And the shoe in the bamboo grove that Jack passes on his way to his death?
The first scene of Season 1 Jack wakes up in the forest right after the crash. It shows that shoe - it's his dads, who was wearing them in his coffin. Something about Jack not wanting to spring for new shoes for the burial.
So this time they flash on the shoe to ref the initial scene of the series? Plus it's old and crusty = real time passed since day 1 of crash?
I didn't expect to have all my questions answered, but I did hope for something a little more elaborate and thought out than a magic fountain in a cave and a parallel heaven-like universe where all of the characters all happen to live in the same city and run into each other around every corner. After 6 years of having a lot of fun trying to make sense of the mythology of the island, time travel, a giant 4-toed lizard statue, etc., they kind of left me high and dry.
What we got instead was a super cornball family reunion finale, half of which consisted of flashbacks and people kissing, hugging and crying. I thought we might get something darker or maybe a little more sinister - it seemed to be moving in that direction in the last couple of episodes with Smokey, his mother, etc. I hoped the ending would be more of a shocker than a group hug.
I was very into all of the characters and their relationships, don't get me wrong. I just think they could have taken this somewhere deeper.
I didn't expect to have all my questions answered, but I did hope for something a little more elaborate and thought out than a magic fountain in a cave and a parallel heaven-like universe where all of the characters all happen to live in the same city and run into each other around every corner. After 6 years of having a lot of fun trying to make sense of the mythology of the island, time travel, a giant 4-toed lizard statue, etc., they kind of left me high and dry.
I hear you but for real, how satisfying could any of those answers have really been? Since when has explication on this (or any other similar show) really paid off? Does knowing that the Black Ark was the ship that brought Richard to the island really add anything?
What we got instead was a super cornball family reunion finale, half of which consisted of flashbacks and people kissing, hugging and crying. I thought we might get something darker or maybe a little more sinister - it seemed to be moving in that direction in the last couple of episodes with Smokey, his mother, etc. I hoped the ending would be more of a shocker than a group hug.
Yeah, I hear you on this one. It was definitely kind of cloying. I enjoyed it but in the way I enjoy candy. Personally, I thought for certain they'd end up back on the island on some "the cycle starts anew" motif with Hurley watching a space ship land on the beach, turning to Ben and saying, "here we go again."
Better yet, it could have been Vincent as the new protector, barking to his #2, the polar bear.
count me in the disappointed group. I actually missed the first hour and was hoping that it would answer some of the questions I had, but seeing you guys' comments I'm not even sure if its worth watching the first hour now.
I concur with mannybolone in that the alterante world was the purgatory and the island was real.
however, the whole "being-relationally-connected-through-struggle-during-the-most-improtant-part-of-our-lives-so-we-live-forever-in-heavenly-bliss" thing could have completely happened without the weird quasi-supernatural/scientific ish that bascially drove the plot(s) of the entire series.
The stuff that actually drove the plot was left completely empty.
Word up on the awkwardness of Sayid/Shannon reunion. That wasn't his true love anyway.
Where was Miles and red head? Why didn't Desmond take Daniel Faraday?
Why didn't Jacob choose Richard to succeed him?
Why couldn't MIB leave? Whay was it such a problem if he did leave? What the heck was the light? These are unanswered questions that were only brought up in the last season.
ad nauseum...
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Jack stole his death from Spock in Wrath of Khan. As far as the sideways universe, I'm really hoping that when I go back and watch this season again, I'll spot Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep walking by unnoticed in the background.
Overall, I was satisfied, but not particularly entertained. I think they answered enough questions and hinted at enough additional answers to sate my curiosity. But for action and drama, I don't think that The End even rates in the top 10 for Lost episodes.
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BTW" The exchange between Hurley and Ben was interesting at the end because it suggested that the two of them had clearly lived through a lot of shit together that we never saw, in other words, their timeline obviously continued after where we left them on the island. (Spinoff! J/k).
