The end of Lost...?

[dmaul1114]

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1936291

Video there does a great job of outlining all the stuff they didn't explain that annoys the heck out of me! Though to be fair some of the stuff they mentioned did get some vague answers, and some of it is pretty minor stuff I don't really care much about.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

I realize that the show was primarily about the characters' journeys, and not really about the mysterious working of the island... which is why I'm happy with the ending.

But now, I wanna know more about the mysterious workings! Just because!

Spoiler:

I agree about the obvious tack of suggesting a post-Lost "Hurley and Ben run the island" scenario. I wouldn't have a problem with that, as long as it was more about learning exactly what goes on on that island, why it's important, and who it needs to be protected from. I kept expecting to see something like Jason's Golden Fleece, a dragon's heart, giant energy-bending pyramid crystals or a thunderbolt from Zeus down there. But really, any basis for the "power" that went on down there would have been satisfying to me.

[cmdahler]

Spoiler:

I think you're running up on the limitations of the human imagination here. These guys were exploring elements like death and the afterlife that by very definition are impossible to fathom. Further, in order to appeal to a wide audience, they had to avoid the appearance of favoring one religious belief on these matters over another. It was clear from the very outset that this show would be dealing with such weighty matters unless they were going to dive off into the ridiculous, like aliens, etc., so there was really no question from the beginning that a lot of deep mysteries about the island would simply have to go unanswered if ABC didn't want a religious backlash on its hands. Only cable networks like HBO are ever really able to tackle sensitive subjects like that. Because of that, I always thought it was a terrible shame that Lost wasn't picked up by HBO or Showtime. It would have limited their audience, but the quality of the show would have doubled or trebled.

I always thought that if they wanted to avoid the religious implications, they could have gone a more scientific route by trying to explain the core of the island as containing a micro-black hole that had been trapped by some ancient knowledge like an Atlantis civilization for use as an unending power supply, but the civilization had vanished and the mechanism for holding the black hole was slowly breaking down, leading to all sorts of interesting phenomena such as time warping, windows to other dimensions, etc. That would have been non-mystical, but would have been pretty interesting. I just don't know if it would have held the attention of a lot of fans who don't have much interest in science like that.

I do think any storyline involving Ben is bound to be interesting if those two writers are involved in the project. I always enjoyed that character immensely. I'm glad Jack is gone off to his final reward; I would be fascinated to see a new series involving Ben and his doings. I was always terribly disappointed that his character was pretty much sidelined for the last two seasons; that really destroyed a huge part of what made Lost so great for me, never being quite able to figure out if Ben was good or bad at heart.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

I realize that the show was primarily about the characters' journeys, and not really about the mysterious working of the island... which is why I'm happy with the ending.

But now, I wanna know more about the mysterious workings! Just because!

Yeah, unfortunately, while I enjoyed the characters, I spent more time following the mythos over the years. Reading up on hints online, wasting countless hours debating them on forums etc.

So not getting much of it resolved was a real blow this last season that really lessened my opinion of the show and pretty well killed any chance I'll watch anything Cuse and Lindeloff do in the future--other than a Lost spinoff centered on Island answers!

But if that happens I think there's little chance they are involved, and it would just be ABC grabbing someone else to do it to keep making money off the franchise.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

cmdahler,

Spoiler:

obviously the show is very open to interpretation: I don't believe the island itself was actually a metaphysical place where the characters explored life and death... that was reserved for the LA X "flash-sideways." I interpreted the island as being in reality. A really weird reality, but reality nonetheless. So the authors could have given us more, without risking a religious backlash (as it is, they risked doing so by using the name "Christian Shepard", and placing the final scenes in a Catholic-looking church).

At any rate, I like your postulation of what was affecting the island... it's as good as any! I think that if the writers had presented an SF explanation, after all we've seen, it wouldn't scare viewers away... I honestly think any explanation, whether it be SF, fantasy, religious, or "The Force," would be enough in itself to allow the audience to switch gears and say, "Okay, now I know what it is... I'll look for something else (like holes in the continuity) now." In fact, that's pretty much what the original 3 Star Wars movies (episodes IV, V and VI) gave us in the explanation of The Force, and audiences largely went, "Sure, okay, go with it."

I too wouldn't mind seeing a lot more about Ben... he was more complex than most of the characters on the island, a cunning and utterly ruthless warrior for the Good (or so he thought, at least). Spending more time with him on the island, exploring some of those weird aspects of the island, and maybe finding out how good or bad it really was, might give even more insight into his inner workings.

umm... (contemplates spoiler above, and the fact that this posting will be empty without it)

...uh... I liked the College Humor video. Remember Kate's horse? Wonder where that went?

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

So not getting much of it resolved was a real blow this last season that really lessened my opinion of the show and pretty well killed any chance I'll watch anything Cuse and Lindeloff do in the future--other than a Lost spinoff centered on Island answers!

But if that happens I think there's little chance they are involved, and it would just be ABC grabbing someone else to do it to keep making money off the franchise.

Could be... but I wouldn't put it past C&L to come back and work at it, if ABC offered them enough money for it.

Spoiler:

Besides... think about it... C&L are the ones who gave you great character development, but didn't give you the other answers! Maybe that's because... they didn't have them either! That's why I wouldn't turn away from a new set of writers, well-briefed on Lost, who were better suited at writing their way through island answers (and preserving the quality of the characters).

