LOST Conversations part 2

Hi Losties!

Here is another segment of shared thoughts from two fellow LOST friends.

A few friends shared their honest thoughts and honest perceptions with me about the show, the story and its writers, the LOST community, recappers, bloggers, podcasters, theorists and fans. It is enlightening to see how the journey was for the them over past six years. I thought it an interesting idea to collaborate and post  some of their thoughts here.  I will post a series of these shared thoughts so be sure to check back.  Also I encourage you share your LOST journey with us, so leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

Shared Thoughts from Anna of Jacob's Cabin:
Here are some of my thoughts on the finale...since Damon and Carlton have been stressing for a long time that this show is about the characters, I was not surprised to see what they did with the finale. The characters were all that mattered, to the degree that I now believe that we the audience almost became characters too, in two ways.

First, we only know what the characters know. We don't get to see special behind-the-scenes workings of the island; we only see what Desmond or Jack sees, and we understand it as they understand it, which unfortunately means we don't understand the mechanics of much. This takes it back to faith, which we need just as much as the characters do to accept the solutions to their problems, both personal problems and island-plotline problems.

Second, I think that the scene between Christian and Jack in the church was aimed directly at the fans. All the things Christian said could be interpreted as things that the producers would say to each Lost fan if they could talk to them all face to face. That said, it was a little disappointing on a few levels. Of course we would have loved to see more mysteries answered instead of getting a final "thank you for watching and building a community around our show" nod from the producers. It was weird as a Christian to see that these characters created their own heaven-like limbo where they have everything they (think) they want, because that doesn't jive with my beliefs about heaven and life after death. But as I've said before, I don't get my beliefs from this show nor do I want to read them into the show too much. It was disappointing as a fan who wanted the sideways to be vital to the plot, and it raises so many questions that unfortunately I don't have the curiosity to actually want answered--could they sin in this in-between place? Once they awakened, was it okay to break all moral and ethical codes to wake others up (Desmond running over Locke, for example)? Doesn't knowing the end make the sideways moot to re-watch? One great feature about Lost has always been its re-watchability, but with a third of season 6 invested in the now-irrelevant sideways, will we want to re-watch it as much? What is the point of watching dead people who don't even know they're dead running around in a timeline that doesn't even match up (was the concert the day 815 landed as in Desmond and Charlie's case, or days or weeks later as in the case of Sawyer and Miles and the rest, who had many days pass first?) only to leave the timeline as soon as they realize where they are? If they've created a place to be together, why leave so soon? The only decent explanation I can see is that it's all a message to the fans about how we've creating an amazing community, made friends, and now we have to let go of the show and move on. We don't have all the answers, but we have all the things we've learned and gained along the way. This message seemed so clear to me in the finale that it was almost didactic, which was rather surprising.

As for the on-island ending, I was perfectly satisfied with the resolution of the characters. The yellow light and all that may have been a little hokey, but explaining any piece of "magic" too much is dangerous, and I guess I have to look at it as Jack's proving ground more than what it actually is in terms of the island, the mythology, and the pseudo-science behind it. I'm a little worried about how the rest of the mythology will look upon re-watch. Some of it we can still form valid theories about while other pieces are dead ends. The lists came up as early as season 2, but the candidate issue was really only a season 6 convention, and this worries me because the first 5 seasons of the show point in a very different direction than season 6. There are seeming inconsistencies such as, if Jacob hand-picked these people and brought them there, why did he let all his prime candidates leave at one point (Oceanic 6)? I will admit that the ending made me doubt that they've had anything more than Jack's eye closing planned all along.

To cap off the whole series, the finale was a nice retrospective as we saw the flashes along with the characters in the sideways. The producers did a good job evoking those memories and bringing back a flood of emotions--this episode was not lacking in those areas whatsoever. I did wonder if that was more for the fans or more for them; were they looking back at how far they'd come and got so sentimental about the earlier seasons that they basically turned a portion of the finale into a tribute to their own creation? At the Times Talk in theaters last week, Jorge Garcia said about the finale, "I think I...got it." That makes me think that their intent was indeed to give us that message about how great the ride has been and how the show has been about breaking boundaries, making friends, and sparking conversation more than about individual answers. It is weird to have been so desirous of receiving answers just a few weeks ago, and now to feel as though the answers don't matter, but it was almost as though the finale flipped a switch in me. I want to look back on Lost and think of all the good moments on the show and with friends, podcasts, Twitter, etc., and speculate for years on what the answers could be, but I lost my intense need to know. I think I "got" the point of Lost...and I think I'll carry it with me for the rest of my life.


Shared Thoughts from Levi Muller of Book Bawk:
I consider LOST my favorite show of all time and I cannot imagine another show replacing it. Something about these people and this island captivated me and kept me watching every week. I always wanted to know why they were there and what would happen to them next.

I have mixed feelings about "The End" of LOST. Kim and I started our trips to the island in season 2. First, we watched season 1's episodes back to back, then, we were hooked and watched every week. We really got involved with our friends and made many new ones while analyzing and discussing theories (mostly through MySpace blogs). It was a lot of fun, but I soon started finding myself putting more energy into theories and the show in general than I felt was necessary. After all, it was just a TV show. At that point I was still craving answers, but wanted them only from the show itself. So, while I hated for it to end, I wanted to know what was really going on.

I'm not sure that I can put my finger on a single reason for why I enjoyed the show so much, but part of it revolved around connection to characters. I can't say that I could always relate to one specific character for the duration of the show, but there were many times that I could relate to at least one of them. There seemed to be a personality on the island that anyone could relate to or wanted to be more like. At the same time, there always seemed to be someone to despise

Another aspect that I loved about the show was the element of suspense. Someone or something was always in peril. New discoveries were made often. Strange and incredible aspects were constantly introduced. Viewers were always intrigued. Also, there were many times that I couldn't figure out whose side of the current battle I was rooting for. This became especially difficult once people who were once on the same side were pitted against each other.

If there was anything I didn't like about "The End," it would be the amount of unanswered questions that were prompted by the writers of the show. I loved being intrigued by the elements of the show, but why weren't these elements explained by the time the show was concluded? Now I feel that I have to make up my own answers, which will be highly influenced by other people's theories and the data they have to support them. However, I'll never trust my own or the theories of the "Others" because these theories can't be confirmed now that the show is over.

As far as the questions that were answered by the time the show concluded, I feel fine. I know a lot of people may be upset that their theories didn't come true. Maybe the show could have been better if these theories were the direction the writers took the show, but I cannot say. Since I stopped putting a lot of effort and analysis into the show, I actually enjoyed it more. I didn't have a theory to be tested, so however the writers decided to answer a question was fine with me. I graciously accepted what they gave me and remain thankful for the entertainment.

I may go back and watch old episodes of LOST, now that I know the answers. However, much like the characters of the show, I think that it's time to move on and let go. There are many new things that are more than willing to accept my attention and many new adventures that are yet to be taken.