. There was nothing to "wrap up" with them because it was a good story that had intrigue without gimmicks or explicit questions to be answered.

Yes really. So what if it was 'obvious' jack was the chosen one. His friggen name was Jack Shepard. Also, why does it matter he only developed through traumatic experiences? What cheap routes are you referring to?

There were some parts of lost that were ridiculously sub par, but I think they did a good job recovering from that.

I was thoroughly disappointed, and I feel like the Battlestar Galactica ending was better (which is saying something).

One thing I wanted to bring up: Does anyone else think the "drinking the water and becmoing protector of the island" stuff was just a placebo? When Jacob did it to Jack I thought it was kind of weird, but when Jack became the protector, he didn't gain any special knowledge, didn't have any magical powers, didn't really change at all. So when he "gave it" to Hurley, I really don't think it was anything special.

Other opinions?

I don't know. BSG kind of just dropped that twist in the last 15 minutes. I don't think they really could have ended lost any other way. Sure they've thrown curveballs in the past, but the last season made it pretty clear it was an epic battle of good and evil.

Anyway, I still think its much better than trying to pseudoscience themselves into an explanation.

I don't even like BSG and I disagree. The show was ABOUT the "twist" at the end. Everything was leading up to that. It tied not only questions, but the meanings of the show together, talking about mortality and faith. Lost tried to do the same thing, but tried to trick me into thinking it was so many other things just to keep my attention. I wasn't looking for science, I was just looking for more meaning and clarity than entire plot-lines that were red herrings only to introduce a mystical good versus evil element in the last few episodes of the last season. Jacob wasn't even thought of in the first season, and suddenly he is the central figure? It just seems manipulative.

No BSG just went "Heres earth finally. Oh the Cylon Hybrids? Uh... God did it! *wavy fingers*"

The show revolved around pseudo-science, everyone was looking for Science answers. The smoke monster, the button, electro magnetism, time travel, overlapping universes... As for Good vs. Evil, thats pretty much been around since the first episode, just in different forms.

I can't remember when Jacob appeared, but his character has been talked about for at least 3 seasons.

Kirby, why exactly did they NEED to know about jacob in the first season. Why is it bad that they were unaware of Jacob until they met those who were aware of the higher power? When you discovered about Jacob, and now giving the context of the ending, you can go back to the first season and put together the pieces that at the time they weren't aware of. We were in the same state as the characters. Confused completely, and then we became aware of the stuff on the island as they did. I think that makes it a better TV show than a worse one.

And despite all the people saying they had no clue where they were going, it's now prety clear that they did have some semblance of what was going on. The Constant in Season 4 is a perfect example. That episode was a perfect example of setting up something that would happen 2 years later. It basically explained how Desmond would be able to go between universes.

I liked the Lost ending, and I hated the BSG ending (I'm not talking about the religious wishywashy, I'm talking about the total nonsense of them finding Earth).

BSG: "Oh, we found Earth. Aaaaand God did it."
Lost: "Oh, we were dead all along. Aaaaand it was Purgatory."

It was just a big let down. BSG was a let down because it was all science and technology the whole way through, and then they come out of nowhere and say "god did it." Lost basically did the same thing. There was a lot more mysticism and "magic," but at the end they just copped out with a "You were all dead the whole time and this is a parallel universe" and then they walked into the white light and that was it.

It provided no closure after six years of watching.

Except thats the thing, I'm starting to think that its not just purgatory. There were a few things going on:

1. The Island Life
2. Anything Not on the island
3. Alternate Reality land!

1. Island Life isn't purgatory. I'm sticking with Jacobs description of the Cork in the Wine Bottle. The Island keeps evil in check. As for the Island Science? I don't know, but its pretty sweet.

2. Anything not on the island is still reality. I'm mostly referring to the Desmond & Daniel chronicles. Desmond was the only one that could Time Travel (or i guess jump from the island to reality). I can't remember who was involved with what, but I suppose this would also explain the Foucault Pendulum being used to 'locate' the island.

