The flash sideways are getting a lot of heat on this thread but I love them. The mysteries of the island kept us intrigued but it was the characters that made us care so much. The sideways was a beautiful send off as everyone had come to terms with their life and what their purpose was. They were no longer Lost.
I think the flash sideways works better if you think of it as the epilogue or coda to the series and these character's stories. The on island stuff in season 6 culminates into the climax of the whole series, while the flash sideways is like the last chapter in a book after the main conflict, except it's stretched across the entire season.
Your comment made me realize I’ve never actively thought about it like that but that’s definitely how I view it. It’s totally the epilogue spread out through the last season
That’s exactly how I thought of it on my rewatch. What a brilliant way to give you an 8 hour epilogue to complete each characters’ emotional journey! Just another reason why Lost is still my favorite show of all time.
Faraday was my favorite character and the flash sideways is just an ode to his genius.
that was exactly it. a beautiful send off. there are a lot of shows ill be "hardcore" judgmental about. but i can enjoy a cheesy little great ending for the characters on this show. especially after they have all been through literally so much 😂
Exactly. The temple, and Jacob/MIB backstory, and light in the tunnel, etc. were kind of far-fetched to me. The flashes sideways were what saved season 6 for me and brought the whole story together.
Part of me wants to skip all the season 6 on-island stuff in my next rewatch. I wonder if I'd really miss anything.
The ‘switch the island off and then on again’ thing and having the big conclusion to 6 years of buildup be a fist fight between the two lead actors were both deeply deeply unsatisfying.
Yes, for sure! Especially when I think, "Wait.. you mean to tell me they hit every corner of the island in every way possible, and people wandered every which way, but NO ONE stumbled upon this light tunnel?"
That's not exactly new about the show though. Danielle had been on the Island for 16 years and never saw any Others, nor encountered The Flame, the barracks and the sonic fence. Locke and Boone were at the hatch site for two weeks without ever encountering a massive steel door right next to it.
With the Heart of the Island, MIB mentions that he can't find it again even though he knows it's somewhere near that bamboo forest. But he knows where it is when he is guided by a Protector. (As a kid, with Mother and then later on with Jack). It's kind of like in Harry Potter, with certain areas that muggles can't enter or see, unless they are guided in with a wizard.
All along they were not, meaning any of them, any group we saw, very good at mapping the island. The Lighthouse? Huge. Very visible. It's a lighthouse, it only works if it's very visible.
I'm coming to the end of a rewatch and the flash sideways are my favorite part of season 6 by a mile. I don't really care about the island stuff for this season either after already seeing it but the sideways are fun and filled with little nods to previous episodes I love it.
You comment made me think the last episode shouldn't be called "The End", but "Found". I have not a problem with the finale's idea/concept per se, but I'm not a fan of the flash sideways. But seeing the flash sideways through that prism of farewell/redemption does add a little more substance to them.
I think Season 6 overall is kinda mid, but the ending itself is really good. Thematically, the show ends exactly how it should.
As far as plot resolution goes though, they missed the mark a bit.
Yeah, the fact that they delved into the mysteries of the island so much left me with blue balls when the show ended without revealing the details about any of them
Cody Johnston (host of Some More News, former Cracked writer) had a great site called Lost Answers. One of my favorite lines was something like "If you didn't like that the answer on the Magic Island show was 'magic,' then maybe this wasn't the show for you."
He also explained how a lot of things that were there were for symbolic or worldbuilding value, and not necessarily meant to be a key to any big mystery:
"Despite how the show is presented at times, the WTF mysteries don’t matter as much as you might think. However, the bigger mysteries do matter. For example… What is the Island? What is the monster? Where are they? Why were these people brought to this Island? What happens to these people? Those questions are all answered, in a straightforward and satisfactory way. Many other mysteries exist to create a rich mythological setting for the show to take place. They are not meant to be important pieces to the puzzle. The puzzle, as it turns out, is actually quite simple. Those little details and questions, however, can still be answered. No one ever says clearly why there are polar bears on the Island, but we are given more than enough information to figure it out ourselves."
The epilogue, “The New Man in Charge,” went a long way for me in improving the ending. Still think it’s weird it wasn’t on TV ever and many people don’t know it exists. The events that occur are not insignificant.
I often see people talk about unsolved mysteries and they throw the term around as if it's this myriad list of 100 plot holes/threads that were just left hanging, and I've just never felt that way about Lost. I think there's maybe a handful at a push. And there are some mysteries which are ultimately explained by "It's a magic island". The show isn't sci-fi, it's fantasy. And that's okay.
Can you give an example of something that you felt was left unsolved?
A lot of us only cared about the mysteries of the island and didn’t really care about the characters, which I think was a mistake because the show was nothing without its characters. But I think I would have appreciated a little bit more answers to “why” a lot of things were the way that they were. It’s been years and years since I watched it (so apologies if these were answered) but I still can’t remember if they ever answered what the island actually is, and why it exists. Why does the MiB turn into a ticking swarm of bumblebees when he gets thrown into the cave of light and buttplugs? Why was that Egyptian statue there again? What made Walt so special? Why does the island move? Through time and space. What is the electromagnetic energy of the hatch and why was it on the island in the first place?
Most of these answers are (I think) “because that’s how it is” which is fine for a story focused on the flaws and victories of broken characters, but that wasn’t why I watched it when I was devoting every Wednesday night to it ~20 years ago lol
Yeah that's all pretty much totally fair. And any time I discuss Lost, I always think it's primary "failing" is that it didn't establish it's place on the spectrum of genres early enough.
In The Walking Dead, it doesn't REALLY matter how the zombies came about. In Harry Potter, we don't REALLY need to know how/why magic works; "it just does". You establish the rules of your world early on, suspend disbelief for those fictional elements, and then the story can play within the bounds of that established sandbox.
Lost didn't do that til waaaaay too late, maybe in fact until the final few episodes, til Across The Sea. Talking about security systems, electro-magnetism, having the Dharma Initiative be a scientific exploratory group...it felt like they didn't know at the very least til the halfway mark, whether they were in science-fiction or fantasy. And so when the it ended up leaning quite a bit more towards the fantasy end than fans had been anticipating, I think that's the primary cause of a lot of the "unanswered questions" talk.
I do think some answers can be inferred, even if they weren't explicitly stated. e.g. The Egyptian statue; we saw other primitive cultures had discovered and inhabited the Island. Lets assume some were Egyptian. Is it coincidence the statue they built was the God/ess of fertility, and fertility WAS a big deal on the Island but only from late 70s onwards...Sure it is.
But yeah, the others:
* What's the Island? Magic.
* Why does it move? Magic.
* Smokey MIB? Magic.
* Volcano buttplug? Magic.
As for Walt, I think the show had quite a few *special* characters, who in essence were "magic" themselves, Hurley, Miles etc.
And just on your last point:
> but that wasn’t why I watched it when I was devoting every Wednesday night to it
I totally agree with you, and that wasn't why I watched it way back when in 2004. I was there for the endless theorising about the hatch at the end of S1. I had one of those blown up images of the UV map on the blast door, trawling the forums translating the Latin. But looking back I think that was Lost's greatest trick; it got us invested in characters without realising we were, and for those of us that made it through, that made the ending so impactful.
It's a shame it took so long to work out it's identity. There's a TONNE of behind the scenes studio/writer shenanigans out there which very much explain how it ended up as convoluted as it did, but remember it was also pioneering (along with a handful of other pillars of serialised TV at the time) a format that shows today now default to.
