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The fanatical fans of the ABC television program Lost (myself included) have been waiting in anticipation and fear for final episode for six perplexing seasons. The waiting finally ended on the night of May 23, the night the show’s two and a half hour series finale aired.
The Lost series finale was a grand culmination of six seasons of references, landscapes, characters, questions and, well, more questions. It was the end such a show deserves.
The epic four and a half hour night of (two hour recap, two and a half hour finale) was a sort of best-of reel of the acting quality and the character stories of the last six seasons.
The acting was at its finest of the whole show. Terry O’Quinn as John Locke aka the “Man in Black” did not hold back in his ruthless portrayal of evil. Michael Emerson as Ben Linus also gave one of his finest performances of the series, striking that fragile and terrifying balance between greed and regret that has established Emerson as the best actor on Lost. Even in the last few episodes, Linus was expressing regret for the death of his daughter that he caused a few minutes before murdering Charles Whidmore for control of the island.
In an unpredictable and variable environment such as the island, the only constant is the characters. By establishing a setting with no rules, no guidelines and no explanation as the unquestionable reality, the writers can explore human nature from a fresh and dynamic angle.
On an electromagnetic, time-traveling island that may or may not exist in multiple realities, the connections between these alleged strangers and their intertwined destines become the hub of the spinning world of Lost.
For this reason, it is easy to complain about the Lost series finale. After all, for a show written almost entirely around tantalizing its viewers with imponderables regarding monsters, electromagnetism, mythology, religion and time travel, shouldn’t the last episode of the last season at least offer some sort of explanation of the countless questions it has put forward?
The answer is no. To answer questions is to undermine the identity of the show.
Instead of explaining the science behind time travel, the writers simply make explanations irrelevant. Rationalization has always intentionally been secondary to character development.
And in the end, it was not questions that needed resolution but characters. From a character perspective, the series finale of Lost was a success.
The series finale brings to fruition the themes that Lost has explored in a myriad of ways. The show provides stories to compliment the divisive philosophical dichotomies that have always been the core of the plot. Good vs. Evil. Science vs. Faith. Choice vs. Destiny.
Out of what is probably the most confusing storyline of a television series ever, rather simplistic themes emerge. Good overcomes. Faith is a virtue. Each person has a unique destiny.
As was to be expected of the Lost series finale, the outcome was controversial.
There is ample evidence in the finale to support any wild theory that might be posted on a blog for years to come. But as of now, there is no definitive answer. There does not need to be.
After six seasons of obsessive dedication, I regret nothing. If for nothing else than to reach the majestic season finale, that show is worth watching. My hours of watching and re-watching episodes were well worth the toil.
My heart still beating rapidly from the series finale, laden with the burden of several open-ended questions, my mind twisted and bent trying to grasp the unfathomable entity that is Lost, I regret nothing.
