Of course, massive spoilers for the entire show.
I've watched Lost for six straight years. It's one of the few shows I've watched strictly on television (not on DVD) since its inception. The only other show that I've watched as long on television is House. I've never considered myself a die-hard Lost fanatic - I was certainly never obsessed, as I've been with other shows - but there was always a strong narrative with excellent characters along with a plethora of mysteries to unveil that kept me watching.
Over the last season, the "essence" of Lost changed; it was a bit difficult to see at the time, but in retrospect, it's fairly obvious. Despite all of the amazing things that happened on the show, it usually remained fairly grounded. There was the battle between the castaways and the Others, the mysteries behind the Dharma Initiative, and the intrigue of the island and its powers. There were mysteries, some of which were supernatural, but the concepts were never overly complicated to the point of ridiculousness or such weighty and overwhelming ideas as the ones that were presented toward the end of the show's run. When the time travel began, Lost started getting more and more over-the-top, although excellent episodes were still being produced. I loved many of the time travel stories; I thought it only made an excellent show better.
When the bomb was set off at the end of Season 5, the castaways returned to their regular time, and an "alternate universe" was created. While that universe was a bit tedious at first, the prospect of the cast "realizing" their time on the island and eventual reconciliation was an attractive one. Season 6 itself was a bit of a letdown, as none of the major mysteries from earlier in the show were really answered - instead we were given more insight to Jacob and the Man in Black. This was disappointing, to say the least, because that's not what the show was originally about. Season 6 easily felt as though it was an intermediate season and could lead to many more seasons down the line, where ALL of the mysteries could be explained.
As down on the season as I had been, I was super excited to see the finale. The first two hours were awesome, as there were many touching moments. I had tears in my eyes when Charlie and Claire recognized each other. The reunion of Juliet and Sawyer was my favorite, but several others were just as touching. But by 11:15, I realized that many questions weren't going to be answered. I simply assumed that the island was going to be completely enveloped in light, and the castaways, realizing now who they are (and that Juliet was right, it did work), would continue their lives in LA in 2004 living together happily.
But wait! The alternate timeline was purgatory! What? Are you fucking kidding me? As an atheist, I found the overly religious final ten minutes to be revolting (I would later get over myself; more on that in a bit). I have no problem with shows where characters have faith, or do Christian things. But Lost jumped from a show that debated faith versus science, to nothing but faith (and bashing the viewer over the head with it). Considering how many things about Jack can be an allegory for Jesus, it made me want to tear my eyes out. Jack has followers (disciples, if you will), has issues with his father, gets stabbed in the side, among other things - that makes me wish I never spent six years watching this show. Lost, this amazing and original show, turns out to be nothing but a mix of religious lessons and beliefs? Gag.
But after thinking about the finale, and sleeping on it, I've come to enjoy the finale for what it was: a Season 6 finale, not a series finale. The early seasons of the show - the best seasons - were essentially forgotten. And that is a true shame. I can remember talking with my college roommate about the shows, eagerly awaiting the day when all of our questions would be answered. I wonder if I would have continued to watch the show if I knew that they never would? Much of the mythology early on meant nothing, even though that's all the creators talked about. They told us that everything matters, but in the end, nothing really mattered. Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof, knowing how many people have short attention spans, chose to ignore everything that made Lost the great show that it once was.
I have a hard time with people that feel satisfied about the finale of Lost. If you consider EVERYTHING we've been through over the last six years, "The End" was a huge letdown. But Lost hasn't been Lost in a while now, and the last show just put an exclamation point on that statement. But seeing as this is the only path the show will ever take, and realizing that everything that was supposed to be important wasn't, the finale was a pretty decent two hours of television. It's just a shame that so many people feel good about what they saw. I can't even imagine watching the show straight through on DVD, because most of what I'm watching doesn't matter in the end - until Season 6. It's such a disservice to what was once a great and original show.
The Road (2009)
