OBS RECAP & REVIEWS: LOST S6 EPISODE 17 ‘THE END’
"All good things must come to an end".Written by OBS Staff Member RoseIt was a sad day on Sunday May 24, 2010. The series ‘Lost” finally came to an end. Millions of viewers around the world, tuned in, with hopes of having all their burning questions answered, and to bid farewell to the epic series that kept us puzzled and entertained for six years.
True to form, Lost did not answer everything, for it wouldn’t be Lost if it did.
The series Lost started with the most expensive pilot series to date, with the Oceanic Flight 815 crash landing on a mysterious island. Through this traumatic experience bonds and friendships were born as the Losties tried to find a way off the island. They saw Polar Bears in the jungle, they met The Others, and found The Dharma Initiative both in the present and in 1974 and got up close and personal with the Smoke Monster. They were captured, kidnapped, and separated multiple times, by way of time travel, and out of necessity. We learned they were all ‘touched’ by Jacob, and essentially, brought to the island for a reason. This last season we were shown why. With only Kate, Hurley, Sawyer, and Jack remaining, it was Jack who agreed to take over as protector of the island. He found his ‘purpose’.
With a new Jacob in place, the Smoke Monster was now bent on destroying the island to gain his final freedom, in a last ditch resort, by using Desmond as the weapon. Jack wishing to use Desmond to destroy Flocke comes to an agreement with Flocke and they both help Desmond into the cave of light each with their own agenda and outcome in mind.
Flocke finds Desmond with Bernard and Rose who helped him out of the well. Desmond only agrees to Flocke’s plan if he promises not to hurt Rose or Bernard and Flocke agrees.
At the cave of light, Desmond uncorks the stone from the center of origin of light (a metaphor for this used before with Jacob's carafe of wine). A fury of energy is released and the island is now a ticking time bomb. It is on the path to submersion. It is now possible to kill Flocke (the MIB). We see this after Jack punches Flocke and he now bleeds. A fight ensues by the cliffs above MIB’s cave and Flocke falls to his death, but not before Jack is fatally stabbed. Jack realizes the uncorking of the light helped both their causes. Flocke is dead, but the island is self-destructing. In a last bid to save everyone remaining, he passed his protector status over the Hurley, who drinks from a cup, as did Jack and Hurley appoints Ben as his number two. Jack goes down into the cave of light, re-corks the hole, tricks Hurley into thinking he will tie a rope around himself to be hoisted back up, but instead saves a barely conscious Desmond.
Jack finally makes it out of the cave, and walks as far as he can until he falls, dying from his stab wound, when Vincent, the dog, lies down next to him.
Frank Lupidis is alive and well, and is with Benjamin Linus, Miles and Richard on the other island gearing up the Ajira plane for take off.
Kate, Sawyer and Claire run to catch up with them, making it on board at the last minute. Jack sees that they make it off the island, but we'll get to that soon, for this is in the last scene.
As the remaining Losties, were battling for their life on the island, the Losties in the alt-universe are finally awaking to ‘see’ and remember their loved ones via coincidental happenings that have been set in motion by Desmond.
At the hospital, after an embrace, Jin and Sun finally ‘see’, via flashes a memory of the island and what they went through. Sawyer, after a phone call from Miles who thinks he’s seen Sayid near the concert location, makes his way to Jin and Sun to offer them protection, but they are all smiles and do not need it, because they ‘
know’. Sawyer passes Jack in the hallway, a minute flash of knowing falls on Sawyer but he has not been ‘released’ yet. It is not until he goes to the vending machine and Juliet, (who we find out is Jack’s ex-wife), helps him with a stuck candy bar and they touch, and the flood of memories befalls them both, and they remember everything, and end up in a passionate kiss.
Jack is still at the hospital and pays a visit to Locke, who fresh out of surgery is now awake. He is able to move his legs and Locke remembers everything as well. Jack gets a small flash but brushes it off. He is still not ready to let go and ‘see’.
Before the pinnacle charity event, Sayid saves Shannon from (fake attackers) in an alley and they too have the island memories flash and they embrace in remembrance. Hurley was in cahoots with Boone in this fake attack.
Finally at the charity event which was thrown by Eloise (Hawking) Widmore. Charlie is performing with his group, Driveshaft, with Daniel Faraday playing piano. In attendance, are Claire, Kate, and Charlotte. Charlotte connects with Faraday, Claire gives birth and is helped by Kate that releases them both and Charlie is near by and that seals the remembrance deal for them.
Benjamin Linus is sitting outside a church, when Locke rolls up in his wheelchair. Both have been set free, and Benjamin apologizes to Locke for all he had done. Locke forgives him and he gets up out of his wheelchair. He asks Ben if he will be going inside, but Ben tells him he is not ready yet, he has some things he needs to work out. (He has not atoned for all he had done.) They say their goodbyes and Locke walks into the church.
Last but not least is Jack, who comes the concert after it is over, but is greeted by Kate who promises him understanding if he comes with her. They arrive at the church, where his father’s funeral is to take place. Jack walks in back and sees his father’s coffin. The stain glass window we see has all faith religious symbols. It is the church of everything.
Jack touches the coffin is bombarded with flashes of his life on the island. He opens the coffin, but it is empty. His father appears behind him, and tells him he is really there, but he is in fact dead. Jack realizes he is dead too. He now understands. He enters the church and sees everyone from the island. Everyone who mattered to him, whom he bonded with, and loved. They are all finally together and remember the life they led and since they are now joined in remembrance, they can all finally move on.
As Jack lies dying on the island, he is looking up and sees the Ajira flying over the island and his eye closes. Coming full circle from episode one, where we see Jack’s eye opening after crashing onto the island. This is how Lost ends.
The alt-universe, that flash sideways we kept seeing, was the in-between world, where all of them had to meet and remember their past lives in order to move on to the after life.
The entire series of Lost was not purgatory, everything really did happen. The Island was real. The in-between world was created by the Losties, simply as a meeting place between death and the hereafter.
If you watched Jimmy Kimmel, he showed a clip of the first episode of Season 6, showing Jack on Oceanic Flight 815 after the A- bomb was detonated. The plane shook, like it was to crash again, but instead, it stopped. Rose sitting next to him says, “You can let go now”. Jimmy mentions this is where Jack actually died. It makes total sense. The entire last season was Jack’s journey through the in-between, of living and dying (passing on).
The ending to Lost was beautifully done, in not only allowing each character to remember and move on, it allowed for us, the viewer, to re-connect with all the Losties that made the show what it was and join them in their journey of bittersweet discovery.
If you are caught up on still wanting all your questions answered about the numbers, or how did drinking the jungle juice stop the protectors of the Island from aging, you’re missing the point. The show was ultimately about Jack, and his purpose in life, and the relationships formed, the bonds that were made and the religious aspect of remembering your life and the meaningful people in it before passing over into the ‘
beyond’.
We have vested so much of our time and brain power into this show, it was impossible to not get a little teary eyed, whenever the couple connections were finally made. The most heartfelt, for me, was Claire and Charlie, followed by Sawyer and Juliet.
Which re-connection made you shed a tear?
What are your thoughts about the season finale? How did you interpret the ending? What if any complaints do you have about how it ended? What burning questions do you still have?Let's keep Lost alive as long as we can...Let's discuss!!!
Author