Lost - The Ending

[Spoiler Warning: Plot points of the TV Series Lost are discussed in this article.]


Finally, I’ve finished watching Lost.

Having just watched the finale of Season Six, I can say that the series does tie up the major events of the story in a fairly satisfactory way.

After 121 episodes, one of the most complex, thought provoking, character and emotion rich stories has come to an end.

The final season would be just as confusing to newcomers as starting anywhere else other than the very beginning as yet another timeline is added into the show. So as well as having the main story of events happening on the island in the present day (no more time travelling now) there is an ‘alternative timeline’ featuring characters and events as if Oceanic 815 had never crashed.

Oh, and there are also a few regular flashback episodes thrown in there too – mainly for Richard, Jacob and the Man in Black. So – it's as complex as ever then.

That leads us on to the subject of new characters – yes, there are more in this season too. As well the aforementioned Jacob and his unnamed brother having more exposure, we have more ‘Others’ being revealed (living in a big temple) and also Widmore’s crew that have finally made it on to the island.

But to be honest, most of them die – in fact a lot of people die in the final few episodes, even main cast members – one particular death nicely bookending how the whole show started.

Emotionally, the show does come full circle and give a sense of closure to the whole thing – plenty of teary moments, many previous characters in Lost popping up for guest appearances (mostly in the ‘alternate timeline’ story) – most big mysteries explained.

On the flipside though, there were so many threads posed in countless other episodes that just weren’t tied up – so many little niggling questions never answered – and now likely never to be answered now that the series is finished. Watch this funny video HERE that brings up just some of them.

My feeling is that the writers didn't have absolutely every detail planned out from day one and often were just writing mysterious things into the script to keep people hooked. The monster of Lost’s greater mythology grew so big and wild that by the end they just couldn't account for every unexplained detail that had happened over the course of 121 episodes.

So if you are a person that needs explanations to everything then the ending of Lost is sure to be a maddening experience – but purely in emotional and story-telling terms the end wraps things up nicely – and I’m glad it got the graceful finish it deserved rather than fading into obscurity due to lack of audience interest or being unceremoniously cancelled without a proper resolution as some other series end up.

It was truly an epic journey – and despite all its flaws, Lost holds a special place in my heart.


For purposes of nostalgia or simply just curious? - check out this article on the Top 25 Moments From 6 Years of Lost for some highlights of the series.


16 Feb 2012