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[Zaratustra]

Daniel was reunited with his true love

(desmond)

[Carrie Nation]

Did the morph from cool mysterious fringe science sort of stuff with Dharma and the Others in the first few seasons to a man named CHRISTIAN SHEPHERD opening the door of a CHRISTIAN CHURCH so a bunch of GOLDEN FUCKING HAPPY LIGHT could come washing in and whisk the whole cast off to CHRISTIAN heaven feel odd to anyone else?

[Paul McCrawfish]

The only thing I really hated was how they didn't even attempt to give you a vague hint about what the ancient civilization was. I'm all for leaving mysteries open, but you would need twenty pages of straight-up fanfiction to explain that shit.

[Μarkham]

Did the morph from cool mysterious fringe science sort of stuff with Dharma and the Others in the first few seasons to a man named CHRISTIAN SHEPHERD opening the door of a CHRISTIAN CHURCH so a bunch of GOLDEN FUCKING HAPPY LIGHT could come washing in and whisk the whole cast off to CHRISTIAN heaven feel odd to anyone else?

I'm pretty sure Christianity was only one of the six religions represented in the iconography in those sets.

[Caio]

This sums up most of my thoughts: http://hotair.com/greenroom/archives/2010/05/25/the-betrayal-of-mystery/

And:

Did the morph from cool mysterious fringe science sort of stuff with Dharma and the Others in the first few seasons to a man named CHRISTIAN SHEPHERD opening the door of a CHRISTIAN CHURCH so a bunch of GOLDEN FUCKING HAPPY LIGHT could come washing in and whisk the whole cast off to CHRISTIAN heaven feel odd to anyone else?

Yes.

(for some reason I'd written "no" instead : P)

[slembcke]

Ugh. That stupid show. Unfortunately it was still above my "Hulu threshold" so I would watch it when bored.

The show made no sense ever. There are so many gaping plot holes of "where did this come" and such that it was just terrible. Time and time again they would just create a complex chain of events in the show only to end it with nothing. Then they would start another complex chain of events that had nothing to do with the other story chains except in the parts that were directly contradictory. Getting your viewers into thinking there is "mystery" just because they are confused is not good writing... It even culminated in an alternate reality that had nothing to do with anything else in the show except that it was the afterlife or some weak "mysterious" BS.

[JaJitsu]

Chuck Norris has nightmares about Ben Linus.

[Tumetsu]

Watched this today and have to say that ending was good in a way but I too feel that it was a bit weird too. I can accept the mythology and I think it was obvious at least when the smoke monster was seen and in the 6th season, but I fail to understand why the alternate reality had to end that way? The whole Cristopher appearing there and the bright light left me a bit confused. I too had hoped somekind merging timelines or something other clever conclusion.

And btw, what Locke mean't in the finale by saying to Jack that he doesn't have son?

[MindEraser]

And btw, what Locke mean't in the finale by saying to Jack that he doesn't have son?

It's because of the whole alternate reality thing. In one he had a son, in the other he didn't.

[Μarkham]

I'm not sure what it's talking about, either.  I guess they can't help but bring up yet another plot device that isn't resolved in the finale in the finale.  I think in the normal time-line, Jack Didn't have a son and had been married to an ex-patient, not a doctor.

[Chris Z]

I think in the purgatory/limbo timeline a lot of the characters were outward projections of how they viewed themselves or what they were repressing.  Jack had his daddy issues so he had a son that he treated the way he wanted to be treated, Ben was Alex's hero and father figure, Hurley was using his success to help others the way he would have if he didnt have the bad luck curse, etc.

[fish]

apparently, the church scene was written after the pilot and was ALWAYS the end to the series, since day one. and it was J.J's idea.

it explains why its only characters from season 1, except ben who stays out, because they couldnt change the church scene.

i kind of have a hard time believing that.
especially considering the producers admitted they had no idea where they were going with things for 2 solid seasons.

[Caio]

apparently, the church scene was written after the pilot and was ALWAYS the end to the series, since day one. and it was J.J's idea.

it explains why its only characters from season 1, except ben who stays out, because they couldnt change the church scene.

Total bullshit, I see Juliet and Libby there.

[fish]

hmm.
thats true.

well like i said, to be taken with a grain of salt.
everything about lost was a lie and the people making it, liars.
so thats probably a lie also.

LIES!

[William Broom]

I watched a bit of the final episode, having abandoned the series somewhere in season 2. I was really struck by how much it had degraded, not in terms of the overall plot but just with basic things like dialogue, pacing and tension. Stuff in the first season, like when they first meet one of the Others and he tries to kill Charlie, that was really intense and tightly directed. In comparison, the final episode was all kinds of flabby and boring. Evil Locke didn't seem threatening at all, like Jack told him he was going to kill him and then they just started walking along together like they were chums. (I know there is probably some sort of plot explanation for this that I didn't pick up on. But I'm not talking about the plot, just the ability of the show to keep me interested on a minute-by-minute basis.)

