How was the Lost Finale? POSSIBLE SPOILERS INSIDE

[angela in ohio]

LOST has always been an unequivocally spiritual show.

 

Dh and I call it randomly spiritual. The water, the church, the side pierced, the twin named Jacob, etc. all vaguely borrowed from Christianity. And so forth....

 

I think the window behind "Christian Shepherd" was a huge clue to the creators' view of religion.

[MelanieM]

Was Myles there at the end when they were ready to go? I don't remember seeing him. Also, there was the scene where Desmond told Daniel's mother that Daniel wouldn't be going with him. So not everyone moved on with all the people they knew, even if there was overlap in the waiting place.

[kokotg]

Dh and I call it randomly spiritual. The water, the church, the side pierced, the twin named Jacob, etc. all vaguely borrowed from Christianity. And so forth....

 

I think the window behind "Christian Shepherd" was a huge clue to the creators' view of religion.

 

Right--it's indiscriminately spiritual, but still always spiritual--from the beginning--man of faith vs. man of science and all that. Damon and Carlton seem to be universalists.

[kitten18]

I was pretty confused at the end, but I like this explanation the best so I'm going to choose to believe it.:tongue_smilie:

My first thought was that they all died the first time around, but no... Jack died as was seen. The flash sideways was definitely his letting-go purgatory process, met up on the other side by those he loved most. And because there is no "when" in purgatory - there were many there who died perhaps years after his death - but they were there exactly as he would have remembered them best.

 

The island continues on with Hurley and the others living there - the other world continues on with those who escaped on the plane.

 

Everyone else is still dead.

 

The flash sideways scenes with everyone "remembering" apparently was just JACK remembering and realizing that his "utopia" was not real and accepting his fate and the reality of it all.

 

[angela in ohio]

Anyone else watching Kimmel? Hilarious!

 

:lol: The alternate endings are funny. One below in white (can you spoil a Jimmy Kimmel episode?):

 

Bob Newhart wakes up in bed with Kate, and they were both dreaming.

[ereks mom]

ITA with the below statement.

 

My first thought was that they all died the first time around, but no... Jack died as was seen. The flash sideways was definitely his letting-go purgatory process, met up on the other side by those he loved most. And because there is no "when" in purgatory - there were many there who died perhaps years after his death - but they were there exactly as he would have remembered them best.

 

The island continues on with Hurley and the others living there - the other world continues on with those who escaped on the plane.

 

Everyone else is still dead.

 

The flash sideways scenes with everyone "remembering" apparently was just JACK remembering and realizing that his "utopia" was not real and accepting his fate and the reality of it all.

 

Maybe the "Jacob" of the island is sort of an angel of death - helping people across to the other side of realization? Hurley was an active participant in the flash sideways scenes....

 

MAN - that's a lot to think about and mull over. We'll see if I still think what happened happened in the morning. ;)

 

...I think the island serves as purgatory for people who die leaving unresolved issues. Once they get things straightened out, they die on the island, which just means that they have completed their time in purgatory. (Not that I really believe in purgatory--I don't--but the concept works for LOST.)

[orangearrow]

Was Myles there at the end when they were ready to go? I don't remember seeing him. Also, there was the scene where Desmond told Daniel's mother that Daniel wouldn't be going with him. So not everyone moved on with all the people they knew, even if there was overlap in the waiting place.

 

 

 

That's why I think it was specifically Jack's moving-on episode. He was the hero of the first episode, so it makes sense (to me) that the final episode would be Jack-centered.

 

He moved on with those he loved best. In the ever-after, perhaps their consciousnesses can exist on separate planes - so he moved on with the "people" he loved most. Those were there to join him as he moved to the next part of his existence (which is not to say that they won't be there for someone else at another time...).

 

The fact of "Christian Shepard" being named "Christian Shepard" had never even occurred to me through the whole course of the show! lol Sort of makes me think this was exactly what the writers had in mind all along. (which is probably doubtful, though...)

 

The more time that has passed since the finale - the more I'm liking it!!

 

I don't remember seeing Miles at the church. Were Daniel and Charlotte there? They were at the concert - but I don't remember if they were at the church or not. hmmm, they must've been there.

