This is what I've feared: fans going into overdrive to "explain" it all and make other people realize that "it all makes sense". Nope, it doesn't. And also they try subconsciously to "justify", or whatever the verb, to themselves why they've been watching and to kill the inner voice that says: My God! It was all utter sh*t!

I knew it would happen.

That's a very circular train of thought. "I knew it would make no sense to me, it did not make sense to me and if you try to explain it to me--even if I say I want you to--you are only trying to justify things to yourself because it did not make sense"

oh for a few more answers watch this video

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b182505_lost_want_know_man_in_blacks_real_name.html

Trust me, I'm still confused too. I was merely posting his views. It's up to whether you agree, disagree, or it has no affect on you. LOL It's what made sense TO HIM.

It's interesting to see how other people interpret things, how they saw the show. Many people have different ideas and theories and I think that's another reason why I loved the show.

Also, I'm a person who believes in parallel universes and sometimes I do think about, "What happens to me after I die?", so that's why this is all intriguing for me. And no, I have no inner voice that says it was all crap. Because as I watched the series for the past 6 years, I was entertained and attached to the characters. Or else I would've stopped watching.

Great thing you brought this up! Because I was thinking of telling you to post whatever you find precisely because I like to read other people's opinions about the show even though in the end I might now share them!! :)

It will also help me "get" some thing, hopefully.

As for the show, I enjoyed it too, with its big, fat army of flaws, but the finale for me just trashed everything that happened before it. All those mysteries were just pointless. I realize that these two sentences might seem to make no sense (How can you say you enjoyed it, but at the same time say the finale trashed it all?), but they do. If I look sans the finale, I'm OK with it, if I take into account the finale... At the same time it was all crap and I enjoyed watching it (sans the finale).

My feelings are still, in part, a work in progress.

That's a very circular train of thought. "I knew it would make no sense to me, it did not make sense to me and if you try to explain it to me--even if I say I want you to--you are only trying to justify things to yourself because it did not make sense"

No, no, no, no, no. Not I knew it would make no sense — it made no sense. One could argue it made sense as a separate unit (the finale), but if connected to the show... I'm speechless. I am glad you liked it and you've been able to link it all in your head, but I just don't buy many things. Especially fan speculation. God knows one could construct a plethora of big bull theories... And since people in charge won't bother explaining... They just had no idea what they were doing all this time.

Second, yes, I can ask for an explanation, but that doesn't mean I'm going to buy it in the end.

So in the end, people are, in my view, trying to justify this rather unfortunate and deplorable turn of events. The fact that I asked you (you you or you someone else) means: 1. that if you've managed to explain it to yourself, part of it stems from people's desires to justify it and make sense where there is none; 2. even if I don't agree with what you (you you or...), it doesn't mean I won't find something of interest there.

Somehow you've managed to turn my post upside down, and I'm re-reading it now and see no ambiguities in it. Nor your paraphrase of it.

I have absolutely no desire to justify it whatsoever because even though I witnessed it turned into crapola, I don't think my investment in this show was worthless, futile etc.

What I'm going to do is read stuff that'll keep appearing in the next few days, simply because it entertains me, but pretty much nothing will convince me that it wasn't utterly dumb, unfortunate horror.

Edited May 24, 201015 yr by Sylph

TWOP has a slide show devoted to the the finale's so-called burning questions. IMO, some of them were actually answered just fine.

One of the writers of Lost has spoken

First ...

The Island:

It was real. Everything that happened on the island that we saw throughout the 6 seasons was real. Forget the final image of the plane crash, it was put in purposely to f*&k with people's heads and show how far the show had come. They really crashed. They really survived. They really discovered Dharma and the Others. The Island keeps the balance of good and evil in the world. It always has and always will perform that role. And the Island will always need a "Protector". Jacob wasn't the first, Hurley won't be the last. However, Jacob had to deal with a malevolent force (MIB) that his mother, nor Hurley had to deal with. He created the devil and had to find a way to kill him -- even though the rules prevented him from actually doing so.

Thus began Jacob's plan to bring candidates to the Island to do the one thing he couldn't do. Kill the MIB. He had a huge list of candidates that spanned generations. Yet everytime he brought people there, the MIB corrupted them and caused them to kill one another. That was until Richard came along and helped Jacob understand that if he didn't take a more active role, then his plan would never work.

