A Blog by Micah Knapp: May 2010

LOST SPOILERS: (DON’T READ UNLESS YOU HAVE ALREADY SEEN THE FINALE)

The web is a buzz with ‘Lost’ fan reactions, theories, and discussions. Not that anything more needed to be said, but what the hell, I thought I’d chime in with my thoughts.

Reaction to the finale looks pretty split: either you were extremely disappointed and now either detest the show or like it considerably less..or you absolutely loved it, felt it completed the series as a whole and were moved to tears.

Where do I sit on the fence?

To be honest, the finale left me with mixed feelings, lowering my appreciation for the show as a whole. Don’t get me wrong..I still think Lost is one of the greatest television achievements ever attempted. I'd almost say it's like the 'Lord of the Rings' or 'Star wars' of t.v. So many pop culture references have already stemmed from it.

Major props of course to all the cast and crew involved. These are some truly memorable characters that I will never forget, due to some truly amazing performances. My favorites: Locke, Jack, Hurley, and of course Sawyer, Kate, Ben, Charlie and the Kwon’s. So many wonderfully established characters. production value, and some purely genius storytelling mixed with some occasional duds and dead-ends.

This show changed television and it’s very likely we won’t see anything like it for quite some time. This ranks up there for me with 'Twin Peaks’ and the ‘X-Files’. So many great little hooks and unforgettable moments. Where it ended, left me a little unsure, but it was sure one hell of a ride!

I loved that the show was essentially a character study mixed with supernatural mysteries. That's what made it for me. I cared about it's characters, which only gave weight to the mystery aspects..which is what kept me intrigued throughout. The show is literally about it all-love, science, faith, spirituality, learning to “live together or die alone”; or in the case of Lost, ‘die together’.

Now, I was never naive enough to think the Lost creators were ever going to give us straight-out answers to everything..NOR do I feel they ever should have. But herein lies the problem for me with the way they ended things--they built up so many puzzle pieces, mysteries, mythology and twists that were supposedly SO important to the overall story, yet went absolutely nowhere with them.

I'm all about leaving certain things open-ended for the viewer to interpret in his/her own way..but when so many things that are so (apparently) important to the story go unresolved, it makes me want to give up entirely on the rest of it. And if that's the case, do we watch it simply for it's characters and individual sequences? (They are surely effective.) Or do we just accept that the mysteries are...well mysteries, and aren’t even meant to be solved. “Questions will only lead to more questions”.

I get it. I honestly do. But when it relates to the story as a whole, I want it to make a little sense. There are some fans that want ALL the answers but personally--I don’t care what each individual hieroglyphic means..or even how the statue on the island was built. And I feel I know enough about the Dharma Initiative to be satisfied--a team of scientists who came across the island and were experimenting with it’s unique properties...bringing domestic animals to the island to run tests--a la polar bears--science versus the faith. I felt they gave us enough to know there--in relation to the overall story to be satisfied.

But what about abandoned storylines that were initially so essential...like the importance of the children to the ‘Others’. Why mothers couldn’t give birth on the island without dying--was this because of Jacob and the Man in Black's mother? Some sort of curse or effect after ‘mother’ killed her, following their birth? Why are children significant at all? Because they can easily be brainwashed? How about Walt and Aaron? Such a big deal was made of them. Leaving them unresolved isn’t being “mysterious” it’s almost what I would call...bad writing.

I just feel that instead of spending so much time playing 'Back to the Future' with time travel (which does nothing for the overall story), the creators could have alluded to more, or at least subtly hinted at explanations. Instead it feels like they had a general idea of where the show was going, but for the most part were just drawing names out of a hat...just as lost and unsure as we were as to where it was all going...knowing in their minds, that they never had to explain any of it...just trying to keep us hooked.

Were Ben Linus and Charles Widmore playing by the same “rules” as Jacob and the Man in Black?

How was Jacob able to leave the island? Why and how could the island be moved? (This always frustrated me..)

Just what hell IS the Island? I figured this was never going to be answered, and maybe rightfully so.

I could go on and on...

Maybe I’m looking into it too much. Maybe I’m too much a man of science and I just need a little faith. Maybe it’s all an allegory. The Island-a testing ground for morality. A place where you discovered your destiny. Your true purpose. Showed you who you really were--and what was possible if you were miraculously healed (Locke, able to walk again.) Good versus evil. The light in the cavern a metaphor for the good in the world--the protector of the island--defending it against the evil in the world. Understandable why it would always need to be protected.

Essentially it’s a simple tale, only complicated by the details. Is this purposeful? Are we meant to realize that it’s not those things that even matter--that caring for each other, and working together for the greater good--that really matters?

The way they ended things, it made me feel that while it was a story about a group of people coming together, it was ultimately about Jack’s journey--transforming from a man of science into a man of faith, fulfilling his destiny. Good conquering evil. Death...followed by a sweet afterlife--where all the island folk were reunited again.

But this twist on the story only makes me wonder more about Desmond and just how exactly he was able to see into the afterlife. I am aware of his resistance to the electromagnetism, but seeing into another dimension makes slightly more sense than being able to see into the sideways world of purgatory. (I find it amusing that so many viewers as still confused about what was real and what was not. Let me explain: Flash-sideways world=purgatory. Everything else on the island itself=real)

I understand that this was the story the writers wanted to tell, and they saw their vision through (clearly establishing 6 seasons), and I respect them for that and definitely enjoyed the ride.

Clearly this show had an impact on the world. Why do you think everyone on the blogosphere, including myself are even bothering to write about it in such depth? That’s what a great show will do.

UPDATE: (Now that I've had time to sit and ponder it all, I've begun to appreciate the way the show ended. I think I was just setting my standards and expectations a little too high. And part of me wanted answers. Looking back I realize that it was the journey, not the destination. Can't wait to watch through it again, keeping everything in mind.)