Lost (spoilers)

Started by MacGuffin, October 07, 2004, 01:10:26 AM

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Gamblour.

I'm so glad to see that wasn't the only crying like a fucking baby.

The finale was the most satisfying experience, I cannot not not believe they pulled it off. Never thought I'd be so pleased with it. It's so weird how I've gone from thinking "If they don't explain why Walt was special, I'm going to hate having watched this show" to "Walt wasn't even in the finale, and I don't care. His being special was important to the Dharma Initiative, but it's not important to me anymore. That was just one of many facets of the show, and I'm ok with that." I feel like I've been fucking brainwashed, but with joy and sadness and characters being fulfilled. They truly outdid themselves. At the end of the day, they were fundamentally right in centering the show around the characters.

As for how I'm interpreting the ending, I still need to mull it over, but I feel good about it. I could watch that finale for days.
WWPTAD?

modage

Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

Sleepless

I have really struggled with the season, there's been a lot I haven't enjoyed at all. However, the finale redeemed all that. Finally the focus was back on the characters we'd spent the past 5 years following. I wish this final season had been completely different. The focus, the storytelling choices were all wrong in my opinion. But that was a good last episode (Jack's slow-motion dive towards Fake Locke notwithstanding). Definitely brought the emotional impact, the connection with the characters the rest of this season has been lacking. I'm still not sure right now, having had 24 hours to process it all, exactly how all the pieces fit together. I never expected to have everything made sense. In fact, I've long said that I hope they didn't try to over-explain everything. But it would have been nice if some of the focus these past 16 episodes had been elsewhere. But it was nice seeing everyone get their little moments of individual escape throughout the episode: Richard's first grey hair... Sawyer and Juliet reunited... Jack finally satisfied in having helped his friends leave the island... I don't mean to keep pissing on this season but I really didn't get along with the vast majority of it. For the longest time I thought (and to a lesser extent still do) that the season five ending would have made a suitable end to the show. Did the bomb save them? Or not? Who knows?!?! It would have been a cool cliffhanger ending (the same way "I'm not Michael Vaughn" should have ended Alias). But it would have lacked the emotional impact and sense of resolution this true ending brought. That final scene, it was way cool. Ben haning on outside. The stained glass window, all major religions and the donkey wheel represented. "There is no now."

:bravo:
He held on. The dolphin and all the rest of its pod turned and swam out to sea, and still he held on. This is it, he thought. Then he remembered that they were air-breathers too. It was going to be all right.

diggler

So it seems that i'm the only one among my friends who was satisfied with the finale. This saddens me, because I can't remember the last time I felt so emotionally satisfied by any viewing experience, much less a network television one. There are plot holes aplenty, and the show obviously introduced a lot of elements to stretch out the narrative (the whole Jughead misdirection being the worse offender), but the finale created a nice bookend to what worked so well with the show in the first place. As interesting as the island is, the show's biggest revelations always came through the characters and the choices they made. To cry out that the show decided to ignore it's own mythology in service of character would be missing what the mythology actually was.  Instead of our characters being pawns of the island, it's actually the other way around. The show can't offer definitive answers about what the island's purpose is, because those answers change with each era (Jacob's era vs. Hurley's, etc.). The island is real and is indeed a special place, but it's only as special as the characters allow it to be. It may seem like a cop out, but it's a nice way of avoiding convoluted mythology inconsistencies and it allows the show to focus on it's strengths.
I'm not racist, I'm just slutty

Fernando

I didn't cry but it made me terribly sad and still am, obviously I'm going to miss the show but the one thing I'm going to miss the most is this, reading and talking about it with you guys, ill miss a show where almost everyone was on board, it doesn't matter that sometimes some where loving it or hating it, it was the one thread that when the show was airing it was talked about.

I hope we get another show that bring us together, not that right now there aren't good shows, there are plenty but not on network tv, and some of you guys just don't watch cable for whatever reason.

Also, the music can't get out of my head, I'm pretty sure that's why I'm still sad.


EDIT:

loved this scene and its music, and that window is beautiful.

Gamblour.

Yeah, this was my go-to place for Lost talk. Most of the interesting, thoughtful, and relatable conversations happened here for me.

That being said, I still have regrets about the show. After talking with friends, who still loved the finale, but couldn't get over feeling the writers bullshit their way through much of the series, I've been thinking about things I really, really, REALLY wish had amounted to more.

This doesn't need to be a list of "reasons why Lost sucked after all", but for me, it's reminiscing about things that were so cool and fascinating that just didn't necessarily pan out. It might help me 'let go' of the show as well.

