No season of television has ever been scrutinized so closely as LOST's sixth season has. From the premiere, "LA X," to the finale, "The End," the season was pored over by fans eager to know how one of television's greatest mysteries would end. And, when the end finally rolled around, it was the most controversial series finale since Tony Soprano cut to black back in 2007. That is to say, it has garnered the most polarized opinions I've ever seen. For season six, you either loved it or you hated it, and that applies doubly to "The End." Personally, I loved it.
I can already hear about half of you groaning in disgust. But before you move your cursor up to that X, hear me out: I'm not naive about the season. You won't be seeing a big red A+ at the end of this article. Season six had some flaws and faults, but those didn't really affect my enjoyment of the season as a whole.
Of course, the biggest flaw that the season had was pacing. After the survivors arrived at the Temple in "LA X, Part 2," we stayed there with them for another four episodes until the Man in Black provided us with one of the most beneficial massacres the show ever had, propelling the survivors out of the Temple, and to the beach, where they stayed for another six episodes until finally deciding to go meet the Man in Black in "Everybody Loves Hugo." Now, I wasn't bored while watching these episodes, but in retrospect, the survivors could have done a little more with their (and our) time instead of sitting around the beach, making plans. The duration of their stay at the Temple could have been slimmed down a couple of episodes, and they could have moved on to other things.
Another pacing problem I had with the season was not necessarily to do with plot, but with placement. You all know which episode I'm talking about: "Across the Sea." The episode was a bit of a slow-down after the adrenaline-fest that was "The Candidate," and though it did provide set-up for "What They Died For," it simply didn't carry the inertia that it should have, especially for the third-to-last episode of the entire series. If the episode had appeared earlier, or if the events of the episode would have been sped up, I doubt many fans would have had complaints. But, as I said in my review of the episode, it felt a little too much like an "Ab Aeterno" redux and not enough like the fantastic, mind-bending episode that it had every right to have been.
But the season still managed to be a great one. I almost hesitate to compare it to the other seasons, because it felt like such a completely different show. Not in a disjointed way, mind you, but it was thematically darker than previous iterations of the series were. I actually found it on par with season one in terms of quality - season one had similar pacing and similar character development, and I don't even need to bring up the similarities between the final moments of the series and the first moments.
Though many have made complaints about the lack of mythological development in the season, I can't say that I was terribly disappointed. We found out what we needed to, and left a lot of it to mystery (or DVD extras). I can't say I would have felt any better about the season had we seen the Egyptians who presumably came to the Island and built all those statues and landmarks. Their only importance came with the landmarks they left behind, and we can simply conjecture their existence without having it spoon-fed to us.
The season was really all about the characters, and the glimpses of the Afterlife that we saw in the form of the flash-sideways was really done well. Though I had begun to think that perhaps Jughead hadn't created the timeline, I was still completely shocked by the final reveal that Christian gave to Jack. Seeing the characters reunite and forgive each other might have been a cop-out if it wasn't the entire purpose of the show: to show these lost souls coming together to find themselves. Leaving these characters unresolved would have gone against the very nature of the show, and having those interactions made the series much more profound -- and the finale that much more emotional.
The final season also defied expectations with the body count. In total, only six main characters (Ilana, Jin, Sun, Sayid, the Man in Black and Jack) were shown to die in the main timeline, while the rest presumably lived out their lives happily. That's a far cry from initial expectations that we'd only see a handful survive. However, the deaths were still poignant and emotional, with Jack's perhaps being the most memorable, simply due to the fact that Jack was the one character who had been untouchable throughout the series. His death was the full realization that the show was really over, and seeing his eye close was the perfect curtain call to one of television's best dramas. B+
Nice review. Glad to know someone shares my opinion. I think when it came to the last season, anything the writers did would have been condemned by the audience – either for giving too many answers, too few, having a too fast pace, having a too slow pace, etc etc. I think they did a great job.
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B+ is the same rating I gave it.
Lost was arguably the best show ever put on TV. Due to the fact it was one of the few that told a story from the beginning all the way through to the end. It was a great show with its mysteries and twists, but the one thing that takes this show to a new level was the character development. It was amazing with so many people on the show that they could do such rich character detail. In most shows, you usually love one or two people. I loved almost all of them. I felt like I connected with almost all of them. That's what really sets this show apart, and had me in tears in the end. I cant think of any show that I have been so sad to see leave the airways.
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Great review, but I might give the final season an A instead. It mirrored season one, which was undoubtedly one of the best seasons. In the flash sideways, we saw our characters in a new light, like knowing them all over again just like how we learnt about the characters in season 1. Very nostalgic to me, and I love it. I actually enjoyed this last season very much.
Just like life, not everything is explained, or for that matter, explainable. The emotional impact of "The End" was undeniable. Cried during most of it, and start to tear up when talking about it. Agree that the pacing almost felt like they needed a 7th season, but all in all, the mysteries to some part were the "filler" and the the redemption of all the characters, whether we noticed at the time or not, was ALWAYS the focus and the "big picture" Without mystery, life would be just boring. My 2 cents(worth about 0.5 today's value) Will miss you L O S T. Taught me to believe in the whole concept of a soul-mate again.
Good review. Warning for wall of text below:Now when it's over I also think that the pace could've been different, they could've left the temple and the beach camp a bit earlier. Even though many fans were already sure of that Smokey was the MIB, I wasn't sure of that before LAX. I personally liked the monster more as a "security system", at least in the earlier seasons where it was described as one. Though an explanation for the monster's crazy rage-like personality in season 1 could of course be his anger for being trapped.Also, I'm not completely satisfied with that the Source was introduced with 2 episodes left. I thought the mission was "don't not let MIB excape from the island", but that abruptly changed to "stop him from extinguish the Source". And it's a shame that there's so many questions yet to be answered. For example, MIB only partly built his wheel-chamber; Mother filled it with rocks, so the one Ben and Locke used must be another (or the same place, excavated). One explanation could be that MIB had pesuaded some of the people Jacob brought to the island in the ~2000 years (that were all dead in the 1860's) to dig another wheelchamber. (I wonder how MIB should be able to use the wheel though.) As you see, most mysteries are we able to guess the answers to anyway – I don't want to state that answers to everything is a must for the show to be good, it's only to fill my own greed for answers. :DAnyway, on the the great parts! The Afterlife flash-sideways were awesome! Finally Ben could forgive Locke for all he'd done to him, we got to know more about how Hurley and Ben had done after Hurley had become the new protector, and maybe best of all; we got to see some old characters again. When main characters started to remember their old lives… those moments were extremely touching, and if I would've been a girl, I'd probarly cried. (I admit, I almost did on several occasions in "The End".) "Happily Ever After" was a masterpiece of an episode, and completed Desmond's list of timetravel-ways (except real time-travel!). I liked Jack's choice of protecting the island, and his will to stop the MIB. I think "Sundown" was the best episode of the season, it had an awesome flash-sideway ("You want some eggs?") and the real-time story was excellent, Sayid was excellent, and Smokeys massacre in the end over-satisfying."The Candidate" was horible – not horrible as in "bad", but a horrible day for the survivors. I was shaken. 3 main characters just gone… I believed Frank Lapidus wer gone too at first, but then I was relieved that he had survived. He really deserved more than "Oh, hell… SWOOSH!! *dead*". :)The idea of fighting MIB+preparing to leave the island simultaneously were good. It made it feel like the heroes already had a ride home when they were done with MIB.The new music pieces, mostly for the flash-sideways, were excellent.In "The End", the music choices were spot-on. Starting with the theme LAX pt. 1 ended with, it really gave the feeling that this is "the end". That intro were spectacular. To summarize it, Season 6 was satisfying. I hoped for more answers, but not to the degree that I wasn't satisfied. In the season our heroes fought through difficulties, both physically and mentally, but managed to overcome their opposing force and fullfill their destiny. When Jack closed his eyes I felt satisfied and felt sorry because of the fact that there will be no more LOST. That's a sign of that season 6 were good. :)Goodbye, LOST.
