Lost - The Final Episode

Six years ago, I began watching Lost because one of my professors took the time to convince the students in my first year film class how awesome the pilot episode was. I then proceeded to watch the better part of the first season on an antenna that received ABC as fuzzy and colourless. I think that, as much as anything, is a testament to my addiction to (and love for) this show. At the time there was absolutely nothing like it on television, and even now there are shows that try but still cannot live up to the epic juggernaut of a show that is Lost. It was hard to wave goodbye to my favourite show, but I like to think it smiled back at me as I did so.

With such a large cast it was vitally important that the show be just as much about characters as it was about the crazy island mysteries. I remember how exciting each season one episode was simply on the basis that we got to learn about a different character for the first time each week. So it was only appropriate that we end with that in mind. Even though we'd already seen all of the dead characters come back at least once since their deaths (with the exception of Mr. Eko, who was only alluded to in season 4), it was still amazing to have all of them reunite in the same episode. Additionally it was a nice touch to have everyone in the flash-sideways world get flashes of their island lives, because it was like rewarding us regular viewers with sweet reminders of the show's best moments and how much some of these characters mean to each other. The cast handled it beautifully (I'm picturing the genuine smile of enlightenment on Locke's face), and I have to admit I teared up more than once. They included slightly less direct throwbacks to earlier episodes as well, which I loved, including: Jack and Locke gazing down a deep, dark hole (the hatch, season 1 finale), Apollo bars getting stuck in vending machines (Jack and Jacob, season 5 finale), Jack and Locke arguing over what will happen when Desmond visits the light (the hatch computer, season 2), Kate making a joke about guys always trying to stop her from coming with them into the jungle (practically every episode in the series), and so on. Again, this is stuff for the fans and not for the losers who casually watch Lost and then complain that they don't understand it when they don't even watch every episode. The writers know they've got tons of loyal fans, and this episode was for them.

Jack's fight with Locke in the rain, complete with running jump punches, reminded me of Neo's final battle with Agent Smith in The Matrix Revolutions. Probably wasn't an intentional reference, but there was the similarity of the flash-sideways world being very matrix-like. So Desmond's destiny was to pull out the island's plug (withstanding loads of electromagnetic force in the process) long enough to make the Man in Black mortal and give Kate the opportunity to come in with a rifle and spout a cheesy action movie line upon shooting him in the back. Although the line was admittedly awesome because I laughed at its blatant badassness.

The game changer: the flash-sideways world was a purgatory of sorts where our beloved characters ended up following their deaths! The one criticism I have about this ending is that it fits perfectly with season 6 but is unconnected to the rest of the series without flash-sideways stories in the first 5 seasons. Actually my other criticism is that I always sort of hoped Lost would go out with a bang, the way earlier seasons have ended, with a grand reveal or cliffhanger, but that doesn't make this one unsatisfying because it was highly appropriate due to the legacy of the show's characters. And I like the effect this has retroactively on the earlier season 6 episodes: Jack's bleeding neck was a purgatory hint trying to make him remember his death, Locke's dad was paralyzed as punishment for being one of the biggest douchebags in the series (and other events could be looked at as punishments or warnings as well, such as Sun almost losing the baby for having an affair and constantly lying to Jin), and characters like Ben and Sawyer get to make up for shady actions in the past by being almost opposites of what they were in life. But why are they all so important to each other that they get to move on together, and not with people from their off-island lives? Because of what Jacob told them, and what we've been seeing for six years: they were lonely and miserable. I wouldn't have accepted it otherwise, but these people had dull lives full of mediocre relationships, and that makes their island friendships the best ones they've ever had. Except for Ben, who isn't a part of that group simply because his group is Alex.
Aaaand we end with a mirror image of how we began: Jack lays down in the bamboo forest; his eye closes as Vincent wanders by. It's not a crazy reveal and it leaves a lot of mysteries unanswered, but the writers managed to make us not care about that because we love the characters so much. Curse you, magnificent bastards!