This comes from an interview that took place days before the show L O S T ended. I find it ironic and prophetic, given how so many people responded to the finale.
"You know, one of the great things about Lost - which I think has made it special - is that it has made people hypothesize and write out their own story. And so there is the danger that the way it ends is not going to be the way some people want it to end, and those people might be disappointed. But I think if they're open to what the show actually is it's a really beautiful ending."
- Matthew Fox, on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
Interesting insight, and it can be applied to many things.
How often do we miss out on the true plot of life because we're so busy trying to rewrite the script in our own image?
Over the past few days, I've had several conversations involving the finale of the show L O S T. Today I was able to share some perspective on it via my weekly newspaper column.
While much has been said on the topic of how the show ended, I'm more interested in the reason behind the debate it's caused. Here's what I've been able to discern from the big picture:
Some people watched the show for the characters: From the "opening" scene to the final "closure," we have been the real eyes that have watched every monumental moment that occurred in the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. Along the way we learned about "Others" on the island, and many who were off the island with a tie to what was occurring. Throw in two more characters who made it all about good and evil and there were many people to care about and despise.
Some people watched the show for the mystery: Once upon a time there was an injured pilot who got attacked by "something" that made weird noises. Oh, and then there was a hatch in the island - what the heck? And then "others" who stole a boy? What about that weird cabin in the woods, or the weird whispers from invisible people, or the Dharma Initiative symbols all over the island? Can someone please explain the numbers?
All of these questions once were watercooler conversations, until many of those questions were answered. Some weren't, though. It seems that has driven a large number of people quite mad.
Some people watched the show for the production: Let's face it, this TV show has pulled in some of the best writing, production, and actors in all of entertainment history. What they accomplished in terms of set design on the island of Hawaii was amazing, not to mention the caliber of music that made every ordinary moment epic. It seemed like even some of the side characters were played by quality actors who could pull off some of the toughest scenes, as if even the "everyman" character (that likely represented you or I) could carry a portion of the show as needed.
I've realized that the people who fall into one category may struggle with the people in the other categories. For instance, someone who loves that the show has been about characters may not understand the angst of someone who wanted every question answered. Likewise, someone who enjoyed the show purely on a production level may not understand how attached fans became to the show.
My spin...
What is the point of LOST: According to the producers, it's about the characters. That's always been my spin as well. I wouldn't say that it's only about relationships, but I would say that all the mysteries are more scenery than the point of the show.
I know this is frustrating to people who wanted more of a tidy ending to the show, but consider life... you can argue that the people who were in your life 10 years ago who no longer are were a "waste of time" (i.e. Lost mysteries that were not answered). Or you can see how while they are not directly on your radar right now they contributed to a small or large piece of who you are and how you see life.
For instance, Dharma may seem "useless" since it didn't play into the finale... or did it? After all, wasn't Sawyer the man he was in this final season due to what happened to him during those three years with Juliet? Are Walt's powers as important as what his disappearance did to Michael, which in turn affected the survivor's rallying to go find them, confront the Others, learn about the agenda of the Others, learn about why that agenda existed (i.e. Jacob), and so on?
And what about the people we saw for a season but don't any more? Was learning about Mr Ecko a waste of energy? Or those Dharma guys last year? How about Shannon? And Boone? To say they didn't matter is like saying all a plant needs to grow is a seed. It needs foundation... soil... water... and so on. Each character on this show has affected another, just like how the person who cut you off in traffic today and made you miss the green light affected you more profoundly than you may ever realize.
In many cases, we should note, it took that one special moment with that one special person for it all to happen. Kate didn't just wear a mask... she was a mask. That is, until taking care of Aaron made her become vulnerable. Jack, likewise, had to realize his goal of getting off the island before he realized that it wasn't what he wanted. And so on.
Isn't it beautiful how in every failing there is a great victory, and in every victory there is a great failing?