Block o' text:The main issue I have with season six isn't with the pacing, and it's not that we didn't, as viewers, receive enough answers: on the contrary, I thought the answers provided by the finale were antithetical to the previously interpretive nature of the rest of Lost. Whereas almost every other fantastical element of lost could have previously been explained by two broad categories of interpretations, religious (supernatural), or scientific (albeit highly implausible science fiction), the last ten minutes seemed to slap on a paper-thin religious element where it should have left more room for individual choice. This choice, indeed, is the whole point of so many of the decisions in Lost: do you follow a path of faith in divine fate and purpose or do you follow a path that presumes the universe runs on some natural principles? Even the elements of Jacob and such with religious overtones are never explicitly so: he could simply be empowered by some crazy electromagnetic energy at the heart of the Island, and likewise for MiBs diverse powers, and all the rest of the crazy stuff we've seen.The fundamental tenet of religious belief is that some guiding force in the laws of the universe cares or has comprehension of human life and struggle. The fundamental tenet of scientific assumptions is that the universe, though it may be fantastical, amazing, and altogether awe-inspiring as a God might be, does not care about humanity because it is not sentient and thus has no ability to favor mankind over, say, equal parts of gaseous matter found in some nebula somewhere. Lost has, before the finale, allowed somewhat for the viewer to decide which view to ascribe to: even the crazy coincidences that might otherwise be ascribed to the action of an intelligent creator have largely revealed to have been orchestrated by Jacob "touching" people, a power granted by an Island that never explicitly favored a moral "side".What we see in the final moments of the finale is seemingly support for the religious view over the naturalistic: that the flash-sideways is some sort of purgatory rather than simply a parallel universe without a stated purpose (although of course there was intent behind the actions that created it via the exploding of Jughead). This collapses the fantastic ambiguity of lost into a single and rather flat interpretation, and it felt to this viewer as something of a let down, rather than the ringing endorsement of the religious aspect that it was seemingly intended to be. While I was always of the naturalistic mindset, I'm not disappointed because my interpretation didn't "win," I was disappointed because one side was given primacy over the other where, for 6 full seasons beforehand, both were given roughly equal legitimacy: you could choose to believe the man of science or the man of faith. I would have preferred a finale that supported or at least allowed both interpretations, perhaps with no one else seeing Christian besides Jack (leaving his existence in the Church in question, "was it just Jack mentally working through things for himself?) and without the light at the end of the tunnel, but still with everyone having knowledge of the regular timeline and coming to a consensus of forgiveness and still allowing everyone to "move on," either in a literal or figurative sense.Religion constantly tells us that faith is important. Jacob said the same, because if we know what is morally right because we're given evidence for it by a higher power, then when we do rightly, we're no longer doing it for the right reasons but because we simply know it's the thing to do if we want to avoid punishment. This is the argument by the religious for why God does not constantly reveal himself: if he told us what to do, it would remove the importance of choice from our moral decisions and thus these decisions would no longer reflect our goodness or badness, but rather simply our experience of what we are TOLD is good.Thus, while I understand the end was supposed to be an endorsement of Faith over Science, I felt that the characters could have endorsed this view without the trappings of the SHOW doing so, leaving the situation ambiguous and more emotionally provocative.
Rappaccini, you summed up perfectly the mixed feelings I had about the season and the finale. Great insight!
this show ended 2 weeks ago now and the very fact that its still being discussed as if it was an our or so ago symbolizes its quality. Being a fan from the very beginning I have learnt to take the bad (stranger in a strange land)with the mind blowingly excellent (through the looking glass, the end, the constant, deus ex machina) the fact that its gripped a person like me who has never looked twice at a tv drama before and even go as far to say this show has influenced me more than I could ever know. Season 6 had me thinkin for a while whether it was as good as Id hope, two weeks on and having time to reflect it well and truely delivered
Here are my thoughts:The problems I had:1. The temple was totally a waste of time and story space. It brought in new characters that did little to advance the plot or resolve the mysteries. Dogen, for example. The water, for example, was also a big problem. If it came from the source, then why was it polluted? That was not resolved.2. The cop out answer Jacob gave to Kate about the numbers being just chalk on a wall. The numbers have been almost a main character of the show in and of themselves. In fact it was not the characters that initially had me fall in love with the show. I enjoyed the show before the introduction of the numbers in season 1, but I could miss an episode. Once we got the numbers, I became obsessed. And I had long ago theorized that the numbers were people/variables. We see that this is the case finally and Jacob simply scoffs at it. His explanation also makes no sense. If Kate being a mother suddenly got her removed from the list, then how was Michael on the list? He was a father when he tried to kill himself and failed. This was a major issue for me.3. The rules. Having have MIB go through so much to kill Jacob and the candidates, it seemed necessary that the rules needed to be explained. They were not.4. Across the Sea failed not only in momentum and placement (yes, it should have been earlier), but as the heart/soul of the show's origins, it failed to tell us the most important things: why MIB needed to leave so badly; why Jacob agreed to take Mother's place so easily; why MIB and Mother hold the same views of humanity; and finally, why Jacob keeps bringing people to the island. Yes, I know he is trying to prove MIB wrong, but since both can observe mankind from their vantage point, why destroy so many lives? Why bring the candidates there and put them in danger after having selected them? 6. While the whispers were a good answer, they did not make sense on the island. They make sense if they appeared in Sideways, but on the island they seem to point to a whole other The End.7. The sickness was badly explained and executed. Why kills someone (Dogen instructs Jack) if that person (Sayid, Claire, etc.) can in fact be redeemed/saved? That was a disaster IMHOWhat I found amazing:1. Richard's story showed us what Across the Sea failed to do so. We learn that MIB cannot fully act in the material world. He can only influence. We learn that his physical form was stripped from him. We learn that "hell" is not that far off, considering that the gates of hell are only across the island. We learn that immortality is in itself a curse for those unwilling to face death (Richard fearing going to hell instead gets an immortal life in servitude, separated from his wife by his own fears.2. That even up until the end and even despite Jacob's cop out answer about the numbers, 23 is the table at which they all sit – Jack's funeral in essence. Again, despite Jacob's answer, Hurley's lottery numbers are different too.3. I knew that the sideways timeline was not a Jughead related creation. I knew it was not a change in space/time. But what I did not for a moment think it would be is what it turned out to be and not in a cheesy way.4. I loved how the soul-mates required each other in order to wake up. After Desmond saved Charlie so many times, it was necessary for Charlie to be the person who wakes Desmond up and then Desmond can go on to wake Penny up, but ultimately, it was Desmond/Charlie who were a pair across lifetimes. I liked (and suspected as much) how Nadia was not Sayid's redemption at all, but that Shannon was.5. I loved that some of the island mysteries were not explained (while some really needed to be and were not).6. The source was an exceptional idea. Although I still think they should have tied it to the numbers, not to Jacob or his chalk.
