Naysayers and haters go back to your holes in the ground. The LOST finale is exactly how things should have ended. And actually I've been waiting for a show or a book or a movie to give us the sort of ending like this. It was sort of a Dark Toweresque / What Dreams May Come type of ending. What we've been calling the sideways world this whole season was not sideways at all, but a gathering place after their deaths (whenever it may have occurred) for the Losties to discover each other all once again and once that happened they were able to move on (to heaven? into the light of the island? it doesn't matter because it was beautiful and warm and wonderful!) When characters die in a story, I always wonder what happens to them after that. Do they reunite in heaven? Is heaven a real place or is it something we create for ourselves? I have an odd view of heaven that probably not many people share. I believe that the afterlife is a paradise that we create for ourselves - much like the heaven of What Dreams May Come. The "sideways" world was the place that the Losties created so that they could all find each other once again. In comparison to the ending of the Dark Tower (which please don't read on if you haven't read it or plan to read it or plan to watch the movie version when it comes out) it was like the people who had died were still living on and able to reunite in another place in the universe where they could be together.
I think that some LOST fans, especially the ones more interested in Island Mythology and the science fiction part of things, might be disappointed in the lack of answers that we got. But I think that the lack of answers is sort of what makes it all so fun to still think about. What was important was the characters - and really the characters were who I cared about the most. I've invested 6 years into getting to know Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, et al. and to see them together in the end was highly satisfying for me.
I also like how the producers gave us two endings. An ending to the "real" world and an ending in the "sideways" world. In the real world, some of the Losties make it off the island for good: Sawyer, Kate, Claire (to return to her son Aaron, finally!), Miles, Richard Alpert (who is finally aging now!) and Frank Lapidus (he is so Miami Vice! Lol). Left on the island alive and well are Rose and Bernard, Vincent, Hurley (now the island's protector) and Ben (#2 protector) and Desmond (who Ben says he can help Hurley find a way to get him home to his family). Jack finds himself mortally wounded and makes his way back to the bamboo field where he first found himself on the island. Vincent comes to keep him company and Jack sees the Ajira plane fly over, which gives him peace that his friends made it off the island. Jack's eye closes and that's the end of the real world. In sideways world, the end also comes full circle with Jack. He's the last to become "island enlightened" when he finally touches his father's coffin in the back of the church. Suddenly Christian Shepard appears alive and well and Jack realizes that all of this sideways world stuff has been purgatory all along and that the people who meant most to him in his life were gathered there to all move on together - into that light and warmth of forever.
I am satisfied with this finale - it exceeded my expectations of how it would all come to a close. There are still mysteries out there, but I think they will just serve as wonderful debate points about the series in the years to come. I'm not sure when I will watch the series all over again - it won't be soon, but I will someday. For now though, I can say goodbye and be happy with "The End".
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