Lost, The End

Spoiler Alert: Do not read below if you have not seen the last episode of Lost and you do not want to know what happens.









'So that is what it all meant!' is what I had imagined myself thinking at 7.30am this morning after watching the finale and last ever episode of the most confusing yet brilliantly intriguing show on television, Lost. But whilst I was (in my early morning state) still confused, I thoroughly enjoyed the 2-and-a-half-hour ending that packed in drama, romance, reconciliation, death and at least some answers.

The running theme throughout the episode, as with the majority of the last season, was the flash-sideways. Were they real? And if so what were the lives on the island all about? Well it turns out that the flash-sideways in what seemed like a parallel universe were actually an afterlife, purgatory where all the characters began bumping into each other again and remembering their time on the island (which gave the viewers nice flashback montages of the six series and the characters' time on the island).

Whilst their adventures on the island were real and did all happen, a still dead but now talking Dr Christian Shephard (clever name clue there!) told his son Jack in the afterlife that everyone on the island had died, whether it be before or after Jack himself. With no sense of time or as Jack's dad put it: "there is no now, here" in this afterlife, old friends and lovers were reunited. Most of the characters conveniently gathered at the church, corralled by messenger-in-the-afterlife Desmond and eventually moved on together as a bright light engulfed the church.

It was a satisfying end in what turned out to be a character-driven finale as Jack and Kate, Sawyer and Juliet, Charlie and Claire etc reunited after remembering their time on the island together. Whilst extremely sweet, the emotional reunions soon bogged down an episode that at points lost sight of what I thought Lost had all been about.

In the end it turns out Lost was all about the characters and the journeys they take rather than the island itself. But this left many questions and mysteries unanswered. Why was there a polar bear running around? Where did the island originate from? Apart from being the heart of the island what exactly was that light that Jacob and then Jack had to protect? Maybe these questions were answered and amongst the mazy narrative and time travelling I have missed them? Or maybe, befitting of the show's name, some answers will just stay a mystery?

Back on the island Jack, now Jacob's successor to protect the Island, battled the smoke monster (Flocke) who wanted to destroy the island whilst Jack tried to protect it. After Desmond shut down the mysterious light source labelled as the heart of the island it seemed that Flocke had got his wish. But in a final twist his plan didn't work and a dramatic clifftop battle ensued between Jack and Flocke. With a knife to Jack's throat and a stab wound to his stomach it looked like Jack was a goner until love interest Kate saved the day by shooting Flocke before Jack killed him once and for all.

With the island still close to destruction despite Flocke's demise Jack decided to return to the heart of the island and restore the light source. In a romantic but all too late declaration Jack and Kate admitted their love for each other and finally put an end to the love triangle between the pair and Sawyer that had been ongoing throughout the show. Parting ways Kate and Sawyer headed for the miraculously fixed plane and their escape route off the island along with Claire, Miles, Richard and Frank.

Meanwhile in a painfully sad scene Jack passed on the role of protecting the island to a terrified Hurley (who we are led to believe from a scene in the afterlife did live on to look after the island with his number 2 Ben) before restoring the light source and the heart of the island.

The episode was littered with beautifully crafted scenes, from the stormy showdown between Jack and Flocke on the cliff-top to Jack lying helpless of the jungle floor as the plane carrying his friends away from the island passes overhead. All of the actors carrying this captivating story forward were superb in their roles.

In a poignant moment that marked the end Jack's eyes closed as he lay dying on the island, just as they had opened in the first ever episode.

Picture from Side Reel

The Final Season Premiere of Lost

The sixth and final series of Lost started on Sky One on Friday night and as expected the two hour premiere provided more questions than answers.

The series opener began with a look at what would have happened if the Oceanic Flight 815 had never crashed, adding another dimension and direction on a show that has already jumped backwards and forwards more times than I can count.

The passage saw much-loved characters briefly interacting, including Jack and Locke bonding over lost cargo and the fan-pleasing return of some old faces, including Boone, Charlie and Claire.

The emotional pull from the drama-filled 120 minute premiere came in the passing of Juliet. Sawyer's love interest managed to survive the explosion at the end of series five which transported the group back to the present day but soon after being rescued she passed away in Sawyer's arms. The scene may have been overly cheesy and predictable but in a series where death on-screen rarely means a final appearance, it is likely we will see her again.

Juliet's passing also meant for the return of the Sawyer and Jack feud, a storyline that has been bubbling under and often exploding on screen during the first five series.

One of the advantages for the creators of Lost is that their show allows for the endless creation of new locations and plots that make little sense to anyone but somehow to brilliantly fit into the plot of the show. On Friday we got the first glimpse of The Temple and the first look at another set of 'others', fans of all five series will have also noticed that these others included the original flight attendant from Flight 815.

It was at The Temple where Sayid, who was shot during the last series made his reappearance. After being shot Sayid was close to death but he was miraculously brought back to live in the water by the mysterious others, only for them to then drown him seconds later. But in Lost that would never be the end and the premiere ended with Sayid coming back to life once more. Still following? This could only happen in Lost!

The biggest enigma on the show and during the premiere was John Locke. The man who seems strangely at home on the island was last seen confronting Jacob before manipulating Ben to kill him. But at the same time Locke's body was in a box on the beach! If his storyline couldn't get anymore confusing in a shocking twist Locke turned out to be the menacing black smoke monster that had been terrorising the island for the first five series. Brilliant performances from Terry O'Quinn and mind-boggling twists have pushed John Locke to the forefront of the mystery surrounding the island.

The series may not be addictive as it once was, mainly due to how confusing the plot has become but the desire for answers will keep fans and viewers hooked throughout the final series.

Picture from TVFanatic.com