____twoism

What are your thoughts on the ending of the show?

Here's my take on it:

the island was real. the plane crash was real. everyone REALLY survived the crash. everything that happened in seasons 1-6 is totally real. the flashsideways was more like a flashafterlife. like christian said, they collectively created that place in their subconscious so that they could all find each other in the afterlife. the afterlife exists out of time. all of the characters are dead, but they didnt all die at the same time. hurley and ben could go on for centuries ruling the island. sawyer, kate, miles, frank and richard make it off the island and could live long lives after that. but the flashsideways exists out of time, so they could all meet up once they are ready to move on together.

"there is no now here"

the show tricks you into thinking it's all about the island. but really, the strength of the show lies within its characters and their bonds that they have forged.
here's a great article on the ending of lost:
http://kotaku.com/5546048/why-i-liked-t ... e=true&s=i

As a huge fan LOST fan i gotta say i loved it! I was also terribly sad that it was over but that's besides the point. I'm glad it ended how it started not only literally with the eye closing but with just Jack and the majority of the season one cast.

I really think the major answers for the show have all been answered or implied enough for the viewer to make a judgment call themselves. The nitpicking of little trivial things in the show kinda pisses me off (hurleybird, food drop, etc). Theyre just little mysteries that really don't need to be answered to get the overall show, ya know?

But anyways, sad its gone, but happy its been an amazing show for 6 seasons! Can't wait for new special features and behind the scenes for the whole series!

If they release the entire series on blu-ray, I don't care how much it will be, I'm buying it.

I can't wait to watch the final episode with commentary.

Joebot Kill wrote:What are your thoughts on the ending of the show?

Here's my take on it:

the island was real. the plane crash was real. everyone REALLY survived the crash. everything that happened in seasons 1-6 is totally real. the flashsideways was more like a flashafterlife. like christian said, they collectively created that place in their subconscious so that they could all find each other in the afterlife. the afterlife exists out of time. all of the characters are dead, but they didnt all die at the same time. hurley and ben could go on for centuries ruling the island. sawyer, kate, miles, frank and richard make it off the island and could live long lives after that. but the flashsideways exists out of time, so they could all meet up once they are ready to move on together.

"there is no now here"

the show tricks you into thinking it's all about the island. but really, the strength of the show lies within its characters and their bonds that they have forged.
here's a great article on the ending of lost:
http://kotaku.com/5546048/why-i-liked-t ... e=true&s=i

Yeah I agree totally! It's like when they died they all were in limbo (in the flash sideways or after life) and they didn't know they were dead till Desmond went helped them come join together to the church or the gates of heaven.

YELLOW wrote:As a huge fan LOST fan i gotta say i loved it! I was also terribly sad that it was over but that's besides the point. I'm glad it ended how it started not only literally with the eye closing but with just Jack and the majority of the season one cast.

I really think the major answers for the show have all been answered or implied enough for the viewer to make a judgment call themselves. The nitpicking of little trivial things in the show kinda pisses me off (hurleybird, food drop, etc). Theyre just little mysteries that really don't need to be answered to get the overall show, ya know?

But anyways, sad its gone, but happy its been an amazing show for 6 seasons! Can't wait for new special features and behind the scenes for the whole series!

haha speaking of nitpicking trivial things:

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1936291

yeahhhhhh......

Brilliant!
Loved when Clare and Charlie realise who they are and the same with Sawyer and Juliet, I was teary in some parts must say.
The whole flashsideways thing was such a great idea! Hurly and Ben could have lived on for 100's of years so Desmond might have had to wait for them two to die before he made the rest 'realise'. Very good to keep that quiet untill the end.

Wonder what the next big big show will be? I thought 6 feet under would be hard to beat but LOST is up there with it now.

Yes, I have to agree I loved it too. The whole 'letting go' theme really hits home with me at this point in time..for many reasons. The finale summed up all those great themes Lost had over the years and to me it made the finale more special than just answering all the little mysteries that were left hanging. I imagine the producers left enough evidence there for us to come to our own conclusions.

this post has been floating around the internet since Sunday, from someone who supposedly worked for the show:


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.

Pretty interesting eh?

747Music wrote:

AHAHHAHA!

reading this thread makes me want to watch the series. I only saw some of the first season episodes, which I liked but I just never got back into it for the other seasons..

747Music wrote:this post has been floating around the internet since Sunday, from someone who supposedly worked for the show:


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.

Pretty interesting eh?

I read this yesterday, interesting stuff! Like anything else though, I take it with a grain of salt, but if it is true then DAMN I have even more respect for the show

747Music wrote:Pretty interesting eh?

very interesting. i loved the show. will miss it very much.

the last episode was amazing.

....I find the End, horrible, so kitch, it's the happy rainbow candy teddy bear sugar princess END...I want to puke, too much pink love story and slow motion sequence with piano. And they find the same way to give us answer without answers...It's too easy.

Even if i've feel the emotion, to see everyone together. The "You are now dead everyone, everything is fine", ("in heaven everything is fine...ta da da", eraserhead yeah). This idea remind me the worst religious and sect philosophy.

"In a beautiful place out" (Koresh)

Another thing :
You HAVE to protect THE light....AH....ok no probs. Hum....Ok ok....

WTF was that ? This is the answer ?! that was that ?! THE LIGHT ?! Yeah guess what I have plenty light at my house. Jacob will gone crazy at my house, too much work for him.

But I'm happy to see behind, How great was the Lost adventure, and the end finally, is not important.

The 'Lost The Complete Collection' on blu-ray is released today. Will be getting mine tonight or tomorrow. So expect a post soon in the recent purchases thread with pics. I can't wait to start the series over again. Will be watching it with some friends who haven't seen it yet.

So Walmart only had 1 copy of the collection, and closes at 10:00pm. I arrived at 10:00pm dead on and convinced the greeter to let me in. And behold, the only copy sitting atop of a counter. I grabbed it without looking back. So I'm now the proud owner of the Lost The Complete Collection. I've included some photos for your enjoyment...and mine

747Music wrote:So Walmart only had 1 copy of the collection, and closes at 10:00pm. I arrived at 10:00pm dead on and convinced the greeter to let me in. And behold, the only copy sitting atop of a counter. I grabbed it without looking back. So I'm now the proud owner of the Lost The Complete Collection. I've included some photos for your enjoyment...and mine

Nice one, Did you get the Secret Disk? With Hurley And Ben
I seen that today, quite interesting!

Ya, I found the secret disc. Was pretty cool to find it. You gotta use a blacklight and look for clues n such. Awesome stuff. I'm waiting for a friend to come over to watch it with me though. So I haven't seen it yet.

JEALOUS

I already own seasons 1-5 on dvd so it was kinda irrelevant to buy the box set even though I'm a huge fan. When I finally get around to buying a PS3 ill prob get the blu-ray box.

On another note, who liked "The New Man in Charge"? I thought it was a great little afterthought, and happy they answered some lingering questions..Lost, you changed the way I think, and I shall miss ye.

I found a great article that has quite an amazing Lost theory. It makes A LOT of sense.

Give it a read: http://ericknowsitall.com/ultimate-lost-theory/

I think it makes perfect sense. Tell me what you think...

That's a really good read man..nice find! I liked their theory on the light in the Heart of the Island being Time, pretty smart idea if you ask me