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7 Reasons the 'Lost' Finale Was Satisfying and Disappointing
by AOL TV Staff, posted Dec 17th 2010 3:00PM
For some fans of 'Lost,' last May's series finale brought relief in the form of answers to longstanding mysteries and tear-inducing character moments.
But for other fans, the finale produced only disappointment.
As it had for its entire run, 'Lost' divided viewers over its finale. Did the ending provide enough of a pay-off for sticking through six seasons filled with unlucky numbers, a smoke monster, time traveling and a four-toed statue? Two of our writers take opposing viewpoints ...
Jo Garfein: 7 Things I Loved About the 'Lost' Finale
Not only is seven not one of THE numbers, it was challenging to narrow down the list to just seven aspects of the 'Lost' series finale that were remarkable, inspiring and satisfying.
1. "This is a place that you all made together, so that you could find one another."
Boone, Charlie and Claire, Desmond and Penny, Hurley and Libby, Jack and Kate, Jin and Sun, Locke, Rose and Bernard, Sayid and Shannon, and Sawyer and Juliet created the Flash Sideways world together so that they could find one another after passing away but before collectively moving on, because the most important part of their lives was the time that they spent with each other on and off of the island. The Flash Sideways was an incredibly beautiful notion and gesture, a necessary step preceding the afterlife "to remember and to let go" together.
2. "Everything that's ever happened to you is real."
In other words: whatever happened, (actually) happened. The crash, the island, the time travel, the flashbacks and flash forwards, the Oceanic 6 ... all of those experiences and events served a specific purpose, and were necessary to create and sustain emotional resonance with the audience for six seasons. The last 10 minutes of the series finale, in the Flash Sideways church, was the perfect denouement to everything that took place in the 120 episodes leading up to it.
3. "Everyone dies sometime; some of them before you, some long after you."
It was a bold choice to refrain from letting the dedicated masses witness how and when the remaining characters perished, aside from Jack and Locke. The open-ended nature of many post-island relationships sparked endless possibilities that have been entertaining to contemplate: Claire reuniting with Aaron, Sawyer meeting Clementine, Lapidus buying a hairbrush, etc.
4. "There is no 'now' here."
While everything in their lives before, on and after the island all occurred linearly, the Flash Sideways world did not exist in any particular time. It was their creation location, a pit stop between the stairway to heaven and the road to hell, awaiting each character at the exact moment they experienced the essential island epiphany to reunite before ascending or descending to their final destinations.
5. "Don't mistake coincidence for fate."
It was far from coincidence and quite fitting that Hurley, Jack, Kate and Sawyer were the final four fighting to save themselves, their friends and the island in the end. After all, they were the quartet that the Others kidnapped after Michael lured them into a trap to get Walt back, the very four on the dock in the season 2 finale. It was their fate to live together, die alone -- and then reconvene in the Flash Sideways.
6. "I can fix this."
David Shephard was a figment of both Jack and Juliet's imaginations, a crucial and sentimental Flash Sideways construction that allowed Jack to prove he could be a better father than his own, and Juliet to have delivered a healthy baby of her own and then care for it as she would have done for her sister Rachel's. David's sole purpose was to illuminate a redemptive road for his parents, and his presence provided a surprisingly touching element to Jack's ultimate journey.
7. "You can't change the past."
The subtle differences in the season 6 flashes illustrated the desire for their pasts to be improved upon before moving on, which is why the Flash Sideways presented more ideal circumstances: Faraday was following his dream to become a musician instead of a physicist, Hurley was finally able to bring Libby on a picnic, Ben cared for his father and was protective of Alex, Jin and Sun were able to conceive sans fertility issues, Widmore and Desmond were friendly, Sawyer had the opportunity to experience the right side of the law, etc.
[Follow Jo on Twitter @jopinionated; she will be analyzing & defending 'Lost' for the rest of her life]
Not only is seven not one of THE numbers, it was challenging to narrow down the list to just seven aspects of the 'Lost' series finale that were remarkable, inspiring and satisfying.
1. "This is a place that you all made together, so that you could find one another."
Boone, Charlie and Claire, Desmond and Penny, Hurley and Libby, Jack and Kate, Jin and Sun, Locke, Rose and Bernard, Sayid and Shannon, and Sawyer and Juliet created the Flash Sideways world together so that they could find one another after passing away but before collectively moving on, because the most important part of their lives was the time that they spent with each other on and off of the island. The Flash Sideways was an incredibly beautiful notion and gesture, a necessary step preceding the afterlife "to remember and to let go" together.
2. "Everything that's ever happened to you is real."
