The finale for Lost has left some fans completely satisfied while others feel ripped off by the conclusion of the show. They feel that the answers given weren’t enough and that the series on a whole was a complete waste of time. Many theories have sprung up about what it all means. Some of those theories are ridiculous (the castaways all died on flight 815 and the island was a construct of Jack’s mind in his last few minutes of life) and some are spot on (the island was real and the flash sideways was a version of purgatory). There are plenty of questions that went seemingly unanswered, but the truth is, every answer you need has been imbedded throughout the entire series. Some answers are hard and fast while others are meant to be interpreted from clues and hints sprinkled throughout episodes.
For those who were disappointed by the finale and feel they were robbed of six years of their lives, I say chill out. Even if the finale and answers you think you didn’t get, made you feel unsatisfied, you have to realize that the six seasons of the show were the best television journey you could possibly ever take. It’s about the ride, not the destination. That being said, you want answers, I’ll give you answers. I’ve stumbled upon an e-mail sent by a member of the production crew of Bad Robot (J.J. Abrams Company) that explains the show brilliantly. The e-mail was written to a friend of his (or hers) and somehow found its way around the internet. I don’t know the name of the person responsible for the e-mail or even if it really comes from an employee of Bad Robot (I think it is legitimate), but nonetheless, the clarification of the series is perfect in every way and is explained in a succinct manner that I would never be able to do myself. Without further adieu, here is the letter.
It was real. Everything that happened on the island that we saw throughout the 6 seasons was real. Forget the final image of the plane crash, it was put in purposely to f*&k with people’s heads and show how far the show had come. They really crashed. They really survived. They really discovered Dharma and the Others. The island keeps the balance of good and evil in the world. It always has and always will perform that role. And the island will always need a “Protector”. Jacob wasn’t the first, Hurley won’t be the last. However, Jacob had to deal with a malevolent force (Man in Black) that his mother, nor Hurley had to deal with. He created the devil and had to find a way to kill him – even though the rules prevented him from actually doing so.
Thus began Jacob’s plan to bring candidates to the Island to do the one thing he couldn’t do. Kill the MIB. He had a huge list of candidates that spanned generations. Yet every time he brought people there, the MIB corrupted them and caused them to kill one another. That was until Richard came along and helped Jacob understand that if he didn’t take a more active role, then his plan would never work.
Enter Dharma – which I’m not sure why John is having such a hard time grasping. Dharma, like the countless scores of people that were brought to the island before, were brought there by Jacob as part of his plan to kill the MIB. However, the MIB was aware of this plan and interfered by “corrupting” Ben. Making Ben believe he was doing the work of Jacob when in reality he was doing the work of the MIB. This carried over into all of Ben’s “off-island” activities. He was the leader. He spoke for Jacob as far as they were concerned. So the “Others” killed Dharma and later were actively trying to kill Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley and all the candidates because that’s what the MIB wanted. And what he couldn’t do for himself.
Dharma was originally brought in to be good. But was turned bad by MIB’s corruption and eventually destroyed by his pawn Ben. Now, was Dharma only brought there to help Jack and the other candidates on their overall quest to kill Smokey? Or did Jacob have another list of candidates from the Dharma group that we were never aware of? That is a question that is purposely not answered because whatever the writers came up with would be worse than the one you come up with for yourself. Still… Dharma’s purpose is not “pointless” or even vague. Hell, it’s pretty blatant.
Still, despite his grand plan, Jacob wanted to give his “candidates” (our Lostaways) the one thing he, nor his brother, were ever afforded: free will. Hence him bringing a host of “candidates” through the decades and letting them “choose” which one would actually do the job in the end. Maybe he knew Jack would be the one to kill Flocke (MIB) and that Hurley would be the protector in the end. Maybe he didn’t. But that was always the key question of the show: Fate vs. Free-will. Science vs. Faith. Personally I think Jacob knew from the beginning what was going to happen and that everyone played a part over 6 seasons in helping Jack get to the point where he needed to be to kill Smokey and make Hurley the protector – I know that’s how a lot of the writers viewed it. But again, they won’t answer that (nor should they) because that ruins the fun.
In the end, Jack got to do what he always wanted to do from the very first episode of the show: Save his fellow Lostaways. He got Kate and Sawyer off the island and he gave Hurley the purpose in life he’d always been missing. And, in Sideways world (which we’ll get to next) he in fact saved everyone by helping them all move on…
Now…
Sideways World:
Sideways world is where it gets really cool in terms of theology and metaphysical discussion (for me at least – because I love history/religion theories and loved all the talks in the writer’s room about it). Basically what the show is proposing is that we’re all linked to certain people during our lives. Call them soulmates (though it’s not exactly the best word.) But these people we’re linked to are with us during “the most important moments of our lives” as Christian said. These are the people we move through the universe with from lifetime to lifetime. It’s loosely based in Hinduism with large doses of western religion thrown into the mix.