Obviously Hurley becomes Number 1 from The Prisoner, although the events depicted there occur after Ben had been replaced as Number 2. That's why Number 1 never appears on screen in that show, the actor who plays him wouldn't be born for another six years after they wrapped production.
Ok avoided this thread as I knew I wouldn't get round to watching it till last night and reading what's written here has made me feel a bit better about the whole thing.
What still really really grates though is that they spent all the time promising that the island wasn't some form of purgatory only to then throw that in as the alternative reality for the whole final series. I guess I have to hand them credit if it's intentionally a big wink but still...
While not that entertaining I was kind of with them through it all until Xtian appeared and both my girl and I let out a collective groan when we finally clicked where this was heading.
Not that bothered about the loose endings in general though what's up with baby Aaron in the afterlife and Sun's baby?
Also, why did Ben save Hugo from the falling tree? Another change of heart again?
After 6 years of having a lot of fun trying to make sense of the mythology of the island, time travel, a giant 4-toed lizard statue, etc., they kind of left me high and dry.
I think this is the major splitting point for fans. There was a faction that watched the show and put a lot of effort into dissecting it and trying to make sense of it all. There was another faction that just enjoyed the show, and didn't think too much about it until the next episode came on. I was in the latter group, and I'm OK with how things ended. Hell, I forgot all about the polar bears for a while anyway. Weren't they brought there by the Dharma Initiative to run tests on them? And the answer is, I don't care. It's over now.
Not that bothered about the loose endings in general though what's up with baby Aaron in the afterlife and Sun's baby?
Presumably both were imagined and not "real". Aaron, of course, still existed in the real world, as did Je-Yeon. But they're not necessarily part of the the purgatory world. Hard to say though since Aaron was part of the Island too. Leave it up to a loose thread. It's not one that personally bothers me.
Also, why did Ben save Hugo from the falling tree? Another change of heart again?
I wouldn't say it was a change of heart "again". I think Ben's been on a (rocky) path of redemption for a while. The only "reversion" was him killing Whitmore but I got the sense he did that out of revenge for Alex's death. I agree that it was confusing; bad writing.
It's Wednesday at 1:00 PM and the ending still sucks.
Also Lost is in my top 3 favorite shows of all time.
Actually the ending was fine. It's the stuff the didn't do BEFORE the ending that sucked and ruined a lot of the show. The ending has NOTHING to do with anything that really happened on the show. They could have wrapped up whatever they wanted to in any way they wanted and could have done the ending. Only problem is they couldn't.
They ripped off a bunch of cool ideas, i.e. the bible, through the looking glass, greek and egyptian mythology, alice in wonderland, etc.. but couldn't come up with anything new to add to the story.
I look at the writing in terms of music, they would be the BOMB SQUAD. They took a ton of different pieces and made something really fresh, but when they couldn't sample anymore they couldn't even play mary had a little lamb on the piano.
Plus.. the ultimate test for people that think it wrapped up okay, watch the whole series with someone that's never seen it before. And watch as they start asking you question how you begin to squirm and realise how bad it was. I don't want allllll the answers. But i had someone watch the special that aired before the last ep with me and they had never seen an episode. They said "oh what are those numbers that looks crazy." I was almost embarassed to say oh their just numbers that go with their names. The person says, oh they have an importance to each person. My answer.. no just a random number they don't mean anything. Next scene.. "where'd that big egyptian statue come from?" me.. "i don't know." Next, how did that big boat get to the middle of the island..."uh a big wave."
This is how watching the whole series would be.
Again this is a GREAT show. It just lost some it's luster at the end.
WATCH THIS VIDEO. IF ANYONE CAN IMBED IT PLEASE DO.
I really wanted to know what was up with that giant 4-toed Egyptian statue, at least to see it from the front. That thing really had me shook for some reason.
The further I get away from it, the suckier the finale seems.