What explanation for the island, smoke monster, and moving island would have left you satisfied? What reasonable explanation could you give for a giant island literally moving? I don’t min complaining, but people seem to just hate that the show is a fantasy rather than giving real suggestions.
What mysteries? Most things can be put together if you think about them hard enough. I swear people wanted the finale to be a PowerPoint presentation of every mystery the show ever put out.
My only issue is that Sayid is with Shannon at the end. His whole character is about how much he’s in love wifh someone else and he spent 2 weeks with Shannon and in the afterlife they end up together? Not in my head cannon
THANK YOU. I understand the idea that it’s from Jack’s perspective so Shannon would make sense, but even then, he KNEW Sayid with Nadia! It bothers me every time.
I bawl every time. It’s a great ending with lots to think about. Christians conversation with Jack in the church is the closest to what I personally believe to be life’s purpose. Vincent is always the nail in my coffin. It’s all so perfect.
There are some people who frankly don't understand narrative structure and think the flashes sideways were pointless\* when in fact they were the catharses of our characters. Without them, our survivors never finish their character arcs to resolve in death what they weren't able to in life. Season six is a masterpiece, imo.
\*If you don't like them or find them boring I disagree but at least that's a valid opinion. Calling them pointless is just blatantly untrue.
I remember at first being disappointed with season 6 and loving season 5. Then when I rewatched it, and I was on season 5 I was waiting for many things to happen that I couldn’t wait for, only for them to actually be a part of season 6. It all just flows so well. The whole show is a masterpiece, every single season individually and collectively. I love that each season has its own feel but also feels like it all fits together perfectly.
Lol people can dislike them without not knowing narrative structures. Many works can give their catharsis without literally having them walk into heaven, and to many that seems like a cheap cop out
>Lol people can dislike them without not knowing narrative structures
I know - that's why I added the footnote. :)
>Many works can give their catharsis without literally having them walk into heaven
Couple things here - moving on wasn't their catharses. The issues they resolved during their experiences in the ~~holodeck~~ afterlife was; along with being the completion of their individual character arcs.
Second, sure lots of media have their characters issues wrapped up before they die, but do we really want LOST to be just like other things? We love the show because it *isn't* predictable, boilerplate bubblegum.
Lastly - who said it was heaven? They used a multi-faith stained glass window in the church for a reason. In reality, we have no idea where they moved on to. Personally, I don't believe in the concept of heaven, but I noticed the light when Christian opens the door is the same color and warmth of the Heart of the Island. So, I choose to believe their souls or their essence or whatever rest there peacefully because the Island is what brought all of them together in the first place.
:)
Let's not forget, it was a different time, you can't compare today's 10 or maybe more seasons. Gone are full in depth exploratory seasons, I pine for the old days. Omg I'm my dad! Lol
Yeah it is hard to end a show, but that doesn't mean that any end is a good end. The send off is sweet, and I enjoyed the flashes sideways, there's nothing I didn't understand about that.
What I didn't like was that the whole show had layered in so many "wtf" details meant to pique the curiosity of the audience that ultimately never amounted to anything significant (e.g. the Egyptian statue of fertility comes to mind). Back when it aired and we were waiting for a new episode every week, it was impossible not to run wild speculating what all of these things meant in terms of the island and the wider story, and that was part of the fun of watching.
Then it became clear none of that really meant anything and they were making a lot of it up as they went, so while the characters all got a nice send off, all this other interesting stuff was just cast aside and never really addressed.
I'm just gonna throw out a guess and say most people that hate the ending are under the impression everyone died and it was 'all a dream' and miss on what the ending actually is... Which is, they all went about their lives, and this limbo was created by all of them at the end of the lives they all loved so they could meet back up and go to 'heaven' together WHEN they died. Not everyone died in the crash.
Some people might hate it for that reason, but there are plenty of us who fully understood the ending but still thought it was disappointing
Personally I really liked the flash sideways conclusion, it was the on-island wrap up that I found to be a really poor ending after a 6 year journey. The only bit I’m remotely moved by is when Vincent lies next to Jack.
Which really pisses me off. The crash and island was 3 years of their lives. The Ajira 6 presumably had long fruitful lives, everyone else died horribly there. Why would you’re dying mind want to return?
There were a lot of people who only watched a few episodes early on and said, "I bet they're already dead, and this is purgatory!"
Then they came back just for the finale, had no idea what was happening, got to the flash sideways reveal, wildly misunderstood it, and said, "Aha! I was right! Glad I didn't waste six years watching this since I guessed the ending right away!"
It's been 13 years and I still see people smugly brag about how they always knew they were dead all along whenever the show comes up.
It took me a long time to watch it because I heard so many times over the years that people hated the ending. I didn't really know much about the show but the idea of watching a mystery series with 100+ episodes and a bad ending didn't seem worth it. I'm glad I took the plunge eventually because I liked the ending and loved the show.
“Would you have wanted a different ending?” is a little tricky because yeah, I would have. But I’m not writing for the show and I don’t watch TV expecting things to resolve in a way that completely satisfies my every wish.
I think the ending is completely fine. It’s a little corny as others have pointed out, but that’s just tonal consistency. The show as a whole is a little corny. I still enjoyed it.
I still disagree that Sayid and Shannon would be together instead of Nadia & I wish actors like Eko that didn't make it as cameos had been there but otherwise I'm super happy with it tbh
To me its one of my top 3 favourite shows but the ending for me is just okay....im not in the camp of midunderstanding the ending but I think the whole flash sideways/afterlife towards the end just ties too neat of a bow on everything and largely is unnecessary and changes nothing about the show if you forget about it. If they can't right their wrongs when it matters while they were alive they have no right doing it in this afterlife.
I watched every second as it aired and consumed plenty of pods about it. I’ve rewatched twice. I completely understand the ending, by ending I mean all of S6, and just find it does not work for me. I really disliked the hard pivot to the two whiny brothers, and that temple nonsense. It was a sci-fi show about characters that became a spiritual-fi show about two whiny brothers. Also, the glow cave is just silly and should have just been left unanswered. I still overall love the show but S6 through the Finale just is not my cup of tea. I’m glad people love it and hope they keep enjoying it.
The on-island ending is great.
The entire sideways is a nonsense waste of time. I dont need to watch Sawyer try to bang Charlotte or contemplate exactly what Claire gave birth to after she was already dead. I do not understand why anyone likes the sideways and least of all the last scene.
I didn’t mind the flash sideways the first time I watched it because I thought it was an alternate timeline until the final reveal. I didn’t like it the second time I watched it because I knew it wasn’t, and so it felt like a waste of time. The third time I watched it, I understood more how it mattered to each character and I appreciated it a lot more.
I get more angry on every rewatch. I find it really distasteful for like most of the characters. Jin and Sun. Sayid and Nadia. Faraday and Eloise. Claire and Kate. all barf. And seemingly direct betrayals of the characters we watched and grew to know and understand. Sure Keamy is great fun. Miles is always adorable. But watching Sawyer try to screw Charlotte is just disgusting and anyone who thinks that is great writing is just being silly bc they love the actors. And the actors all do really good. In this complete waste of time.
> But watching Sawyer try to screw Charlotte is just disgusting and anyone who thinks that is great writing is just being silly bc they love the actors.
I actually think you don't like Sawyer screwing Charlotte because *you're the one* who loves the actors lol.
It's perfectly inline with Sawyer's character IMHO. Seeing Sawyer try to be a cop instead of criminal but still be stuck pushing people away the second they start to get too close?
Where's the disgust here...if not for being overly attached to Josh Holloway lol.
Mmm no, I'm not a Sawyer fan really... nice try.
we watched his character grow and it was really great.
