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Lost has ended. I honestly thought I would never say that, or if I did, I wouldn’t be able to take it. But here I am, the day after the finale, and I survived. I’m exhausted both physically and emotionally, but I’ve survived the past 6 years/seasons. Was it perfect? No. Was it satisfying? Emotionally, yes. Sure, they didn’t answer every question the viewers had. The writers kind of dug themselves into a hole with that one – there have been so many mysteries over the years that to answer them all before the end date would have been impossible and extremely rushed. Sure, I would have loved to know why Walt had freaky powers (I like to think that Walt joined the X-Men after leaving the island) and what the Man in Black’s real name is (I either call him Esau since his brother is Jacob or Titus since he’s played by the amazing Titus Welliver), but the writers have given me the chance to make up my own answers. And that may be more satisfying than what they believed.
The final 2 and half hours of Lost was a roller coaster. I was completely wrong about the FlashSideways world – I thought it was a repercussion of Juliet blowing up the atom bomb and that the survivors’ souls could be transported there if they chose. Yes, I know, that’s the obvious answer. But sometimes the obvious answer works. A lot of people thought that the island could be purgatory. I believed that was the answer all throughout Season 1. And in a way, that theory was correct. The FlashSideways world ended up being a kind of purgatory for our castaways. It was a place for all of them to work out their problems and reunite after death so they could advance to the next stage. Jack and Juliet were able to have a romantic relationship after their brief flirtation on the island. It emphasized that they weren’t meant to be together – Kate and Sawyer were always their soul mates. (Tears were streaming down my face when Sawyer and Juliet reunited at the vending machine.) Ben was able to do the right thing and help Alex instead of himself – he was a good father in the end. Sawyer was given the chance to realize that there was more to life than revenge against the man who killed his parents. And, through his son David, Jack was able to have a healthy father-son relationship and become his own man. He was no longer living in his father’s shadow, trying to fix everything, and doubting every action and event. The characters were able to grow, and this show was always about the characters and the mantra, “Live together or die alone”. I’m sad that Ben didn’t join them in the church, but I understand why – he wasn’t ready to move on. He still had some issues with Alex and Danielle to work out, and I like to think that Ben would continue on to the next life with them. Ben started off as a creepy villain, but in the end, he was a part of the castaway group and had been redeemed. He was happy to be asked to help Hurley on the island and have a purpose. Benjamin Linus, you came into my life in Season 2 and quickly became my favorite Lost character as well as one of my favorite TV characters of all-time. Thank you.
I cried, I laughed, I raged. The finale brought on all kinds of emotions. I’m upset that it’s finished, but I’m also happy that it wasn’t dragged out. (I would love a Ben-Hurley island adventure spinoff though. Apparently they were a great 1-2 team.) My boys ended up surviving (and working together! Go Lapidus, Miles, Richard, and Ben!) so I honestly can’t complain. I would have loved for Kate to die in the end, but you can’t have everything. So I will take my boys living on to fight another day and move on.
Thank you, Lost. I will see you in another life, brutha.
