Incredible. Did not disappoint. I need some time to put my thoughts into words

Watching Lost should make you appreciate over acting!

I'm not following. Who was denying their island existence in the sideways timeline? The whole point of them having the flashes is that they realized who they actually were, and this realization is enough for them to want to move on to the other side. If anything, they realize with the flashes to deny their sideways existences.

All of them, none of them remembered being on the island until their flashpoint. Linus is a teacher in LA, and all the sideLosties live there. Why would he recreate that type of life, if he was working out his issues with his life/death? They all wouldn't be living in LA in their own afterlife. Why would a grifter like Sawyer be living there, when he drifted across the country? It made sense if it was an alternate/parallel universe or some other explanation, but not as a waiting room/purgatory.

and they all went to heaven in a little rowboat

I thought it was a strong series finale. Exciting, poignant, etc.

It was clear the writers decided to concentrate on the characters and their arcs and relationships rather than explaining the specific mechanics of the island, so the episode had more impact on an emotional level than the intellectual and scientific levels Lost, at times, has excelled at.

The cast was superb. No one seemed interested in stealing scenes; instead, they continued to function as a diverse, well-oiled ensemble.

I never expected "The End" to answer every question and, indeed, a great deal remain:



Despite lingering questions and such, I am very satisfied. Overall, Lost was a clever, enthralling, and moving blend of adventure, drama, and science fiction, and a definite staple of my "formative" teen years. It will always have a place in my heart.

I guess that is my biggest problem with the whole "happy ending", which everyone seems to have accepted as a great ending. It robbed the rest of the series of almost all meaning, if everyone gets a never ending afterlife. If the cork went off, and the world did end, what is so bad? We all get to go to heaven or at least the afterlife in the world "Lost" created.

When characters died before this finale, they lost something. All the deaths and confrontatations are meaningless in this new context. I almost would have preferred Mathew Fox hanging out at the breakfast table with Neve Campbell and Scott Wolfe explaining his wild dream from last night.

They should make an "Adventures of Ben & Hurley" spinoff show. Hurley's an inquisitive guy, so maybe that's where some of the more technical questions could be answered in.

I wouldn't mind a Miles & Sawyer cop show. Did anyone else enjoy them as partners?

I hate to agree with one of your points because I was so moved by the finale, but I must: it would have been nice if they had explored the MIB's supposed destructive power more. His portrayal was almost too sympathetic--strong-willed, intelligent dude who just wants to escape the island, but ends up screwed by both his "mother" and his brother, transformed into a smoke monster, and, still, trapped on the damn island. Other than the fact he became a natural antagonist to the castaways, it was a bit hard to truly root against him for most of the season and even into the finale. I wish there had been even the slightest taste of what apocalyptic, sadistic chaos would have gone down had they not put everything on the line to stop him.

In general, though, I was satisfied with how they handled the island and its mysteries. I thought we saw enough and was glad parts of the island's history and mechanics were left mysterious. I didn't feel any sense of, "DAMN IT! WAIT! NO! I WANT TO KNOW MORE! THIS IS B.S." Plus, I have a feeling Cuse and Lindelof will drop more answers on us in the future in near-future interviews, similar to how J. K. Rowling filled in gaps and revealed more character details in her appearances following the publication of the Deathly Hallows.

So, I think I get the importance of the flash-sideways, and I understand the point that the writers were making with it, but I have to say: what a fucking waste of time! Imagine how much better the final season would've been if instead of flash-sideways we were exploring the island mythology - the relationship between MIB, Jacob and Mother being key. Mind you, I don't think we needed to get all the answers, but it would've been nice to get some.

I did enjoy the finale though, but in retrospect, last season wasn't worth it. What's even more frustrating, re-watching the series won't be as enjoyable considering that the payoff just isn't there.

P.S. Best line from the finale: "Christian Shephard? Really, that is his name?"
P.P.S. And what about the polar bears?

Actually the polar bear question was answered (they were a part of the DHARMA initiative experiments), it's just symbolic of all the stuff that the writers put in there with no resolution. Like, for instance, what was the point of the DHARMA initiative and who the hell were The Others.