Enter Dharma -- which I'm not sure why John is having such a hard time grasping. Dharma, like the countless scores of people that were brought to the island before, were brought there by Jacob as part of his plan to kill the MIB. However, the MIB was aware of this plan and interferred by "corrupting" Ben. Making Ben believe he was doing the work of Jacob when in reality he was doing the work of the MIB. This carried over into all of Ben's "off-island" activities. He was the leader. He spoke for Jacob as far as they were concerned. So the "Others" killed Dharma and later were actively trying to kill Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley and all the candidates because that's what the MIB wanted. And what he couldn't do for himself.

Dharma was originally brought in to be good. But was turned bad by MIB's corruption and eventually destroyed by his pawn Ben. Now, was Dharma only brought there to help Jack and the other Canditates on their overall quest to kill Smokey? Or did Jacob have another list of Canidates from the Dharma group that we were never aware of? That's a question that is purposley not answered because whatever answer the writers came up with would be worse than the one you come up with for yourself. Still ... Dharma's purpose is not "pointless" or even vague. Hell, it's pretty blantent.

Still, despite his grand plan, Jacob wanted to give his "candidates" (our Lostaways) the one thing he, nor his brother, were ever afforded: free will. Hence him bringing a host of "candidates" through the decades and letting them "choose" which one would actually do the job in the end. Maybe he knew Jack would be the one to kill Flocke and that Hurley would be the protector in the end. Maybe he didn't. But that was always the key question of the show: Fate vs Free-will. Science vs Faith. Personally I think Jacob knew from the beginning what was going to happen and that everyone played a part over 6 seasons in helping Jack get to the point where he needed to be to kill Smokey and make Hurley the protector -- I know that's how a lot of the writers viewed it. But again, they won't answer that (nor should they) because that ruins the fun.

In the end, Jack got to do what he always wanted to do from the very first episode of the show: Save his fellow Lostaways. He got Kate and Sawyer off the island and he gave Hurley the purpose in life he'd always been missing. And, in Sideways world (which we'll get to next) he in fact saved everyone by helping them all move on ...

Now...

Sideways World:

Sideways world is where it gets really cool in terms of theology and metaphysical discussion (for me at least -- because I love history/religion theories and loved all the talks in the writer's room about it). Basically what the show is proposing is that we're all linked to certain people during our lives. Call them soulmates (though it's not exactly the best word). But these people we're linked to are with us duing "the most important moments of our lives" as Christian said. These are the people we move through the universe with from lifetime to lifetime. It's loosely based in Hinduisim with large doses of western religion thrown into the mix.

The conceit that the writers created, basing it off these religious philosophies, was that as a group, the Lostaways subconsciously created this "sideways" world where they exist in purgatory until they are "awakened" and find one another. Once they all find one another, they can then move on and move forward. In essence, this is the show's concept of the afterlife. According to the show, everyone creates their own "Sideways" purgatory with their "soulmates" throughout their lives and exist there until they all move on together. That's a beautiful notion. Even if you aren't religious or even spirtual, the idea that we live AND die together is deeply profound and moving.

It's a really cool and spirtual concept that fits the whole tone and subtext the show has had from the beginning. These people were SUPPOSED to be together on that plane. They were supposed to live through these events -- not JUST because of Jacob. But because that's what the universe or God (depending on how religious you wish to get) wanted to happen. The show was always about science vs faith -- and it ultimately came down on the side of faith. It answered THE core question of the series. The one question that has been at the root of every island mystery, every character backstory, every plot twist. That, by itself, is quite an accomplishment.

How much you want to extrapolate from that is up to you as the viewer. Think about season 1 when we first found the Hatch. Everyone thought that's THE answer! Whatever is down there is the answer! Then, as we discovered it was just one station of many. One link in a very long chain that kept revealing more, and more of a larger mosiac.

But the writer's took it even further this season by contrasting this Sideways "purgatory" with the Island itself. Remember when Michael appeared to Hurley, he said he was not allowed to leave the Island. Just like the MIB. He wasn't allowed into this sideways world and thus, was not afforded the opportunity to move on. Why? Because he had proven himself to be unworthy with his actions on the Island. He failed the test. The others, passed. They made it into Sideways world when they died -- some before Jack, some years later. In Hurley's case, maybe centuries later. They exist in this sideways world until they are "awakened" and they can only move on TOGETHER because they are linked. They are destined to be together for eternity. That was their destiny.