 

 

...I think the island serves as purgatory for people who die leaving unresolved issues. Once they get things straightened out, they die on the island, which just means that they have completed their time in purgatory. (Not that I really believe in purgatory--I don't--but the concept works for LOST.)

 

hmmm, that could be. It almost makes all the various timelines tooo big for me to rationalize in my head, though! LOL Because if the island was purgatory - then what were the sideways flashes? And what about the people who left the island? Did they escape purgatory, or just go somewhere else to straighten out their issues?

 

(I don't necessarily believe in purgatory either - just thinking about it all in Lost-Context. ;) )

Edited May 24, 2010 by orangearrow

[ereks mom]

I'm going to miss LOST! :confused:

[iona]

the hugfest at the end was a little eh?:001_huh::tongue_smilie:

also, i wonder if hurley turned the island over to ben and that is why he wasn't going in yet.

when jack woke up on the rock i thought he'd turn into the smoke monster...but then he died.

definately lots of tears with the reunion.

i think a "satisfying ending" was a near impossible task.

also vincent?

a lot to think about. i really enjoyed the show as a whole.

[MelanieM]

He moved on with those he loved best. In the ever-after, perhaps their consciousnesses can exist on separate planes - so he moved on with the "people" he loved most. Those were there to join him as he moved to the next part of his existence (which is not to say that they won't be there for someone else at another time...).

 

That concept works for me, too! :) Though Christian did tell Jack that they'd all chosen to be together, not that Jack had chosen them to be with him.

 

I don't remember seeing Miles at the church. Were Daniel and Charlotte there? They were at the concert - but I don't remember if they were at the church or not. hmmm, they must've been there.

 

No, they weren't there. Desmond specifically said to Eloise that they wouldn't be taking Daniel with them.

[MelanieM]

I believe the writers specifically said that the island was *not* purgatory.

[Veritaserum]

I wad hoping for a strict (happier) alternate reality, NOT they're all dead. :glare: I'm bummed. I thought the episode was pretty good until Christian wasn't in his coffin.

[orangearrow]

That concept works for me, too! :) Though Christian did tell Jack that they'd all chosen to be together, not that Jack had chosen them to be with him.

 

 

 

No, they weren't there. Desmond specifically said to Eloise that they wouldn't be taking Daniel with them.

 

 

Okay - that's right - Jack didn't choose these people - but they were the people who'd all chosen to be together. Makes sense. So, maybe it is a one-time-trip gig. You all have to get on board together before you're taken cross the river. :)

 

I adored the Daniel character. I cried when his face even showed up on my tv screen! His entire story arc made me so sad. So, wonder who he and Charlotte ended up with. Maybe they crossed over together - and alone. Time for some peace and quiet.

 

Oh - I was also stoked to see Rose and Bernard again!!! Woot! Happily living on that island, minding their own business. ♥

 

But - WHAT happened to Walter (he was supposed to be "special" - that's a big thing they never addressed?!?!) and Michael? Michael certainly wasn't in the church, was he?

[iona]

what about the island being underwater in the flash sideways world. Is it no longer relevant there? Did jack never have a son?

[angela in ohio]

what about the island being underwater in the flash sideways world. Is it no longer relevant there? Did jack never have a son?

 

No son, just like Sawyer said. I think him having a son in purgatory/sideways world must represent the closure men with father issues can have when they have their own son (I'm thinking of my dh here.)

 

Haven't thought through the island underwater thing yet...

 

Before we knew it wasn't real, I was betting on the boy to actually be Sawyer's son.

[angela in ohio]

But - WHAT happened to Walter (he was supposed to be "special" - that's a big thing they never addressed?!?!) and Michael? Michael certainly wasn't in the church, was he?

 

Michael's absence was actor-related, as was Mr. Eko's disappearance early on, from what I have read.

[orangearrow]

Michael's absence was actor-related, as was Mr. Eko's disappearance early on, from what I have read.

 

Ah. I reallyreallyreally hoped to see Mr. Eko again. He was my all-series favorite character and I refused to watch a few episodes on our DVD after they killed him off. It took me about 2 weeks to want to continue watching the show again, lol.