And I have to change my "Lost" series grade from "B" to more like "C/C+". It is more than a notch below my favorite/what-I-think-to-be-truly-great shows.
the show had shoddy writing/acting at various points, but I stuck with it for the enjoyment of the story unraveling. and then the producers made it clear they thought their character work was a lot better than it was, and that the ending would hinge on, BOY I SURE DID LOVE THOSE LOSTIES, WHAT A FUN SHOW WITH GREAT RELATIONSHIPS! shame. i really am slightly pissed i didn't just give up at the beginning of season 3 when it was really lame. fusk network tv.
DocMcCoy"Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
the show had shoddy writing/acting at various points, but I stuck with it for the enjoyment of the story unraveling. and then the producers made it clear they thought their character work was a lot better than it was, and that the ending would hinge on, BOY I SURE DID LOVE THOSE LOSTIES, WHAT A FUN SHOW WITH GREAT RELATIONSHIPS! shame. i really am slightly pissed i didn't just give up at the beginning of season 3 when it was really lame. fusk network tv.
Yeah, a friend of mine broke down for me how she thought all the plot threads that I thought had been left unresolved actually were resolved, and I have to say that a lot of what she said made sense. But ultimately, I think I just stopped caring. It still feels as if I'd been watching a 140-hour-long M. Night Shyamalan movie.
I dunno - one uneven finale isn't going to make me regret watching the whole series. I've enjoyed this past season despite what I think is a rather lame "reveal" in the 11th hour.
My favorite part of the show, you could say my favorite character, was THE ISLAND. I think the finale was pretty good but still didn't really cover much about my favorite part.
My favorite part of the show, you could say my favorite character, was THE ISLAND. I think the finale was pretty good but still didn't really cover much about my favorite part.
Yeah, a friend of mine broke down for me how she thought all the plot threads that I thought had been left unresolved actually were resolved, and I have to say that a lot of what she said made sense.
A lot of the "mysterious island" elements of the story were considered to be resolved by the writers before the finale. That doesn't mean it was explicitly described to the viewers what the 'meaning' was (and if the whispers explanation was any indication, thats probably a GOOD thing), but that through implication fans should be able to put it together.
Although, as a longtime fan I have to say the explanation for the birth problems (which were supposed to be covered!) were less than obvious.
the show had shoddy writing/acting at various points, but I stuck with it for the enjoyment of the story unraveling. and then the producers made it clear they thought their character work was a lot better than it was, and that the ending would hinge on, BOY I SURE DID LOVE THOSE LOSTIES, WHAT A FUN SHOW WITH GREAT RELATIONSHIPS! shame. i really am slightly pissed i didn't just give up at the beginning of season 3 when it was really lame. fusk network tv.
You might not have been following that closely, because as someone who's listened to every podcast & commentary that Damon & Carlton have done, they've been stressing *from the beginning* that the main focus for them was the drama & character development.
Not that the sci-fi elements weren't important - but they were addressed to an extent that they did not feel a need to touch on them in the final ep. That's what the Jacob/MiB episode (which a surprising number of people hated?!) was for.
i think you are mistaking me for an "answers" guy. i'm not. i'm someone that enjoyed the twists and turns of the story, and then had the curtain drawn back over the final season. these guys are freaking hacks man. 'Darlton' were making shit up as they went, knowing damn well that the ending was going to allow them to argue that "answers weren't the point!". they hinted at deeper things with the characters names, and shoutouts to philosophers and scientists, but it didn't go any deeper than that. they were writing a cheesy action soap opera that convinced viewers it might be something better/deeper. it was not. the highway to heaven ending just cemented it. its hard for some people to step back and realize how cheeseball/lame a lot of stuff was over the years, because the narrative kept them hooked. now we have apologists that can't admit the basic faults of the show from the beginning. yes i am butthurt.
So be it. That wasn't your ending, and a lot of other people's, apparently.
