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Lost TV show (Season 6) -- includes spoilers on show nights

This is the worst series finale I've ever seen, especially for a show as deserving as LOST. The ending was a TOTAL cop-out by the writers. It smacked of 'we've spun far too complicated a web, so let's reverse course here and make the show all about some character driven narrative'.

I've been an avid fan of the show since its inception, and remember Damon and Carlton specifically saying after someone questioned it being purgatory, that it was in no uncertain terms the premise of the show. So what do they do? They have the island story be real but the flash-sideways world be a purgatory of sorts. WEAK!

They also said at one time that the show's mysteries, or at least most of them, could be explained with science. I'm all for a little mythology woven in, but these last few episodes with a light in a cave in the middle of the jungle, without some sort of explanation was borderline cheesy and ridiculous.

It's as if they all realized during a writers session at the beginning of the season that they had convoluted the story so much it was no way to start explaining everything. I'm ok with that. Just explain a little... They chose to totally reverse course and start back-pedaling and every chance they got, they started trying to force-feed this notion of LOST being a character driven show, and that's what it's all about. BS! Fans became so addicted to the series and it's mythological elements that they actually created alternate reality games, and fact finding missions, etc. This ending to me was almost pandering in its quest to have an emotional impact, and have you more concerned with Sawyer and Juliet reuniting over a candy bar, than explaining what the hell they have created these last 6 years.

This, ladies and gentleman, is why you should never start asking questions you don't already know the answer to. They went down the rabbit hole, only to find out that all that's left is black smoke and some light...

Such an utter disappointment!
 
toneloco2881 said:
^^^^
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I think they should have at least made an attempt at developing the science theme that they pioneered with the a-bomb/dharma story line. But alas, they quickly invented something for the final season to tie all the world back together, without making mention (in the slightest) of how Jacob, Richard, Eloise, Witmore, and all the Dharma/Others are able to leave the island to interact with the real world (are we supposed to think of that as some "grim reaper" type thing now). Furthermore, they attempted to add purpose to the island that was entirely different from what A) the dharma initiative was studying B) what the original Lost cast was investigating with the "hatch" C) the others were investigating with reproductive tests D) the other others were searching for in the temple...

I feel like I got strung along for too long with the allure of answers to questions only to be redirected to a very tidy but ultimately quickly manufactured ending. I guess it feels like they duped me.
 
toneloco2881 said:
It smacked of 'we've spun far too complicated a web, so let's reverse course here and make the show all about some character driven narrative'
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This show has always been about the characters.

Great ending. I'm gonna miss the heck out of this. Don't think a television show will ever effect me as or come close to what Lost has done.

Still need to process everything. :(
 
Fiveos22 said:
I think they should have at least made an attempt at developing the science theme that they pioneered with the a-bomb/dharma story line. But alas, they quickly invented something for the final season to tie all the world back together, without making mention (in the slightest) of how Jacob, Richard, Eloise, Witmore, and possibly a few others (like the Oceanic guy) are able to leave the island to interact with the real world (are we supposed to think of that as some "grim reaper" type thing now).

I feel like I got strung along for too long with the allure of answers to questions only to be redirected to a very tidy but ultimately quickly manufactured ending.
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Precisely.

It was lazy writing plain and simple. Any story that involves real people, is by its very nature a character driven narrative to some degree. To totally forget all of the previous 5 seasons, and make the last episode about "moving on" and "letting go" makes the previous seasons virtually irrelevant.

We find out in the finale that the entire series was basically a manifestation of a Rube Goldberg 'machine' to lead us to a sappy disparate ending.

Maybe the writers think that's brilliant. I think its cheap and something to say after the fact, when you just can't admit you had no idea where you were going with this. We should have known when Ben was originally contracted to be on for 3 episodes, and subsequently became what 'seemed' to be a integral part of the show. Flying by the seat of their pants....
 
lostfan916 said:
This show has always been about the characters.
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It's only been a few hours and I'm already sick of hearing people say this. Yes the characters are great, and it's partly a character driven show. But the mythology of lost is equally as important to me (and I don't think I'm alone).
 
I agree with toneloco2881. So many people devoted time to following the little clues, that the writers definitely implied were of importance (or would be), and now, at the end, it was all pointless. They turned the show on it's heels and gave it a lame "it's about what they experienced and who they met" feeling.

I have a few questions....So the FST was purgatory/heaven, and they all went there when the nuc went off? But they also jumped forward to normal time on the island, where some of them escaped on the plane (to go back to the 'real world'?), others died (namely Jack), and some stayed behind (Hurely, Ben etc)? Just to get my head round it.

Now...Why did Hurely say to Ben in the FST "You were a great no.2"? I realise Hurely asked Ben to help him, after Hurely was made 'defender' of the island....but why would he say it in the FST, and use past tense? I thought they all died and entered the FST way before Hurley said this to Ben.
Also...random but I'm curious. What was with the shoe tied to the tree, as Jack stumbled through the bamboo at the end? The camera focused on it so I'm assuming it was important?

Overall, I've enjoyed the ride. It's not the sort of show you can just watch a random episode of, but I can see myself watching through it all again gradually.
 