 

 

The actor who played Michael speculated on Jimmy Kimmell that his character is stuck on the island...whispering.

 

ROFLOL!! That's hilarious! heh

Edited May 24, 2010 by orangearrow

[hsmamainva]

Michael's absence was actor-related, as was Mr. Eko's disappearance early on, from what I have read.

 

The actor who played Michael speculated on Jimmy Kimmell that his character is stuck on the island...whispering.

[angela in ohio]

The actor who played Michael speculated on Jimmy Kimmell that his character is stuck on the island...whispering.

 

Sorry, I meant Walt. :001_smile:

[Amber in AUS]

Oh my, after reading all of this i am glad to say i never bothered watching past the second or third episode years back. Sounds like i didn't miss anything.

[BikeBookBread]

If the closing scene was outside of time - at the time of entry into heaven) sometime after death, and everyone was there (since it was outside of time) why WOULDN'T Ben Linus be there? Remember, Hurley said to Ben, "you WERE a great #2..." implying he was dead, too.

 

Was Ben not "saved" or "worthy" of going to heaven? I was a bit confused by his character shifting back and forth between good and evil...Ben wasn't simply conflicted, Ben was downright malevolent at times. Where was Charles Widmore for that matter? Why wasn't he in the final scene? Was it because these two characters didn't choose to be part of the "group"? Remember Jack's speech way way way back about "working together or dying alone?"

 

The creators were right -- they said we'd be talking about this for years and years and years and years....

 

Oh one final though -- what was with the shoe in the bamboo forest as Jack was staggering out of the light-cave?

[iona]

i thought it was the shoe from the pilot...just weathered. there had been a shoe hanging there in the pilot.

i wondered about the shots of the plane crash at the end....which crash were they referencing.

maybe only when they entered the church were they out of time...maybe ben hadn't died yet.

definately lots of questions

[TXMary2]

I bawled throughout the show. I was hoping for a happier ending, but it was good the way it was.

 

I did love the moment of revelation that Juliet was the mother of Jack's son. Also, I loved the reunion of Charlie and Claire and Sawyer and Juliet.

Edited May 24, 2010 by TXMary2

[MelanieM]

If the closing scene was outside of time - at the time of entry into heaven) sometime after death, and everyone was there (since it was outside of time) why WOULDN'T Ben Linus be there? Remember, Hurley said to Ben, "you WERE a great #2..." implying he was dead, too.

 

Was Ben not "saved" or "worthy" of going to heaven? I was a bit confused by his character shifting back and forth between good and evil...Ben wasn't simply conflicted, Ben was downright malevolent at times. Where was Charles Widmore for that matter? Why wasn't he in the final scene? Was it because these two characters didn't choose to be part of the "group"? Remember Jack's speech way way way back about "working together or dying alone?"

 

Yes, they were all dead. But people were moving on with those that were an especially important part of their lives, so I guess their soul groups (as I see it). Charles and Ben (and others that were missing) were not meant to move on with that group.

 

I thought it was especially lovely that Ben would choose to stay behind, as I took that to mean he had the option of going with them (he was there) but he was choosing to help wake some others up so they could move on as well. It's like he finally gets to be leader, and for a truly higher good this time. And I feel like he was ultimately redeemed by John's forgiveness and Hurley's assertion that he was a great #2. (You couldn't be a great anything for Hurley and be a bad dude!)

[MelanieM]

I bawled throughout the show. I was hoping for a happier ending, but it was good the way it was.

 

I'm fascinated by this comment. I felt like the ending was truly uplifting and beautiful... they all gathered together in the afterlife, death didn't keep them apart, and they moved on past everything with peace. (Did you notice how peaceful and joyous everyone was once they'd remembered?) I figured there was nothing happier than that! lol!

 

I wonder if personal views on death and the afterlife come into play regarding whether or not this was seen as a happy ending. (I'm not Christian, fwiw, and didn't see this as a Christian ending, though I can see how it fit with a Christian worldview.)

[elegantlion]

 

I wonder if personal views on death and the afterlife come into play regarding whether or not this was seen as a happy ending. (I'm not Christian, fwiw, and didn't see this as a Christian ending, though I can see how it fit with a Christian worldview.)