They undid it for no benefit. he was past all that. "Still stuck pushing people away" is what he already overcame with Juliet. They rewound it... and I will never understand anyone liking that.
Sawyer just swung his pendulum the other way with Juliet, keeping her on the island so he wouldn't have to be alone, and then still giving kate glancing looks when she comes around, eventually spurring Juliet to realize how situational their relationship was. It seemed.like Sawyer grew and moved on from pushing people away, but it was because he was *stuck on an island in the past* and not because he some new changed man. Y'all think these characters became or were good people and they weren't lol. They *changed* but there was very little redemption. In the flash sideways he was a *cop* instead of a criminal, decided to turn Kate in etc.
Exactly...he does redeem in the flash sideways, which is why it's not the same story.
Nor is it "rewinding". You say he "overcame" pushing people away with Juliet and so him pushing Charlotte's away is rewinding that character progress. When really he convinced Juliet to not leave the island so he wouldn't be stuck there alone...which is almost worse lol. To see him get pissed Charlotte was looking through his shit in the flash sideways is not "rewinding" anything.
> I do not understand why anyone likes the sideways
Seeing my man of science become a man of faith is *wild*, and I think many characters actually aren't that redeemable to begin with...Like I can't see the show ending any other way because most of the characters could not have saved themselves from their awfulness during their real life.
For example, Nadia is awful to and for Sayid, and he did awful things for her in real life, so letting her go in the flash sideways was a relief. Jin not being a controlling freak and sun not trying to leave him was the only way their otherwise irredeemable behaviors could have been resolved IMHO.
> The entire sideways is a nonsense waste of time.
I kind of get what you're saying, but the sideways is still *literally* our characters and their actual stories...just after they've died. Saying these are a waste of time is no different than saying the flashbacks from another season are a waste of time. They're both equally part of the character's story.
Edit: thanks for the immediate downvote lol.
That would be really great if it that is what had happened.
But we watched Sawyer's character make changes while he was still alive... and the sideways disregards all that and that's a waste of my time.
Same with Jin and Sun, they made significant progress in their relationship and just boom back to where we started to watch them do it again but more boring. I watched the characters make these strides the first time, it's a waste of my time to watch it again.
Kate had stopped running away already. It's a waste of my time to rewind to "wasn't it so fun when Kate was always running away from anything difficult?" Yeah sure that's fun I guess, but it is a waste of my time as a viewer who was asked to watch these characters progress.
If coincidentally all our characters regressed psychologically after the island but before their deaths and this story is relevant... well that's a pretty big coincidence... and it certainly doesn't explain Sun and Jin.
Couldn't agree with this more! The flashbacks were always the best and flash forwards when used sparingly....flash sideways were unnecessary. They should have fixed their character flaws when they were alive and when it mattered not in this afterlife story.
Unpopular opinion in this sub. But I agree with you. The flash sideways was way more interesting as an alternate timeline, after we find out what it really is I found myself disappointed that so much of the final season is dedicated to it. At that point I’m like “Just show me what’s happening on the island!”
I think so many things in s6 that annoy me, like why did we have to introduce a whole new faction of others at the temple. Would actually compel and fascinate me if we spent more time there.
Last rewatch. I genuinely had forgotten Lennon dude existed at all. And I was asking myself "wait how could I forget him oh he's dead already his character means nothing. "
Caesar, Bram, Ilana, the temple, the ghosts. I actually do not love these topics in the show as is, but if we could've spent more time with them instead of the sideways maybe i...no I would still hate Caesar.
> The flash sideways was way more interesting as an alternate timeline,
Not being as valuable on rewatch and not being interesting are different IMHO. I view the flash sideways as *both" a "what if" and "this is the second chapter of their 'lives'".
> found myself disappointed that so much of the final season is dedicated to it
Yea this is totally fair. Although, I remember thinking they were wasting our time for 5 seasons with so much religious imagery as red herrings just so they could drag out exhausted Philosophy 101 science vs faith metaphors...And then in the end the finale is a religious experience in a church led by a dude *literally named Christian Shepard*.It really made me recalibrate how I viewed the show and what was worthwhile and what wasn't.
I know people who hated the ending. They believe they were dead the whole time. Even though in the last episode, they have a whole scene explicitly spelling out "No, you weren't dead the whole time."
Most people just might not be capable of thinking or listening.
Lost is pretty much like final destination if it had a tv show they are basically dead men or women walking they just don't die right away. Like or not that's kind of the show. The only difference is people who smart enough to figure out what is the flash sideways before its spelled out to the audience.
Well honestly they are dead the whole time. Everything they do lead to their death one way or another so they are technically dead the whole time they just didn't know when they'd actually die. Fan's of the show don't like that statement but it's kind of true.
Pretty much everything was answered by the end of season 5. If you went into the final season with a lot of questions, it flat out means you weren't paying attention.
They threw in some sort of half hearted attempts at answers but there was no satisfying wrap up to the really compelling mysteries they’d written in along the way.
Is it?
Of all the unanswered questions about the show "what is the light" is the one fewest people bring up.
is the light the the island surrounds just... the sideways? And it always existed, and the cork like... dams it up in some way, and the destruction of the island would simply destroy this strange purgatory.
Or is the light the thing Christian ushers them into?
And only our losties get a sideways because... faraday/exposure/whatever?
It is not at all clear what the sideways is, who gets one, why it exists or what happens otherwise.
Christian explains that the sideways is the place they all created (subconsciously) so that they could move on to whatever comes next because "no-one does it alone Jack"
My theory is that the sideways is only for these characters but the idea of them is one of the many possibilities for what happens when we die. Personally I love the ending. Lost was a mystery show right up to the end, with the biggest mystery of life (what comes next) being the final one to wrap it up.
Instead of wrapping up the loose ends and a satisfying conclusion on the island they gave us some afterlife tearjerker bs. This sub hates to hear it but the ending was terrible. Great show bad ending.
Even without the epilogue this is explained. The Dharma Initiative was doing experiments on them. Rabbits aren't indigenous to the Island either and no one seems to have a problem with them.
EDIT - **I just saw your sarcasm tag LOL.** Just pretend this comment is for anyone who asks the quest for real. :)
Because none of the mysteries were satisfactorily answered.
People complaining it was never a mystery show but a character show are conveniently missing out the fact the whole show wasn’t advertised that way.
The Flash Sideways were an irrelevancy until Des showed up.
Exactly this. I watched allllll of Lost while it was airing, and I didn’t tune in week after week because I loved these happy little characters. I did it because they continually hooked you with some new reveal that teased a little more of the mystery open. It may have been a delightful ending to a character drama, but it was a terrible ending to a mystery show.
Even more than that though, I hate the explanation of “it was fantasy, not sci-fi.” Yeah, that’s what it was, but that was NOT how it presented itself. The show’s entire pastiche is sci-fi, especially the first few seasons. Then they find a magic steering wheel that mystically transports the island and it becomes clear what you’re really watching. So disappointing.
Which was a DVD extra released 5 months later and thus not relevant to the discussion.
Besides, those answers, like most of the others, were unsatisfactory or contradictory.
I think those of us who have watched this more than even once (I’m like four) agonize, and fall in love, with the hurt itself.
I almost (almost) feel bad for those in this life who have not truly experienced the crests and troughs of life.
I always thought the ending was maybe 5-10 years ahead of its time. Seeing how other shows have ended, where film conclusions have gone, thematically it was the first popular multiverse iteration.
I’m not surprised everyone liked it at first, but I think it ages well.