-Miles can speak with the dead - this was an incredibly fascinating ability to give to a character on a show where speaking with the dead could be both a useful and powerful device. However, it seemed to only be utilized when the writers remembered that Miles' power wasn't only comic relief. Miles could've been a great conduit for discerning information about Jacob and MIB and the island's past, but this never seemed to amount to anything other than a super power for Widmore's Fantastic Four.

-Walt - kids grow up, and for a show that would sometimes spend several episodes on a single day, having a child actor on the show was never going to work out. But then why did Walt tell Locke he had 'work to do'? Why would he show up in the jungle speaking backwards in season 1? Could he conjure polar bears or was it just a bait-and-switch/red herring (not sure which device they used here) when we find out the polar bears were just a Dharma experiment? Anyone, there are countless reasons why not knowing more about Walt is possibly the largest detriment to the series.

-The magic box - remember when Ben convinced Locke there was a magic box in which anything you imagined could appear, and then lo and behold Locke's dad was sitting there? Unless this was just bullshit on Ben's part (and they actually went out and captured Anthony Cooper and brought him to the island), this seems like another for amazing avenue to not explore. Seems like they just came up with it so they could conveniently resolve some issues with Locke and Sawyer.

Those are just a few things. Granted, I could go and infer all I want about these elements of the series, but really I can't help but think, yeah, the writers were bullshitting a bit. But then I thought about Desmond and how he was actually this diplomat between life and death, and that blew my mind a bit.
WWPTAD?

MacGuffin

Lost's Mr. Eko Turned Down Finale Guest Spot!
Source: E!Online

Why didn't Mr. Eko come back?

It's one of the most asked questions about Lost's final season. After all, everyone else returned! So what gives?

Sources tell me exclusively:

Lost's Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje—who played the iconic Mr. Eko—was offered a guest spot in last night's Lost series finale, but he...wait for it...turned it down.

According to ABC and Lost insiders, Adewale was offered a hearty sum to do one scene in the last hurrah, but the actor wanted five times the amount that was offered. It didn't work out.

How and where would Adewale have popped up in the finale? I guess we'll never know, but he was definitely loved by many fans before his character's demise.

Eko (a warlord who pretended to be a priest in order to smuggle drugs) was the fifth character to die on Lost, after facing the Smoke Monster for a second time and getting attacked, and then telling Locke, "I saw the devil."

Producers have said their original plan was for Mr. Eko  to stay on the show four seasons, but they released Adewale from his contract after only one season because he wanted off the Island.

Leggo my Eko!
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

socketlevel

Quote from: abuck1220 on May 24, 2010, 11:04:59 AM
I've wondered for years how this show can appeal to smart people and dumb people. I've known people who love both lost and the wire and who love both lost and two and a half men. it looks like the finale has finally divided those two groups. I've found that most people whose opinions i respect liked the finale, and people who i thought were stupid didn't like it.

it's because the show is the ultimate guilty pleasure. and this is why comments like this are made:

Quote from: modage on May 24, 2010, 02:07:28 PM
I think it was a joke.  Anyway, can you guys believed I loved it too?  I think the finale will separate the cynical viewers from the fans rest.

I don't think you have to draw a line in the sand. because you're right, it is kinda a joke, but a joke that suckered "intelligent" people in. this is why we started loving movies/TV to begin with, to be suckered in. long before we took a film history/theory class.

I'm sure people will read too deeply into it and come up with pseudo philosophical insights like they did with the matrix. in my opinion, they're just not there in lost; or at least not the the level that people will infuse into the show.

with that said, i loved the ending, and the show. i don't know how well it will age (the finale) but it was definitely emotionally satisfying. i love how the shots were mirrored at the end to the first episode's beginning, creating a stylistic and emotional bookend even if the plot doesn't add up. obvious questions are still out there, like what was the point of the nuke if it's purgatory? or what was the point of lock if it's not him in the last season.

there was some great acting in this episode. one thing i feel didn't work in the last season was the relationship between sawyer and Juliet. they just didn't have the chemistry that he did with Kate, yet they totally pulled off the moment they reunited in purgatory, i was moved. charlie and Clair did an excellent job of this as well, who i felt in the past charlie was 90% of the reason we cared about them being together (cuz let's be honest beyond something nice to look at, Emilie de Ravin doesn't bring much to the acting table).

i don't know why people keep saying that the island was purgatory... the island happened, it's just that in purgatory there is no timeline. this is stated by christian Sheppard directly. also Kate says to jack that she's really missed him, because she escaped the island and lived the rest of her life. so for her the events in purgatory are after the full life she lived. This isn't a subjective device, it was quite clearly laid out.
the one last hit that spent you...