 

I'm a christian, with belief in a literal heaven and hell. I was not happy with the flash sideways resolution. As an ending to life, it was lovely and I'm sure there was some true emotion from the cast. As the ending to a show I found it to be cliche and taking the easy way out. I wanted to see about 10 more minutes of the "reality" finale. I love Disney "And they lives happily ever after" type endings, but for the caliber of show Lost was I expected a more complex (did I just say that? :tongue_smilie:) and more thought provoking ending.

 

I've watched since season 1 and within the first few episodes fans were saying they were in purgatory. The writers vehemently denied it. So when the whole flash sideways story line goes the way of deal with your life so you can move on issue, it seems uninspiring.

 

~Paula (who has not had coffee yet :glare:)

[Carrie12345]

The shoe was one of the shoes Christian had been wearing for burial on the way back from Sydney.

 

Michael already told Hurley this season that he was stuck on the island, one of the whisperers, unable to move on.

 

It was a good ending. It requires a leap of faith to buy into it, which is perfect. I'm still working on my feelings about the flash sidewayses, which will probably drive me a bit batty, but it absolutely "works".

 

People who feel let down by it must have had strange expectations. I can't imagine a feasible alternate ending.

[LNC]

I hated the last 15 min, but I was expecting a bad ending. I've been through this before with Alias.

 

My big question is what was the plane crash debris shown during the credits????? Was that the plane Kate and Sawyer were on or the original flight?

 

What did it mean????

[Carrie12345]

I wonder if personal views on death and the afterlife come into play regarding whether or not this was seen as a happy ending. (I'm not Christian, fwiw, and didn't see this as a Christian ending, though I can see how it fit with a Christian worldview.)

 

I'm an atheist and I've been devoted to the show from the pilot. IRL, it does kind of evoke a slight eye roll from me (I semi-hoped for a non-afterlife/this-is-your-only-shot situation), but it's a TV show. Within the TV show, it fits perfectly and was the ultimate happy ending.

[Karenciavo]

What happened to Micheal and Walt? I didn't see them.

 

I think Walt is the guardian of the island now and I also think that will be revealed on the Lost Complete DVD set with never before seen scenes and interviews for $148.99.

[~blessedmom~]

So LOST ended up NOT being about Light vs. Dark....but about Reality vs. Fantasy?:confused:

 

I bought it until Christian's "you died" speech...anyone who has followed LOST is above a spoonfeeding like that.:toetap05:

 

....or maybe I didn't like that resolution and I'm just sad because I wanted the ALT to be real:crying:

 

:D!!!

[Karenciavo]

I wanted to see about 10 more minutes of the "reality" finale. I love Disney "And they lives happily ever after" type endings, but for the caliber of show Lost was I expected a more complex (did I just say that? :tongue_smilie:) and more thought provoking ending.

 

Yes. To me it felt like they ran out of time and ideas. And I definitely think Paula and I could have come up with a better ending. :lol:

 

~Karen (who is brewing Jamaican Blue Mountain)

[MelanieM]

My big question is what was the plane crash debris shown during the credits????? Was that the plane Kate and Sawyer were on or the original flight?

 

What did it mean????

 

I missed that! But I think Kate got off the island because of her comment to Jack when they were reunited... something about really missing him, and the impression was a long separation. (I took that to mean she had lived a long life outside of her experience on the island.)

[Karenciavo]

Oh and another thing. I don't know, but MIB's death was kind of meh. Reminded me of Whiplash's death in Iron Man 2. It's not like I wanted a Stepfather kind of death scene, just something more.

[Liza Q]

So I was OK with it but my husband absolutely hated it and felt like it was a waste of all those years watching. My daughters have devised some complicated sci-fi theories but I am looking at it in a more straightforward way.

 

This is what I *think* the end meant.

 

Jack died on the island. Anything that happened in the Flash Sideways is not real. It is his own little purgatory or letting go process. The end is when they have all died and meet up "on the other side."

 

So anything that happened on the island WAS the reality. The people who died there are really dead. Boone, Charlie, Juliet, Shannon, Sayid, Jin and Sun all died on the island. Locke died before they came back.