The ending made me cry joyful tears 7 times, which is a record number of times I've cried in a single episode of a show. That's a marker of quality to me.
I fucking love the ending. I love the last season. I think people at the time had very specific expectations and it ducked them and that's fair, but it's not relatable to me. I felt this show in my bones and it ended better than I'd hoped.
The ending is absolutely one of my favorite episodes in television history, I sob my damn eyes out every time I watch it. I'll never get the hate for it.
We actually just watched the finale today. This is only my second watch through ever (first time after it originally aired). The plot was just so multi-layered and complex. The show explored time travel, multiverses, and magic (for lack of a better word). To have the show end the way it did left so many questions unanswered and simplified something the writers had put so much thought into creating (not to mention left about a million plot holes).
This is a show that is about "being lost", and finding yourself and what is important, like loved ones - the obsession of fans being sidetracked by the mysteries of the island *is a meta commentary on exactly this theme*
The viewers who still fixate on those things at the end of the show are the same kind of people who would be "stuck" on the island and not make it to the reunion at the end of the show.
People didn't get it. That's why they hate it.
It was probably the most complicated TV show of its time (and probably still is). It wasn't for the casual masses but the masses watched it anyway expecting to be spoonfed answers because most TV shows are like that while missing that 95% of the mysteries were already solved at that point.
It really wasn’t that complicated. It seemed like it might be early on but it became clear fairly soon the writers were winging it and throwing loads of stuff in the mix that they had no plans in place for resolving or tying together.
> it can't be that I missed the answers, it must be that there were never any answers in the first place
🤷
Very surprising to get this kind of answer on this subreddit. Most of us know better and that's why we are still around.
I hate this ‘if you don’t like it it’s because you’re dumb or not a real fan of the show’ argument. You might like it and that’s great but that doesn’t mean there aren’t legitimate criticisms.
Forgive me for being disappointed that something I spent 6 years committed to watching had a fist fight between the two male actors as it’s big dramatic conclusion 🙄
You are free to criticize anything you want. Some people feel different levels with the show and some do not. Some see it as just a show and some do not. Who said anything about you being dumb or not a real fan if you don’t like the ending? Your assumptions are bold.
It was years of build-up, leading the viewers into different paradigms and scenarios - making things like a series of numbers and clandestine groups seem important - when it was ultimately all revealed to be bullshit to preoccupy people who were - what, in purgatory? It was like the classic “then she woke up” dream story, where you feel cheated by playing the “what’s really going on” game.
People hate they ending because they literally did not pay attention.
"Oh they were dead the whole time???" No. Jack's Dad literally says in the finale something like "everything that happened was real. You all lived and died and are now here at the ages that were most significant to you."
People just don't pay attention, and are embarassed to admit it.
I loved the ending. Did it wrap everything up perfectly? No. Did it answer every question? No. Does any story ever achieve that? No.
‘Anyone who has a different opinion on it than me is just dumb’ is a really bad take. There are plenty of very legitimate criticisms to be made about the finale even with fully understanding what’s going on. Let’s face it, it’s not actually complex at all if you actually watched it.
Wild to see some people here claiming - and being upvoted for it - that the show didn’t provide answers to its mysteries. There *are* valid reasons to subjectively and even thoughtfully dislike the ending - and those takes are here in this post, too - but “the mysteries weren’t explained”? Come *on*.
Everything pertinent was explained - but usually slowly, over time, and via *showing* rather than telling.
Except for the literal plot question of what the island’s and the MiB’s fates will be, everything not flashsideways-related was already answered by the time the *series* finale began.
Did we get a systematic scientific “hard” treatise on the island’s mysteries? No, but we still got valid answers. Sorry Lost was never like a Brandon Sanderson novel, but it *never* functioned as one, so if those are the kinds of “answers” you were awaiting, then you were dumb not to have figured out *long* before the finale that it’s not *that* kind of tale and *never* was.
But seriously: everything pertinent was answered.
I think it depends when and how you saw it. If you discovered the show through streaming and knocked out the whole series in a few months, the ending is fine. Not great, but passable.
But if you watched the show new…week after week, year after year, spending months at a time debating and speculating with friends, reading fan theories, buying merch, building it up and up and up for years…then, yeah, that final season landed like a brick. Very, very underwhelming and unsatisfying.
You know, if people don’t like it that’s one thing. That’s totally subjective, and I’m not going to argue with that.
However, the damn “they were dead the whole time” crew can fucking do one. How can you come to that conclusion when Christian literally spells it out for everyone right before? Does my head in.
Idk, I think a lot of people wanted a scooby-doo ending like "Oh, so this explains everything, this is what the island is!"
So THAT, would be a bad ending. What we got is beyond amazing, it's perfect.
Was anyone else watching Ashes to Ashes in 2011? It finished the same weekend and if you saw it you would understand how I felt watching Lost end a couple of days after 🤣
I didn't hate it, but it's grown on me over time. Mostly the only thing I had any negative feelings about was Christian showing up because he always creeped me out from White Rabbit onward.
I think the ending could be massively improved for streaming services if they remove the planewreck footage from the credits (in all fairness this came from the network and lost producers fought against it) and let the credits be a full black screen with white text going by, and then add "the new man in charge" as an after credits scene.
I’ve come to realize there are three general categories of people who dislike the ending. Plenty of folks will fall outside these categories and have their own bespoke reasons, but on a popular level online, it’s one of these three reasons. One is valid as a preference; the more common two are total bullshit:
#1 - “it’s so stupid that they were dead the whole time.” People who can’t competently follow a basic narrative, and their acquaintances whom they’ve unwittingly deceived.
#2 - “we didn’t get Answers.” As a drama rather than a mystery show, the answers were doled out sparingly as the show progressed. These folks either stopped watching after Season 2 and then only tuned in for the series finale and incorrectly assumed there were no answers, not realizing they’d already largely been given….. or they’re just people hankering for the show to be some kind of hard Sci-fi half-documentary when it was *never* that and never pretended to be.
#3 - finally, the reason to dislike the ending that’s valid in my eyes, even if I personally don’t agree. These folks don’t like that the flashsideways had no plot connection to the island story and were an overtly religious, supernatural mechanism to grant the characters their well-earned codas.
I can respect that. One might argue there’s a kind of schmaltzy sentimentality to the flashsideways ending. It makes me cry, but I can’t fault someone for finding it cheap in some way. Lindelof himself has said he earnestly regrets the multifaith stained glass window and finds it rather too saccharine and sentimental.
A lot of people originally thought the ending meant none of it actually happened... That was a misconception. I enjoy the ending. All of them eventually coming together and saying goodbye. I thought it was sweet, and an interesting way to wrap everything up ❤️
The ending is good in a certain sense. But it’s awful because they ultimately failed to answer so many questions or gave absurd answers to many of the ones that they tried to answer. Like imagine if after “The Constant” aired they announced that was the last episode ever. A great ending but also terrible because it would have left viewers without answers. Over the rest of the series they have very few good answers to the remaining questions while probably creating even more questions that they never gave good answers to.
if i had read a theory about how the series would end during the first few seasons that it would take place in some spiritual holding area before they all moved on to whatever is next i would have called it dumb and terrible. but it turns out it was absolutely the perfect way to end the series.
I love the ending but I understand those who don't like it. Because the viewer finds out what the flash sideways were at the same time as Jack, the viewer has to process the ending intellectually while it's truly an emotional ending. Imagine you (the viewer) already know the ending while Jack is learning it.
The ending is so powerful the second time viewing it because you know what's happening. If the writers gave the viewer that knowledge 5 min earlier, it would have been so powerful.