The conceit that the writers created, basing it off these religious philosophies, was that as a group, the Lostaways subconsciously created this “sideways” world where they exist in purgatory until they are “awakened” and find one another. Once they all find one another, they can then move on and move forward. In essence, this is the show’s concept of the afterlife. According to the how, everyone creates their own “sideways” purgatory with their “soulmates” throughout their lives and exist there until they all move on together. That’s a beautiful notion. Even if you aren’t religious or even spiritual, the idea that we live AND die together is deeply profound and moving.
It’s a really cool and spiritual concept that fits the whole tone and subtext the show has had from the beginning. These people were SUPPOSED to be together on that plane. They were supposed to live through these events – not JUST because of Jacob. But because that’s what the universe or God (depending on how religious you wish to get) wanted to happen. The show was always about science vs. faith – and it ultimately came down on the side of faith. It answered THE core question of the series. The one question that has been at the root of every island mystery, every character back-story, every plot twist. That, by itself, is quite an accomplishment.
How much you want to extrapolate from that is up to you as the viewer. Think about season 1 when we first found the Hatch. Everyone thought that’s THE answer! Whatever is down there is the answer! Then, as we discovered, it was just one station of many. One link in a very long chain that kept revealing more and more of a larger mosaic.
But the writers took it even further this season by contrasting this sideways “purgatory” with the island itself. Remember when Michael appeared to Hurley, he said he was not allowed to leave the island. Just like the MIB. He wasn’t allowed into this sideways world and thus, was not afforded the opportunity to move on. Why? Because he has proven himself to be unworthy with his actions on the island. He failed the test. The others passed. They made it into the sideways world when they died – some before Jack, some years later. In Hurley’s case, maybe centuries later. They exist in this sideways world until they are “awakened” and they can only move on TOGETHER because they are linked. They are destined to be together for eternity. That was their destiny.
They were NOT linked to Anna Lucia, Daniel, Roussou, Alex, Miles, Lupidis, (and all the rest who weren’t in the church – basically everyone who wasn’t in season 1). Yet those people exist in the sideways world. Why? Well again, here’s where they leave it up to you decide. The way I think about it, is that those people who were left behind in sideways world have to find their own soulmates before they can wake up. It’s possible that those links aren’t people from the island but from their other life (Anna’s partner, the guy she shot --- Roussou’s husband, etc etc.)
A lot of people have been talking about Ben and why he didn’t go into the church. And if you think of the sideways world in this way, then it gives you the answer to that very question. Ben can’t move on yet because he hasn’t connected with the people he needs to. It’s going to be his job to awaken Roussou, Alex, Anna Lucia (maybe), Ethan, Goodspeed, his father and the rest. He has to atone for his sins more than he did by being Hurley’s number two. He has to do what Hurley and Desmond did for our Lostaways with his own people. He has to help them connect. And he can only move on when all the links in his chain are ready to. Same can be said for Faraday, Charlotte, Widmore, Hawkins etc. It’s really a neat and cool concept. At least to me.
But, from a more “behind the scenes” note: the reason Ben’s not in the church, and the reason that no one is in the church but for Season 1 people is because they wrote the ending for the show after writing the pilot. And never changed it. The writers always said (and many didn’t believe them) that they knew their ending from the very first episode. I applaud them for that. It’s pretty fantastic. Originally Ben was supposed to have a 3 episode arc and be done. But he became a big part of the show. They could have easily changed their ending and put him in the church – but instead they problem solved it. Gave him a BRILLIANT moment with Locke outside the church… and then that was it. I loved that. For those that wonder – the original ending started the moment Jack walked into the church and touches the casket to Jack closing his eyes as the other plane flies away. That was always JJ’s ending. And they kept it.
In the end, for me, LOST was a touchstone show that dealt with faith, the afterlife, and all these big, spiritual questions that most shows don’t touch. And to me, they never once waivered from their core story – even with all the sci-fi elements they mixed in. To walk that long and daunting of a creative tightrope and survive is simply astounding.
That my friends is Lost in a nutshell. I think it is a perfect explanation and goes a long way in clarifying the series as a whole. Sure, there are some answers we may never get (Why is it impossible to conceive on the Island? I think it is because of the radiation from the bomb that went off at the end of season 5) but on a whole, Lindelof and Cuse did a brilliant job and kept us enthralled for six amazing seasons. What do you think? Did this explanation help or are you still “lost”?