Can some one sum up the last six years of plots and the finale is a simple terms as possible!? Was it all a dream? Did the plane really exist?

****Spoiler-Spoiler-Spoiler*****



Everything we saw up to season 5 was real and happened, be it on the island or off. The alternate reality we see from the start of this season is in fact the afterlife outside the bounds of time and space, where they can all meet up again. That's about as simply as it can be put. Job done now, I'm just glad it wasn't all a dream or that the island wasn't purgatory or something like that!

Still the burning question is: where the fuck is Walt?!

see ya in anotha life, brotha

Spoilers. Also, sorry for the long post, but I had to get it out of my system.

Lost : A Better Ending

Lost. I've been a fan and supporter of this show and have often stated that it is the best thing on TV. After six seasons I still feel the same, although like most, I am disappointed with the ending. It's not that I didn't understand it; I get what happened. It's not that there were too many questions unanswered; many were indeed resolved, and letting some minor mysteries or supernatural explanations remain fits within the presentation of the show. Yes, I can even let the Walt stuff go. Nobody knew in 2004 how big this show would become, and they did drop his story rather early on. No, my problem is with the writer's and producer's decisions regarding the final fifteen minutes. Said producers knew this was a big deal and specifically knew their supporters expected a little more. Let's face it, we encouraged stories about love, time travel and alternate universes; didn't we deserve something more thought out than "eventually they died, met up, and moved on together"? I simply feel that the writers and producers could have done better.

Let's start with what they did correctly. Season 6 was great. After wowing us with a hatch, the others, flash backwards, flash forwards, and time travel, the powers that be still found an original way to close their series with a season anchored with flash sideways into an alternate universe. Said season was filled with may high points, particularly the superb back stories for Richard Albert and Jacob and the Man in Black. Also, despite a rushed story in which several characters were hastily killed on a submarine, the series brought us three strong final episodes with lots of answers. Lost could have tried to pack a bunch of stuff into the season finale, but instead provided a masterful end game over several hours (technically weeks), revealing information on Jacob, the smoke monster, the island, and the candidates. Putting aside the very ending of "The End", it was an otherwise exciting, good final episode. Don't forget that it was also a somewhat clever and humorous episode, and we shared a laugh about the name Christian Sheppard, a nod to the very specific naming convention by the show's characters. Even the fact that the Losties met in an interfaith ministry was a nice touch, as compared to the typical Christian church one comes to expect on American TV. A lot of things were done well during the final season and the final episode.

So, what was my problem with the ghosts/spirits meeting in an alternate life after their deaths and moving on together in one big Partridge Family bus of the dead? For me, it is mostly about those that were present. Jack was told that, "the most important part of his life was the time spent with these people". Wait, what? Then why was Boone there? Jack and Boone shared very little, and if we are talking about original crash survivors, where are Michael and Walt? Also, there were more than just original crashies present. Libby is there for Hurley, but then who determines Anna Lucia is not ready and why isn't Echo invited? Penny's involvement in Jack's life is important, but how is she present while other prominent Losties, such as Daniel Faraday, are conspicuously absent? Most importantly, would about the survivors that finally left on the plane with Lapidus? Claire was pretty young and had a baby. Didn't she and Aaron reconnect? Didn't she live her life? Are we meant to believe that she would rather go to the afterworld with a man she loved for a couple of months than her son and his family (in the process de-aging her son to an infant)? All in all, the writers/producers were so concerned with getting a bunch of actor's faces in the church that they didn't consider the relationships that they wrote for the last six years.

Also, what about the plane wreckage during the final credits? Some would argue that Lapidus's plane crashed; one can argue that he didn't need an exact heading since the island was in flux or Jacob was dead, but let's face it, he should not have gotten away. However, he was flying Ajira and the debris was clearly Oceaninc. Are we supposed to believe the original Losties died on arrival and everything was in the afterlife? Of course not, Christian clearly explained what was real and what wasn't. So, as cool as the imagery of a deserted island plane crash looked, it really was an ill advised way to close their series.

Speaking of closings, I have one final criticism. The last shot of Jack dying and closing his eye was awesome. The fact that Vincent laid with him was moving and brilliant. However, the "closed eye" idea was somewhat predictable, especially as he was walking through the bamboo field. Believe me or not, before the show even aired I told Patience (my fiance) it would be the last shot before the credits. How did I know? These writers/producers like symmetry and images, and will sometimes sacrifice story for presentation (see interfaith church gathering above). Anyone that knew Lost well probably could have figured out the last shot if they gave it some thought. So, with all this criticism, how could I have done better? I'll tell you, and I'll even include the closing eye scene.

Now, this theory is pretty much how I banked on the series ending, although Patience has added some interesting input that I will include.