[...] über den Tisch gezogen [link], andere fanden das Ende gar nicht so schlecht [link] oder sogar toll [link]. Wieder andere widmen sich der medialen Aufbereitung und Nostalgie [link]. Es fällt schwer, hier [...]
This was personally one of my favorite seasons. I was very pleased when the writers turned the show to a more character-based show instead of relying on sci-fi elements to keep going. I'm sure the people that were fans of the time-travel are wildly disappointed with the finale. For me, however, it goes hand-in-hand with the theme of the show. When you have faith, the answers aren't needed. A huge emotional step up from season 5. A-
[...] mean, It’s not like I can’t see flaws in the show. Sam McPherson at Crave.com certainly has a point about awkward pacing in season 6. And my fellow blogger Phoebe over at [...]
I'm sorry, but I think that the reviewer and some of the people who commented here, just didn't understand the ending. The paralell timeline was REAL, it was not some sort of afterlife or purgatory. It was a real life which the people in the church decided to abandon. When Christian said "this is a place you made so you can find each other", he didn't say anything new, don't forget who detonated the "Jughead" and why. Jack and Juliet did it, and they did it for this specific group of people. THEY were the creators of this paralell universe, "they made this place" as Christian said, and they did it to prevent the plane accident, to save their friends, "to avoid all this misery" as Jack said, they did what they did for themselves and for their friends. So the words of Christian make perfect sense. Don't forget that Juliet said "It worked" before dying, and she was not wrong. The exceptional thing is that they were given the opportunity to leave(or "move on"), by Christian, who was actually dead, and exceptionally came from the afterlife to take them there. The afterlife was this bright light that came into the church after Christian opened the door. They were about to go there, they were NOT already there. And it was a shocking decision to abandon their lives, family, work etc to go there, but it was their OWN CHOICE, Ben for example didn't want to go , although he was invited. Christian affirming that Jack was dead, he was obviously talking about the original reality, the one Jack was about to remember. I think the only guy who was dead in both realities was actually Christian. Why were they given the "right" to "move on" earlier? Maybe because they were the creators of all this. Why did they decide to leave this life? Well, it must be shocking to realize that you have lived "another life", especially when you remember it as a whole(this is proven by Ben saying to Hurley "you were a great number one"- we are in alternate 2004, and Hurley took over the island in original 2007). I wrote "have lived another life" but I could have written, "would live" or "are living", because it is a parallel timeline. I used past tense because when you remember something, it uses to belong to your past, although it is not the case here, the things they remembered, didn't happen before!(do you undestand now what Christian meant when he said "there is no "now", here""?). Those guys must have remembered their deaths too, in the original timeline, which for some of them happened in a future parallel moment. It has to be shocking to remember your alternate future, let alone your original future death!!(Notice that in the last sentence, I could have used the terms alternate-original in the inverse way, without changing the meaning of what I said- when you exist somewhere, a parallel timeline is alternate to you, except for the very ones who detonated the nuke(Jack, Sawyer, Juliet etc), who, by remembering that, they could only call this "alternate" as they created it because they wanted to "change things" ) Then, even if you live 5 lifes, in 5 paralell worlds, you've got one soul, which has to go to the same place. They must have realized that, and maybe they had an idea about what that place was. Why would their memories stop at the moment of their death in the original timeline? Maybe they had an idea about the afterlife, maybe they knew what was expecting them, and that this is something very beautiful, and much more important than the earthly life, that's why they abandonned their life(in another universe, but still a life), being so happy about it. Then, don't forget that even if they stayed there, they would "move on" later, when they would die in the alternate reality too. It must be shocking to realize all this, and that would explain their shocking decision. My insight is based on the facts shown and on the exact words spoken by the characters. I think that the writers made it all clear by the lines they have written, they've done a genius and very thorough work, and one has to pay close attention to dialogues and events, to words and images, before interpreting this masterpiece.
I'm just wondering why was Penny on the church with Desmond? Maybe I missed the episode where she died…
One more question to those who continue to believe that the flash-sideways timeline was an "afterlife". Those who died in the alternate timeline, where did they go? For example, Keamy was shot dead by Sayid. If this universe is an "afterlife", how could someone die there, if everybody there is already dead? He died twice, he re-died or what? And after that, where did he go? To a 3rd alternate timeline? Think this over! Then, Keamy was an 100% bad guy, how was he allowed to go to the same afterlife as Hugo, or Desmond who were good guys? Answer that! Those people were NOT dead. They died in the original timeline and they remembered it, along with the whole life they lived there(and then). That is what Christian meant when he told Jack "you died" or "everybody dies sometime, some of them before, some other long after you". Those people were alive in another world they created(by blowing the nuke), and nevertheless they decided to leave it! They left life!! That is the shocking element, which I tried to explain in my previous post, although I don't like to question the characters' decisions. If you want to write a review you need to have thoroughly examined the thing you 're writing about. How can you criticize something that you have not fully understood??? Lost was a masterpiece, there was no flawless season imo, I don't know which one was the less flawed, or the best, it depends on personal taste too, but all the same this show wrote the history of television.
Do you always just 'make up' your own stuff when you don't like what's been made?
"the last ten minutes seemed to slap on a paper-thin religious element where it should have left more room for individual choice."Absolutely, couldn't agree more. However, for me personally, I felt that one of the best things about Lost was the manner in which it used science and "facts" to explain the unusual aspects of The Island (as opposed to continually suggesting the answers might lay in religion OR science), and that it was these scientific answers that were missing from the final season.We (by which I mean myself and the fans I know) wanted 'hard' answers, not a vague veil of religious mystery that felt *extremely* tacked-on at the end of a show that had not even so much as hinted at it. At the end of the day, that ending feels like I'm watching a different tv show, and just. doesn't. fit. :¬(Yours sincerely,a very disappointed Lost fan…
And you didn't notice that you *also* missed the episodes where Kate, Sawyer, Hugo, Ben, etc etc died?
When John Locke says " You don't have a son, Jack." He was right Daniel didn't exist. Because the "flash-sidways" wasn't real. When Christian said something along the lines of "Everything that happened, happened, Jack." He was saying that Jack's memories of dying on the island were real, along with everything else that happened in his (and everyone elses) lifetime. And the oft quoted "What happened, happened" (or something like that lol) Interesting theory, but you're cherry picking quotes to support it. I have to respectfully disagreed with your interpretation.
Stefanoulis, seriously? Ok. Christian Shephard SAID they were all dead. He SAID they had all died at different times, but had created this "reality" or "world" so that they could all meet again, because "The time they spent with these people was the most important time of their lives." Therefore Keamy etc were all just figments, as it were, or the Losties own creation, so whether he dies or not, it's all an illusion. GEDDIT?
The flash sideways did happen. See when they detonated the bomb, they were back in time which means that all of the events could have happened. And Jack does have a son in the side timeline where they never crash on the island because since Juliet never went to the island, her and Jack could have had a kid together.