In other words: whatever happened, (actually) happened. The crash, the island, the time travel, the flashbacks and flash forwards, the Oceanic 6 ... all of those experiences and events served a specific purpose, and were necessary to create and sustain emotional resonance with the audience for six seasons. The last 10 minutes of the series finale, in the Flash Sideways church, was the perfect denouement to everything that took place in the 120 episodes leading up to it.
3. "Everyone dies sometime; some of them before you, some long after you."
It was a bold choice to refrain from letting the dedicated masses witness how and when the remaining characters perished, aside from Jack and Locke. The open-ended nature of many post-island relationships sparked endless possibilities that have been entertaining to contemplate: Claire reuniting with Aaron, Sawyer meeting Clementine, Lapidus buying a hairbrush, etc.
4. "There is no 'now' here."
While everything in their lives before, on and after the island all occurred linearly, the Flash Sideways world did not exist in any particular time. It was their creation location, a pit stop between the stairway to heaven and the road to hell, awaiting each character at the exact moment they experienced the essential island epiphany to reunite before ascending or descending to their final destinations.
5. "Don't mistake coincidence for fate."
It was far from coincidence and quite fitting that Hurley, Jack, Kate and Sawyer were the final four fighting to save themselves, their friends and the island in the end. After all, they were the quartet that the Others kidnapped after Michael lured them into a trap to get Walt back, the very four on the dock in the season 2 finale. It was their fate to live together, die alone -- and then reconvene in the Flash Sideways.
6. "I can fix this."
David Shephard was a figment of both Jack and Juliet's imaginations, a crucial and sentimental Flash Sideways construction that allowed Jack to prove he could be a better father than his own, and Juliet to have delivered a healthy baby of her own and then care for it as she would have done for her sister Rachel's. David's sole purpose was to illuminate a redemptive road for his parents, and his presence provided a surprisingly touching element to Jack's ultimate journey.
7. "You can't change the past."
The subtle differences in the season 6 flashes illustrated the desire for their pasts to be improved upon before moving on, which is why the Flash Sideways presented more ideal circumstances: Faraday was following his dream to become a musician instead of a physicist, Hurley was finally able to bring Libby on a picnic, Ben cared for his father and was protective of Alex, Jin and Sun were able to conceive sans fertility issues, Widmore and Desmond were friendly, Sawyer had the opportunity to experience the right side of the law, etc.
[Follow Jo on Twitter @jopinionated; she will be analyzing & defending 'Lost' for the rest of her life]
Katy Kroll: 7 Things I Hated About the 'Lost' Finale
'Lost' was must-see TV for me during its six seasons. Was I one of those people who obsessed over every little detail and jammed up message boards with conspiracy theories? No. But I had faith that the producers meant it when they said the island "wasn't purgatory." So, how ticked was I when that's exactly what it seemed to be in the series finale? Let me count the ways I thought the ending sucked.
1. Lack of Payoff
This one's obvious: There were too many unanswered questions! (Why couldn't women have babies on the island? What was with all the hieroglyphics?) I won't go as far as saying the entire series was a bust, but I'd totally risk a nosebleed to time-warp back to the ignorant bliss of seasons past and forget that this horrible ending ever aired. Think I'm overreacting? Watch this doozy of a refresher course on all the loose ends they left hanging.
2. Too Many WTF Moments
And not in a good, season 1 way. In fact, there was literally a point where I thought I'd gouge my eyes out while kicking in the TV screen. Shouldn't Boone have wound up with Shannon instead of Sayid? Why were some characters in the church while others weren't? If the island wasn't purgatory, what the hell was it?!
3. Epic Fails Prevailed
If I had a dollar for every time I thought the show was about to redeem itself, I could pay a shirtless Josh Holloway to stand around my apartment all day. When everyone was pairing up in the alternate universe, I thought, "I'm down with this being about finding true love." But that's not where it went. When Jack ventured into the heart of the island, there was a glimmer of hope that he'd become the smoke monster, leaving him to clash with good guy Hurley. Nope, foiled again. For a while I was even rooting that everyone had died on impact, making the entire series a deathbed delusion. Wrong!
4. Worst. Couple. Ever.
I hated that Sawyer and Juliet wound up together. (Yeah, I said it.) Juliet annoyed me from the get-go with her blank stare and crooked smirk. Then, she turned Sawyer into a boring sap. Don't get me wrong, I liked that he had a soft center underneath that hard shell, but he made a better badass than obedient boyfriend. And it made no sense that one-look wonder Juliet wound up with both him and Jack. The Jack-Kate-Sawyer love triangle dominated several seasons, so shouldn't Kate have been the one double-dipping?