 

We don't know what happens in the end to the people on the plane, but we know they left the island. Hurley and Ben chose to stay, and they were going to send Desmond back.

 

We got no answers to many of our questions.

 

:iagree: I also agree with whoever was wondering if the debris at the end was was the Ajira plan Frank etc. were on. I do not want to believe it but I do :glare:

[kmacnchs]

LOVED it until the end...I thought somewhere in the 4th season they promised it would not be that they were dead or in purgatory, etc.

 

I think the debris at the end was just showing the scenery that was used - like one final look around to the place they called home for 6 years - I did not take it to mean anything story-wise...

 

I am still holding out hope that they did not all die on the plane crash - Christian said something to the effect that some died before, some died after...So I was trying to make sense of who was there and why...dh says they all died in the plane crash, that is why Ben did not go inside...but why was Penny and Juliet in there then? Did they all die when Juliet struck the bomb? That is what is making sense to me right now...

 

I will be listening to a lot of Jay & Jack to see what they think...

[kokotg]

I am still holding out hope that they did not all die on the plane crash - Christian said something to the effect that some died before, some died after...So I was trying to make sense of who was there and why...dh says they all died in the plane crash, that is why Ben did not go inside...but why was Penny and Juliet in there then? Did they all die when Juliet struck the bomb? That is what is making sense to me right now...

 

 

I think they all died....whenever they died. We know when some of them died because we saw it on the show; we have no idea when Hurley, Kate, Claire, et. al. died. That was the point of Christian's speech at the end--to make it explicit that the sideways world is unrelated to the rest of the timeline on the show. Whatever happened happened.

 

Incidentally, I immediately thought of American Beauty at the end. Anyone else?

[Chris in VA]

I liked it.

I think the plane at the end was the original plane wreck, not the Ajira one or two (NOT that it was the plane that flew out at the end).

 

I think the reason Ben stayed out was because the writers are Catholic (at least one is) and Ben said he still had some things to work out, so he chose to stay in a purgatory-like place and do that. It was huge for Locke to forgive him. He was definitely dead--we know that because of what Hurley said.

 

Didn't you love Hurley's face when he saw Charlie?

 

I liked that we saw Locke, not Flocke, in the sideways. I think that it was all of them meeting up, not just Jack's vision/purgatory/etc.

 

ON JK Live, the guy who plays Jack elaborated a tiny bit.

 

I didn't like Season 6 as much, but I'm the type of person who likes mystery, and thinks that the mystery is sometimes best in the beginning--I don't like most explanations in mystery books. I think of Stephen King movies, and how the monster who is revealed is always less scary and less awesome than the one we've been tantalized by--think of the reveal of the monster in "It"--totally lame.

 

Lost's ending wasn't totally lame to me, by any means, but my favorite seasons will always be the ones in the middle.

 

LOVED the reunions.

 

Terry O'Quinn better win a Golden Globe and an Emmy this year!!!!

[TXMary2]

I'm fascinated by this comment. I felt like the ending was truly uplifting and beautiful... they all gathered together in the afterlife, death didn't keep them apart, and they moved on past everything with peace. (Did you notice how peaceful and joyous everyone was once they'd remembered?) I figured there was nothing happier than that! lol!

 

I wonder if personal views on death and the afterlife come into play regarding whether or not this was seen as a happy ending. (I'm not Christian, fwiw, and didn't see this as a Christian ending, though I can see how it fit with a Christian worldview.)

 

 

This morning I do feel like it was a happy ending of sorts.....they all reunited in the afterlife and we know the island continued to exist and be protected....first by Hurley and then Ben. Those who escaped on the plane apparently went on with their lives - but they all reunited in the afterlife because their time on the island was the most significant time of their life and they still needed each other even in death. I am very pleased now with how it ended and I thought Jack's eye closing was the perfect end.

[TXMary2]

LOVED it until the end...I thought somewhere in the 4th season they promised it would not be that they were dead or in purgatory, etc.

 

I think the debris at the end was just showing the scenery that was used - like one final look around to the place they called home for 6 years - I did not take it to mean anything story-wise...