Sorry, Stef, but when Juliet said "It worked," she was talking to James, in the Sideways, about how his unplugging the vending machine successfully freed his stuck candy bar. It wasn't about anything but that. Go back and watch their Sideways re-union/remembering and you'll clearly hear her tell him "It worked." Also, Jack's realization, in the Sideways while talking to his father, that he is dead is crucial to the meaning of that place and what they're doing there — namely, realizing they're dead, remembering their lives, and "moving on." The Sideways are not a parallel universe or a timeline (because such would be real and exist in some space and time). The Sideways are, as Christian Shephard tells Jack, outside of time: "There is no 'now' here." You need to do a closer reading of the text of the show. Yes, a lot is open to interpretation, but one thing is for sure: the castaways in the Sideways are all dead, and, therefore, they are not "real" in the sense that they were when they were living and breathing on the island.
sorry Stef, but you're wrong :)
There is nothing wrong with having a different opinion but why are you so angry/insulting? Btw, I disagree with you (people can do that, right?) This existence was an 'afterlife' created BY the main characters so everyone else was just there as a result of the main characters imagination or whatever you want to call. Calm down…geesh.
Re: Jacob's cop out answer. Wasn't that entire conversation about the names on the wall, not the numbers?
"The episode … simply didn't carry the inertia that it should have"Hey Sam – inertia is virtually the opposite of what you're trying to say here – did you confuse it with another word? Inertia means laziness, inactivity, a lack of energy
Sorry you misinterpreted it so badly, I guess some people just can't deal with 100ish hours of story and come out on the other side knowing what's going on. I think the reviewer more or less hit the nail on the head, so I can't complain about the review without going into too much detail. I liked the review, and, more importantly, I loved the show. Maybe wait a few years and re-watch it?
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What I most loved about the finale, was the fact that the writers were up to the formidable task of ending a series of this magnitude in an acceptable way. I'm sorry if my choice of terms will offend, but I'm writing quite sincerely.For me, the Island represented the Bardo (as in Tibetan Buddhism): a place not of this time or any time, but a time in between life/lives and death/deaths.It came as a sort of disappointment that Jack's father was portrayed as the "Christian Shepherd", but if anyone noticed, when Jack finally got into the chapel only to find his father's casket empty, there was this beautiful stained glass window behind him that portrayed all the "great religions".From down right: Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam.A fitting end and emotionally quite satisfying ending I think.
This was one of the best shows ever. The last time I felt this attached to a show was when the X files was on air (prior to Robert Patrick). I don't know if a show like this can be topped.
Wow, really? Stef's view is completely not contradicted by anything shown in the series. He's referring to Juliet's line, "It worked" in the first episode of season six, not the last. Everyone who says he's definitively "wrong" is simply doing what they're complaining he has done, namely, take one view alluded to by the show and carry it past the evidence given for it. None of Christian and Jack's dialogue actually definitively suggests that this isn't just a parrallel timeline into which their future alternate personalities from the main timeline have somehow "bled through to" after their future alternate deaths. Christian could have said something like "None of this is real," but instead he says, "We all die someday," and, "There's no now, no here". This is just circuitious zen philosophizing rather than saying: This is purgatory! You died in a parallel timeline and this is the magical wonderzone you created! Everyone in an existential sense IS dead, in that death is the only guarantee, and "Now" and "Here" are both human constructions on a universe in which time and location are relative terms.So don't jump down someone's throat for getting it "wrong" without thinking it through. It's just like the rest of Lost: the idea that it's a parallel timeline, with real people like Jack's son, and the idea that it's a purgatory created by the Losties, ARE NOT NECESSARILY CONTRADICTORY IDEAS!
I can't understand how oblivious you are to the whole show and how it was wasted on your mental capacity. Please go back and turn on the subtitles and watch it again. Stop insulting the whole meaning of the show by your idiotic theories. The island was real ( that was the real life)They all died (some on the island some off, many years later)Now they are all together in the side ways, which is purgatory ( so they can move on together)And about Keamy being shot, well that wasn't real, that was Sayid point of view, just like Jack thought he had a son. The sideways was what they all imaged life is.
Then, why did Christian say to Jack: "I'm real, you 're real etc" Did he lie to Jack?
Not always. What's your problem?
Why?
Locke is had never been right about everything, actually he was a guy that had been wrong about many important things(remember the hatch implosion for instance). Also Locke is kinda emotional, and he could easily get confused, let alone after such a shock as "remembering" all this. When Christian said "everything that ever happened to you is real" why should this "ever" exclude the flash-sideways? Things didn't happen there? We (and Jack) saw things happening over there, if those things were not real, I would expect Christian to make this clear to us(and to his son)
Then, why did Christian say to Jack: "I'm real, you are real etc" Did he lie to him?
Then, why did Christian say to Jack: "I'm real, you are real etc" Did he lie to him? And, how many senses of "being real" are there?
I interpreted it in a totally different way than you, apparently. Which are the arguments that prove that my interpretation is a misinterpretation? I'm eager to finally find out "what's going on" and expecting you to help me, as you must have an idea, according to what you 're writing.
Of course they created it. They blew up the Jughead, don't you remember? By doing this, Faraday said that they would create another timeline, which would obviously be real, he didn't pretend to blow up a hydrogen bomb to create an illusion or a dreamworld or anything like that. Was this the first time he was wrong about something? Then why did the spirit of Juliet say "it worked"? Creating another timeline doesn't mean that you erase the original one, that's why we've got 2 parallel realities, not one reality and one dreamworld. And of course they did meet again, didn`t they, finally? So my answer to you is, yes, seriously! GEDDIT?
And what about Ben? Where did he stay? Or wasn't he real? And if he wasn't real why did Hugo invite him to come inside? Or do you claim that Hugo wasn't real either? Then why did Christian say "I'm real, you're real etc"? Or do you claim that a real Ben stayed in a not real world? How is this possible? By the way, being rude, impolite and uncivilized is a sign of the lowest mental capacity, and to respect somebody else's opinion, especially when it's different that yours, is a sign of very high intelligence, which you don't seem to have. However, I'm still expecting your answers to the questions above.
Correction of the beginning of the previous post: "Locke was not always right about everything…..etc"
One more thing, are you telling me that when Juliet in season 6 premiere said before dying in Sawyer's arms "I have something really, really important to tell you" and then her spirit said to Miles "It worked", she was talking about a candy bar machine??????
I am really intrigued by your theory, and had not even considered the possibility until now but I have two questions. First, if the flash sideways was an actual life, why would the church's stained-glass windows and the back room as a whole show signs of accepting and promoting all religions? I thought this showed that in death, religion does not matter as much as the person you are and they all had come together so it reflected the characters and their beliefs as a whole. My second question, how does Locke heal and become able to walk as he did? In a real life situation even assuming the operation was a complete success, it would have taken months upon months of physical therapy to heal the atrophy in his legs. Again, I saw this as validation of death as his ability to get up and walk was quite miraculous. Thanks for answering if you get the time.
"Real" is not the same thing as "alive." Obviously since the afterlife exists within the show's mythology, and people retain their identity after death (as evidenced by Hurley's power to talk to them), then dead people are still "real." Christian also says "you are dead, Jack." Why are you ignoring this quote but focusing on the "real" one?
Ben was real and dead. I imagine he got to go to the same afterlife because he became a good person later on, when he helped Hurley. If this was a true parallel universe, why would he and Hurley have a memory of their time together and say "you were a good number two"? I think you misinterpreted. Seriously, rewatch the episode, read Lostpedia.
Why would you need to react like this? Why the rage? Whether you accept it or not, Stefanoulis' interpretation is a valid one, and he/she offers evidence for it. Your interpretation, however, is simplistic and banal. Believe it if you like, but please don't abuse others for thinking and striving after something more meaningful.
I think Stefanoulis watched a different Lost finale from a parrellel universe.