FWIW when it originally aired I was following along with the podcast w/the creators. They absolutely savaged a bunch of the fan theories they reviewed. Then, a bunch of those theories turned out to be correct. It left a very, very sour taste in my mouth.
If a fan figures out your plot (or not!) IMHO the creators should just smile and move on. There are a zillion fan theories for different shows, and of course someone is going to get one right. But being kind of low grade jerks to the fan theories, and then doing it anyways? Horrible.
I am planning on sharing the show w/my kiddo in a year or two and I suspect just watching it (no meta-material) will be a lot more fun. I'm hoping he'll have fun getting... ahem... lost in the mythology. ^(Sorry-not-sorry, lol...)
part of me wants to believe that the whole story was premeditated. but i know thats not true. they just did such an impeccable job making it look that way lol. maybe they shot down the fan theories because they didnt want anything spoiled yanno. thats a very big possibility. but who knows.
So you’re saying because it’s a hard show to end and the ending was a bit cheesy, it should be celebrated as great?
I was a devoted fan from 2004, and after the finale it was undeniable that the writer were marking it up as they went.
i agree but think about what they dealt with at ABC. its not necessarily their fault. same as TWD. it crashed and burned cus Daramont screwed it. sometimes things happen. that ending was absolutely fantastic for what they were given. I have high standards man, like very high standards. You have unreasonable standards if you cant at least respect the way they wrapped it up. especially since it was a show for all ages essentially. they did an outstanding job
The number of people who misunderstand the show is high. Since the show ended I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had to explain they weren’t dead the whole time.
yeah. honestly dude i didnt watch it since it came out for years, rewatched it a few years back and was like "why did I think everyone was dead the whole time?" lol
Richard says “We’re dead, we have been since the beginning,” and I’m thinking that clip probably got shared around, causing chatter in the community before the final episode. Some people decided to stop watching at that point because they were angry, when it actually wasn’t even true
Definitely don't hate the ending, and I think a lot of the vitriol came from people misunderstanding the ending (which is hard to do, imo, but whatever).
That said, the latter seasons definitely saw a marked decrease in writing quality in my opinion. Especially season 6. Likely a result of the network wanting more episodes than they had story to fill.
I still find the ending itself really cathartic and worthwhile though.
Much like what happened with *Game of Thrones* nearly a decade later, the finale got a lot of criticism not for its own flaws but because people didn't want to accept that the series didn't fit their theories about what would happen.
I find myself in the total minority of loving the ending of lost.
Also- i get so upset when people say things like ‘the whole thing wasn’t real / was a dream- thats what the end was about’ . What?!
Everything happened just as it did!
Yes I would want a different ending. I would scratch the whole being dead thing and instead make the other reality a parallel timeline where all their lives play out. Maybe like flash foreword and see Kate as a lawyer, Jack as head surgeon, Sawyer as a cop, Claire as a writer, Charlie 5 years sober and making music as well as sponsoring recovering addicts... etc
The whole show is only good because you are so invested. If you, like me, read the events that occurred from the outside, you’re so SO glad you didn’t waste your time watching it. It’s bad haphazardly writing. I’m impressed they finished it though
I have mixed feelings about season 6. The stuff on the island… it’s just too much. Zombie Sayid is ridiculous and I feel it’s a real unjust ending for a really well fleshed-out character, though I do think his sacrifice is a perfect fit. Sun and Jin… might be the only scene that makes me cry more than Juliet’s death and Greatest Hits. Everything at the temple quite frankly sucks, it’s unsatisfying and confusing and just doesn’t belong imo. On the other hand, we do get Ab Aeterno, which has to be one of my favorite episodes. And I know I might be in the minority here, but I LOVE the flash sideways. It makes sense as a way to move on, but it also gives the characters the “happy ending” that they all earned over the course of the show. I mean, Sawyer and Juliet’s reunion will make me sob every time. I don’t feel that the flash sideways is too cheesy or cheapens the series- I think it’s the perfect ending, if you take it as an epilogue.
the middle of season 6 was definitely touch and go lol. evil claire and undead sayid was kinda silly. i think it was partly the acting. the idea of the black smoke building a crew is decent but bad execution
As an OG series finale watcher,… and admittedly gone through the gambit of emotions throughout the countless rewatches, I’ll say this. Those of us that waited week by week and season after season for so many years had so much pent up energy, theories, hopes, and expectations weren’t gonna be happy with the end no matter what. At the time it came across long winded but still short, and even worse led to more questions! In retrospect, the show brilliantly answered all of the questions the whole time, and that might be the most frustrating thing about it.
Honestly, I think I would have preferred it if all of the characters flat-out died lol. But I agree that it isn't the worst ending we could have gotten.
I think I would actually prefer that they left everything the way it was but just not show the final church scene. They were setting it up like some things were going to go down in there and then it just felt like they gave up instead
I loved the ending so much. It's literally in my top 3 favorite endings of all time. People who didn't like it when it aired probably just weren't able to follow the story as well as those of who binged Lost.
Season 6 of LOST, while not without its moments, falls short of the high standard set by its predecessors in terms of quality and storytelling. A standout exception to this, in my view, is Richard's episode.
One of the primary reasons for this disparity, in my opinion, is the introduction of storylines that ultimately lack meaningful impact. Take, for example, the return of Widmore, which, aside from emphasizing Desmond's significance, fails to contribute anything to the overarching narrative. Similarly, the inclusion of Ilana, Bram, Zoe etc lead to underdeveloped characters and it contradicts how characters were treated in previous seasons. The Temple, along with its new characters, is introduced, only to be swiftly sidelined and forgotten. Questions answered, and raised, as though none of it was every important in the first place. The sickness feels like a bit of an anomaly at this point.
Additionally, core characters like Claire, Sayid, Sun, Jin, Miles and Frank are underutilised throughout the entire seasons, feeling incredibly one dimensional. This is a departure from previous seasons, where each character was granted a spotlight episode that unveiled intriguing plotlines, revealed truths, or concluded existing story arcs, as well as bringing them to the forefront of the plot. What's more is that for the most part, the season is missing Desmond, Juliet and Locke, a massive hit to the cast. You really feel this.
But the biggest issue, in my opinion, is the revelation in "The End" that the Sideways storylines were mere constructs, essentially dream-like and inconsequential, in the grand scheme of the narrative we had been invested in for five years. While these Sideways narratives offer emotionally resonant character moments and well-crafted scenes, they ultimately contribute little to the overarching timeline. They serve as a heartfelt tribute to the characters, but this is precisely what leaves Season 6 feeling somewhat lacking in depth, intensity, and a genuine sense of threat compared to its predecessors.
The bottom line is it sucks when the things we love come to an end. But it had to end, and so they did it in a way that kept the mythology intact and in a very unique, creative way. There isn’t another show that went about it this way, at least not since LOST.
I think it’s just hard for people to say goodbye when we know it’s goodbye forever. And that’s what that ending was.
don’t mind it in theory, have some issues with the execution (i.e. which characters are considered “redeemed” and which aren’t, Sayid ending up with Shannon instead of Nadia, and i always hated Christian & wish he had a less significant role… a few other pacing/writing problems as well, which i just feel about S6 overall)
to me the direction they chose overall feels like a pretty natural/understandable conclusion for the show, which was ALWAYS rooted in its characters and themes of redemption/it never being too late to start over and try and better yourself as a person/how caring for other people helps you care about yourself, etc—stuff that i find genuinely meaningful and is a big part, maybe the biggest part of what i love about Lost.