She was one of The Others from the beginning.

It's abundantly clear now that the finale was designed for people with investment in the characters and their journeys, not the factcheckers wanting to know more about the show's mythology.

I know that's what made the last episode so polarizing but I think it was the right choice.

That's a bit condescending. The characters' journeys are built on things that happened around them, so we do deserve to know what is happening in order to appreciate the journeys better. And frankly, the alternate reality was nothing more than a cheap ploy to bring characters back together. It could be summed in one episode instead of being dragged on for an entire season. It didn't add any depth to the characters (other than Linus maybe) and did not advance their journeys one bit.

Well, I mean. I'm not saying you can't be both.

But the finale, from what I can recall, gave us one single new piece of information (what happened to Rose/Bernard/Vincent on the island). I'm just making the overall statement that Carlton & Cuse clearly weren't giving in to the demand to go through a laundry list of questions from the past that needed to be answered.

And I'll just say I highly disagree with the flash sideways not advancing their journeys. I think, as a device, it worked beautifully in the end.

I am in love with the finale. I've spent hours thinking about it, and I just love it. Here is my understanding which I just posted on another board:

This will be a long post, apoligies.



The above is catholic doctrine on purgatory, but LOST does NOT adhere to catholic doctrine. It mixes many doctrines and understandings together, pulling bits and pieces from each to create the reality the writers wanted. That said, there are many religious and cathlioc overtones, so it's a valid begining. Many here have mentioned that 'everything that happened on the island was real,' that it happened and had an effect. This is a profound statement, but my understanding is different, much more complex, and I'm still coming to terms with it. LOST loves books, shouting out to writers, etc, and though the show doesn't share a 1 to 1 relationship with Dante's Inferno, there are lots of similarities, many concepts borrowed, and I think it's important to start there.


The Light

In Dante's Inferno there is a 'Rule of the Mountain.' The rule is that after sunset, souls are literally incapable of climbing any further toward heaven. They must wait for the light to be turned back on before they can resume. In LOST, it's been made clear that if the light goes out here, it goes out everywhere. It's also been said that "a little bit of the very same light is inside every man," a clear reference to the soul. This is greatly simplified, but it's my understanding that this light is equivalent to the 'Rule of the Mountain' in Inferno. When it goes out, no one, anywhere, will be able to ascend into heaven. It's more than just that though, it represents divinity, God, and all encompassing knowledge. It's implied that we are drawn towards it, into it, we crave it and want more, that's our human nature.



The Island

The island can best be described as equivalent to Dante's Earthly Paradise, but as with everything LOST, it's a unique spin. It's a gateway, a barrier between evil and good, hell and heaven, black and white. Throughout time, various people under various circumstances find this barrier. Most find it through death, others find it by keying on the special electromagnetic properties of the island. The properties of the island blur the lines reality as time slows down on the island.

I said a moment ago that most find this place via death, I should clarify as this is a very important piece of my understanding: Let's think of the island within the concept of Schrodinger's cat. Before Oceanic 815 crashed, everyone was alive. They entered into the island when they hit turbulence, this constitutes the box. Once in this box, no one in the outside world can distinguish if they are alive or dead, they exist in both states. What happens inside the box does matter, very much so.

Jacob was the protector of this island, and more importantly, the light itself. While the protector, Jacob is able to set various rules of the island, the most compelling being that you can't leave. This was his own, totally arbitrary rule, and one he applied to his brother and most inhabitents of the island. It's not a rule of the island, and many characters do leave. When Hurley takes over, this rule is essentially removed, and as such we can assume Hurley helps Desmond to leave and live out his life with Penny.


Flash Sideways

In Dante's Inferno, after reaching the Earlthy Paradise, he soon after crosses and drinks from the River Lethe. This removes all memory of past sin, just as the sideway flashes do. This is meant to cleanse the soul of the past life, forget all sin, etc. In our sideways flashes we see a fashion of this play out, but again, with a twist. The sideways flashes represent a purgatory of sorts, a place where the souls of these people gather, waiting for each other in between heaven or hell, unable to move on without each other, but washed of their past sins. These characters need one another in order to purify their souls, the relationships and interactions are what allow them to enter heaven, together.