 

I am still holding out hope that they did not all die on the plane crash - Christian said something to the effect that some died before, some died after...So I was trying to make sense of who was there and why...dh says they all died in the plane crash, that is why Ben did not go inside...but why was Penny and Juliet in there then? Did they all die when Juliet struck the bomb? That is what is making sense to me right now...

 

I will be listening to a lot of Jay & Jack to see what they think...

 

They did not all die on the plane....what happened on the island was very real for them. The sideways flash wasn't any "time period" but as Christian Shepard (can't believe I never thought about his name before) said it was a place they all created to meet up again so they could move on. So on the island, "whatever happened, happened."

[Chris in VA]

I thought Jack's eye closing was the perfect end.

 

My son called it at the beginning of this season, so it was gratifying to have that be the ending!

[OhM]

What happened to Micheal and Walt? I didn't see them.

 

Michael's absence was actor-related, as was Mr. Eko's disappearance early on, from what I have read.

 

I was sure that I saw Walt in the group scenes in the church at the end. If it's hit Hulu yet, you could check me on that. :D

 

Now that I've slept on it, I'm not quite as disappointed. The Juliette/Sawyer and Charlie/Claire reunions were worth it. :lol: (But no Desmond/Penny! They left that up to Hurley.)

 

But like "mother" said in the mythology episode - answering your question only leads to more questions! Where did the people on the plane end up? What kind of life did they lead? (I assumed the wreckage at the end was the original crash, too - it just looked too familiar.) Hurley and Ben's short exchange at the church leads me to believe that they lived for some time on the island.

 

And was Kate speaking for the fans when she said, "Christian Shepherd? Really?"

[angela in ohio]

I'As the ending to a show I found it to be cliche and taking the easy way out. I wanted to see about 10 more minutes of the "reality" finale. I love Disney "And they lives happily ever after" type endings, but for the caliber of show Lost was I expected a more complex (did I just say that? :tongue_smilie:) and more thought provoking ending.

 

I bought it until Christian's "you died" speech...anyone who has followed LOST is above a spoonfeeding like that.:toetap05:

 

:iagree:

[Carrie12345]

For all of the people disappointed or confused, you have no idea how much I want to take your faces in my hands and show you what I see so we can all move on together!!!!

 

:D

[angela in ohio]

...though I can see how it fit with a Christian worldview.)

 

Not my Christian worldview. It would depend on what type of Christian you are; I don't believe in good works earning a way to a better afterlife, nor do I believe in purgatory. Which would be fine, except for the heavy use of Christian symbolism. :tongue_smilie:

 

It didn't bother me, as I didn't expect to see my worldview worked out in the show, and I just enjoyed it as a fictional story, without trying to attach any deep meaning that the show's creators might be going for (which I think in the end was just a mishmash anyway.)

[delaney]

Can you believe I have never watched this show?! I just have no desire to see it. Strange....

[MelanieM]

For all of the people disappointed or confused, you have no idea how much I want to take your faces in my hands and show you what I see so we can all move on together!!!!

 

:D

:lol::lol::lol:

[angela in ohio]

For all of the people disappointed or confused, you have no idea how much I want to take your faces in my hands and show you what I see so we can all move on together!!!!

 

:D

 

:lol:

[Karenciavo]

For all of the people disappointed or confused, you have no idea how much I want to take your faces in my hands and show you what I see so we can all move on together!!!!

 

Or you can accept that we have differing views and stop trying to force yours on us. :lol: <a little atheist/Christian humor>

[SproutMamaK]

You know, last night I was really disappointed in it. But I was thinking about it last night, when I should have been sleeping :lol:, and now that I've dwelt on it for a while - I'm quite pleased with it. I was hoping for everyone to end up living their alternate reality lives somehow, but this ending is fine with me.

 

And I LOVED Hurley being made the keeper of the island. I always thought it should've been him, with his pure heart.

 

Sun & Jin's memories coming back was the highlight for me - I was BAWLING. And I cracked up when Jin called Sawyer "detective". :lol: As everyone else, I also loved Claire & Charlie reunion scene, as well and Sawyer & Juliet.

 

Does anyone know if Claire & Charlie had baby Aaron in the church with them? That would seem strange to me, that Aaron's "soul group" would be people he didn't really know (except for his Mom, Charlie, and Kate, that is).