Final Thoughts on LOST (Spoiler Alert)
The big finale to the epic series was a mean one. They completely avoided answering any of the great mysteries behind the island, and instead chose to pull on our heartstrings to the point of submission and acceptance. After contemplating on the end for almost a week, and I thought hard…
I submit, and I accept.
My instant reaction to the finale was honestly one of disappointment. I felt as if the finale gave closure to the mystery behind the Sideways Flashback, but no answer at all for the events leading up. I felt cheated. I was compelled by the series not because I wanted to know if they would make it to an afterlife, but because there was some fucking weird shit going on, and with the finale, I was hoping for that weird shit to be put to rest.
The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. What the fuck was the point of DHARMA and their animal experiments, their psychological tests, and their shady orientation videos? What was so special about Claire’s baby, and why was the soothsayer freaking out saying it was so imperative for Claire to raise her own kid (when in fact Kate ended up raising Aaron for three years)? Why did I sit through six seasons of this shit only to find there was no point to any of it? Instead of answers, we get a cop-out of an ending, a beautiful one, but a cop-out nonetheless.
Then again, what if they told us everything? What if they told us Walt was special because of this… or DHARMA was on the island because of that…. If they spilled the beans about everything, there would be nothing left to discuss.
Here is my interpretation of DHARMA. A common theme throughout the series was Logic vs. Faith. Jack butted heads with Locke regarding that very debate early on in the season. DHARMA and the Island represents Logic vs. Faith but on a greater scale: Science vs. Spirituality. DHARMA is only there simply to emphasize the absurdity of the scientific world. They can do their animal tests and psychological tests and analyze the electromagnetic properties of the island, but in the end Jacob only needed them there to create the hatch, which would eventually bring him a plane full of candidates. In the end, the spiritual world wins, as seen through the complete transformation of Jack Shepherd.
As for baby Aaron, he’s growing up to be the next Jesus. Only this time around, Jesus will play guitar and spread his message through song: “You aaaaall everybody!”
Was the finale perfect? No. It was still missing a Wow Factor. I would’ve loved to see Jack duke it out in a real epic battle against the Smoke Monster, in full Smokey form, a la Aladdin vs Jafar the Snake. Or to at least witness the epic return of Mr. Ecko, standing at the front of the church half-naked with nothing but a priest collar.
In the end, it’s not about DHARMA or super powers or Polar Bears, but all about human connectedness, as exhibited by the pantheological window and multicultural group hug orgy.
I still have questions, but as for the answers, I don’t think I need them anymore. The Island has spoken to me. LOST was an amazing show, and the guys behind it were fucking geniuses.
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