My Take on Why the Lost Finale Was Never Going to Satisfy Fans
Full of spoilers - please don't read on if you haven't watched the entire series. >!I watched Lost from the pilot through the entire run. !<>!I wish something like Reddit had existed at that time. I mainly just talked about it with friends and I think maybe Facebook was the place you went if you wanted to talk to strangers about it? I know there were forums, but I have no idea where they were. This is me writing something I wish I could have written back when the series ended. Appreciate anyone reading it. I love this show, think it took big risks that paid off, there hasn't been anything like it since, and can't be held to the same standards as limited series shows with only 10 episodes where everything can be planned perfectly.!<
Lost was about as big as Game of Thrones through season 3. About somewhere in season 4, a lot of people stopped watching and Nielsen ratings went down. When I've watched it all back, it reminded me why. The characters were the focus of the first 3 seasons, culminating with Charlie getting one of the best character send offs in TV history - it's hard for me to square such a loving send off with Sayid just sacrificing himself in a split second and Sun and Jin drowning and the show having no time to mourn those deaths. Anyway, a lot of the fan base at the time was vocal about how annoyed there were that none of the big questions had been answered. Season 4 is when the showrunners started answering all the questions, but the show shifted to being more of a science fiction show and the characters' arcs took a backseat while the sci-fi elements took over and moved the characters around as needed for the plot. It's like season 1-3 were about strangers shipped wrecked on a magic island, while seasons 4-6 were about a magic island with some strangers on it.
When we all started watching Lost, I think our big questions were what will happen to these people who are literally and metaphorically lost? Who will make it off the island and who will die? Will these broken people fix themselves? And where is this island and why hasn't anyone found them?
Well... midway through season 6, we had these answers. Most of the characters we came to care about over 6 years were dead. We had long since learned who would get off the island, who would die, where the island was, and why no one could find it. The big, important, meaningful questions were already answered.
I really like the finale. I think it was a love letter to the fans - that even though most of these people died, their time on the island was the most important of their lives, they grew as people, and the time you spent watching this show was not wasted.
But - did anyone watch season 1 and think "Is there a purgatory these characters will go to in order to meet up with each other after they die?"
I think the finale answered a question that was not that important to viewers and that's why it was so hated. For context, millions of people who bailed sometime around season 4 came back to watch just the finale and realized nearly everyone was dead and only Kate, Sawyer, Claire, and Miles would get off this island after all these years and all that they characters went through. And that John Locke, after all he went through, would have one of the most tragic character fates in TV history. I also think the show is a cautionary tale about killing off too many of your main characters to where the finale stops having stakes because so many fan favorites are dead. And yes, I am still bitter about deaths of Sun, Jin, and Sayid. I don't buy that they were necessary. If you haven't read the excerpts about the racism in the Lost writers room from a book published a few years ago, read it and see if you still think about their deaths, with only a few episodes to go, in the same way.
Just my opinion and would love to hear others. Basically, I think the finale could not work because the people and things viewers really cared about were either dead or answered, so all that was left for the showrunners was
Full of spoilers - please don't read on if you haven't watched the entire series. >!I watched Lost from the pilot through the entire run. !<>!I wish something like Reddit had existed at that time. I mainly just talked about it with friends and I think maybe Facebook was the place you went if you wanted to talk to strangers about it? I know there were forums, but I have no idea where they were. This is me writing something I wish I could have written back when the series ended. Appreciate anyone reading it. I love this show, think it took big risks that paid off, there hasn't been anything like it since, and can't be held to the same standards as limited series shows with only 10 episodes where everything can be planned perfectly.!<
Lost was about as big as Game of Thrones through season 3. About somewhere in season 4, a lot of people stopped watching and Nielsen ratings went down. When I've watched it all back, it reminded me why. The characters were the focus of the first 3 seasons, culminating with Charlie getting one of the best character send offs in TV history - it's hard for me to square such a loving send off with Sayid just sacrificing himself in a split second and Sun and Jin drowning and the show having no time to mourn those deaths. Anyway, a lot of the fan base at the time was vocal about how annoyed there were that none of the big questions had been answered. Season 4 is when the showrunners started answering all the questions, but the show shifted to being more of a science fiction show and the characters' arcs took a backseat while the sci-fi elements took over and moved the characters around as needed for the plot. It's like season 1-3 were about strangers shipped wrecked on a magic island, while seasons 4-6 were about a magic island with some strangers on it.
When we all started watching Lost, I think our big questions were what will happen to these people who are literally and metaphorically lost? Who will make it off the island and who will die? Will these broken people fix themselves? And where is this island and why hasn't anyone found them?
Well... midway through season 6, we had these answers. Most of the characters we came to care about over 6 years were dead. We had long since learned who would get off the island, who would die, where the island was, and why no one could find it. The big, important, meaningful questions were already answered.
I really like the finale. I think it was a love letter to the fans - that even though most of these people died, their time on the island was the most important of their lives, they grew as people, and the time you spent watching this show was not wasted.
But - did anyone watch season 1 and think "Is there a purgatory these characters will go to in order to meet up with each other after they die?"