Uh oh… I think someone's beginning to realize he didn't like the last episode of Lost after all…
I think you are all idiots who wasted their time on a show famous for hat tricks. The only thing the show presented was how it could pose a myriad of question with only a handful of answers and manage to keep people glued for six years. Lost is the equivalent to a modern day skinner box. Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse, Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz, Elizabeth Sarnoff, Brian K. Vaughan, Paul Zbyszewskiand especially, J.J Abrams need to go back to film school and learn how to write more well thought out scripts. I never seen some many pointless plot devices in life. It goes to show time travel and flashbacks should always be avoided.
Any thoughts on my questions stef??
And then, how did Keamy get to the same afterlife? He became a good person too? It didn't seem so. What about Bakunin? Then, the question you make is already answered by the writers: the characters became conscious of their alternate life as a whole(that includes remembering moments that happened after 2004 in the original timeline, like Hugo taking over the island), that doesn't mean their life wasn't real. I remind you that in season 6 premiere it was Juliet who became conscious of the alternate life, in the original life, just before dying("it worked" she said). In that case, according to you, the original life would be unreal. Am I the one who has to rewatch things?
Ok, so you're suggesting they are "really dead" while I'm suggesting they're "deadly real". Great. Let's check some things on Dictionaries: real, existent being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory; "real objects"; "real people; not ghosts"; "a film based on real life"; "a real illness"; "real humility"; "Life is real! Life is earnest!"- Longfellow Oops! Not ghosts? Not illusory? What a bad definition, let's check another one: Real: substantial, real, material having substance or capable of being treated as fact; not imaginary; "the substantial world"; "a mere dream, neither substantial nor practical"; "most ponderous and substantial things"- Shakespeare Ooooops! Material??? Not imaginary??????? Man, something must be wrong here. Let's continue: real coinciding with reality; "perceptual error…has a surprising resemblance to veridical perception"- F.A.Olafson Coinciding with reality? How about that! Well, well, well, let's get serious here: A person that feels alive, as obviously Jack does, and is told by his father that he is real, it would be almost impossible to understand by this that he is a ghost, an illusion, or that his life wasn't real, actually Christian said, anything that EVER happened to you is real, that doesn't exclude the sideways, so in our case, real DOES mean alive. Jack is alive, even if he died in another life, the original one. The alternate life(in that case the original one) is still his life, so if he died there, he is actually dead, but that doesn`t mean that he is not alive in this life. So, dead and alive don't exclude each other in our case, and they are both real. Unless you consider that the "afterlife" is a real life, so in that case I name the alternate timeline "afterlife", and we agree. You can see it like that, as they created it(by detonating the "Jughead"), to change things and to resolve(or erase) their problems, so it actually is a kind of afterlife, but I disagree with the term "afterlife" because it didn't happen AFTER the original life, it is parallel, and of course it is material and real. In any other case, you are telling me that a fairy tale is real, because it is a real fairy tale.
Ok, first question: the church was a transition point, its interior transformed to an exceptional place where exceptionally Christian would come from the "afterlife"(which is this beautiful light) to pick them up. So, once they get inside there they 're one step from another dimension, one step from beyond life(or lives, original or alternate) and death(or deaths, original or alternate). That explains the exceptional and symbolical conditions and elements, such as the bright light in the end, or the symbols you're talking about. Then, you also shoudn`t forget the metaphorical and philosofical element of the whole thing. Your thought about religions is absolutely correct, in my opinion.Second question: Well, I remind you season 2 episode 1, "Man of science, man of faith". The operation of Jack's future wife was totally impossible to succeed, but it did, so Jack making miracles, or better, miracles happening after Jack's operations, is not something new to the show. Those people were gifted by Jacob and the Island for their whole existence(and from 1977 on, existences, original or alternate). I think that Locke getting up and walking so miraculously, is absolutely canon to the show, and it is no surprise. Your post was very interesting though. Thankyou
Sorry for the delay, I had professional stuff going on. I'm writing the reply to your post below know, meanwhile you can read my posts to Louj, especially the second one, about being real or unreal.(you're gonna have to scroll down)
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, LOL. That was a good one, I must admit!
Perhaps you just weren't smart enough to figure out the answers to those questions?Thats too bad for you.
It also means that a body in motion tends to stay in motion, unless acted on by an outside force.
You must be talking about yourself
Christian didn't say they were dead, he said they died, it's different. They died(at different times) in the original reality, but they are alive now in this alternate universe. Getting conscious of their life in the original universe, functions like remembering it, so it all feels like past to them, but nevertheless, it didn't happen before, it happened, is happening and will happen in a parallel timeline. I already explained to the user LouJ, below on that thread, that the main reason I disagree with the term "afterlife", is especially because all this doesn't happen AFTER their original life, but at the same time with it. After all this, you understand that the terms "now, here" are relative, and taking into consideration that those Losties are about to take a step towards eternity, Christian's line "there is no now, here" is fully explained.
Stefanoulis, I'm sorry you didn't quite understand the ending, and frankly the entire show, but I'm sure as you can tell, your interpretation is quite off. LOST was about learning to let go, living a good life, and overcoming our demons, and doing the right thing. It was story of love, and redemption, and it was mostly the story of Jack and the people that made, and his life what it was. His REAL life was the life ON THE ISLAND. And YES, the sideways life was more of a purgatory. He, and everyone else, needed to remember their real life and learn to let go as well. What you saw in the sideways life were each character's story structure in a way, THEIR way, as almost a punishment, and continued sorrowed existence, just like their real life, and it's not until they're able to let go that they're able to remember their real life and move on.You want to know why Keamy was in the sideways life? He was apart of Sayid’s sideways life; the life Sayid manifested. It was never Keamy’s story, it was Sayid’s. You shouldn’t be thinking about it as he died twice. This is a sci-fi show, not REALITY. But yes, Keamy was dead, but Sayid was dead in the sideways life too. THEY ALL WERE. In the church you’ve badly misinterpreted and cherry-picked Jack and Christian’s conversation as well. Jack ask’s “is this real, am I real”. Yes, in a sense that there is an afterlife, they are all REAL. Alive? No. Again, stop trying to look at as if it’s not a science fiction TELEVISION SHOW. This is spirituality 101. Remember Chrisian says he’s dead, and asks Jack how he got there. Jack answers with, “ I DIED TOO”. This is very CLEAR. Christian also says, “we all die. Some before you (Charlie, Jin, Sayid), some AFTER YOU (Kate, Sawyer, Claire)” because Kate, Claire, Sawyer etc. all got off the island and lived out the rest of their lives, but as you saw, Jack died ON THE ISLAND. This is also why Kate said, “I missed you so much” to Jack. She lived her life, without Jack, but in the afterlife, they can be together. This is also why Christian said to Jack, “there is no “now” here.” Because time does not exist when you’re DEAD. These specific individuals are in the church because they were important in each other’s LIVES, as Christian says. And they’re all there because they needed one another to let go and move on into whatever afterlife they want. But they are ALL DEFINITELY DEAD. When Desmond is in the car with Kate before she remembers her life and the island, she asks Desmond, “who are you?” and he replies, “My name WAS Desmond Hume”. Was is past tense. He too is DEAD. This sideway life, or purgatory is a place the character’s created to be together, because they changed each others’ lives while they were ALIVE. It is only when they can all remember their REAL lives on the island that they can move on to “heaven”, “nirvana”, whatever spiritual ending they want. Before you go and try and argue this some more, why don’t you watch Matthew Fox on Jimmy Kimmel. He affirms that the ISLAND was their REAL life, NOT the sideways life. If you still want to argue the whole ending after the main character explains it, then no one can help you. http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/lost-ending-j…..