5. Laughter Was Not the Best Medicine
Sawyer's nicknames and Hurley's 'Star Wars' references always made me giggle, but the finale achieved an uncharacteristic level of ridiculousness -- from the magic cork to Claire's three-minute backstage birth. And then there was the final clash between Jack and Locke. It was just plain laughable when Jack went sailing through the air, fists clenched, like some video game hero as gun-toting Kate saved the day looking like a lame mash-up of Sarah Connor and John McClane. They may as well have had Nikki and Paulo in the background cheering them on.
6. Too Much Desmond
I know, I know. A lot of people loved him. For me, though, he was best in small doses, and he was technically a secondary character ... until he hijacked the whole story. Honestly, wouldn't Hurley, Sayid or even Ben have made a better final prophet? But Desmond's starring role wasn't the only casting letdown. It seemed like a slew of side characters took over the show. Come on, were you actually psyched to see Miles, Lapidus and Richard make it off the island while pretty much everyone else ate their dust?
7. Not Enough Boone
I've missed those baby blues ... and all they gave him was a 30-second beatdown that didn't even win him the girl? And don't get me started on where people like Mr. Eko, Michael and Walt were. Guess we'll see you in another life, brothas.
'Lost' was must-see TV for me during its six seasons. Was I one of those people who obsessed over every little detail and jammed up message boards with conspiracy theories? No. But I had faith that the producers meant it when they said the island "wasn't purgatory." So, how ticked was I when that's exactly what it seemed to be in the series finale? Let me count the ways I thought the ending sucked.
1. Lack of Payoff
This one's obvious: There were too many unanswered questions! (Why couldn't women have babies on the island? What was with all the hieroglyphics?) I won't go as far as saying the entire series was a bust, but I'd totally risk a nosebleed to time-warp back to the ignorant bliss of seasons past and forget that this horrible ending ever aired. Think I'm overreacting? Watch this doozy of a refresher course on all the loose ends they left hanging.
2. Too Many WTF Moments
And not in a good, season 1 way. In fact, there was literally a point where I thought I'd gouge my eyes out while kicking in the TV screen. Shouldn't Boone have wound up with Shannon instead of Sayid? Why were some characters in the church while others weren't? If the island wasn't purgatory, what the hell was it?!
3. Epic Fails Prevailed
If I had a dollar for every time I thought the show was about to redeem itself, I could pay a shirtless Josh Holloway to stand around my apartment all day. When everyone was pairing up in the alternate universe, I thought, "I'm down with this being about finding true love." But that's not where it went. When Jack ventured into the heart of the island, there was a glimmer of hope that he'd become the smoke monster, leaving him to clash with good guy Hurley. Nope, foiled again. For a while I was even rooting that everyone had died on impact, making the entire series a deathbed delusion. Wrong!
4. Worst. Couple. Ever.
I hated that Sawyer and Juliet wound up together. (Yeah, I said it.) Juliet annoyed me from the get-go with her blank stare and crooked smirk. Then, she turned Sawyer into a boring sap. Don't get me wrong, I liked that he had a soft center underneath that hard shell, but he made a better badass than obedient boyfriend. And it made no sense that one-look wonder Juliet wound up with both him and Jack. The Jack-Kate-Sawyer love triangle dominated several seasons, so shouldn't Kate have been the one double-dipping?
5. Laughter Was Not the Best Medicine
Sawyer's nicknames and Hurley's 'Star Wars' references always made me giggle, but the finale achieved an uncharacteristic level of ridiculousness -- from the magic cork to Claire's three-minute backstage birth. And then there was the final clash between Jack and Locke. It was just plain laughable when Jack went sailing through the air, fists clenched, like some video game hero as gun-toting Kate saved the day looking like a lame mash-up of Sarah Connor and John McClane. They may as well have had Nikki and Paulo in the background cheering them on.
6. Too Much Desmond
I know, I know. A lot of people loved him. For me, though, he was best in small doses, and he was technically a secondary character ... until he hijacked the whole story. Honestly, wouldn't Hurley, Sayid or even Ben have made a better final prophet? But Desmond's starring role wasn't the only casting letdown. It seemed like a slew of side characters took over the show. Come on, were you actually psyched to see Miles, Lapidus and Richard make it off the island while pretty much everyone else ate their dust?
7. Not Enough Boone
I've missed those baby blues ... and all they gave him was a 30-second beatdown that didn't even win him the girl? And don't get me started on where people like Mr. Eko, Michael and Walt were. Guess we'll see you in another life, brothas.
What did you think of the 'Lost' series finale? Did it satisfy or disappoint you?
Yesterday on Festivus: 8 Elder Statesmen Who Reigned Over TV
Tomorrow on Festivus: 6 Late Night Shows -- Winners and Losers of 2010
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