They were NOT linked to Anna Lucia, Daniel, Roussou, Alex, Miles, Lupidis, (and all the rest who weren't in the chuch -- basically everyone who wasn't in season 1). Yet those people exist in Sideways world. Why? Well again, here's where they leave it up to you to decide. The way I like to think about it, is that those people who were left behind in Sideways world have to find their own soulmates before they can wake up. It's possible that those links aren't people from the island but from their other life (Anna's parnter, the guy she shot --- Roussou's husband, etc etc).

A lot of people have been talking about Ben and why he didn't go into the Church. And if you think of Sideways world in this way, then it gives you the answer to that very question. Ben can't move on yet because he hasn't connected with the people he needs to. It's going to be his job to awaken Roussou, Alex, Anna Lucia (maybe), Ethan, Goodspeed, his father and the rest. He has to attone for his sins more than he did by being Hurley's number two. He has to do what Hurley and Desmond did for our Lostaways with his own people. He has to help them connect. And he can only move on when all the links in his chain are ready to. Same can be said for Faraday, Charlotte, Whidmore, Hawkins etc. It's really a neat, and cool concept. At least to me.

But, from a more "behind the scenes" note: the reason Ben's not in the church, and the reason no one is in the church but for Season 1 people is because they wrote the ending to the show after writing the pilot. And never changed it. The writers always said (and many didn't believe them) that they knew their ending from the very first episode. I applaud them for that. It's pretty fantastic. Originally Ben was supposed to have a 3 episode arc and be done. But he became a big part of the show. They could have easily changed their ending and put him in the church -- but instead they problem solved it. Gave him a BRILLIANT moment with Locke outside the church ... and then that was it. I loved that. For those that wonder -- the original ending started the moment Jack walked into the church and touches the casket to Jack closing his eyes as the other plane flies away. That was always JJ's ending. And they kept it.

For me the ending of this show means a lot. Not only because I worked on it, but because as a writer it inspired me in a way the medium had never done before. I've been inspired to write by great films. Maybe too many to count. And there have been amazing TV shows that I've loved (X-Files, 24, Sopranos, countless 1/2 hour shows). But none did what LOST did for me. None showed me that you could take huge risks (writing a show about faith for network TV) and stick to your creative guns and STILL please the audience. I learned a lot from the show as a writer. I learned even more from being around the incredible writers, producers, PAs, interns and everyone else who slaved on the show for 6 years.

In the end, for me, LOST was a touchstone show that dealt with faith, the afterlife, and all these big, spirtual questions that most shows don't touch. And to me, they never once waivered from their core story -- even with all the sci-fi elements they mixed in. To walk that long and daunting of a creative tightrope and survive is simply astounding.

http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/index.php?showtopic=102576&st=1020&p=1867089&#entry1867089

Wow, that was an awesome read!! I'm so glad one the writers finally spoke about the finale and about the entire series. My guess on who the writer is: Greggory Nations. Now I'm just waiting for Darlton to speak, but I guess we'll have to wait for the DVDs for that.

More posts:

[on why women can't have babies]

Writer: The incident (the release of the electromagnitism that resulted in the Swan station being built) caused the infertility of the women on the island.

---------------------

Poster: I believe the enormous ramification of pulling the plug was making Flocke mortal, it was the only way to kill him.

Writer: Absolutely true ... And, in terms of the bigger picture, if the "cork" had remained out, then the island would have been destroyed, allowing whatever the plug was stopping (the evil of the world as Jacob called it) loose. This would in fact, destroy the world.

---------------------

[on why Desmond, Penny, Libby were in the church]

Writer: Technically, Desmond and Penny all existed in Season 1 as Desmond was in the hatch the whole time (and the writer's always planned on bringing them into the show from the pilot). I forgot Libby was in there though ... but she didn't have a line so it's cool.

TWOP has a slide show devoted to the the finale's so-called burning questions. IMO, some of them were actually answered just fine.

For me, it just emphasized what I was talking about.

My guess on who the writer is: Greggory Nations.

+1.

yall have some intense conversations. lol.

all i cared about is sayid/shannon, juliet is jacks baby daddy and reuinted with swayer, claire was pretty..

yeah, thats it. oh and jack died, as he should of, and i cried. a lot. because i loved him.

But, from a more "behind the scenes" note: the reason Ben's not in the church, and the reason no one is in the church but for Season 1 people is because they wrote the ending to the show after writing the pilot. And never changed it. The writers always said (and many didn't believe them) that they knew their ending from the very first episode. I applaud them for that. It's pretty fantastic.