Ok, I appreciate your response and I understand your answers to my questions, but I'm still left wondering. I've had to re-read your original post a few times to fully understand what you're trying to say. I believe you are claiming that this is a completely new, parallel universe to the original one on the island. In saying this is a completely parallel timeline/universe, even one they created; it should then be completely independent of the original timeline on the island. We have seen this in many science fiction shows in TV's past (Star Trek: TNG, Sliders, etc.), so the idea of a parallel universe is nothing new. The idea that you can actively remember, not only a parallel universe version of yourself but its future, is a completely new idea to the science fiction side of things and one I have a hard time understanding. If these timelines co-exist in their own separate parallel universes, knowing the future of one seems highly implausible as they should be in the same point of time in each. I understand they would have created it, but it would still be a life and universe that falls under the normal laws of physics and separate from the island universe. This would not allow them to just leave at their choosing, would not allow a dead man to interact with everyone, or allow Jack to perform a miracle on Locke. When Jack sees Christian in the back room the following lines are said. Jack: "I don't understand, you died." Christian: "Yes I did." Jack: "Then how are you here right now?" Christian: "How are you here?" Jack: "I died." In this exchange Christian asks Jack how he is “here” and Jack responds he is in that particular place because he died. As you said Christian was without a doubt dead, yet he is interacting with Jack and leading the others in the church. Again, I would think even in a parallel universe they created the laws of physics have to apply somehow. Episode 12 of season 5 was even titled, "Dead is Dead” suggesting you only die once. Continuing, if they did create a new universe with the "Jughead" detonation it comes back to the oldest time travel problem of all. If they created a universe where they never went to the island, then in that new and independent universe they never could have gone back in time on the island to detonate the bomb to create that universe. We saw in this season’s premiere that the island was under the ocean, with the Dharma barracks still on them. This implied that the island was around at least until the bomb went off, but if they never crashed and had their experiences and blown up Jughead, who did? I'm still skeptical and believe the sideways timeline was the characters in death, but I would love to hear your thoughts on this as I am enjoying your input into this fascinating and wonderful show we all love. One last question like my two in the first post, why would Jack carry over the neck wound from his encounter with Locke? Thanks for your time Stef.
Ufff, I'm tired of replying to everybody, please read again my posts, but all of them, not only the original one, read my replies to other users, too. First of all I don't need someone to help me, I like having my opinion, and I like reading interesting things. Whatever philosofical ideas you're mentioning about letting go, life, death, love, redemption etc do NOT contradict my theory at all. Actually, my theory reinforces those ideas by including the element of the shocking personal decision of abandoning their actual life(which was the sideways life, from our point of view), for what they seemed to undestand it is beyond and above material existence. So, you are saying that the sequence of images in the 6th season premiere, of Juliet detonating the bomb, then white light, and then Jack in the plane that doesn't crash was a con, the director-film editor didn't mean that one thing caused the other, but instead they tried and managed to deceive us by showing us that. Ok, but then, why did Juliet say "it worked", before she died? And that this was "really, really important"? Was she talking nonsense? Ok, maybe. Or did she mean that by blowing the bomb she created an "afterlife"? Because I thought it was their death that would create the afterlife, and they didn't precisely die by blowing up the bomb. Then again, I repeat, Christian said, they died, not they' re dead. It's not the same thing. Read what I wrote to LouJ and to Niki. I already wrote too, that getting conscious of another life of yours, which was created this way and is occuring-will occur in a parallel timeline , functions like remembering it, so it feels like if it was your past, that's why Desmond said "I was". Well, I've already answered to all this stuff, read or read again what I replied to other users, and if you don't want to accept it, no problem, you don't have to. I just find the "afterlife" interpretation shallow, banal, and kinda cop-out: I say that the complicated part of it was not real, I get my money and go, easy solution! I could do this to other movies and series too! If you think that this is what the writers did, then congratulations. One last thing, but not least: I don't know who misinterpreted Lost, but I do know who misinterpreted Matthew Fox's video on Jimmy Kimmel, and that would be you. Jimmy Kimmel was making a funny interpretation of the show, so among other things he says "their life on the island was their real life"(this excludes even their lives before arriving and after leaving the island, let alone the sideways life of the 6th season), Matthew Fox says yes(lightly containing his laughter) and everybody laughs. If you take this seriously, then you should look for your interpretation of Lost on Letterman, or on Saturday Night Live. But even if you take this seriously, the fact that one thing is real doesn't mean that the other thing is not. I claim that BOTH realities are real, so even if Matthew Fox says that seriously, he does not contradict my theory. Then Matthew Fox says that the beautiful thing about the ending is that there is room for interpretation(how about that!) depending on people`s spiritual beliefs, and there are also some religions that believe etc etc(a similar thing to your interpretation). If I tell you that there are some people or religions who believe this or that, and you undestand that I affirmed something, then you' ve got some serious problems in understanding the verb "to affirm". Matthew Fox didn't affirm anything, he just suggested a possible interpretation, depending on some people's beliefs, that doesn't mean that there is not a deeper or just different interpretation, and my arguments on the posts above, prove that there is.