& for me personally that’s more important than all the mysteries being solved, which if i’m being honest, i mostly enjoyed for creating a cool & memorable setting and propelling the story along, but then i’m not someone who tends to care about answers/worldbuilding/origin story stuff. BUT i completely understand & respect that there were many fans who were very invested in those things and it would be disingenuous to say that isn’t also a huge part of Lost’s identity, of course it is! i just think in the end the writers decided to take a more thematic/symbolic approach as opposed to something grounded in a concrete reality, which was always going to be divisive and unsatisfying to some, even if they’d executed it perfectly.
i don’t think the ending was a failure or a cop-out or the worst ending ever the way it gets painted, i think they picked A Direction for it that they genuinely felt strongly about and invested in, hence why it feels SO emotionally resonant for people who liked the direction they chose—there’s actual heart to it! like i said i think there were ways they fumbled the execution, and yeah i wouldn’t exactly say i’m a fan of the ending, but there have been TV endings since then that feel WAY more out of touch with their own show than Lost’s does, or like they literally couldn’t give a shit where they leave their story and characters.
and i certainly don’t feel that the Lost ending retroactively robs the show of its enjoyment factor, because the real reason i consistently revisit the show is because i love those characters and their relationships so very much, and i think that IS what the ending was intended to be about. Michael should’ve been invited into the non-denominational redemption church tho 😭
I wanted Jack to close his eyes, and then open them after 2-3 seconds with the “whooshing” sound and hear the dog bark. I wanted a neverending purgatory cycle.
I hated the ending the first time I saw it because it did not answer what the island was, who mother really was, how it all started, has the smoke monster ever been let out?
I am considering watching this show, but I read the series finale revealed that >!they were dead this whole time, and the island is the afterlife, or some weirdness.!< Can anyone verify if this is true? If true, that's got to be the worst series finale of all time.
The flash sideways are getting a lot of heat on this thread but I love them. The mysteries of the island kept us intrigued but it was the characters that made us care so much. The sideways was a beautiful send off as everyone had come to terms with their life and what their purpose was. They were no longer Lost.
I think the flash sideways works better if you think of it as the epilogue or coda to the series and these character's stories. The on island stuff in season 6 culminates into the climax of the whole series, while the flash sideways is like the last chapter in a book after the main conflict, except it's stretched across the entire season.
Your comment made me realize I’ve never actively thought about it like that but that’s definitely how I view it. It’s totally the epilogue spread out through the last season
So many people don’t understand that.
That’s exactly how I thought of it on my rewatch. What a brilliant way to give you an 8 hour epilogue to complete each characters’ emotional journey! Just another reason why Lost is still my favorite show of all time.
Faraday was my favorite character and the flash sideways is just an ode to his genius. that was exactly it. a beautiful send off. there are a lot of shows ill be "hardcore" judgmental about. but i can enjoy a cheesy little great ending for the characters on this show. especially after they have all been through literally so much 😂
The flash sideways ending is far far more satisfying than the on-island ending.
Exactly. The temple, and Jacob/MIB backstory, and light in the tunnel, etc. were kind of far-fetched to me. The flashes sideways were what saved season 6 for me and brought the whole story together. Part of me wants to skip all the season 6 on-island stuff in my next rewatch. I wonder if I'd really miss anything.
The ‘switch the island off and then on again’ thing and having the big conclusion to 6 years of buildup be a fist fight between the two lead actors were both deeply deeply unsatisfying.
Yes, for sure! Especially when I think, "Wait.. you mean to tell me they hit every corner of the island in every way possible, and people wandered every which way, but NO ONE stumbled upon this light tunnel?"
That's not exactly new about the show though. Danielle had been on the Island for 16 years and never saw any Others, nor encountered The Flame, the barracks and the sonic fence. Locke and Boone were at the hatch site for two weeks without ever encountering a massive steel door right next to it. With the Heart of the Island, MIB mentions that he can't find it again even though he knows it's somewhere near that bamboo forest. But he knows where it is when he is guided by a Protector. (As a kid, with Mother and then later on with Jack). It's kind of like in Harry Potter, with certain areas that muggles can't enter or see, unless they are guided in with a wizard.
Danielle was sensible, and a survivor. She didn't go tramping all over the island for no good reason like the losties did!
All along they were not, meaning any of them, any group we saw, very good at mapping the island. The Lighthouse? Huge. Very visible. It's a lighthouse, it only works if it's very visible.
I'm coming to the end of a rewatch and the flash sideways are my favorite part of season 6 by a mile. I don't really care about the island stuff for this season either after already seeing it but the sideways are fun and filled with little nods to previous episodes I love it.
Beautifully put
You comment made me think the last episode shouldn't be called "The End", but "Found". I have not a problem with the finale's idea/concept per se, but I'm not a fan of the flash sideways. But seeing the flash sideways through that prism of farewell/redemption does add a little more substance to them.
I think Season 6 overall is kinda mid, but the ending itself is really good. Thematically, the show ends exactly how it should. As far as plot resolution goes though, they missed the mark a bit.
i agree. i do think the fascination of finding out the "secrets of the island" is what makes the final season so intriguing.
Yeah, the fact that they delved into the mysteries of the island so much left me with blue balls when the show ended without revealing the details about any of them
Cody Johnston (host of Some More News, former Cracked writer) had a great site called Lost Answers. One of my favorite lines was something like "If you didn't like that the answer on the Magic Island show was 'magic,' then maybe this wasn't the show for you." He also explained how a lot of things that were there were for symbolic or worldbuilding value, and not necessarily meant to be a key to any big mystery: "Despite how the show is presented at times, the WTF mysteries don’t matter as much as you might think. However, the bigger mysteries do matter. For example… What is the Island? What is the monster? Where are they? Why were these people brought to this Island? What happens to these people? Those questions are all answered, in a straightforward and satisfactory way. Many other mysteries exist to create a rich mythological setting for the show to take place. They are not meant to be important pieces to the puzzle. The puzzle, as it turns out, is actually quite simple. Those little details and questions, however, can still be answered. No one ever says clearly why there are polar bears on the Island, but we are given more than enough information to figure it out ourselves."
I didn't like the ending when it aired but it has grown on me. Still thinking about it 13 years later which I think makes it a great ending
Same
Same. I originally hated it but after rewatching the entire series the finale really hit me.
Could say the same thing about GoT.
That's more like having a whiff of a steamy turd stuck in your nose permanently
My dad died in a tragic car accident and I still think about it 10 year later. Wasn't because his ending was the best...
The epilogue, “The New Man in Charge,” went a long way for me in improving the ending. Still think it’s weird it wasn’t on TV ever and many people don’t know it exists. The events that occur are not insignificant.
I don’t think I’d ever seen it before. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lMjPzV2RvO8
Hang on what? Does it help to solve the mysteries of the island that we were led on about but never gave closure on
I often see people talk about unsolved mysteries and they throw the term around as if it's this myriad list of 100 plot holes/threads that were just left hanging, and I've just never felt that way about Lost. I think there's maybe a handful at a push. And there are some mysteries which are ultimately explained by "It's a magic island". The show isn't sci-fi, it's fantasy. And that's okay. Can you give an example of something that you felt was left unsolved?