Fernando

Quote from: Gamblour. on May 25, 2010, 10:03:33 AM
-The magic box - remember when Ben convinced Locke there was a magic box in which anything you imagined could appear, and then lo and behold Locke's dad was sitting there? Unless this was just bullshit on Ben's part (and they actually went out and captured Anthony Cooper and brought him to the island), this seems like another for amazing avenue to not explore. Seems like they just came up with it so they could conveniently resolve some issues with Locke and Sawyer.

IMO, at that time Ben was like ten thousand steps ahead of everyone, obviously he knew about cooper and locke and just invented that magic box thing, I think they brought him on the sub, but, it would have been interesting to see more details of how they brought him to the island.

diggler

i distinctly remember Ben saying the magic box was a metaphor. Even without that bit of info, you can chalk up everything Ben said as lies to protect his power.  I have friends that complain that we never got an explanation behind the Tawaret Statue and the ruins on the island, which I think is just untrue. It's pretty well illuminated through Jacob's and Richard's flashback that this situation has happened many times before. I think that's all the info I need. i did groan a bit at the black rock hitting the statue, i was hoping that statue falling was a result of the end of some kind of ancient island conflict, but the show has always subverted expectations so it's not something i'm very upset about. They even telegraphed in season 1 just how the black rock got there, so their explanation actually makes more sense.

Anyway, I loved the show, and am really glad it was part of my life over the years. I couldn't even tell you the countless hours i've spent discussing it with friends and family and in a weird way it kind of brought me closer to these people. It was an exclusive club for intelligent people who could appreciate a good yarn. I'm going to miss it.
I'm not racist, I'm just slutty

©brad

Mod I really dug your blog post.

I found the finale emotionally satisfying and mostly enjoyed it even if it didn't redeem what was a pretty meh final season. Whoever said they would never be able to top the paralyzing awesomeness of the season 3 finale was right because they so didn't. I also think it's not fair to write off the entire series because of this final season, which most of the haters on the interweb have been quick to do. Even in its most maddening moments it was still a fun ride.

I have no idea how this will age. It would be interesting to revisit all the seasons on DVD, but not anytime soon. I've officially OD'd on all that is Lost. 

socketlevel

pretty funny, though some are irrelevant, some are explained and some it just doesn't matter all that much:

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

still loved the show but there are some valid questions here.
the one last hit that spent you...

Pas

Quote from: socketlevel on May 25, 2010, 04:47:49 PM
pretty funny, though some are irrelevant, some are explained and some it just doesn't matter all that much:

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

still loved the show but there are some valid questions here.

Haha yes

BTW you guys are such fanboys it's not even funny. How was that finale remotely satisfying?

This made no sense. No sense at all.

If someone finds a websight that makes any sense of what went on in a logical and not complete bullshit way, please link.

ElPandaRoyal

I've been quiet about this show for most of the season. I didn't love the season, but even at its worse, LOST is still an amazing TV show, that knows no rules, even though the characters kept talking about rules.

The finale, well, like most of you, I was quite moved by the last few minutes of it, I also didn't cry (I don't cry at the movies), but my heart hurt. It was one of the most beautiful moments I've ever watched on TV, and I'd place it right up there alongside the Six Feet Under finale. To me, this was the way to end. More about the characters, less about the mythology, wchich was cool, but was never the reason I loved the show. Frankly, I couldn't care less about all those unanswered questions. Whatever was explained, was. What was not, it's up for me to figure it out my own way.

One point that I would really love to see discussed more, let me see if you guys are up to it: do you think the island could really destroy the world? What do you guys think about the island? What was it? To me, it was that place between life and death. By that I don't mean, at all, the purgatory. No. Whatever happened in the island was real, it's just a place in our world where only a few can get to. Due to its mysterious powers, people tried to go there and explore it, maybe to try and find richness in something they didn't fully understand (Widmore, The Black Rock, etc.). What made it special was that cave, who was a sort of gate to the spiritual world, hence, when people said that if the island was destroyed, everyone they knew would be dead, that meant that they could never go to the other side, and death would become the limit of human life. The island is the gate that takes you beyond death. That's why there were ghosts on the island, and voices and whatnot. People who were waiting to pass to the other side. To move on. For some time, I thought this season would turn out to be Donnie Darko when it was more The Sixth Sense.

Well, these are my thoughts after living with the sad notion these last few days that LOST is gone for good.
Si

cinemanarchist

I'm still amazed that even the preliminary NY Times review of the finale stated that the whole show took place in purgatory. Even a few days later I'm still hearing "intelligent" people saying they now hate the show because none of it ever happened. Yikes. The further I get from it the more the more I'm loving where the finale left the show. I am still a little afraid that if I go back and rewatch the series, knowing how it all ends, that it's not going to hold up.
My assholeness knows no bounds.