They did what they wanted to do, and what they could do, and I'm not mad at it.
The last season was lackluster IMO, but I'm not bitching at this point because that was it. Overall, I got enough answers and enough story development that I'm fine w/it. Its not as rewatchable as what came before, but neither was season 5.
And like I said - having listening to everything Darlton had to say, I'm confident that they told all they felt they needed to. Plenty of things that are supposed to be 'unexplained' at this point already have been, it's just that some are too hardheaded to think it through themselves and not be spoon-fed.
Comments
The first scene of Season 1 Jack wakes up in the forest right after the crash. It shows that shoe - it's his dads, who was wearing them in his coffin. Something about Jack not wanting to spring for new shoes for the burial.
So this time they flash on the shoe to ref the initial scene of the series? Plus it's old and crusty = real time passed since day 1 of crash?
What we got instead was a super cornball family reunion finale, half of which consisted of flashbacks and people kissing, hugging and crying. I thought we might get something darker or maybe a little more sinister - it seemed to be moving in that direction in the last couple of episodes with Smokey, his mother, etc. I hoped the ending would be more of a shocker
I was very into all of the characters and their relationships, don't get me wrong. I just think they could have taken this somewhere deeper.
I hear you but for real, how satisfying could any of those answers have really been? Since when has explication on this (or any other similar show) really paid off? Does knowing that the Black Ark was the ship that brought Richard to the island really add anything?
Yeah, I hear you on this one. It was definitely kind of cloying. I enjoyed it but in the way I enjoy candy. Personally, I thought for certain they'd end up back on the island on some "the cycle starts anew" motif with Hurley watching a space ship land on the beach, turning to Ben and saying, "here we go again."
Better yet, it could have been Vincent as the new protector, barking to his #2, the polar bear.
I concur with mannybolone in that the alterante world was the purgatory and the island was real.
however, the whole "being-relationally-connected-through-struggle-during-the-most-improtant-part-of-our-lives-so-we-live-forever-in-heavenly-bliss" thing could have completely happened without the weird quasi-supernatural/scientific ish that bascially drove the plot(s) of the entire series.
The stuff that actually drove the plot was left completely empty.
Word up on the awkwardness of Sayid/Shannon reunion. That wasn't his true love anyway.
Where was Miles and red head? Why didn't Desmond take Daniel Faraday?
Why didn't Jacob choose Richard to succeed him?
Why couldn't MIB leave? Whay was it such a problem if he did leave? What the heck was the light? These are unanswered questions that were only brought up in the last season.
ad nauseum...
Overall, I was satisfied, but not particularly entertained. I think they answered enough questions and hinted at enough additional answers to sate my curiosity. But for action and drama, I don't think that The End even rates in the top 10 for Lost episodes.
Obviously Hurley becomes Number 1 from The Prisoner, although the events depicted there occur after Ben had been replaced as Number 2. That's why Number 1 never appears on screen in that show, the actor who plays him wouldn't be born for another six years after they wrapped production.
What still really really grates though is that they spent all the time promising that the island wasn't some form of purgatory only to then throw that in as the alternative reality for the whole final series. I guess I have to hand them credit if it's intentionally a big wink but still...
While not that entertaining I was kind of with them through it all until Xtian appeared and both my girl and I let out a collective groan when we finally clicked where this was heading.
Not that bothered about the loose endings in general though what's up with baby Aaron in the afterlife and Sun's baby?
Also, why did Ben save Hugo from the falling tree? Another change of heart again?
I think this is the major splitting point for fans. There was a faction that watched the show and put a lot of effort into dissecting it and trying to make sense of it all. There was another faction that just enjoyed the show, and didn't think too much about it until the next episode came on. I was in the latter group, and I'm OK with how things ended. Hell, I forgot all about the polar bears for a while anyway. Weren't they brought there by the Dharma Initiative to run tests on them? And the answer is, I don't care. It's over now.