I think the finale answered a question that was not that important to viewers and that's why it was so hated. For context, millions of people who bailed sometime around season 4 came back to watch just the finale and realized nearly everyone was dead and only Kate, Sawyer, Claire, and Miles would get off this island after all these years and all that they characters went through. And that John Locke, after all he went through, would have one of the most tragic character fates in TV history. I also think the show is a cautionary tale about killing off too many of your main characters to where the finale stops having stakes because so many fan favorites are dead. And yes, I am still bitter about deaths of Sun, Jin, and Sayid. I don't buy that they were necessary. If you haven't read the excerpts about the racism in the Lost writers room from a book published a few years ago, read it and see if you still think about their deaths, with only a few episodes to go, in the same way.
Just my opinion and would love to hear others. Basically, I think the finale could not work because the people and things viewers really cared about were either dead or answered, so all that was left for the showrunners was
to take a big creative risk. For fans who really loved the characters and wanted to see these lost people find themselves and not die a horrible death on the island, this show destroyed us.
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Finally started lost
At 27 im finally checking it out after years of people saying its bad. All i knew was a plane crashed on a magic island and there is time travel stuff. I am 8 episodes in and im loving it!! Like charlie the most so far!
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At 27 im finally checking it out after years of people saying its bad. All i knew was a plane crashed on a magic island and there is time travel stuff. I am 8 episodes in and im loving it!! Like charlie the most so far!
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A moment of appreciation
I just have to take a moment to appreciate how emotional the series is and how much each of the characters truly care about each other. They share so much pain and anguish with each other but also so much love and joy. I've watched the series 3 times and currently on the 4th. One of the things I really liked esp at the end us when they changed rhe time line and became strangers again. That moment they saw each other and all those flashbacks that followed gets me everytime. I hope I can make friends with the same kind of bond that they had one day.
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I just have to take a moment to appreciate how emotional the series is and how much each of the characters truly care about each other. They share so much pain and anguish with each other but also so much love and joy. I've watched the series 3 times and currently on the 4th. One of the things I really liked esp at the end us when they changed rhe time line and became strangers again. That moment they saw each other and all those flashbacks that followed gets me everytime. I hope I can make friends with the same kind of bond that they had one day.
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Hawaii 5.0
Forgive my ignorance and the just getting caught up with reality, but Hawaii 5.0 has an incredible amount of Lost cast in it, has anyone ever watched it before?
It’s not terrible
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Forgive my ignorance and the just getting caught up with reality, but Hawaii 5.0 has an incredible amount of Lost cast in it, has anyone ever watched it before?
It’s not terrible
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<Lost Sarcasm
“Wait a minute…polar bears don’t live in the jungle..”
-“Spot on”
“Where did it come from?”
-“Jee Idk, probably bear village”
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“Wait a minute…polar bears don’t live in the jungle..”
-“Spot on”
“Where did it come from?”
-“Jee Idk, probably bear village”
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Ben’s mess up
season 2 when Ben was eating cereal and talking to Jack and Locke about “what he would do if he was an other”
he went on to say he would lead then into a trap and then “he would use them to trade for himself”. he also used the term “his people”
both of these were incredibly foolish things to say and made it incredibly obvious that he was not only one of the others, but he made it extremely obvious that he was in fact the leader.
if he was just “one of them” he would say “ they would use your people to trade for me”. But the fact that he said “I would use them to trade for me” implies that he calls the shots. And he is the leader.
calling them “his people“ also hinted towards him being the leader. Because usually people in charge say “my employees/my team/my people”
how neither jack nor Locke caught onto this was extremely lucky. Also the fact that he even said that little ”hypothetical situation” made it obvious he was playing mind games with them. He was also very obvious in his mind games against Locke.
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season 2 when Ben was eating cereal and talking to Jack and Locke about “what he would do if he was an other”
he went on to say he would lead then into a trap and then “he would use them to trade for himself”. he also used the term “his people”
both of these were incredibly foolish things to say and made it incredibly obvious that he was not only one of the others, but he made it extremely obvious that he was in fact the leader.
if he was just “one of them” he would say “ they would use your people to trade for me”. But the fact that he said “I would use them to trade for me” implies that he calls the shots. And he is the leader.
calling them “his people“ also hinted towards him being the leader. Because usually people in charge say “my employees/my team/my people”
how neither jack nor Locke caught onto this was extremely lucky. Also the fact that he even said that little ”hypothetical situation” made it obvious he was playing mind games with them. He was also very obvious in his mind games against Locke.
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The Lost soundtrack might be one of the best ever made for TV.
Michael Giacchino really nailed that emotional mix of mystery and heartbreak. The score still gives me chills, especially during the season finales. Honestly, it's hard to imagine the show working without it.
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Michael Giacchino really nailed that emotional mix of mystery and heartbreak. The score still gives me chills, especially during the season finales. Honestly, it's hard to imagine the show working without it.
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First time watching Lost and....Sayid no spoilers please!
We just watched the season 4 finale and I have to say Sayid is one of my favorite characters. Highly intelligent, flawed, badass and hot af. That's all I wanted to say. Shoutout to Naveen Andrews!