[dbest]

I used to love LOST, I thought S1 was one of the bests they had, where almost everything was unknown.
It is said, that the creators knew how they wanted the series to end. I had a feeling it would be the way it did, with the Jack's eye closing. Besides that, I think they just messed around and came up with an ending. They left so many things unanswered... and so many things were messed and did not make much sense. Remember Dogen, Temple, Cabin, Hostiles, Smoke Monster...
One can say that they attempted to answer the Smoke Monster in the 15th or 16th Episode, but that was crazy... Was the Smoke Monster just released because MIB was thrown down? Urggg...  too many questions...

[Chris Z]

A friend of mine sent me this...

Found on lostmediamentions this is some guy from Bad Robot (the company that produced Lost) amazing post:

Good stuff on here! I can finally throw in my two cents! I've had to bite my tongue for far too long. Also, hopefully I can answer some of John's questions about Dharma and the "pointless breadcrumbs" that really, weren't so pointless ...

First ...
The Island:

It was real. Everything that happened on the island that we saw throughout the 6 seasons was real. Forget the final image of the plane crash, it was put in purposely to f*&k with people's heads and show how far the show had come. They really crashed. They really survived. They really discovered Dharma and the Others. The Island keeps the balance of good and evil in the world. It always has and always will perform that role. And the Island will always need a "Protector". Jacob wasn't the first, Hurley won't be the last. However, Jacob had to deal with a malevolent force (MIB) that his mother, nor Hurley had to deal with. He created the devil and had to find a way to kill him -- even though the rules prevented him from actually doing so.

Thus began Jacob's plan to bring candidates to the Island to do the one thing he couldn't do. Kill the MIB. He had a huge list of candidates that spanned generations. Yet everytime he brought people there, the MIB corrupted them and caused them to kill one another. That was until Richard came along and helped Jacob understand that if he didn't take a more active role, then his plan would never work.

Enter Dharma -- which I'm not sure why John is having such a hard time grasping. Dharma, like the countless scores of people that were brought to the island before, were brought there by Jacob as part of his plan to kill the MIB. However, the MIB was aware of this plan and interferred by "corrupting" Ben. Making Ben believe he was doing the work of Jacob when in reality he was doing the work of the MIB. This carried over into all of Ben's "off-island" activities. He was the leader. He spoke for Jacob as far as they were concerned. So the "Others" killed Dharma and later were actively trying to kill Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley and all the candidates because that's what the MIB wanted. And what he couldn't do for himself.

Dharma was originally brought in to be good. But was turned bad by MIB's corruption and eventually destroyed by his pawn Ben. Now, was Dharma only brought there to help Jack and the other Canditates on their overall quest to kill Smokey? Or did Jacob have another list of Canidates from the Dharma group that we were never aware of? That's a question that is purposley not answered because whatever answer the writers came up with would be worse than the one you come up with for yourself. Still ... Dharma's purpose is not "pointless" or even vague. Hell, it's pretty blantent.

Still, despite his grand plan, Jacob wanted to give his "candidates" (our Lostaways) the one thing he, nor his brother, were ever afforded: free will. Hence him bringing a host of "candidates" through the decades and letting them "choose" which one would actually do the job in the end. Maybe he knew Jack would be the one to kill Flocke and that Hurley would be the protector in the end. Maybe he didn't. But that was always the key question of the show: Fate vs Free-will. Science vs Faith. Personally I think Jacob knew from the beginning what was going to happen and that everyone played a part over 6 seasons in helping Jack get to the point where he needed to be to kill Smokey and make Hurley the protector -- I know that's how a lot of the writers viewed it. But again, they won't answer that (nor should they) because that ruins the fun.

In the end, Jack got to do what he always wanted to do from the very first episode of the show: Save his fellow Lostaways. He got Kate and Sawyer off the island and he gave Hurley the purpose in life he'd always been missing. And, in Sideways world (which we'll get to next) he in fact saved everyone by helping them all move on ...

Now...

Sideways World:

Sideways world is where it gets really cool in terms of theology and metaphysical discussion (for me at least -- because I love history/religion theories and loved all the talks in the writer's room about it). Basically what the show is proposing is that we're all linked to certain people during our lives. Call them soulmates (though it's not exactly the best word). But these people we're linked to are with us duing "the most important moments of our lives" as Christian said. These are the people we move through the universe with from lifetime to lifetime. It's loosely based in Hinduisim with large doses of western religion thrown into the mix.

The conceit that the writers created, basing it off these religious philosophies, was that as a group, the Lostaways subconsciously created this "sideways" world where they exist in purgatory until they are "awakened" and find one another. Once they all find one another, they can then move on and move forward. In essence, this is the show's concept of the afterlife. According to the show, everyone creates their own "Sideways" purgatory with their "soulmates" throughout their lives and exist there until they all move on together. That's a beautiful notion. Even if you aren't religious or even spirtual, the idea that we live AND die together is deeply profound and moving.