But ... they do remember. Their relationships and connections help them to remember, they see flashes of memory and the feelings come rushing back. This too happens in Dante's journey when he crosses and drinks from the River Eunoa. This river restores good memories of the past life, strengthening their impact. This was done so the soul could enter heaven with the full strength of his or her life's good deeds. It's done here in the same fashion, with the added importance that these souls needed each other to accomplish this.


Final Thoughts

The final scene is a perplexing one. We are confronted with a plane crash and no survivors, implying that everyone died in the opening scene. How do we rectify this? I go back to Schrodinger's cat. We are watching all of this from outside the box, with no real way of knowing what's happening inside. You can subscribe to the multiple universes theory here and make a compelling argument, but I look at it differently. The ending scene, for me, ties into the science vs. faith argument. It signifies that we have no way of knowing, other than our own belief, what really happened. If we ourselves have faith, believe in God, redemption and an afterlife, then we can choose to accept that these characters journey was one in which flawed and inherrently mortal beigns were able to reach the grace of god. If however, you're a non-believer, then your reality is that they crashed on the island, they died, and their existence is simply no more. We have no way of knowing which is correct until the box is opened, until we experience this for ourselves.

I haven't even begun to explore the many nuances of the show, and to continue writing in this depth about each would take longer than I'm willing to devote at the moment. Suffice it to say, my understanding of the concept of this show is a little different than many of you seem to have. I welcome thoughts and opinions.

Just wanted to jump in here...

I've read the interpretation a few other places that the shots of the wreckage during the credits indicate an ending that everyone died on Oceanic 815 in the pilot. Which is COMPLETELY off base, imo.

I think showing the wreckage is just Lost's way of "honoring" the audience, kind of like how some sitcoms show an empty stage at the end when they go off the air for good.

Everything that happened on the island over the course of the show is definitely real...

I don't know if that's what you're thinking the end indicated but I'm 99.9% sure that's not what was meant by the ending.

Makes no difference on the concept. The end result is always the same. Even if they didn't explicitly SHOW the image of them all dead, the reality from outside the box remains as a possibility, and for the viewer, the decision on what to believe still remains.

First of all I have to say I pretty much loved the whole finale. Sure the last episode had almost nothing to do with whatever the hell was going on for these past three seasons (alternate timelines, time jumps and other crazy seemingly magnetically induced stuff), but it was such an unusual way to end the series and it kinda went back to the original notion that the island was some place between life and death as Eagle nicely put it all into perspective (though I don't know if I'm imagining things or not but haven't the creators said that the show is not about a purgatory etc.???). All those flashbacks reminded me how awesome Lost once was.

I think the show would've been perfect if it ended like two seasons ago, while everything was still kinda explainable and everything would fit in nicely.

Ah. I'm just glad I loved the last episode. Once I fully sort my impressions I'll probably write more.

I think they said that it's not as simple as purgatory, and I don't believe it is either. I don't even think the sideways flashes are that simple. But there is a lot borrowed from the concept of purgatory in the island, and for me, the themes from Dante's Inferno regarding drinking from each river and what happened are way to much to ignore.

It's not a purgatory in a sense a dictionary would describe it, but how the creators imagined it to be. And I don't think of the island as a purgatory. It's only a place that has some weird stuff going on and it's real.The sideflashes were their purgatory.

Also I would have preferred if the prevalent theory about the island having strange magnetic abilities that were responsible for all of it turned out to be the truth. Fans really managed to explain almost everything that happened with this. But no. It had to be THE light.

Heh. I really like some of the alternate endings that were briefly touched upon here ... for instance it turns out MIB wins and the world becomes perfect, or he wins and hell on earth, etc. Regardless, I'm thrilled we have a conclusion that I can wrap into the series, it really puts a cherry on top of what I feel is the best sci-fi drama ever to grace TV.