Juliet did it. Detonating the bomb created an alternate universe where the heroes could be happy, and those touched by the island would eventually have the ability to remember the "other" universe. All of season 6 could have played out as it did until roughly when Jack sent Desmond to the core of the island, except Ben was gravely injured saving Hurley and is carried to the mouth of the cave. Desmond eventually pulls the plug and dies smiling, but (F)Locke doesn't become human. Infuriated that he is now stranded on the dying island, he becomes the smoke monster and goes to attack Jack. Hurley jumps in front of Jack and suggests they resolve everything without conflict since they are going to die anyway. The monster instead kills him, turning into Christian and taunting Jack that all his friends will die with the island and flies off. Meanwhile, as Lapidus, Richard, Miles, Claire, Kate and Sawyer lift off and think they are safe, the smoke monster engulfs the plane and crashes it into the mountain ridges in a mass explosion. Cut to final commercial.

In the flash sideways, Kate has not approached Jack yet. Desmond gathers all of the Losties at the church except Jack and explains how he knew about both universes. (I would include anyone considered a hero during the run of the show, regardless if they were seen recently or not, even if you only saw body doubles from afar). Desmond, serving as impromptu leader, asks everyone if they have more info. Ben steps up and says that Juliet saved them all when she exploded the bomb. He explains how Desmond's gift, among other things, allowed him to serve as the bridge, which is why he awoke first. He explains that they did all indeed die in the alternate universe, but thanks to Juliet and Desmond, they can start over in this universe with all of their memories in tact. He explains that the only way to cross over with Desmond is to die on the island in the other universe. He explains that Walt had a similar purpose, and in the event of Desmond's death, the island would have brought him back, too. He explains that Jack is the last to awaken, but after missing the concert, will be arriving here to make peace with his Dad's coffin. By that time he should be able to join them in their awaking. Desmond asks how Ben how he knows all this, to which Ben replies, 'becasue I am still there, too. I'm not sure why I didn't know it until just now, but I am still there and I have something important to do." Without another word he starts to leave the church. As he opens the door Jack walks in, scanning over this group of people and making eye contact with a happy Kate. He and Ben share a glance, Ben smiles at him, and closes the door behind him as he exits.

Back on the island, supernatural Jack hears the plane crash and offers Ben "the drink" in order to save him. Jack tells Ben he thought he was supposed to "fix it" by saving the island, but he has finally learned that he cannot fix everything unless he works together with those best suited to fix specific problems. He finally realizes he cannot fix everything himself, and he wishes it didn't cost him his friends to figure it out . Ben thanks him, and tells him how all he ever wanted was this island and it has also cost him much. Now that he has it, he knows how to use it and will fix it all. Ben vanishes and reappears in the cave near the main pool. He summons the smoke monster with a combination of taunts and by reading the symbols on the wall. The monster rushes back to the cave, picking up and dragging Jack through the creek and slamming him into the rock cave wall on its way down. The monster appears as Alex and laughs at Ben saying they will die together. Ben laughs back, saying he possesses the two things Jacob and Jack never had; the desire for the power of the island and the hatred to truly destroy the smoke monster. Ben closes his eyes as the symbols on the wall glow and the room goes loud and bright a la Desmond. Looking shocked, Alex screams and becomes Locke and then Christian and then the Man In Black before he becomes the smoke monster, changing color from black to white with electrical charges as it is sucked back into the heart of the island (the hole). Ben smiles and closes up the pool with the stone plug, saying something completely ridiculous like "put a cork in it". The golden glow returns to the room. Jack suddenly finds himself in the bamboo walking with support by Ben. He asks what's going on. Ben thanks him for offering him redemption, and in return, destroying the monster and restoring the island to it's original greatness, long since forgotten. Ben let's go of Jack and tells him to be with his friends because this universe is about to close it's doors, and walks in the opposite direction. Dazed, Jack continues to move forward past the shoe, collapses, gets a visit from Vincent, and closes his eyes. Fade to white with the word LOST in black letters, followed by credits in the same fashion.

Sure, my ending has some magic and mystery, but I think it is more satisfying. Jack fixes it by learning he can't fix everything. Ben gets redeemed and gets revenge. Desmond's efforts in season 6 have a more logical purpose. Everybody gets a happy ending AND remembers the island without too much of a dues ex machina style ending. Really, anything is better than the afterlife flash sideways that we were given. I wrote this after one day. The writers could have done better with all the time they had...

Put a cork in it, hahaha!!

Well, I was quite satisfied with the tearful ending. My coworker was pissed about it and didn't want to talk to me about the finale. There were a lot of unanswered questions, but I don't think it really matters. The show was convoluted enough as it is and it needed to end, period. I'm still thinking about the finale and about the series, trying to make sense out of the jumbling racket of theories floating around and my brain is quite exhausted trying to sift through other peoples' thoughts on the series. Should never have checked that Entertainment Weekly website, argh, hahaha! heh. uhm. Anyway the last month or so my family and I have been on a marathon re-watching the entire series trying to get a grip. In the end the things that tie in with the final season matter to me, and the things left unanswered... Well. I don't know. I don't really think I care. It's time to let go. LOST was big on fan service so I have no problem with the things left unanswered - let the fans mull it over, the hard core LOSTIES are good at that. I believe people will be talking about this show for a while and coming up with their own answers.