It's a really cool and spirtual concept that fits the whole tone and subtext the show has had from the beginning. These people were SUPPOSED to be together on that plane. They were supposed to live through these events -- not JUST because of Jacob. But because that's what the universe or God (depending on how religious you wish to get) wanted to happen. The show was always about science vs faith -- and it ultimately came down on the side of faith. It answered THE core question of the series. The one question that has been at the root of every island mystery, every character backstory, every plot twist. That, by itself, is quite an accomplishment.

How much you want to extrapolate from that is up to you as the viewer. Think about season 1 when we first found the Hatch. Everyone thought that's THE answer! Whatever is down there is the answer! Then, as we discovered it was just one station of many. One link in a very long chain that kept revealing more, and more of a larger mosiac.

But the writer's took it even further this season by contrasting this Sideways "purgatory" with the Island itself. Remember when Michael appeared to Hurley, he said he was not allowed to leave the Island. Just like the MIB. He wasn't allowed into this sideways world and thus, was not afforded the opportunity to move on. Why? Because he had proven himself to be unworthy with his actions on the Island. He failed the test. The others, passed. They made it into Sideways world when they died -- some before Jack, some years later. In Hurley's case, maybe centuries later. They exist in this sideways world until they are "awakened" and they can only move on TOGETHER because they are linked. They are destined to be together for eternity. That was their destiny.

They were NOT linked to Anna Lucia, Daniel, Roussou, Alex, Miles, Lupidis, (and all the rest who weren't in the chuch -- basically everyone who wasn't in season 1). Yet those people exist in Sideways world. Why? Well again, here's where they leave it up to you to decide. The way I like to think about it, is that those people who were left behind in Sideways world have to find their own soulmates before they can wake up. It's possible that those links aren't people from the island but from their other life (Anna's parnter, the guy she shot --- Roussou's husband, etc etc).

A lot of people have been talking about Ben and why he didn't go into the Church. And if you think of Sideways world in this way, then it gives you the answer to that very question. Ben can't move on yet because he hasn't connected with the people he needs to. It's going to be his job to awaken Roussou, Alex, Anna Lucia (maybe), Ethan, Goodspeed, his father and the rest. He has to attone for his sins more than he did by being Hurley's number two. He has to do what Hurley and Desmond did for our Lostaways with his own people. He has to help them connect. And he can only move on when all the links in his chain are ready to. Same can be said for Faraday, Charlotte, Whidmore, Hawkins etc. It's really a neat, and cool concept. At least to me.

But, from a more "behind the scenes" note: the reason Ben's not in the church, and the reason no one is in the church but for Season 1 people is because they wrote the ending to the show after writing the pilot. And never changed it. The writers always said (and many didn't believe them) that they knew their ending from the very first episode. I applaud them for that. It's pretty fantastic. Originally Ben was supposed to have a 3 episode arc and be done. But he became a big part of the show. They could have easily changed their ending and put him in the church -- but instead they problem solved it. Gave him a BRILLIANT moment with Locke outside the church ... and then that was it. I loved that. For those that wonder -- the original ending started the moment Jack walked into the church and touches the casket to Jack closing his eyes as the other plane flies away. That was always JJ's ending. And they kept it.

For me the ending of this show means a lot. Not only because I worked on it, but because as a writer it inspired me in a way the medium had never done before. I've been inspired to write by great films. Maybe too many to count. And there have been amazing TV shows that I've loved (X-Files, 24, Sopranos, countless 1/2 hour shows). But none did what LOST did for me. None showed me that you could take huge risks (writing a show about faith for network TV) and stick to your creative guns and STILL please the audience. I learned a lot from the show as a writer. I learned even more from being around the incredible writers, producers, PAs, interns and everyone else who slaved on the show for 6 years.

In the end, for me, LOST was a touchstone show that dealt with faith, the afterlife, and all these big, spirtual questions that most shows don't touch. And to me, they never once waivered from their core story -- even with all the sci-fi elements they mixed in. To walk that long and daunting of a creative tightrope and survive is simply astounding.

[dbest]

They were NOT linked to Anna Lucia, Daniel, Roussou, Alex, Miles, Lupidis, (and all the rest who weren't in the chuch -- basically everyone who wasn't in season 1). Yet those people exist in Sideways world. Why? Well again, here's where they leave it up to you to decide. The way I like to think about it, is that those people who were left behind in Sideways world have to find their own soulmates before they can wake up. It's possible that those links aren't people from the island but from their other life (Anna's parnter, the guy she shot --- Roussou's husband, etc etc).

But, from a more "behind the scenes" note: the reason Ben's not in the church, and the reason no one is in the church but for Season 1 people is because they wrote the ending to the show after writing the pilot. And never changed it. The writers always said (and many didn't believe them) that they knew their ending from the very first episode. I applaud them for that. It's pretty fantastic.

Juliet was not in Season 1. I did not see Michael or Walt or Rose. I don't remember Jack having a lot of interaction with Boone...So not sure how they can be soul mates.

[sugarbeard]

See this is the problem with going ahead and explaining things. No one will ever be completely happy with the answers.

[Caio]

It's not about giving lame answers - it's about giving answers that don't fit within the context of the previous five seasons and lying to your viewers.