The End

As some of y'all may know, I gave birth about a week and a half before the series finale of Lost aired. I thought I had a deal with the babies (I had twins) - I asked them to wait until after we moved (April 25), after my baby shower (May 8), and after the series finale of Lost (May 23). I guess I should be happy that I got two out of three of my wishes. Fortunately, Nicole and Brian were willing to provide analyses of the episodes that aired after the twins were born. I haven't had much time to write, but I have seen all the episodes, and I wanted to share what I thought of the end of Lost.

Lost has been about spirituality, fate and destiny, science and reason, redemption, and family. It is these themes and how the characters deal with them that kept me entranced through the run of the series. Jack and John Locke's debate about faith and reason. Sayid's search for redemption. Everyone's issue with one parent or another (or both). I loved the relationships that developed - John Locke and Walt, Kate and Claire, Jin and Bernard, and most recently, James Ford and Miles. These, among other things, were my favorite part of the show. And the finale was all about these themes and especially the characters. That means I thoroughly enjoyed the finale.

That said, I enjoyed the mysteries introduced by the series as well. Why did Claire need to raise Aaron? What was Libby doing at Santa Rosa? Why did pregnant women die? What did the Others want with the children? What was so special about Walt? Why did the Others destroy the DHARMA Initiative? How does Eloise know as much as she does? Where did the Mother (Allison Janney) come from? How could Jacob leave the Island? What were the rules that governed the battle between Ben and Widmore and Jacob and the Man in Black?

There are many more mysteries; I just can't think of them all. And frankly, the fact that none of the listed mysteries were answered has upset a lot of people. I'm okay with the lack of answers. It became clear as the season progressed that many mysteries would go unsolved. Those mysteries that were addressed were actually rather lame. Remember the Temple? Remember the voices? The series as a whole would have been much improved had the above mysteries and more been resolved. The series raised them, then left us hanging. But because the characters and themes are so well explored, I still found myself happy and satisfied.

If you had asked me when I was a girl what my idea of heaven was, it would have included all the people (and pets) I had loved while alive. Apparently, the characters of Lost feel the same way. Somehow, they created a type of Purgatory or Limbo, perhaps, a waiting room, where they awaited their compatriots. Various issues were worked through: Jack and John Locke worked through some father issues, Hurley had good luck instead of bad, and Ben chose to sacrifice his ambition for someone else. Some issues remain unresolved: Kate was a fugitive, Claire planned to have her child adopted, Charlie was an addict, and Sayid was not married to Nadia. And some people are just plain missing, especially Michael and Walt.

How much control did our characters have in creating their sideways life? I suspect little, considering their amnesia, with the exception of Eloise. Eloise was able to raise her son the way she had probably wanted to, letting Daniel become a musician and supporting his musical endeavors. From her conversation with Desmond, it sounds like another party, perhaps Eloise, determined what life each person would have.

We also don't know "when" the sideways world started for our characters. Did their new lives start at birth? Or did they start when Oceanic 815 took off, with all memories being "implanted"? Did each enter the sideways world when he or she died? Or did they all enter when the last living survivor (presumably Hurley and/or Ben) died? Was Michael missing from the sideways world because he became a ghost or voice on the Island? And why would Ana Lucia be allowed in the sideways world but not Michael? Will Ana Lucia, Daniel, Charlotte, and Miles be able to join our characters in heaven or whatever place they went to? Why is Ben waiting - does he feel he needs more redemption? Or does he want to explore a possible relationship with Danielle Rousseau?

In The End, we discovered that Charlie's remembrance of the Island wasn't complete until he touched Claire. Libby also had memories of her time on the Island, but they were so vague that she ended up doubting her own sanity. Unlike Charlie, Desmond had a full remembrance, presumably caused by Widmore's experiment on Des. But even he required a flight manifest to find the other passengers. Hurley was the next to remember, and apparently developed a full memory by the time he helped break out Desmond, Kate, and Sayid (he recognized Ana Lucia).

But not all near death experiences led to total recall (I just had to say that). Although he clearly remembered his past while unconscious, John Locke didn't consciously remember until he moves his feet after his surgery. Likewise, Sun didn't remember until Juliet showed her the ultrasound images of her baby. Sayid and Shannon remember when they touch each other (Boone was somehow already in the club, but we don't know how), as do Sawyer and Juliet. Charlie seems to have his fog cleared when he touches Claire. Claire and Kate remember during Aaron's birth (will he be a baby for his entire time in the "other place"?).

As always, Jack is the last to come to terms with his newly found memories. He experiences flashes when John Locke asks Jack if he remembers, but he denies them. He still resists after Kate's kiss brings on more flashes of memory. It is only when he is at the church, talking with his father, that he believes.

What a joyful reunion we saw, as well! These people with their differences, conflicts, and misunderstandings, were happy to see each other again, and hugs and handshakes were shared all around. The expressions on their face were ecstatic, especially John Locke's (Terry O'Quinn has one of the best smiles). Everything is resolved, everyone knows what was sacrificed. And the sacrifice was worth it.

I wasn't expecting this angle. I had no idea what the sideways timeline was, and it never occurred to me that the characters were actually dead. I loved what the sideways timeline turned out to be.

I've not even touched upon the original timeline, which I also enjoyed. I hope to address it in another, later post.