What was the point of the "flash sideways?" and the finale?: When I watched the first episode of this season, I found myself more enlightened than confused. While many saw two storylines being played out that didn't seem to connect, I saw the same storyline being played out in two ways that I anticipated would merge into one. On one hand, the characters we knew were able to live out their life as if Oceanic 815 had never crashed. In another timeline, they were still on the island.
Or were they?
The key was always in Juliet's death. In her last moments before passing away, she uttered two lines of dialogue that seemed out of character for the moment. Later in that episode we found out her last thought was "It worked." That was our clue there that the two storylines would somehow merge. The question for me became "how?"
At first I wondered if it wouldn't be a sci-fi ending of sorts, with some character (Desmond or Jack) tying up the loose ends. Soon I realized that again the key was in Juliet dying... she had a near-death vision that she thought meant things had reset. In reality, she was entering the "afterlife" place that the flash-sideways was.
Then there was the issue of the final scenes... somehow I knew they would have to root us back to the show's core elements - the ensemble cast and the eye of Jack Shepherd. How fitting that they would both happen at the same time, both in the real-time era of the island and the non-time era of the afterlife.
Frankly, I know that ticked some people off... but isn't the purpose of any great show or movie to affect you in some way? To change you? To get you thinking about your own life versus merely solving why a hatch is on an island?
What about _____?: I hate to say this, but let it go. It's a TV show, and granted... it's one that you invested up to six years of your life into. Was the point always for you to be satisfied, or was it to be on a fictional journey that in some way played into your non-fiction life?
Consider - how many answers have you found in life, only to realize there is so much more you need to grow into? In the same way, even for all the things the characters on LOST accomplished there was still more to be done... Jack was Jacob's replacement, but then he needed Hurley; Widmore made it to the island, but didn't fulfill his purpose; Michael got Walt off the island, but their relationship dissolved; the Oceanic Six made if off the island, but needed to come back.
The unanswered questions of this show remind us of our own lives, and that's why we cry "NOT FAIR!" After all, entertainment is supposed to have the Hollywood ending, but this show reminded us that even when we save the world today we have to save it again tomorrow. And ultimately we will die and someone else will have to pick up that baton.
One day, that will all change... in the blink of an eye.
But for now, that is the merry-go-round we are on.
And if you don't like it, then you know how Locke must have felt when Ben kept all the secrets; or how Ben felt when un-Locke kept all the secrets.
Turns out the show keeps on giving, doesn't it? :)
So you can be as stuck in the past as Sawyer, Juliet, Miles, Farady, and Jin were...
or you can remember what today's date is.
So again, I encourage you to read that article up top I wrote and consider how what you've experienced in this show has added perspective to your own life that you may currently be unaware of.
And as a final note, I do appreciate the spiritual conversations that I've been able to have through LOST. A couple of years ago I did a sermon series on it that walked us through the book of Job, and man whose life truly embodied this scene.
But again - this show involves the everyday as well as the eternal... faith and science... redemption and injustice... battles and babies. Maybe it’s understandable why everyone is flipping out - because when mysteries stay mysteries we become keenly aware of how our own life can feel unsatisfying.
Which, as a side point - or perhaps a core point - is worth noting. How is it that inside of us are we intuitively wired to yearn for resolution? It's as if deep down we know that there is more than what is in front of us, even though we can't see it.
Sounds like faith.
And in the same breath, we know that there are steps to take to move forward... even though we have to figure them out in real time.
Regarding L O S T: I know many of you have asked if I liked the ending of the show or not. In short, I did for a number of reasons. I'm writing more about it in my weekly newspaper column this week, so I'll reference that link when it's up on Wednesday. In the meantime, here's an intriguing summary plus a lot of debate in the comments.
Continuing forward with some of my favorite LOST moments. Each post will cover a season.
