The End- A Farewell To Lost

When I created this blog, I promised myself I would never write a post about Lost. One reason was becuase there were so many sites dedicated to the show already. Another reason was because, although I have seen every episode, I have not researched all the clues. The show is so complicated and has so many minute details that turn out to have huge underlying meaning that I can't always keep up with them. Other people do keep up with these clues, and do research them, and I wanted to leave the recaps and the writings about the show to those who are truly dedicated.

That said, after watching 4 and a half hours of Lost on Sunday night, I decided to make an exception. The show changed television in so many ways. It rearranged how shows are aired, with continuous airings in the spring season, and no reruns. It also shot on location in Hawaii, and not in Hollywood. It was a truly character driven show that created a fan base much larger than most sci fi shows usually get. As I was getting ready to watch the finale, I had the same feeling as when I was reading the last Harry Potter. I almost did not want to watch it becuase I did not want it to end. I overcame that fear though, and sat down to watch. I have also recruited my friend Lisa to help me write this, because maybe the two of our heads together is equal to a hardcore Lostie. This is not going to be a recap, but more an overview of what we thought and how we felt.

The first two hours of the program were very enjoyable and the last 30 minutes were hard to digest. The more I think about those last 30 minutes of the show, the more I come to understand and appreciate them. Back to the first two hours though, so many characters were brought back to the show in order for other characters to remember the island in the sideways-verse. Shannon was brought back to help Sayid remember their love on the island, and Boone was right there with her. He somehow already had his flashbacks, but we do not find out what caused them. I have no idea what would have caused Boone to remember, he was never in love but I would have been interested to see what his "Ah Ha" moment was. Sawyer and Juliette find each other at a vending machine and when they touch the memories come flooding back to them, and they are reunited (which kinda makes up for showing Juliette's heart wrenching death over and over again). Kate and Claire remember it all when they are delivering Claire's baby (do you think Claire remembers going crazy?) and when Charlie walks in he touches Claire, and he remembers his love for her and Aaron. While Jin and Sun were in the hospital getting a sonogram of their baby, not only do they remember everything from the island, they also can now speak English. Jin is even able to speak perfect English with no trace of a Korean accent. The final person to remember the island was Jack and it was caused by Kate, his true love.

On the island, a lot of crazy shit was going down as well. Jack had just become the new Jacob, and he had become very sure about what needed to be done. He needed to meet with Locke and use Desmond as the weapon to save the island. In an amazingly shot scene, Locke and his crew, and Jack and his crew, meet in a clearing in the woods. It is a show down. The two men then walk to the cave with the bright light and lower Desmond into it (becuase he is the only one who can withstand the magnetism). He uncorks the light of the island (like the cork of the wine glass) and the island begins to shake, and crumble into the ocean. All hope is not lost though because Locke is now mortal and can be killed. In another showdown between Jack and Locke, it looks like Locke (and evil) is about to win but Kate comes to the rescue and kills Locke by shooting him in the back. And here is the moment I have been waiting for, JACK AND KATE FINALLY GET BACK TOGETHER. I am one of the biggest Jack and Kate shippers out there. I have always loved Jack (I loved Matthew Fox back when he was Charlie on Party of Five), and Kate is amazing and their chemistry amazing hence they should always be together.

Another plotline is based around escaping the island on the airplane, and who can fly a plane but Lupitus. Who would have thought that Lupitus survives the rest of the series? The pilot who never takes off his uniform is probably the oddest character in the show. He's pretty much got no personality except being a pilot. Lupitus you rock my world. I have no idea how you survived after blowing up in a submarine and then hanging out in the middle of the ocean for a day, but you did it you dog you. We aren't sure where the plane landed or if it landed, which is a bit disappointing but I suppose they have to draw the line somewhere. What on earth is Richard going to do when he enters civilization?

In the end Jack was the one that had to save the island. He would have to go back into the cave and plug the cork back into the whole in order for the island to stop crumbling. He was sacrificing himself to save his friends and the island like he promised. This is one of the many examples of the strong Christian themes that were present in this episode. Jack is almost Christ like in this episode, and the themes Christianity seemed to be in your face alot of the time. Before lowering himself to the light, he gave the position of protecting the island to Hurley. Many people were surprised by this, but I was not. I have been saying for a while that the protector of the island will be either Jack or Hurley, and it turns out it was both. Jack transfers the power to him by having him drink water from a bottle. I think Hurley is a great choice because he is so connected with the island and he has such a good heart, he's also one of the few on the island who realize that life needs to be fun, not just violent and chaotic. He decided to make Ben his number two in running the island becuase of his knowledge of the island and Hurley will need help.

Like I said earlier the ending of the show was hard to digest. The whole sideways world was purgatory? How did they all get there if they all died at different times? What happened to everyone when they got off the island? The questions go on and on. There were so many questions that it was hard to appreciate what had just happened in this scene. Everyone was back together, and everyone was happy. They had been reunited with the people they had grown to love, their lovers, their friends. Everyone who was on the island was in peace and was forgiven for their sins and was going to move on to the afterlife together. Through all the bickering and the separations and the deaths, all the survivors of Oceanic flight 815 were connected in a profoundly deep way. The show honored this connection to both the viewers and the actors of the show by having them come together one last time before they walked into the light.

While the ending is at first confusing and a little frustrating (I disliked that Jack's father had such a major and omniscient role in this last scene, who does he think he is?) as time goes on it becomes more and more beautiful. It isn't easy to conceptualize the sideways world. Are the other people "real" or "alive"? But the fact that the show ended up being about togetherness was nice. The show was certainly about the insane plot, but it was also very much about its characters and their relationships and developments. Each day I like the ending more and more.

What are your thoughts on the ending? Are you happy, sad, still crying, still angry? Let us know.

APB and Lisa