I too completely agree with toneloco2881.

This was utter disappointment. I had sensed that they were going to take an easy way out, with every interview the writers/actors been mentioning "this" great finale and almost everyone had to follow it up with a caution that some won't like it. But this is just too easy.

The only reason I'm not royally pissed is because I had lost that excessive passion for the show in season 5.

Let's just hope that 24 won't too end up being in Purgatory.
 
I need to do one of those rambling "correct me if i'm wrong" posts to get everything in line regarding the end.

1. Ben was Hugo's own little Richard Alpert. The exchange between Ben and Hugo at the church led me to believe that they shared a lifetime of (or at least additional) adventures beyond what we saw in the show. The thing I'm hung up on is, did Hugo make Ben an immortal like Jacob did Alpert, and thus Ben didn't "move on" with them?

2. Vincent the dog was more special than we'd been led to believe. He was there whenever Walt showed off his powers, helped to find Desmond in the well, and was there with Jack at the beginning and end of the saga, amongst other things. He is also white(ish), which was Jacob's choice of color and served in numerous occasions to represent the color of good.

3. Juliette detonating the bomb didn't create the sideways flash timeline, as it was merely an abstract reality that they all undertook in a timeless afterlife in order to move on to their final destinations. The bomb just set things right in the real timeline, in regards to being in the correct year.

4. Since he was already mortally wounded and the flashes of insight into the memories of the island had already began for him in the sideways flash timeline, did Jack know about his afterlife encounters when he told Desmond "I'll see you in another world, brother"?

I have a ton more questions, but I'd rather reflect on some of them over a few days and see what official comments come out from the creators.
 
iSee said:
Incredible. Beautiful. Stunning...

Now that was truly a great way to end this. I really did not think they could live up to everything they built up over the years. But this was just amazing.

It's all about the people, their relationships, what they meant to each other, how much they loved each other and depended on each other.

I think the other stuff is left ambiguous because it isn't really that important.
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Exactly right. And yes, I thought it superb as well.

Thing is though, I can see the arguments raging because Lost fans are generally split into two camps. Those that have always really focused on all the interdependent relationships (let's call them 'The Adults' ;)) and the others (no pun intended) who prefer to focus/obsess over some of the clever mythological minutae that has been so characteristic throughout the show, let's call them 'The Nerds'.

Problem is that the shows' writers have pretty much catered for the Nerds thorughout, aimed it at them even, so naturally the emotional finale will deeply confuse/upset them, and the internet will experience a lag as they try to come to terms with why we didn't find out what the Man in Black's name was, or what actually was the light in the cave etc.*

The rest of us just smile and applaud an ending that, whilst a tad dark thematically in terms of DEATH, was equally life-reaffirming. It's almost a science/explanation vs. religion/faith split. Indeed, very 'Lost'.













* The only one that really grated with me was the Faraday paradox, Daniel not present in the church despite being instrumental within the group and with Desmond, not to mention dying on the Island, whilst half-sister Penny was, and Eloise Faraday not really living up to her promise as being heavily involved apart from some unexplained warning to Desmond about bringing everyone together. Very sketchy.
 
ethical said:
Also...random but I'm curious. What was with the shoe tied to the tree, as Jack stumbled through the bamboo at the end? The camera focused on it so I'm assuming it was important?
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Boone's death (falling from plane high up in tree) I think, hence the cut to him. That's how I remember it anyway.
 
Loved the finale, don't really care about anything else as either you get it or you don't. That being said I'm a bit bummed that they never went into detail as to what exactly the smoke monster 'sound' was. Especially since it was metallic-ish, kinda like Devastator from Transformers. :rolleyes:

edit >> or that he NEVER got a name!
 
Regarding Faraday and his mom, I think that it plays into not wanting to "move on"; Faraday's mother asked whether Desmond was going to take him away from her, and he said that he wouldn't, which seemed to be what she wanted to hear from him. I like to think that for some people, they stay behind because they are getting a lifetime of that which they wanted most: The mother not wanting to send her son off to die (at her own hands, no less), Faraday finally getting a chance to do music instead of science... and maybe you could even extend it into the lives of others who weren't shown, such as Mr. Ecko possibly living it up with his brother in a peaceful setting, or Michael and Walt finally living together as father and son, or even Ben having a healthy relationship with Roussou and Alex. Those are just wishful thoughts without a sliver of evidence, but still.
 
nobunaga209 said:
Loved the finale, don't really care about anything else as either you get it or you don't. That being said I'm a bit bummed that they never went into detail as to what exactly the smoke monster 'sound' was. Especially since it was metallic-ish, kinda like Devastator from Transformers. :rolleyes:

edit >> or that he NEVER got a name!
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Smokey's sound was the sound of Locke's calculator printer - was in an early season I'm sure.

As for the MiB, did he really need a name? If it bothers you isn't Esau the obvious choice after that prequel episode with their nutty stepmom.
 
NathanCH said:
It's only been a few hours and I'm already sick of hearing people say this. Yes the characters are great, and it's partly a character driven show. But the mythology of lost is equally as important to me (and I don't think I'm alone).
Click to expand...