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We just watched the season 4 finale and I have to say Sayid is one of my favorite characters. Highly intelligent, flawed, badass and hot af. That's all I wanted to say. Shoutout to Naveen Andrews!
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Deep Lore Question about Ben's Dharma Initiative House.
STOP NOW IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED MOST OF SEASON FIVE.
!>!The house adult Ben moves into when the Others take the Dharma Initiative House is revealed to have his secret world travel spy room and subsequently an ancient temple type entrance to the Black Smoke Toilet Bowl.!<!
!>!This implies someone in early Dharma found that temple wall and built their house with a secret room right up against it and knew about it the whole time.!<!
!>!Is there any additional lore about this house? I watched Lost years ago and don't recall if it was revealed if this was originally Horace's house or what. I'm OK if you reveal further spoilers to me.!<!
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STOP NOW IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED MOST OF SEASON FIVE.
!>!The house adult Ben moves into when the Others take the Dharma Initiative House is revealed to have his secret world travel spy room and subsequently an ancient temple type entrance to the Black Smoke Toilet Bowl.!<!
!>!This implies someone in early Dharma found that temple wall and built their house with a secret room right up against it and knew about it the whole time.!<!
!>!Is there any additional lore about this house? I watched Lost years ago and don't recall if it was revealed if this was originally Horace's house or what. I'm OK if you reveal further spoilers to me.!<!
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Is Lost on VHS?
Since it aired in 2004, I've been wondering if it is on VHS
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Since it aired in 2004, I've been wondering if it is on VHS
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Happily rewatching for like the millionth time .. Question, though 👀
Shouldn't Jack, Locke, and Sawyer have asked Zeke ( yeah! Tom ) about the way to get off the island the first time they met ?
It's that time when Kate followed the guys to look for Michael.
Yes .. I know finding our own is first priority at that moment.
But, here we are, by force, letting go of our guns to save Kate's life and we do, obviously, know that you ( the others ) definitely know more about what's happening here.
Episode: The Hunting Party .
S2E11
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Shouldn't Jack, Locke, and Sawyer have asked Zeke ( yeah! Tom ) about the way to get off the island the first time they met ?
It's that time when Kate followed the guys to look for Michael.
Yes .. I know finding our own is first priority at that moment.
But, here we are, by force, letting go of our guns to save Kate's life and we do, obviously, know that you ( the others ) definitely know more about what's happening here.
Episode: The Hunting Party .
S2E11
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Liquid nitrogen on bomb battery
First time watcher. Just hit S4 episode 13.
Desmond, Jin and Michael are trying to disarm the C4 bomb and come up with the idea of freezing the battery. This isn’t a bad idea, this could potentially work.
With that said, all three would have died within minutes. Nitrogen gas is one of the most common causes of injury/death within labs and production environments. In such a small room without active and aggressive ventilation, they would be unconscious and dead before they realized their mistake. They were proper fucked and didn’t even know it.
Source: I am a research chemist.
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First time watcher. Just hit S4 episode 13.
Desmond, Jin and Michael are trying to disarm the C4 bomb and come up with the idea of freezing the battery. This isn’t a bad idea, this could potentially work.
With that said, all three would have died within minutes. Nitrogen gas is one of the most common causes of injury/death within labs and production environments. In such a small room without active and aggressive ventilation, they would be unconscious and dead before they realized their mistake. They were proper fucked and didn’t even know it.
Source: I am a research chemist.
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Libby’s Lore (spoiler)
I’ve slowly been re-watching the show for my 3rd/4th time and the other night I watched the episode where Libby >!gives Desmond her husband’s boat.!< I’ve always been interested in Libby’s backstory and I tried looking up a video on YouTube explaining her lore/importance in the show. I swear I found a video before bed but now I cannot find it, does anyone know the video I’m talking about?
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I’ve slowly been re-watching the show for my 3rd/4th time and the other night I watched the episode where Libby >!gives Desmond her husband’s boat.!< I’ve always been interested in Libby’s backstory and I tried looking up a video on YouTube explaining her lore/importance in the show. I swear I found a video before bed but now I cannot find it, does anyone know the video I’m talking about?
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Lost
I just finished the series and... honestly... I get why so many people think they were in purgatory but by God was that a good final season
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I just finished the series and... honestly... I get why so many people think they were in purgatory but by God was that a good final season
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Did anyone else ship Locke and Rousseau?
When they have scenes together, I can’t help but think they would have made a cute couple.
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When they have scenes together, I can’t help but think they would have made a cute couple.
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First time watcher, already loving Sawyer's character
Him calling everybody with different names just cracks me up all the time. He calls Sayid with names such as Abdul, Al-Jazeera (this one had me rollin'), Falafel and now Muhammad🤣😭. Also, how can I forget freckles.
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Him calling everybody with different names just cracks me up all the time. He calls Sayid with names such as Abdul, Al-Jazeera (this one had me rollin'), Falafel and now Muhammad🤣😭. Also, how can I forget freckles.
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