Season Five
1) At last... we see Jacob... and anti-Jacob. Based on their conversation, the foundation of much of what has been going on the island is finally revealed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTF2Vd--yIw
4) Sawyer and Jack finally... finally.... fight. I'm not a big fan of violence, but I understand where these swings came from. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxSphGdP-6c
3) Hurley does a cannonball... and finds out what happened to Charlie. Later, he tells Claire and we see one of the most honest grieving scenes we've seen up until this point. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luPMdhy0Mhs
4) "You realize we're the only two married guys on the island?" Jin and Bernard have a talk about what is the right thing to do. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruJ_rs-iEeE
5) Ben Linus does something sacrificial... as if he's beginning to embrace the idea that for the sake of something larger he will put his own agenda aside. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fef2KKMYJ54
2) The man behind the curtain - as it turns out, there is something truly supernatural on this island... and its biggest showman (Ben Linus) is surprised the most. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Swhhw0-W_E
3) The season opens, and we finally get a glimpse of life for the "others" - including the everyday habits of a reading group. Ben Linus hits another homerun with, "So, I guess I'm out of the book club." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KHJk2O5rGw
4) Charlie gives up his life... even though he doesn't have to. Yet he does - because somewhere deep within he believes that this is his moment to make a sacrifice for the greater good. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJIH2VmNWQI
Continuing forward with some of my favorite LOST moments. Each post will cover a season.
Season Two
1) Breakfast with Henry Gale... what an amazing handling of this scene by every actor involved, especially Michael Emerson. It was *the* scene that took the chaos we had been experiencing up until that point and gave it a possible direction... and no one knew at the time whether this guy was legit or a faker. "You guys got any milk?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ1yQdWWTKc
3) Mr Ecko and Charlie quote Psalm 23 together, each feeling a depth of meaning about it. Only later do we understand what it means to each, yet in the moment it was a declaration of a concrete faith in God. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PRtewT6cbc
In honor of a great TV show that I've enjoyed over the years and had many "watercooler" conversations about, here are some of my favorite LOST moments. Each post will cover a season, starting with the first.
Season One
1) The boat launch - a powerful instrumental of hope, full of character-to-character moments that transcend words. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeatX6Pagf0
2) End of season Flashback to the plane, and another pure instrumental soundtrack. Each character is initially lost in the plot of their own lives as they board the plane, until they occasionally begin to take note of each other... strangers at this point, unaware of their destiny together. John Locke and Jack Shepherd accidentally glance at one another, and each nods their head. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHP2QavTSUA
3) "Wash Away" - a soundtrack sequence where each character becomes more multi-dimensional than you though they were. My favorite moment - Michael, in slow motion, brings Walt his dog back. Walt shifts from aimless wandering to a full out run to embrace Vincent, and the father feels like a father by bringing joy to his son. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq4Dsv7EdyQ
4) Hurley tells Jack that "Ethan" was not on the plane - the plot just got bigger.
I've been a L O S T fan since the first season, and I liked last night, too. But I noticed a trend in the show this season that I want to note.
I'm noticing that what seemed like new info really wasn't. For instance, the skeletons in the cave, the backgammon reference, and the two rocks (white/black) were all season one references that in that season were spotlighted in context. Hurley's little speech about time travel was a bit too, "Okay, everyone, pay attention to what I'm about to say. Because I'm going to explain something to you without explaining it." Of course, he's Hurley, so he pulled it off with a smile.
I'm seeing a lot of this kind of stuff this season - viewers want "answers" and each episode is promised to give some. On one hand, that's great - on another, though, the show can become more about "answers' than its story. I hope we don't lose out on character development or the pace of the show simply because there is a checklist every viewer is holding and the writers know it. For instance, it was intriguing to see Jack balance life as a dad, but his visit with Hurley the caves seemed unnecessary to series viewers but more thrown in for newer viewers.
Compare this with the "numbers" reveal last week, which had more of an "everybody" reveal to it in the context of the show's plot.
Also, in case you've missed these, pay attention to the significance of these moments:
In conversation with Locke, Richard doesn't see the boy, but Sawyer does.
Kate isn't "invited."
Christian Shepherd's apparent alliance - who has he been an emissary for all this time? And what might that reveal to his previous advice?
Jin and Sun were both touched by Jacob at the same time at their wedding. And the name on Jacob's list is their last name.
Being able to "see" anything in the lighthouse.
