LOST's series finale, as expected, was a polarizing show that divided fans into a few major sects. It's not surprising, as the show itself has conjured rifts amongst the fanbase in its six years of air-time. In the end, I was in the camp of people who were more than satisfied with what the two-and-a-half hour episode presented to me. I found closure that I was afraid I wasn't going to get. I got emotion, power, beauty, meaning and a message, even if they didn't provide answers to questions that they posed during the run of the show. I can understand why people might have been angry at that lack of answers. I will never begrudge someone the way they feel, unless that feeling is based in ignorance (LOOKING AT YOU, LOST BASHERS WHO'VE NEVER WATCHED SO MUCH AS A MINUTE OF THE SHOW). However, I feel like the lack of answers is par for the course for the show, and while some may see it as a cop out, I thought it was fitting to give the fans something to chew on, something to wonder about, a way to enjoy the show even now that it's off the air.
After the jump...I think part of the reason why LOST has been such an intelligent show isn't because of the introduction of electromagnetic theories or the positing of time travel or the multiple complex interactions or anything that was explicitly written in the canon. To me, the show was intelligent because it inspired intelligent conversation and debate. No other show that I can think of has made its fanbase come up with the massive amounts of theories and discussion about said theories. The show's mythology has always been this burgeoning behemoth that was greater than anything Carlton Cuse, Damon Lindelof or any of the writers could have dreamed of. The only thing that separates LOST's mythos from the pages and pages of non-canonical Expanded Universe material in the Star Wars fandom is that the only published LOST extra stuff is on theory websites and blogs.
That's why I feel like the lack of answers given was not only appropriate but needed. There was no reason for the creators and writers of the show to give every bit of minutia, and I bet that it wouldn't have been satisfactory for some vocal contingient of those clamoring for answers anyway. Be that as it may, I thought it as a propos that we didn't get the writers dogma. We got an opportunity to continue debating, discussing, arguing and wondering about what the Island's truths really are. Some see it as a curse, I see it as a gift. Some of the best stories leave you wanting more. Some leave you wanting too much, which is the vibe I got from Sopranos fans after their series finale ended with the family eating onion rings.
With LOST, I feel like we got enough closure, a magnificent ending that felt befitting of the show. I loved the message, that life wasn't necessarily about reaching an end but about the people you spend the journey with. It's not anything new, but the way it was presented was where the power came from. The reunions of Sawyer and Juliet, Shannon and Sayid, Charlie and Claire. The real John Locke appearing again and reassuring everyone that everything was going to end up alright. Jack's final meeting with his father. Everything was executed so well, and the point was reinforced over and over again with elegance and force. The resolution was succinct and effective. We got an answer to what the "flash-sideways" universe was, and it made sense, their mission in that universe made sense. We didn't need to see what the escapees from the Island did in the rest of their lives. We only needed to know that they moved on with their lives. We didn't need a dissertation on how Hurley and Ben ran the Island after everyone left. We only needed to know that they were successful through their exchange before Hurley entered the church for the final time. We didn't need to know how Desmond made it back to Penny and little Charlie. We only needed to trust that he did, because Hurley changed the rules and reigned over the Island with a much better attitude and policy than Jacob ever could.
Besides, the show was never about them anyway. It was about Jack Shephard. Like Jimmy Kimmel postulated last night, the show was about the life and times of Jack, and it was mainly about his journey, one that began and ended with him saving lives and fixing people. There was no happier ending than seeing Jack finally gets to be the one whose problems get fixed himself, dying a the hero of all heroes in the reality and finally finding out that yes, his father really loved him, and so did everyone he spent those last years of his life with, in the purgatory of the flash-sideways universe, from those who always believed in him like Hurley and especially Kate, to those with whom he never saw eye-to-eye, like Locke.
And yes, I would have loved to have gotten a few more answers, or at least closure to some important characters, namely, Michael and Walt (who were shockingly and horrifically absent from the final church scene), but nothing is ever perfect, which was another underlying theme in the show. Just because something or someone is imperfect doesn't mean it or they are now undeserving of being loved.
With the finale in the books, I can say that I'm glad I invested the last four years of my life viewing the show (I watched the first two seasons on DVD after getting on board in Season 3). It was a very rewarding and enriching experience, a great fable with intelligence and science-fiction sensibilities that now I will not be able to find anywhere on TV now that Flash Forward is going off the air. Oh well, at least I'll still have Chuck, Venture Bros. and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Godspeed and farewell, LOST. You are a show that now belongs to the ages.
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