Lost – The Series Finale

Well, the day finally arrived – the finale we’ve all been waiting for. It was bittersweet though; I couldn’t wait to see what happened, but I didn’t want it to end. That being said, I think the finally was fantastic – it tied all of the stories together and gave us the answers we were waiting for. Although, some of those answers were given to us in the usual Lost way – we need to put the pieces together and take from it what we can.
Desmond and Hurley were working together to get all of the major players in the right place at the right time. They were able to get Sayid and Shannon together, Charlie and Claire, and eventually Jack and Kate. It was cool to see them put that together, plus we got to see some of our old friends again! Throughout the finale, when people got together and kinda re-lived similar moments that were crucial on the island, they saw flashes of what they experienced and instantly knew each other. At the beginning of the episode when Desmond brought Kate to the church for the first time, I was dying to hear that Camaro start up. I was waiting to hear the rumble, but it never really happened. What a let-down!
Meanwhile, back on the island, things started happening quickly. Smoke Monster John finally caught up with Desmond and made a deal in which Desmond pledged to do whatever Smoke Monster John wanted. On the way to the heart of the island, both Jack and Smoke Monster John met up. Kate took the opportunity to shoot at John, but the bullets did nothing! I thought it was funny when Smoke Monster John said, “So it’s you. You’re the obvious choice”. That’s what I’ve been thinking for a while; it was cool to see it acknowledged on-screen. When they made it to the heart of the island, Jack, Desmond and Smoke Monster John separated from the group. Desmond eventually made his way down and removed a stone from the center of the light. Before he went to move the rock, I yelled out, “take a look around first – see what’s down there!” Needless to say, he didn’t! When the rock was moved, all hell broke loose on the island. A huge storm began and Smoke Monster John started to make his way off the island. Jack caught up to him before Smoke Monster John could reach his boat and the showdown we all knew was coming began. It was back and forth for a while, just when it seemed that the Smoke Monster would win, Kate showed up and shot him. While the stone was removed from the light, the Smoke Monster became mortal. Finally, he was defeated! It was over…sort of. In order to put things back as they were, Jack needed to put the stone back in the center of the light. Knowing he would die, he anointed Hurley to be the next protector of the island. Not to tell you I told you so, but I had a feeling it would end up being him. I only thought that based on his relief when Jack first stepped up to take the job. As all this played out, Sawyer, Claire, Richard, Frank, Kate, and Miles were able to capitalize on the moment and got off the island using the Ajira plane.
That’s not it though (of course not!) In the flash sideways we learn that Jack is really dead and that everyone who gathered in the church at the end of the episode was dead as well. Apparently, the flash sideways was a special place that they made so that they could find each other. The flashes that everyone had experienced in the flash sideways were really like enlightenments. They got to see the important moments of their lives, including their deaths. After realizing this, they became aware that they were dead. Jack realized it when he was in the church and got the chance to talk with his father. Christian told Jack that some of the people in the church died before him, and some after him. For all we know, this meeting could be taking place hundreds of years after Jack died on the island. Who knows how long Hurley was protecting the island?
When the episode ended, I felt like that was a fitting end. I was still confused though, especially about the flash sideways. After talking with my friends, I came to the conclusion that the flash sideways was almost like a purgatory. Only when the right moment presented itself would our friends understand where they were.
It kinda makes sense too – In the flash sideways Hurley considered himself the luckiest man in the world, while on the island (and alive) he thought of himself as cursed. In the flash sideways Sawyer was a cop, instead of a con man – and Jack had a great relationship with his son; something he desperately wanted from his own father. It was great to see everyone remember their lives together. It was getting hard for me to watch them interact with one another and not know how much they meant to each other.
Now that the show is over, I’m going through withdrawal. I need something to actively engage my mind and keep me guessing. I’m afraid that no show will do it as well as Lost has. I’m really grateful to my friend who first lent me his DVDs so that my wife and I could start watching the show. We wanted to catch up and watch the finale with the rest of the world – and we did. It was an awesome experience and I’m glad we could do it together.