Jack's finding wounds/scars in his flash sideways that correspond with his experiences on the island.
Juliet's last words... what she says before she dies, as she's dying, and after she dies.
Of course, I only care to write this because I enjoy this show. I hope the smoke and mirrors of the show don't become smoke and mirrors to its plot... pun intended. However, I have confidence that the last episode will be the big kick in the pants a lot of people hope for. I'm glad I picked up on something key in the first episode of this season or else I'd be going crazy about now. (And if you want to know what it is, read the bullets above)
As I said before, I'm quite giddy about feeling like I have the story arc of this season of L O S T (and the series, for that matter) figured out. So to prove it later on, I've written my theory down as well as phoned it into a popular L O S T podcast hotline.
I don't want to spoil it for anyone I know, though, so I won't be posting it online. But if it plays out like I think it's going to play out, the way the writers have already begun (especially with the "flash sideways" we've been seeing in each episode) will make this one of the smartest ways of writing a final season in the history of television.
Keep in mind what I'm about to share is my spin on ABC's show LOST, meaning I've not read any spoilers on purpose. So if I'm right it's because I guessed well... so technically I'm not giving anything away here.
That said...
Ben was for many years spoofing Dharma and pretending that their stuff was still on the island. They found out, got mad, and are looking for him. Eventually he's forced off the island by the boat people, forced to work for Dharma, and knows about the "six" who leave.
Why six? Because in the end so many castaways decide to stay. That, and well... things get bloody between Locke and Jack. Lots of people die.
But for those who stay, the island has become their home... Rose/Bernard had an episode like this explaining why they would stay. I also think the next person we'll see is Michael as a "sixer." He's the one in the casket.
I believe Claire gets in the helicopter (as Desmond predicted), but then something happens to her. An accident? Kate's involved? So out of responsibility Kate takes on Aaron.
Ben is holding this over Sayid's head. This is why Sayid is working for him - to stop Ben from blabbing. So Ben is using him to take out the Dharma people so Ben can go back to the island, take out Locke (who is still there), and regain control.
This means taking out the tall African-American gentleman who hired the boat people.
1. What do you think of the statment, "Don't say that out loud, the devil may hear?" 2. What did you think of the season finale of LOST (season 3) and are you still loving the show? (PS -- I continue to think it is that BEST-SHOW-ON-TV-EVER. :)
Wow... quite the spectrum of Q&A there, Lisa. :)
1) First off, I've found that a measure of respect of anything supernatural is healthy. It's odd that Americans (compared to other countries) are so sarcastic in our comedy when it comes to poking fun of God or the devil. While scenes like the dinner table prayer in Talladega Nights make me laugh, I wonder if somewhere in our attempt to muse about our own hypocrisy we lose a little bit of respect for God in the process.
Somewhere along the way we forget how powerful God is and whatever He has allowed satan to maintain as well... often we reduce satan to a red horned halloween costume or pay money to see the latest horror flick and assume its evil has no effect on us.
On the other side of this, sometimes we give way too much worry to the power satan has. Make no mistake, he is capable of things that we should take note of, but compared to God he is a wimp. To hear some Christians talk, you would think the devil is bigger than the Creator and we should constantly be looking for the evil one behind every bush. Some speak of him with a whisper because they're afraid he might hear them, get angry, and mess with their world.
Why? If we are in Christ, Christ is in us... we don't do the fighting, but join the already-established-ultimate-winner in defeating the enemy. It's like if the Chicago Bulls (during the Jordan years) asked me to join them in playing a game of basketball against a team of junior-highers. Why shouldn't the devil hear that God's "got game" in my life? The devil doesn't have authority over me any more than I let him... and I don't think I'll let him, thank you.
2) I really enjoyed the finale last season and look forward to the 8 shows they've finished before the writer's strike. Hopefully they'll finish the rest, too... we'll see. It's always been nice that you could pick up the new season where the last one left off... season 1: looking down a hatch; season 2: heroes get taken away; but now we don't know what time era the next season will begin in... crazy.