3. Alternate Reality. Welcome to purgatory folks! Heres the waiting room where people get to properly settle their relationships. Looks like the rock nuke actually did some good seeing as these relationships were allowed to be settled properly.

yeah. everything that happened on the show, minus all the flash-sideways events in this season) all happened for real. they were all real events that happened within the universe of the show.

what the purgatory thing was at the end only means that when every person in that church dies, they go to that place because they were all the most important people in eachothers lives. the purgatory church place has no space or time, and DOES NOT mean that when 815 crashed, they all died instantly and the whole 6 seasons have been a dream/purgatory. that is only true for the flash-sideways within season 6.

the show as a whole is awesome, but i feel very let down about the flash-sideways ending up being heaven. i feel like it wasted a lot of time and didn't end on a high note.

i wish the show wouldn't have gotten so confused with itself after season 2 and 3. the dharma initiative was amazing, and when they started mixing the time travel it was great, but it got waaaay too involved in the unexplainable(apparently, because they never bothered to even try) magic and spiritual crap. i didn't like that shift.

I still fail to believe the flash sideways was heaven. Even in the flash sideways they interacted with people who were clearly "bad" (Ana Lucia taking bribes, for example or even Ben trying to blackmail his principal). I don't think those people would've been in heaven. It could've been purgatory, but def not heaven. But I don't believe purgatory would've been represented by the real world. Plus the shows creators always said there wouldn't be a Purgatory reset (although I'm sure i wouldn't stop them ). That's why I think the purgatory explanation is incomplete and that there is a strong level of Buddhism that is influencing the show. I just believe that the flash sideways was real, just another plane of existence that they graduated too once they had redeemed themselves on the island. Kind of a kharma influence (KHARMA / DHARMA? OMG???). Once Desmond was able to make them aware of their entire existence through the multiple realities, before the island, during the island, they were finally able to move on.

And yeah, people are still getting it mixed up when they say everyone died on the crash. That is clearly not the case, and if you paid attention to what Christian says, he clearly said that some of them died earlier than Jack, and some died later. That funeral to me was very "figurative" in the sense that all of them may not have been dead in reality, it's just that through the island this is the connection they will have after they die.

If you allow the sideways stuff to actually be a parallel universe, you can just say that time goes really slowly in it, which is why they could all meet at pretty much the same time. However, I think what the parallel universe was isn't as important as its purpose: To demonstrate that all these broken characters had been fixed by their time on the island (something Jacob alluded to in the previous episode). My favourite example is Sayid: despite claiming throughout that he loved Nadia, the truth is that his relationship with Shannon is the only one that didn't come with any baggage or guilt.

Yeah, the sideways universe is definitely somewhat in the future I would have to say, or that time is moving more slowly like Detty said. Ben and Hurley clearly acknowledge the time on the island as #1 and #2, so the flash-sideways is definitely not running 1:1 with island time. So yeah, either the parallel is slightly in the future, or time moves slower there than on the island.

I would like to add to this conversation the element of people like me who enjoyed the show but didn't really care about the ins & outs of everything. I get that way about a multitude of subjects (e.g: books or games) but rarely in the world of television shows. I was perfectly content w/ not knowing what was going on half of the time but I loved the characters & story (what I did understand) enough that it didn't matter. For me, "Lost" was like "Spongebob Squarepants". There's 2 different audiences taking away 2 different perspectives (e.g: adults & children). I must admit that w/ "Lost" I was content w/ being on the floor & watching w/ the children.

I agree Mentat. I don't think it was worth following every storyline they provided. Once they got to Desmond and Faraday running around through time I kind of just let things happen.


HATERS GONNA HATE

This is a good read about the show as a whole and the stupid credit scenes.

http://io9.com/5548408/abc-admits-losts-final-moments-were-meaningless