The End of LOST

Over the years I have devoted a super-human amount of time to LOST. LOST is my Star-Wars. My geektastic pop-culture phenomenon. If I was 6 I would have a LOST lunch box and action figures. I’ve seen every episode at least twice, I’ve followed the Valentzi equation, frequented DarkUFO, and was a regular lurker on the Fuselage. I would dissect Doc Jensen’s crazy ramblings and have endless discussions with friends and co-workers, LOST wasn’t just a show, it was a friend and an experience. When the last episode aired that is exactly what it felt like for me and I’m sure millions of others. It was like your best college friend moving to a snow cave in Northern Russia. You are sure you will never see them again, but the years you had with them were unforgettable, and at the very least you’ll always have the memories (and DVDs). LOST was never a perfect show, but it came pretty close at times. Even  if you disagree, you can’t deny that LOST set a new bar for television quality. The writing, the acting, the cinematography and even the score were top-notch. In fact the only thing that ever held the show back from true greatness was its own ambitions (i.e too much mystery)

I’ve read and heard so many different reactions and interpretations of the finale. Some think the island never existed, some think the island was a test, some feel they didn’t answer enough questions, and others straight out hated it. It’s a wide-array of responses that only a show like LOST could produce. You either bought in from the beginning or you didn’t, and for someone who did, I felt the finale was extremely gratifying. At its core LOST is defined by its characters and in the end every single character achieved the redemption they fought their entire lives (and after-life) to achieve. That’s not to say the shows mythology isn’t equally important. It gave the show context, and was every bit of what made the show intriguing. CSI has characters, but LOST had characters and mystery. Mysteries that were based in science, pop culture, religion, the supernatural, and the cultural. They were sometimes blatant, and sometimes the clues the mysteries were embedded in easter eggs or scattered across multiple episodes or seasons. Which brings me to the great debate over “answers” to those mysteries.

Sure, there are a few mysteries it would have been nice to know the answers to, like the true nature of Ms. Hawking, Jacob’s Cabin (which was really smokies cabin), and Walt. But there are some that I am perfectly okay with being left open to interpretation. I’m happy they didn’t exactly define the energy at the core of the island, why Jacob could live forever, or what exactly would happen if the Man in Black left the island. I’m sure the writers could have answered this if they wanted to, but leaving it open leaves it not only open to interpretation but to imagination. Answer they provided to the supernatural would have surely pissed most people off if it wasn’t what they imagined. I like to use the Star Wars example to back this up. Remember when they defined what the force was in Episode 1. Instead of some deep spiritual or supernatural force it was some bullshit chromosomes. Yeah. There are somethings better left un-answered.

What mattered to me is that the characters I had devoted 6 years of my life to met a resolution that was appropriate to their development.  Mythology is timeless, but people age (cough, Matthew Fox). So in the end, “The End” was everything I hoped it would be and more. That being an emotional end to a show I cared about on an emotional level. LOST will be missed, but never forgotten.

Now what do I do with myself on Tuesdays?

I leave you with a shot from what could possibly be one of the best closing TV frames ever.

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