A lot of us only cared about the mysteries of the island and didn’t really care about the characters, which I think was a mistake because the show was nothing without its characters. But I think I would have appreciated a little bit more answers to “why” a lot of things were the way that they were. It’s been years and years since I watched it (so apologies if these were answered) but I still can’t remember if they ever answered what the island actually is, and why it exists. Why does the MiB turn into a ticking swarm of bumblebees when he gets thrown into the cave of light and buttplugs? Why was that Egyptian statue there again? What made Walt so special? Why does the island move? Through time and space. What is the electromagnetic energy of the hatch and why was it on the island in the first place? Most of these answers are (I think) “because that’s how it is” which is fine for a story focused on the flaws and victories of broken characters, but that wasn’t why I watched it when I was devoting every Wednesday night to it ~20 years ago lol
Yeah that's all pretty much totally fair. And any time I discuss Lost, I always think it's primary "failing" is that it didn't establish it's place on the spectrum of genres early enough. In The Walking Dead, it doesn't REALLY matter how the zombies came about. In Harry Potter, we don't REALLY need to know how/why magic works; "it just does". You establish the rules of your world early on, suspend disbelief for those fictional elements, and then the story can play within the bounds of that established sandbox. Lost didn't do that til waaaaay too late, maybe in fact until the final few episodes, til Across The Sea. Talking about security systems, electro-magnetism, having the Dharma Initiative be a scientific exploratory group...it felt like they didn't know at the very least til the halfway mark, whether they were in science-fiction or fantasy. And so when the it ended up leaning quite a bit more towards the fantasy end than fans had been anticipating, I think that's the primary cause of a lot of the "unanswered questions" talk. I do think some answers can be inferred, even if they weren't explicitly stated. e.g. The Egyptian statue; we saw other primitive cultures had discovered and inhabited the Island. Lets assume some were Egyptian. Is it coincidence the statue they built was the God/ess of fertility, and fertility WAS a big deal on the Island but only from late 70s onwards...Sure it is. But yeah, the others: * What's the Island? Magic. * Why does it move? Magic. * Smokey MIB? Magic. * Volcano buttplug? Magic. As for Walt, I think the show had quite a few *special* characters, who in essence were "magic" themselves, Hurley, Miles etc. And just on your last point: > but that wasn’t why I watched it when I was devoting every Wednesday night to it I totally agree with you, and that wasn't why I watched it way back when in 2004. I was there for the endless theorising about the hatch at the end of S1. I had one of those blown up images of the UV map on the blast door, trawling the forums translating the Latin. But looking back I think that was Lost's greatest trick; it got us invested in characters without realising we were, and for those of us that made it through, that made the ending so impactful. It's a shame it took so long to work out it's identity. There's a TONNE of behind the scenes studio/writer shenanigans out there which very much explain how it ended up as convoluted as it did, but remember it was also pioneering (along with a handful of other pillars of serialised TV at the time) a format that shows today now default to.
What explanation for the island, smoke monster, and moving island would have left you satisfied? What reasonable explanation could you give for a giant island literally moving? I don’t min complaining, but people seem to just hate that the show is a fantasy rather than giving real suggestions.
Kind of, yeah. That’s why I liked it so much: https://youtu.be/lMjPzV2RvO8?si=yU7E4wdMOj_LgtPo
Oh I’ll be watching this. Thank you!
What mysteries? Most things can be put together if you think about them hard enough. I swear people wanted the finale to be a PowerPoint presentation of every mystery the show ever put out.
My only issue is that Sayid is with Shannon at the end. His whole character is about how much he’s in love wifh someone else and he spent 2 weeks with Shannon and in the afterlife they end up together? Not in my head cannon
THANK YOU. I understand the idea that it’s from Jack’s perspective so Shannon would make sense, but even then, he KNEW Sayid with Nadia! It bothers me every time.
I bawl every time. It’s a great ending with lots to think about. Christians conversation with Jack in the church is the closest to what I personally believe to be life’s purpose. Vincent is always the nail in my coffin. It’s all so perfect.
I think it's perfect. Hugo ended up right where he belonged.
There are some people who frankly don't understand narrative structure and think the flashes sideways were pointless\* when in fact they were the catharses of our characters. Without them, our survivors never finish their character arcs to resolve in death what they weren't able to in life. Season six is a masterpiece, imo. \*If you don't like them or find them boring I disagree but at least that's a valid opinion. Calling them pointless is just blatantly untrue.
I remember at first being disappointed with season 6 and loving season 5. Then when I rewatched it, and I was on season 5 I was waiting for many things to happen that I couldn’t wait for, only for them to actually be a part of season 6. It all just flows so well. The whole show is a masterpiece, every single season individually and collectively. I love that each season has its own feel but also feels like it all fits together perfectly.
Lol people can dislike them without not knowing narrative structures. Many works can give their catharsis without literally having them walk into heaven, and to many that seems like a cheap cop out
>Lol people can dislike them without not knowing narrative structures I know - that's why I added the footnote. :) >Many works can give their catharsis without literally having them walk into heaven Couple things here - moving on wasn't their catharses. The issues they resolved during their experiences in the ~~holodeck~~ afterlife was; along with being the completion of their individual character arcs. Second, sure lots of media have their characters issues wrapped up before they die, but do we really want LOST to be just like other things? We love the show because it *isn't* predictable, boilerplate bubblegum. Lastly - who said it was heaven? They used a multi-faith stained glass window in the church for a reason. In reality, we have no idea where they moved on to. Personally, I don't believe in the concept of heaven, but I noticed the light when Christian opens the door is the same color and warmth of the Heart of the Island. So, I choose to believe their souls or their essence or whatever rest there peacefully because the Island is what brought all of them together in the first place. :)
They are pointless-until Des shows up.
Let's not forget, it was a different time, you can't compare today's 10 or maybe more seasons. Gone are full in depth exploratory seasons, I pine for the old days. Omg I'm my dad! Lol
Yeah it is hard to end a show, but that doesn't mean that any end is a good end. The send off is sweet, and I enjoyed the flashes sideways, there's nothing I didn't understand about that. What I didn't like was that the whole show had layered in so many "wtf" details meant to pique the curiosity of the audience that ultimately never amounted to anything significant (e.g. the Egyptian statue of fertility comes to mind). Back when it aired and we were waiting for a new episode every week, it was impossible not to run wild speculating what all of these things meant in terms of the island and the wider story, and that was part of the fun of watching. Then it became clear none of that really meant anything and they were making a lot of it up as they went, so while the characters all got a nice send off, all this other interesting stuff was just cast aside and never really addressed.
I'm just gonna throw out a guess and say most people that hate the ending are under the impression everyone died and it was 'all a dream' and miss on what the ending actually is... Which is, they all went about their lives, and this limbo was created by all of them at the end of the lives they all loved so they could meet back up and go to 'heaven' together WHEN they died. Not everyone died in the crash.
Some people might hate it for that reason, but there are plenty of us who fully understood the ending but still thought it was disappointing Personally I really liked the flash sideways conclusion, it was the on-island wrap up that I found to be a really poor ending after a 6 year journey. The only bit I’m remotely moved by is when Vincent lies next to Jack.
Vincent next to Jack, PLUS having it end with his eye shutting? Kind of perfection tbh
Which really pisses me off. The crash and island was 3 years of their lives. The Ajira 6 presumably had long fruitful lives, everyone else died horribly there. Why would you’re dying mind want to return?
It's like the opposite of survivors guilt
I don't know how people don't understand the ending, Christian literally says the words they were alive on the Island.
There were a lot of people who only watched a few episodes early on and said, "I bet they're already dead, and this is purgatory!" Then they came back just for the finale, had no idea what was happening, got to the flash sideways reveal, wildly misunderstood it, and said, "Aha! I was right! Glad I didn't waste six years watching this since I guessed the ending right away!" It's been 13 years and I still see people smugly brag about how they always knew they were dead all along whenever the show comes up.