The mythos is still great, just because they don't every nagging question answered and tied up in a bow does not mean it was bad, simply we have to deduce it on our own.
 
joshjoshlol said:
Regarding Faraday and his mom, I think that it plays into not wanting to "move on"; Faraday's mother asked whether Desmond was going to take him away from her, and he said that he wouldn't, which seemed to be what she wanted to hear from him. I like to think that for some people, they stay behind because they are getting a lifetime of that which they wanted most: The mother not wanting to send her son off to die (at her own hands, no less), Faraday finally getting a chance to do music instead of science... and maybe you could even extend it into the lives of others who weren't shown, such as Mr. Ecko possibly living it up with his brother in a peaceful setting, or Michael and Walt finally living together as father and son, or even Ben having a healthy relationship with Roussou and Alex. Those are just wishful thoughts without a sliver of evidence, but still.
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Makes some sort of sense, thanks.

Disappointed we didn't get a sliver of Eko, such a strong character until death in S2. Actor probably burned his bridges with the production team.
 
toneloco2881 said:
Precisely.

It was lazy writing plain and simple. Any story that involves real people, is by its very nature a character driven narrative to some degree. To totally forget all of the previous 5 seasons, and make the last episode about "moving on" and "letting go" makes the previous seasons virtually irrelevant.

We find out in the finale that the entire series was basically a manifestation of a Rube Goldberg 'machine' to lead us to a sappy disparate ending.

Maybe the writers think that's brilliant. I think its cheap and something to say after the fact, when you just can't admit you had no idea where you were going with this. We should have known when Ben was originally contracted to be on for 3 episodes, and subsequently became what 'seemed' to be a integral part of the show. Flying by the seat of their pants....
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This is not the first show this has happened on.

I mentioned The X Files. That show's mythology involved little gray aliens, shape-shifting aliens, super-soldier aliens, oil-based aliens and Giger-like aliens. They just kept coming up with new ideas, some of which contradicted each other, and in the final episode, Fox Mulder tries to weave this narrative in which these things were somehow all legitimately connected...and man, did it sound lame!

Even one of my favorite shows, Nowhere Man (from which I take my handle), did it. On the DVD set, the creator/writer says that the only reason he came up with an explanation of why Tom Veil was erased was that the fans demanded it. He was perfectly happy to go without any explanation, because to him, the journey was more interesting than the destination, the people more intriguing than the plot. To which I say, bull**** -- that's the lazy way out. At some point you have to explain the situation you have set up.

Perhaps the only show I know of that did it right was Babylon 5. J. Michael Straczynski told a story which spanned thousands of years of time, with a large cast (some prone to action, others to philosophy), dealing with cosmic issues of good and evil, and ending with the hero being assumed by a God-like force. Sound familiar?

With the exception of some episodes tacked onto its fifth season because WB ****ed over Straczynski, B5's narrative is very clear. There are events and lines of dialogue all over the show that don't pay off until years later, but they do pay off, and you can draw a straight line from one to the other and go, "Oh, so that's what that meant!"

Wish I felt the same way here, but I don't. And the producers saying the characters are more important than answering the questions they raised...no. Character and plot are equally important.
 
Veinticinco said:
Smokey's sound was the sound of Locke's calculator printer - was in an early season I'm sure.

As for the MiB, did he really need a name? If it bothers you isn't Esau the obvious choice after that prequel episode with their nutty stepmom.
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I can swing it with the whole Esau thing and I've always thought that smoke monster's 'noise' was one third NY taxicab, one third Texas Giant from Six Flags, and lastly a tiny bit of Tyrannosaurus. Just saying...
 
Originally Posted by ethical
Also...random but I'm curious. What was with the shoe tied to the tree, as Jack stumbled through the bamboo at the end? The camera focused on it so I'm assuming it was important?

Re-watch the pilot. After Jack gets up and starts running through the jungle, we see that shoe in the tree. It's our first indication that something odd is going on. Then, of course, Jack gets to the beach and we learn about the crash.
 
mstrze said:
Re-watch the pilot. After Jack gets up and starts running through the jungle, we see that shoe in the tree. It's our first indication that something odd is going on. Then, of course, Jack gets to the beach and we learn about the crash.
Click to expand...

Ohh I see, cheers! Not to scare/offend anyone.....but I've never watched the first series! I started watching when Lost was in season 3, and began watching episodes from the beginning of season 2 to catch up.
 
I have watched every episode of LOST. I have cared about the characters. I have sit around reading mythology websites trying to figure out what the hell is going on. For the whole point of the finale to only have been about the characters moving on is a kick in the ass to many LOST fans, like me, who invested years trying to understand what was happening. For all of it to just have been thrown out, and to be told that, "Oh, well that wasn't important, it was just about the people", makes me furious. All of the mythology is what made me a LOST fan. I would never have watched the show as long as I did had I known it would end this way. Why was I led to care about Jack's son? Sayid's ex-girlfriend and her husband? This whole other reality? None of it was real, and I feel like my emotions have been toyed with.
 
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