Presumably both were imagined and not "real". Aaron, of course, still existed in the real world, as did Je-Yeon. But they're not necessarily part of the the purgatory world. Hard to say though since Aaron was part of the Island too. Leave it up to a loose thread. It's not one that personally bothers me.
I wouldn't say it was a change of heart "again". I think Ben's been on a (rocky) path of redemption for a while. The only "reversion" was him killing Whitmore but I got the sense he did that out of revenge for Alex's death. I agree that it was confusing; bad writing.
Also Lost is in my top 3 favorite shows of all time.
Actually the ending was fine. It's the stuff the didn't do BEFORE the ending that sucked and ruined a lot of the show. The ending has NOTHING to do with anything that really happened on the show. They could have wrapped up whatever they wanted to in any way they wanted and could have done the ending. Only problem is they couldn't.
They ripped off a bunch of cool ideas, i.e. the bible, through the looking glass, greek and egyptian mythology, alice in wonderland, etc.. but couldn't come up with anything new to add to the story.
I look at the writing in terms of music, they would be the BOMB SQUAD. They took a ton of different pieces and made something really fresh, but when they couldn't sample anymore they couldn't even play mary had a little lamb on the piano.
Plus.. the ultimate test for people that think it wrapped up okay, watch the whole series with someone that's never seen it before. And watch as they start asking you question how you begin to squirm and realise how bad it was. I don't want allllll the answers. But i had someone watch the special that aired before the last ep with me and they had never seen an episode. They said "oh what are those numbers that looks crazy." I was almost embarassed to say oh their just numbers that go with their names. The person says, oh they have an importance to each person. My answer.. no just a random number they don't mean anything. Next scene.. "where'd that big egyptian statue come from?" me.. "i don't know." Next, how did that big boat get to the middle of the island..."uh a big wave."
This is how watching the whole series would be.
Again this is a GREAT show. It just lost some it's luster at the end.
WATCH THIS VIDEO. IF ANYONE CAN IMBED IT PLEASE DO.
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1936291
And I have to change my "Lost" series grade from "B" to more like "C/C+". It is more than a notch below my favorite/what-I-think-to-be-truly-great shows.
I just saw that. "How LOST should have ended"
Yeah, a friend of mine broke down for me how she thought all the plot threads that I thought had been left unresolved actually were resolved, and I have to say that a lot of what she said made sense. But ultimately, I think I just stopped caring. It still feels as if I'd been watching a 140-hour-long M. Night Shyamalan movie.
Just wait for "Lost: The Movie"!
i had to laugh so hard. perfect!
WTF?
A lot of the "mysterious island" elements of the story were considered to be resolved by the writers before the finale. That doesn't mean it was explicitly described to the viewers what the 'meaning' was (and if the whispers explanation was any indication, thats probably a GOOD thing), but that through implication fans should be able to put it together.
Although, as a longtime fan I have to say the explanation for the birth problems (which were supposed to be covered!) were less than obvious.
You might not have been following that closely, because as someone who's listened to every podcast & commentary that Damon & Carlton have done, they've been stressing *from the beginning* that the main focus for them was the drama & character development.
Not that the sci-fi elements weren't important - but they were addressed to an extent that they did not feel a need to touch on them in the final ep. That's what the Jacob/MiB episode (which a surprising number of people hated?!) was for.
So be it. That wasn't your ending, and a lot of other people's, apparently.
They did what they wanted to do, and what they could do, and I'm not mad at it.
The last season was lackluster IMO, but I'm not bitching at this point because that was it. Overall, I got enough answers and enough story development that I'm fine w/it. Its not as rewatchable as what came before, but neither was season 5.
And like I said - having listening to everything Darlton had to say, I'm confident that they told all they felt they needed to. Plenty of things that are supposed to be 'unexplained' at this point already have been, it's just that some are too hardheaded to think it through themselves and not be spoon-fed.