Events on the Island in The End

The End was a complicated episode. It lasted two and a half hours and covered events both on the Island and in the "waiting room" of the dead. My last post covered the latter, but haven't discussed the former.

Thanks to Christian Shephard, we know that what happened on the Island actually happened - it was all real, no purgatory or waiting room or anything like that.

Ben

In What They Died For, it appeared that Ben had turned to the dark side, willing to kill anyone to regain control of the Island. Or he just wanted to kill Widmore. Whichever, I left the episode a little sick to my stomach when thinking of Ben. Would he ever find redemption?

And he did, apparently, as we saw that he made it to the sideways world (unlike Michael), and could have entered the church if he wished. So, what redeemed him? Shoving Hurley out of the way of a falling tree? Chosing to remain on the self-destructing Island? Acting as a witness to the passing of the power ritual from Jack to Hurley? Agreeing to become Hurley's number two (a role we learned he was great at)? Or something else entirely?

Whatever it was, I'm happy that Ben did reach the sideways world, and I'm glad that he remained on the Island. I really like the thought of him remaining on the Island, working with Hugo, and living the life he had always desired.

Claire

In this episode, Claire was hopeless. She had been abandoned by the survivors again and abandoned by her "friend", notLocke. She apparently figured out that notLocke did not have her best interests at heart. And she realized what was evident to all who observed her - she's bat shit crazy. How could she raise the son who won't even recognize her?

But Kate was able to convince Claire to leave the Island with her. As we saw the Ajira plane leave, we knew that Claire finally left the Island after three long, painful years. I really enjoyed the thought of Claire and Kate maintaining their friendship and raising Aaron together.

Desmond

We learned that Desmond knew less about his purpose on the Island than he thought. He believed that all he had to do was unplug the light, and everyone would appear in the sideways world, much happier. We can only assume that his exposure to electromagnetism showed him the sideways world, which he apparently misinterpreted as many of us did - another reality in which the plane never crashed. He was devastated to find out he was wrong, though we know that it was his actions that let notLocke be vulnerable to Kate's bullets.

We don't know what happened to Desmond after Hurley and Ben brought him back out of the light. From Hugo's conversation with Ben, we can only assume that Desmond did leave the Island and reunited with his wife and child. That also makes me happy.

Frank

I assumed that Frank was a dead man, but others had more faith than I, and surely enough, Frank survived. And it's a good thing, too, since he's a pilot and there was a plane to fly off the Island. We can only assume that Frank successfully flew the plane to safety, allowing its passengers to return to some semblance of a normal life.

Hurley

If this season has been about anything, it's been about Hurley gaining confidence in himself, all while remaining true to the Hugo we know and love. He takes care of people, and always tries to do what he thinks is right. Of all the survivors, he is the least selfish. Once notLocke was disposed of, he was the most logical candidate for guardian of the Island. And from what Ben says in the sideways world, Hugo did a great job. How I wish we could have had more than that brief glimpse of Hurley's guardianship.

I have to wonder if the Island extended Hugo's life just as it did Jacob's and Richard's. What rules did Hugo change? Did he allow other people to come to the Island? Did he ever travel off Island, as Ben and Widmore did when they led the Others? What happened to the Others, anyway? Did Hugo take care of them or send them off the Island? Who succeeded him once his guardianship was over? We'll never know the answers to those questions, but they are certainly enjoyable to ponder.

Jack

So, Jack finally became the hero we all predicted that he could be. And unlike Jacob, he freely chose to take on the role of guardian. And, as guardian, Jack accomplished a few things. First, he delayed notLocke long enough for Kate to find and shoot notLocke. Second, he transferred the guardianship of the Island to the imminently qualified Hurley. Lastly, he plugged the hole in the cave, allowing the light to return to the Island.

Did Jack know that he would sacrifice his life when he took over from Jacob? If he did, I suspect he would have willingly taken the role on anyway, knowing his martyr complex. But I don't want my last sentence to imply that Jack's sacrifice was less than it was. Indeed, he was fully committed to his actions in a way we haven't seen since the first season. Of all the characters, Jack met the promise that we first observed. And just as he opened the show, literally, he closed the show, with Vincent as silent witness. But before he died, he had proof that his sacrifice was not in vain - the Ajira plane with the remaining survivors flew over him. Good bye Jack. It was great knowing you.

