Lost – The End – My thoughts

Well I’ve had time to think more about the finale and the utter shock and emotion I felt last night has sunk in a bit.

I am an emotional mess about my favorite show coming to an end after my 6 years of obsessive loyal viewership.  Through it all, I’ve had family and friends complain about the show, whether it was the “ludicrous” idea of a monster on the island, or if the time travel just got too much for them.  I would always staunchly defend my show, because in my eyes I was just along for the ride.

Scrolling through Twitter and Facebook last night and this morning, I read all of the strong opinions, mostly negative.  It makes me a bit sad that some of my friends feel as if they “wasted six years” of their life, etc. but I can’t deny the disappointment that I also felt when we learned that the ATL was a sort of afterlife meetup for our Losties to find each other after death and move on together.

Yes, I wanted more answers.  Why was Walt special?  What was the purpose of the Hanso Foundation, the Dharma Initiative, Charles Widmore? It’s been fun to sit back and think about all of the island mythology and wonder whether or not what we were being told about Jacob was the truth.

People are unhappy that Darlton and others connected with the show are using the “cop-out” that Lost has always been a show about the characters and not necessarily about the mysteries and mythology.  Does it sound like a cop-out to me?  Sure, I can see how it sounds like laziness on their part….But why am I satisfied with the ending?

A while ago I “ran into” an old friend from middle school on Facebook and he wrote on my wall asking if I was still a fan of Star Trek and The Beatles.  It was hilarious to me that those two things were what he remembered about me, and then I realized that yes, I am still a big fan of both Star Trek and The Beatles. (stick with me)

What I love about Star Trek is that we have our beloved characters, interacting with the unknown, each other and their own selves.  I love Star Trek for the characters.  For Mr. Spock’s raised eyebrow, Kirk’s confidence and skirt-chasing ways, Scotty’s hot-headedness and unending love for the ship.  The outrageous environments and situations they find themselves in are amusing and interesting, but at the end of the show our crew is back on the ship together, having learned something about themselves in the process.

What I love about Lost is the characters.  The way they started their lives together with distrust, serious relationship issues and checkered pasts.  Jack with his savior complex, Sayid’s quest for redemption and Locke’s need to be needed.  The outrageous situations on the island have been more than interesting, dare I say fascinating but at the end of the show, our Lostaways need each other.  In order to transcend their broken lives, they must battle their demons and live together or die alone.

It all sounds cliche and cheesy, but it’s my blog, my opinion, right?   Now for the Beatles.  What’s my favorite album?  Abbey Road, hands down.  Yes, there are better singles on other albums, but there’s something like all the short songs, all so different and random, blending together in such a seemless way that you just can’t play one without playing the next.

Every time I checked my DVR to make sure the finale was set to tape (don’t laugh, I’m OCD) I looked at the title “The End” and sang that one line from the Abbey Road swan song with the same name: “In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”  How fitting, right?  In the end, as our characters face their deaths it’s not about “the numbers”, it’s not about the Black Rock or Dharma stations.  They come to peace with their lives by remembering each other and remembering love.

I can see the frustration that many of you have with the ending of the show.  We have all invested years of our lives thinking about the show and theories, etc. I think you have every right to feel however you feel, but I can honestly say that I am happy with The End.

So yes, this post is a total love-fest and as fruity as it gets.  It contains no answers, but take it as my swan song to Lost.

For a couple theories that I really like, check out this post about how the ATL may have been Hurley’s gift to the castaways (I like the idea that his “island management style” is about giving instead of Jacob’s possessive hoarding style).  This one seems a bit more flawed, but I like the scenarios that the ATL provided our characters.

And of course, if you have theories or thoughts I’d love to hear them!