First of all, what they remembered was not their future, but their alternate past-present-future. From 1977 on, we've got two separate timelines which don't meet, don't intersect one another. So if you are on one and you get conscious of what happens on the other, this doesn't have to include only what occurs-occured until the same parallel moment you are at the moment of "remembering", because this moment is on another line, the one you are on. It doesn't matter at what point of the line you are, the line [already] exists, it is written, and it is a whole thing, it's not moving, your present is moving on it, not the line itself, so if you have to get conscious of your existence on another line, you get the whole part of it which you were on. I know it's complicated, the best and easiest way to describe it , is "there is no now, here", but unfortunately people got it in such a shallow way. About Christian's material existence, I stick to my previous post to you: this church was an exceptional transition place from life to afterlife(first you've got trees and parked cars outside the church, then you've got bright light), so Christian's existence enters in that context. For example, did you see Christian alive and walking, outside that church? This is no coincidence. And it wouldn't be a mistake to consider that Christian's quote "this is a place you made so you can meet etc" could just refer to the "metaphysical"-"transitional" interior of that church and only that, although it could also refer to the whole universe they were in, as they created it themselves by blowing-up the nuke. About the laws of physics, I remind you that no human being knows ALL of them, and as we're talking about a sci-fi show, the mythology of it, is more important than the part of the laws of physics the scientists of our time are aware of, so instead of trying to explain things by the laws of physics, I find it more productive, in our case, to try to figure out what is canon or non-canon to the show, although, even then, exceptions or new revelations can be made until the last line written. Jack performing a miracle is due to Jacob`s and the Island's influence which must exist in both timelines as it starts before 1977, the moment of creating the new timeline. That is proven by Jacob having in his lighthouse, an image of the house where Jack spent his childhood(Jack spent his childhood before 1977, he was not 27 at the moment of the crash. Sawyer affirmed on season 5 finale that he was a child in 1976, when his father shot his mother and himself. Jack and Sawyer have no big age difference, let alone that Sawyer can be younger). About Christian and Jack's dialogue, check my replies to the users Niki and LouJ, especially the last 2 paragraphs of my second post to LouJ(the one with the definitions from the dictionary) They say "I died, you died" not "I'm dead, you are dead", it's not exactly the same thing. The posts are below, on that thread. About why God allowed them to leave at their choosing, well, they managed to create a new universe, don't you think they deserved al least that? What they did was really big, and then, don't forget that they were chosen people, by Jacob and the Island which are entities with divine qualities. You could even associate the bright light outside the church with the bright light in the heart of the Island, as elements that represent eternity and existence beyond space and time. Those people were not just anyone, since their birth(or even before) it was their destiny to be in contact with something much bigger than our conventional perception of things. About "Dead is dead", it's referring to Locke not having resurrected, and, especially, to Ben believing that resurrection was impossible, until he saw Locke alive. About dying once or twice, twice means two times, one after the other, or one before the other. As we've got two separate timelines, something that happened on one timeline, didn't happen before or after something else that happened on the other timeline, beacuse the two timelines are PARALLEL, that means that they don't intersect! Therefore, if you die on one timeline, you die once, and if you die on another one, you die again once! There is no case in which you die twice. The paradoxal thing is that if you get to become conscious of your existence on another timeline, you will remember living "twice", but all the same, this term would not provide a correct description of the situation(an adequate term could sound like "twice once" or "parallel double once" but as we live in one unique universe- or so we believe- our languages provide no word for that). About your second paragraph, Jughead was detonated by them traveling back in time from the original timeline, let's call it timeline 1. The other one, let's call it timeline 2, was created by the detonation of Jughead in 1977. After this moment, they both exist without one erasing the other, so timeline 2 does not cancel timeline 1. If it did, then you would be right, nobody would have detonated the Jughead, let alone that the first 5 seasons of Lost would have been a dreamworld(it sounds almost as ridiculous as the opposite, which is somehow similar to what the majority of the people on that thread have claimed so far). As many characters of the show said, "what happened, happened", so when Jack and Faraday(and Juliet) change the future, what they actually do is to create another future, so there will be two futures, in our case the parallel timelines 1 and 2. However, before the moment of the detonation, the two timelines were a single and unique one, so if you travel back in time from whichever of both timelines and you arrive to a moment which is previous to the detonation, you arrive to the two worlds' common past, which is whatever happened before "the incident" in 1977. So, let's resume, the two timelines exist after "the Incident" in 1977. Before that, they were one single timeline. The characters leaving timeline 2 at the series ending, go to this bright light which is a "place" BEYOND any timeline. There is a moment on timeline 1(apparently a different moment for everyone of them) in which they also leave timeline 1 to move on to the same "place", beyond timelines. I consider that this moment is the moment of their deaths on timeline 1. And this "place" beyond timelines, beyond space and time, this bright light, is what you could call "afterlife". The fact that the two timelines have a common origin would explain all those connection points between them, such as Desmond's and Eloises gift of being aware of both existences, the ability of the Losties on timeline 2 to realize their alternate existence on timeline 1, the ability of Juliet on timeline 1 to realize their alternate existence on timeline 2("it worked") and of course Jack's wound on both timelines. Maybe there are more. Those connection points are facts that serve as common references between timelines, and by no means are intersection points between them. The events on each timeline are totally independent from the events on the other, even if some of them are related, similar, or even identical to some other from the alternate one. If there was an intersection point subsequent to the "incident", that would mean that during this period of time, EXACTLY the same events, involving exactly the same people, would happen at EXACTLY the same date and time on both lines, which would then be one. This would be almost impossible, as many things have evolved differently since the splitting of one line to two lines, which is the "incident" in 1977. It also exists a possibility of this happening(the same things, with the same people, at exactly the same minutes and seconds of the clock) without this being an intersection between the lines!! In that case, it would be pure(and very remote) coincidence, and instead of the fusion of two existences in one, we would have two existences doing exactly the same things at the same time(on a global scale)! Notice the connection between space, matter and time by how naturally I can switch the words "existence" and "timeline". I hope I didn't leave anything unanswered.
I loved the show and stayed with it right to the end even when people were slating it…..only to get the biggest cop out in tv show finales history, the writers were just lazy. what the hell actually happened in the end? cos it confused the hell out of me… now i know i'll get comments sayin i must be thick or stupid, but i really dont care as i KNOW i'm not alone in sayin and thinking it
Well, like I said, no one is going to be able to explain this to you since you've already made up your mind that you want to believe what you want to believe. But first, the parody that Matthew Fox was laughing about was the second interpretation that Jimmy provided. He was very clear when he said that the island life was the real life. When he discusses the purgatory life, he said that was up for interpretation simply because people have different opinions about the after life. Hence, why the different religions were illustrated. Although the writers of the shows have repeatedly stated they used a lot of their beliefs in Buddhism, Taoism to write the ending of the show. If you're basing your entire believe of the ending all on Juliet saying "it worked" in one episode you've come up with your answer in a very narrow way. Who cares if she said it worked. Desmond also told Jack that there was another life where they were both able to be together off the island. Did he mean another "real" life? No. He simply was able to have knowledge, and images of this purgatory because Desmond was the constant throughout the entire show. Seriously, there is not one another person who has interpreted this show so terribly. THEY WERE ALL ALIVE ON THE ISLAND AND ALL DEAD IN THE SIDEWAYS LIFE! Everything that happened in their lives before the island and on the island before they did was REAL. Period. Just google "LOST FINALE EXPLAINED" and you will get many explanations. If you don't believe in purgatory, thats fine, but stop saying the life on the island was fake, and the sideways life was their real life and they chose to leave their life to walk into a light, that just don't make sense nor does it follow to show, and frankly it's irritating that you're trying to ruin a fantastic show. Maybe you should rewatch the show, or spend some time researching its many elements.
you seem to have understood that jughead may have created the flash-sideways universe; therefore I do not understand why you claim that faith was given "primacy". For me, this theme has always been faith vs. science, and that's how I felt about it at the end of the show. I was surprised that every single person I talked to thought the losties were in some sort of purgatory/afterlife in the alternate universe. I would only believe this scenario if I were religious.
I really didn't like the fact that this epic battle between good and evil was resolved with a fist/knife fight…
I don't know if I`m irritating, but it is absolutely sure that you are irritated. Actually, the first two lines of your post above, could miraculously apply to yourself! I never said that the life on the island was fake, if this is what you understood when you read my posts, then you've got serious text comprehension problems. I said that both lives were real, I've written a post to the user Drew(the long one, above on that thread), about the two different timelines, I hope you will be able to undestand it. If you don't, never mind, it wouldn't surprise me at all. I didn't base my theory only on Juliet's line from the 6th season premiere, I provided much more evidence, but, speaking of it, if you didn't notice, it was a very important line, and if you say "who cares" about it, then you could say " who cares", about lots of things. Actually, to a user who says "who cares" about what the characters of the show actually said, I could reply: who cares about what you write! But I don't, because I respect your opinion, whatever this is. You should learn from that, you know. What is really worrying me, is that you are having a really hard time interpreting Jimmy Kimmel's video, which is however much easier and much lighter than the show Lost itself, which you are trying to explain! What second interpretation are you talking about? He made one interpretation, which he said humorously in the end that he was so proud of, causing the audience to laugh again. Of course people laughed several times while he was saying it, if you think that this meant that he made several interpretations, then I stop here, because I don't want to be sarcastic. By the way, thank you for mentioning Desmond's talk to Jack before entering the cave, it's another piece of evidence that supports my theory, which I hadn't mentioned before, thanks for reminding it to me. The answer to your question: Did he mean another "real" life? No, he meant another "fake" life. Actually, he made a mistake, he should have said "Jack, there is another life, but it is fake, it's not real, where the plane never crashed, we were both on it sat next to each other, but why the heck am I saying that to you, as it was not real, nothing really happened there, there was no plane, Faraday was wrong for the first time and who cares about what Juliet said". Sorry for the slight irony, but I have a hard time resisting to the temptation. Then finally, I find it impolite and a little offensive you telling me that I'm ruining the show because I interpret it in a different way than you. Maybe you are the one who is ruining something, and that would be the principles of a civilized conversation. I don't know who undestands the show better, but one thing is apparent: that you are pretty far from undestanding my interpretation.