Kate

As readers of this blog know, I've had issues with Kate almost since the beginning. But in this episode, her single-mindedness didn't bother me this time. The subject of her single-mindedness, of course, was Claire. Oh, and making notLocke pay for the deaths of her friends. And she was successful on both fronts. She convinced Claire to leave the Island, but most importantly, she kept trying to shoot notLocke, mortally wounding him the second time around. The look on notLocke's face was priceless.

Kate was the only one of the Oceanic Six to leave the Island a second time. Jack, Sun, and Sayid were dead, Hurley became the guardian of the Island, and Aaron never returned. I hope she returned to the wonderful life she built for herself while raising Aaron. However, she may have violated the conditions of her probation, which required her to remain in state. It would be awful if she had to return to prison!

Miles

Miles had two primary roles in this episode. His attempts to communicate with Ben resulted in Sawyer and Kate connecting with the Ajira flight. He also helped glue the plane together.

I'm so happy that Miles survived and made it off the Island. I don't know why he didn't go to the church in the sideways world, but I hope that, like Daniel, he'll be able to go at some point in the future. I really liked that his time in the sideways world was connected to Sawyer. Did the two remain friends after leaving the Island?

notLocke

College courses will be designed around the nature of notLocke. Who was he and what happened when he was thrown into the light? What name was he given at birth? Why was he evil?

But I can't go into that today. Instead, I will only comment that I was happy he died when he did. I hate the evil characters who never die bit. In this case, Desmond had pulled the plug on the light of the Island, so, as the Island was vulnerable, so were Jack, the guardian of the Island, and notLocke, the prisoner. They fought, drawing blood, and it seemed notLocke won when he struck a mortal blow on Jack. But there was Kate, bearing a gun and willing to use it, and that cost notLocke his life. His death did not stop the disintegration of the Island, but Jack took care of that.

the Nadlers

Rose and Bernard rescued Desmond from the well, and for their efforts were threatened with death by notLocke. But they survived, and we know that they remained on the Island, assuming that they weren't injured or killed during the time the Island was self-destructing. I like imagining that Vincent remains with them. I wonder if there was interaction between the Nadlers and Hurley and Ben, or if Hurley decided to leave the Nadlers alone in the world they created. I prefer the former, just because I think Hurley's so cool.

Richard

Richard survived his encounter with notLocke. At first, I thought it was because Desmond hadn't pulled the plug yet, but it turns out that Richard's hair started turning grey before the plug was pulled. How could his hair turn grey if he remained immortal? I'm not sure.

That Richard was on the plane and successfully made it off the Island thrilled me. But it also worries me. What will he do? Will he age in no time flat, turning to ashes before the eyes of the survivors? I hope not, since he realized that he wanted to live.

And why wasn't Richard in the sideways world?

Sawyer

One of the best parts of this episode (one of many for me) was that James "Sawyer" Ford finally left the Island after three very long years. You could argue that Claire changed far more than Sawyer did, since she was made crazy by notLocke. But I'm hoping that's temporary. Otherwise, I will argue that Sawyer changed the most on the Island. When Sawyer landed on the Island, he was a selfish con artist who separated himself from the crowd. Three years later, he was an integral part of the group, taking on leadership roles, finding a mature love, and receiving respect from the other survivors. I guess it is no surprise that in the sideways world he became a cop instead of a con man.

I wish we could see what James' life off the Island was like. I doubt he and Kate became a couple - she made it clear that she loved Jack. But I must believe that they remained in contact, and I hope that James and Miles remained friends as well - after all, their sideways lives were quite intertwined.

Vincent

Vincent has always had an important role on the show, even if rarely credited. He helped wake Jack up after the crash, and he bore silent witness to Jack's death in the end. We always knew that Vincent would not be killed during the run of the show, but I sure do wish he could have been allowed into the sideways world.

Coda

At some point this year, I'm sure I'll post on what Lost has meant to me throughout its run. Like Star Trek and the Buffyverse shows, this is a show that will not leave my mind or my life. But that's for another day.