[on why Desmond, Penny, Libby were in the church]

Writer: Technically, Desmond and Penny all existed in Season 1 as Desmond was in the hatch the whole time (and the writer's always planned on bringing them into the show from the pilot). I forgot Libby was in there though ... but she didn't have a line so it's cool.

I better not say anything.

I better not say anything.

I will.

Thats just lazy. And sad.

m glad i have never been into figuring out what lost means and the mythology and all of that because id be pissed.

Im a fanboy for characters, and for me the finale was pretty perfect. But if i watched for anything else... yeah, id be pissed. I dont mind the unanswered questions because i hate it when shows or movies are wraped up with a bow and everything is explained away, but... i dont know. this seems lazy. its like ok, you have a begining and an ending, but what about the middle? wasnt the point of the series that it all adds together? you can pretty much watch the pilot, maybe you will need a few other episodes here and there, and the finale and it will work the same.

I will.

Thats just lazy. And sad.

m glad i have never been into figuring out what lost means and the mythology and all of that because id be pissed.

Im a fanboy for characters, and for me the finale was pretty perfect. But if i watched for anything else... yeah, id be pissed. I dont mind the unanswered questions because i hate it when shows or movies are wraped up with a bow and everything is explained away, but... i dont know. this seems lazy. its like ok, you have a begining and an ending, but what about the middle? wasnt the point of the series that it all adds together? you can pretty much watch the pilot, maybe you will need a few other episodes here and there, and the finale and it will work the same.

Precisely.

It was all just a MOVIE!!! Awful.

Further more, I don't get some things Nations is saying.

For example, Dharma was good. It was corrupted by the Man in Black and destroyed by Ben. Then he asks whether it was there to help Jack and did it have Candidates we were never aware of? That means: 1. it wasn't destroyed, some are still "out there" and 2. I'm not sure I see how it helped Jack?

Second thing I don't get is Hurley. Hurley, the Protector of the Island, was — evul? And wasn't allowed into the sideways? What? How can the Protector be evul? Which also reminds me: now you can visit the Island?

That's just too much!

What exactly is the cork? How can you un-plug it then plug it back in?

I need rest.

It's better for writers to just keep quiet.

More answers will lead to more questions... As many put it and it's true.

The show's been turned into an... Allegory or whatever. A serene landscape, a fairy tale about how good wins. I like it that good wins, but that's just infantile (to me), it was not what I was 'hoping' for.

I don't know...

The many intricacies of this Island were just... BAM! removed once you turned it into a biblical story of good vs. evil.

Plus they made faith and science enemies. That's just wrong.

Edited May 25, 201015 yr by Sylph

This is also fun (can't stop the questions, sorry):

Since Smoke Monster was taking the form of Locke, how did Smoky turn mortal when the light went off? If anything Locke should have turned back into smoke.

The question is baffling. It's as if it says: the Smoke Monster shouldn't have turned mortal when the Light went off because the Smoke Monster was taking the form of Locke. An 'immortal' being taking the body of a mortal makes it mortal or does it stay immortal? LOL.

The answer:

Well because the light was the power that robbed the MIB of his body. His humanity as he put it. It also was what gave him the power to morph forms and jump from dead body to dead body. So when he possessed the body of Locke, his consciousness was trapped in that mortal coil when the light went out because with it went his power to morph into Smokey. Or any other dead body.

The Light robbed the Man in Black of his body (humanity). But it also robbed him of the power of body jumping and morphing. Yet! he was able to jump into Locke's body. Once there, it was mortal, trapped and la-la-la.

would have liked to know why MIB turned into smokey for being thrown into the cave, but no one else was affected by it (save for the skeletons at the bottom).

Who should've been affected and why?

That was because when the MIB went into the light, he was sent there by Jacob -- who, according to his mother's godly rules, was not allowed to kill him. Thus, the light did the only thing it could do: make him Smokey. That way he wasn't dead, but he wasn't "alive" either. He was trapped in an eternal state of flux.

What would've happened if someone else was able to send it there (other than Jacob)?

Also — Mother had "godly rules"? Yet killed a woman and did all sorts of other things? And the real mother of the two was evul? How did that happen?!

And from Slate:

The Bomb Did Not Work.

http://gawker.com/5545877/the-lost-finale-was-incredibly-dumb/

LO; I have to read that.

BTW, that thing they were in wasn't a church, d'oh: it was "something resembling a church but awash with pan-religious symbolism – a stained glass window had an Om, a cross, a yin-yang symbol, a Star of David and a wheel".