One more thing, if you believe that I've made up my mind, and you are pretty sure that no one will be able to convince me, then why the heck do you bother writing to me?
Did everything that happened on the island really happen? Or was it all an instant of time after the crash of Oceanic 815? Actually the writers leave clues to both interpretations. Take a close look at the shoe hanging on the bamboo in the last few seconds of "The End." It is very weather-worn, gray, disintegrating. Now go back and watch the first minute or two of the pilot episode. That shoe hanging on the bamboo is white and new. This clue seems to say that the events on the island happened over the course of six years. However, over the closing credits we see the wreckage of flight 815, including an open suitcase with all the clothes still in it (no one having removed them to set up camp as in the first season), and the only footprints are those of the dog, Vincent, who had left the scene of the crash to die next to Jack. This clue seems to show that Jack died immediately after the crash. So the writers appear to have given us clues for both interpretations — not just these two contradictory clues, but many — and each of us can pick the interpretation that we like the best.
If some of them died much later, why didn't the likes of Kate, Sawyer and etc age?
People don't understand. The whole idea about letting it go is about this alternate universe they created with the nuke. They created this alternate universe in order to escape al the "bad" things which happened to them in the real universe, but at some point they realize that this isn't the real universe and that they have to let go of it and embrace the real one.
I don't think that Ford imagined himself as a cop or Desmond as Widmore's right hand, so (in my opinion) your understanding of the ending is flawed. Only this to facts show that this is indeed an alternate universe, but not the right one and one created by Jack for all of them to be safe as Oceanic 815 never crashed and as they realize, through the flashes, that this is not the right universe they all get together in order to let go of it because what happened happened. At least this is my interpretation and I'm totally satisfied with it.
stefanoulis, thank you for your posts, I am not sure if you are 100% correct yet but your interpretation seems to fit rather nice to the storyline and answers many of the questions I've been having after watching the final episode. I would like to also thank you for persisting on your opinion on this review, have you not, I would have just let your initial comment go by. I like the idea that there are 2 REAL timelines, it makes Faraday less crazy and his mom at the end also hints that this may not be just purgatory. Some questions though: 1. Are the whispers people from the other timeline? Why does Hugo realise that one of those is Michael? Why is he not at the end? He told Hugo that he failed because he left the island, he quit, what was that about? Why couldn't he kill himself later in the series?2. What about Desmond? He is a still a mystery to me, from the reason for pushing the button to the final "I get the big picture" persona. How does he know everything all of a sudden? About the light in the cave? About the other timeline? He sure sees some stuff when is hit by electromagnetism again in that hut. Does he see the complete OTHER timeline as you suggested? I mean does he also see that they will eventually go to the light in the church? 3. The three years of the Oceanic 6, was that a third, smaller timeline? I mean did they appear at picture at the OTHERS camp similar to a "back to the future" effect or were they in it all along?4. Why does Ben stay? Why was Locke special while Ben wasn't? Was it because Ben was not a "Lost" soul to be a candidate? I think he was more lost than any of them.Now a question that might contradict to your point of view:1. Why did they decide to die (move along, leave whatever) when they could hang around a bit more… Sure they are bigger than life, if I can put words to it, but for some it must be very hard to do. I mean Claire has just had a baby. If it is a REAL timeline, what happens? does she take it with her? Does she leave it in an orphanage? Sun is also going to have a baby… Why don't they just live until they die of old age, they will get to the light eventually wont they? I guess they will meet with their children inside the light if time there has no meaning, but then, life has no meaning, including this show
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This article is ridiculous. To fault "Accross the Sea" for being slow compared to the rest of the pace (which was evident in the first minute and a half, but became part of the storytelling, not a flaw), is to wish for a different show.In all, the end was clear. Everything that happened happened. The survivors of Oceanic 815 were living with the consequences of everything that happened. It is an analogy of the rational mind discovering the world. The rational mind maintains the narrative, observing existents, discovering rules. The source is identity. The stream is individuals. Existence exists. Our sensations are valid. Our mind is free.
Larisa, the chalk on the wall line was about the line through her name. She was crossed off from being the Candidate because she had a little human waiting back home to take care of. She already had a job in the effort to continue a rational existence, but she could be the Candidate if she wanted. The line was only chalk on the wall and could be erased.
Kate, you can stop wondering about that second "clue." ABC inserted that plane crash footage over the credits. It was not part of the producers' plans. So ignore anything it "suggests."The island stuff happened.
“I don't think that Ford imagined himself as a cop or Desmond as Widmore's right hand, so (in my opinion) your understanding of the ending is flawed.”
Because of his love for Penny, Desmond wanted Widmore's approval. Being his right hand man in the afterlife fits quite well with his desires.
Ford's obsession in life was to track down the man responsible for his parents' death. In his life, he did this as a grifter, a conman. In the afterlife, he does the same thing (attempts to track down the real Sawyer) but by being the good guy instead. Fits quite well in my opinion. Ford isn't a bad guy, so why would you think that imagining himself as a cop would be so unrealistic?
It may be that Desmond had Widmore's approval but he didn't have Penny or the love for her. I think these two things were far more important for Desmond than Widmore's approval. The same thing goes for Ford, in both “universes” he chases the same man and in neither of them does he get him and in both worlds he let's go of this, the chase. I don't think that being a cop was Ford's “dream”.
This goes for almost all of them.
One other thing: Desmond wanted Widmore's approval because of Penny, but he didn't even know of her existence in the other universe, so wanting Widmore's approval doesn't make any sense in this new universe.
The ending for me was very reminiscent of Vanilla Sky, was it not?
I loved the episode. Couldnt have asked for a better ending to a great show. If you wanted definate answers about the island or the science i couldve told you that wasnt gonna happen years ago. But the people are important and im glad they went in that direction
You sir….are an idiot
Wow, what a civilized, mature, educated and intelligent guy! I'm impressed! The structure of your arguments just crushed me!
Most of You don't know what your talking about. I agree with Stef…If someone can explain when everyone DIED in order to manifest this sideways universe then i'm sure a lot of people would be happy. Was it on or off the Island? The last episode of the sixth season was a cop out way to end the show. the entire sixth season was just thrown together to end a show that was a constant roller coaster, from all the new characters added to the unnecessary flashbacks to the misinterpretation of the island itself…was it mystical or wasn't it? I was confused but I was intrigued until the last season…If that was purgatory, then where were the other members? like Walt and Michael…and I thought Walt was supposed to be special….if so i didnt catch that episode where they explained it…too many grey areas…All and all is it was a great idea, great cast and plot all leading to a horrible ending