While Ian Rogers, Biff Bam Pop’s resident Lost expert, will weigh in with his final thoughts on the Lost series finale following his live blog, I figured I’d throw in my two cents while it’s top of mind.
When it comes to the Lost finale, or any finale for that matter, it’s safe to say you were either going to love it or hate it. You can never please everybody. Surf around the net a bit and you’ll see that opinions are firmly in either camp. Those looking for clear and concise answers were disappointed and those who seem to hate the idea of faith and love playing a role in the series seem to have their own issues with the finale.
Me, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The finale battle on the Island between good and bad never seemed in doubt, but it was how things would be resolved that was always going to be the question. Hurley stepping into the role of the Island’s protector always seemed to be a given, but his team-up with Ben as his Number 2 was an inspired touch, as was the dynamic duo’s first goal to get Desmond back to his family. The fact that the ageless Richard Alpert had his first grey hair was subtle and smart. And wasn’t it great to see Bernard, Rose, and Vincent one last time? With the impending destruction of the Island, I was worried that they would be lost forever. It’s nice to know they’re probably still there, living out their lives. Until it was time to die and meet up with the rest.
As for the explanation of the flash sideways world, the idea that they’re all dead never bothered or confused me a bit. The notion that all of them were joined together in purgatory before moving on was a theory that had been around for years, and I think it was a tip of the hat to the fans to have that as part of the show. There’s some confusion that the castaways all died on the island, but I think Christian Sheppard gave a pretty clear explanation that everyone gathered in the church had lived their lives through, including those that made it off the island (including Sawyer, Kate, Lapidus, etc). I find it a little hard to understand why some can’t accept this, with its focus on love and forgiveness and repentance, as a viable ending, since it was hopeful and inclusive, regardless of the religious connotations.
While Lost was clearly the story of many, the journey really belonged to Matthew Fox’s Jack, who at the end of the day was able to accomplish the goal he set out to do at the beginning of the series and bury his father. I thought it was a profoundly moving moment when it became clear that the love that finally enabled Jack to let go was that between father and son.
Maybe all the answers fans were looking for didn’t come. But as someone who learned long ago to accept that a series finale doesn’t always give you closure (I’m looking at you, Twin Peaks), I felt totally fulfilled with the ending of Lost. It all seemed to happen so quickly, though. Like in the blink of an eye.
Nice write up, Andy!
Like you, I've seen reviews by a few people who seem to be under the impression that the Losties all died on Flight 815. Clearly they weren't listening too well during Christian's explanation. There may be some ambiguity about some parts of the finale, but the sideways world was pretty much explained.
And while I respect that some people may have genuine disliked the finale, I still firmly believe that the people who say they hated it absolutely probably wouldn't have been happy with anything the writers came up with.