[DixieGal]

It was a fun show, but they didn't owe us anything more.

The next show that has gotten old and strange and needs to wrap it up is Heroes.

The summer show that I most want to start is Psyche. We get a kick out of it.


You may now proceed to impugn me and my intelligence (and lack thereof).

HEY!!! I must be feeling better if I'm back in a playful mode! ;D

[jan1712]

Hi i am in the UK and the finale of lost was aired here on monday at 5am the same time it was aired in the US. I've watched since day one and i think it answered most of the questions, but i would like to know why Ben stayed behind. I'm really going to miss Lost R.I.P

[Catire]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

The next show that has gotten old and strange and needs to wrap it up is Heroes.

The summer show that I most want to start is Psyche. We get a kick out of it.

Well I hope you got all the closure from Heroes that you needed from last seasons finale because it got canned.


Yep I cant wait for psych to start too!

Spoiler:

I honestly think any explanation, whether it be SF, fantasy, religious, or "The Force," would be enough in itself to allow the audience to switch gears and say, "Okay, now I know what it is... I'll look for something else (like holes in the continuity) now.

I was fine with just "The Force" in Star Wars, but I think Lucas ruined it by saying it was just midiclorians in the cells that cause or permit people to use the force.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

The next show that has gotten old and strange and needs to wrap it up is Heroes.

I liked Heroes, and I'm sorry it got canceled. At least each season was a coherent story arc, so we didn't end on a cliffhanger. But appropriately enough, that is another series that could see renewed answer-supplying life in a book series or movie... not unlike Lost.

Originally Posted by DixieGal

You may now proceed to impugn me and my intelligence (and lack thereof).

Oh, boy! (Ahem)

Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries! Pthpththbbb!!

...okay, where were we?

[DixieGal]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

I liked

Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries! Pthpththbbb!!

...okay, where were we?

Sez you! Mom was a bunny. Dad just smelled.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

Sez you! Mom was a bunny. Dad just smelled.

Well... now that that's settled...

Since you mentioned Psyche, it makes me think of shows like that, The Mentalist, The Magician (remember that, Bill Bixby fans?), etc, and their overriding messages: Even the fantastic can be explained, sometimes by simply being observant; and sometimes highly intelligent people can be fooled by a little theatre. Lost often presented us with answers like that (What's a Polar Bear doing here? We had a zoo. Duh.), and some of the unanswered questions could also be that simple.

Don't ask how the bear got into Walt's comic book, though.

[sakura-panda]

This thread is filled with reasonable comments and respectful discussion. Is this really an end of LOST thread?

DixieGal:

Spoiler:

I heard, rightly or wrongly, that the ending episode was scripted after the pilot, so only the people from the main section of the plane (and their significant others, apparently) were featured in the finale. No Tailies, nobody from the various expeditions (like Daniel and co.)

I've been reading discussion on another forum and with almost 1000 posts in that thread, it's hard for me to go back and try to find where I read something to make sure that I am remembering it correctly.

I'm hoping that there are extra shorts, features, etc on the DVDs that explain some of these remaining mysteries. I have only watched the first season DVDs, and all the extra information they put in those made my head spin! I can't even begin to imagine what the subsequent DVDs have been like.

While I'm spreading possible misinformation,

Spoiler:

I also read that Damon and Carlton have already signed up for another project, so may not be interested/may not have time to revisit the LOST universe.

Ignoring the bunnies and whatnot , I loved first season Heroes, couldn't sit through the second and ended up deleting all the episodes from the TiVo because they were taking up too much room and we were watching everything else BUT that.

Love Psych and can't wait for it to start back up for the summer (especially since all of our current shows are wrapping up this week.)

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by sakura-panda

This thread is filled with reasonable comments and respectful discussion. Is this really an end of LOST thread?

I thought I was getting people talking about possible continuances of the Lost-verse, to close some loose ends. Interesting how ideas like that can turn on you, huh?

Originally Posted by sakura-panda

Spoiler:

I heard, rightly or wrongly, that the ending episode was scripted after the pilot, so only the people from the main section of the plane (and their significant others, apparently) were featured in the finale. No Tailies, nobody from the various expeditions (like Daniel and co.)

Spoiler:

I seem to remember Libby (a Tailie) and Eloise Hawking in the church... and of course, notable MIAs like Michael and Walt. Of course, Christian Shepherd does tell Jack that they are there because their period on the island was "the most important part of their lives." I can imagine Walt, who spent a short time on the island, encountering many "important moments," taking his soul to a different limbo before moving on towards the light. But Michael was so wrapped up in things, forcing him to return, and get blown up on the freighter, I would've expected to see him. So apparently the members of the church were as much a matter of production constraints as actual mantra.

Originally Posted by sakura-panda

I'm hoping that there are extra shorts, features, etc on the DVDs that explain some of these remaining mysteries. I have only watched the first season DVDs, and all the extra information they put in those made my head spin! I can't even begin to imagine what the subsequent DVDs have been like.

The "Ultimate Every-Frickin'-Bit-Of-Lost DVD Set," whenever it comes out, could fill a DVD with extra material for each season, easy! (And probably cost $500!)

[cmdahler]

The full Lost set is already available over on Amazon in BR or DVD for pre-order; ship date is Aug. 24, and it costs something like $180.