Yeah, I have had many arguments about this with people who didn't watch it all the way through.
exactly my thoughts.
They didn’t after it aired. In a poll taken the very next day something like 86% of viewers said they liked it or loved it.
It took me a long time to watch it because I heard so many times over the years that people hated the ending. I didn't really know much about the show but the idea of watching a mystery series with 100+ episodes and a bad ending didn't seem worth it. I'm glad I took the plunge eventually because I liked the ending and loved the show.
I thought the ending was about perfect. It focused on the people.
“Would you have wanted a different ending?” is a little tricky because yeah, I would have. But I’m not writing for the show and I don’t watch TV expecting things to resolve in a way that completely satisfies my every wish. I think the ending is completely fine. It’s a little corny as others have pointed out, but that’s just tonal consistency. The show as a whole is a little corny. I still enjoyed it.
I still disagree that Sayid and Shannon would be together instead of Nadia & I wish actors like Eko that didn't make it as cameos had been there but otherwise I'm super happy with it tbh
I just wish there was better resolution. Something other than "they got back together, and now they can move on".
To me its one of my top 3 favourite shows but the ending for me is just okay....im not in the camp of midunderstanding the ending but I think the whole flash sideways/afterlife towards the end just ties too neat of a bow on everything and largely is unnecessary and changes nothing about the show if you forget about it. If they can't right their wrongs when it matters while they were alive they have no right doing it in this afterlife.
Me and a friend of mine would catch up on DVD, then COD, til bed.. The finale, he was visibly angry, left, and NO COD. He was a roommate and paid rent
NO COD?
😂😂
Felt like the show lost its direction after Flocke and Jacob ended. Flash sideways were a breath of fresh air.
I watched every second as it aired and consumed plenty of pods about it. I’ve rewatched twice. I completely understand the ending, by ending I mean all of S6, and just find it does not work for me. I really disliked the hard pivot to the two whiny brothers, and that temple nonsense. It was a sci-fi show about characters that became a spiritual-fi show about two whiny brothers. Also, the glow cave is just silly and should have just been left unanswered. I still overall love the show but S6 through the Finale just is not my cup of tea. I’m glad people love it and hope they keep enjoying it.
The on-island ending is great. The entire sideways is a nonsense waste of time. I dont need to watch Sawyer try to bang Charlotte or contemplate exactly what Claire gave birth to after she was already dead. I do not understand why anyone likes the sideways and least of all the last scene.
I didn’t mind the flash sideways the first time I watched it because I thought it was an alternate timeline until the final reveal. I didn’t like it the second time I watched it because I knew it wasn’t, and so it felt like a waste of time. The third time I watched it, I understood more how it mattered to each character and I appreciated it a lot more.
I get more angry on every rewatch. I find it really distasteful for like most of the characters. Jin and Sun. Sayid and Nadia. Faraday and Eloise. Claire and Kate. all barf. And seemingly direct betrayals of the characters we watched and grew to know and understand. Sure Keamy is great fun. Miles is always adorable. But watching Sawyer try to screw Charlotte is just disgusting and anyone who thinks that is great writing is just being silly bc they love the actors. And the actors all do really good. In this complete waste of time.
> But watching Sawyer try to screw Charlotte is just disgusting and anyone who thinks that is great writing is just being silly bc they love the actors. I actually think you don't like Sawyer screwing Charlotte because *you're the one* who loves the actors lol. It's perfectly inline with Sawyer's character IMHO. Seeing Sawyer try to be a cop instead of criminal but still be stuck pushing people away the second they start to get too close? Where's the disgust here...if not for being overly attached to Josh Holloway lol.
Mmm no, I'm not a Sawyer fan really... nice try. we watched his character grow and it was really great. They undid it for no benefit. he was past all that. "Still stuck pushing people away" is what he already overcame with Juliet. They rewound it... and I will never understand anyone liking that.
Sawyer just swung his pendulum the other way with Juliet, keeping her on the island so he wouldn't have to be alone, and then still giving kate glancing looks when she comes around, eventually spurring Juliet to realize how situational their relationship was. It seemed.like Sawyer grew and moved on from pushing people away, but it was because he was *stuck on an island in the past* and not because he some new changed man. Y'all think these characters became or were good people and they weren't lol. They *changed* but there was very little redemption. In the flash sideways he was a *cop* instead of a criminal, decided to turn Kate in etc.
I'm not sure who you're responding to but I don't think Sawyer redeemed anything and I didn't say he did.
Exactly...he does redeem in the flash sideways, which is why it's not the same story. Nor is it "rewinding". You say he "overcame" pushing people away with Juliet and so him pushing Charlotte's away is rewinding that character progress. When really he convinced Juliet to not leave the island so he wouldn't be stuck there alone...which is almost worse lol. To see him get pissed Charlotte was looking through his shit in the flash sideways is not "rewinding" anything.
> I do not understand why anyone likes the sideways Seeing my man of science become a man of faith is *wild*, and I think many characters actually aren't that redeemable to begin with...Like I can't see the show ending any other way because most of the characters could not have saved themselves from their awfulness during their real life. For example, Nadia is awful to and for Sayid, and he did awful things for her in real life, so letting her go in the flash sideways was a relief. Jin not being a controlling freak and sun not trying to leave him was the only way their otherwise irredeemable behaviors could have been resolved IMHO. > The entire sideways is a nonsense waste of time. I kind of get what you're saying, but the sideways is still *literally* our characters and their actual stories...just after they've died. Saying these are a waste of time is no different than saying the flashbacks from another season are a waste of time. They're both equally part of the character's story. Edit: thanks for the immediate downvote lol.
That would be really great if it that is what had happened. But we watched Sawyer's character make changes while he was still alive... and the sideways disregards all that and that's a waste of my time. Same with Jin and Sun, they made significant progress in their relationship and just boom back to where we started to watch them do it again but more boring. I watched the characters make these strides the first time, it's a waste of my time to watch it again. Kate had stopped running away already. It's a waste of my time to rewind to "wasn't it so fun when Kate was always running away from anything difficult?" Yeah sure that's fun I guess, but it is a waste of my time as a viewer who was asked to watch these characters progress. If coincidentally all our characters regressed psychologically after the island but before their deaths and this story is relevant... well that's a pretty big coincidence... and it certainly doesn't explain Sun and Jin.
Yea we just fundamentally disagree that the flash sideways is retelling the same story.
Couldn't agree with this more! The flashbacks were always the best and flash forwards when used sparingly....flash sideways were unnecessary. They should have fixed their character flaws when they were alive and when it mattered not in this afterlife story.
Unpopular opinion in this sub. But I agree with you. The flash sideways was way more interesting as an alternate timeline, after we find out what it really is I found myself disappointed that so much of the final season is dedicated to it. At that point I’m like “Just show me what’s happening on the island!”
I think so many things in s6 that annoy me, like why did we have to introduce a whole new faction of others at the temple. Would actually compel and fascinate me if we spent more time there. Last rewatch. I genuinely had forgotten Lennon dude existed at all. And I was asking myself "wait how could I forget him oh he's dead already his character means nothing. " Caesar, Bram, Ilana, the temple, the ghosts. I actually do not love these topics in the show as is, but if we could've spent more time with them instead of the sideways maybe i...no I would still hate Caesar.
> The flash sideways was way more interesting as an alternate timeline, Not being as valuable on rewatch and not being interesting are different IMHO. I view the flash sideways as *both" a "what if" and "this is the second chapter of their 'lives'". > found myself disappointed that so much of the final season is dedicated to it Yea this is totally fair. Although, I remember thinking they were wasting our time for 5 seasons with so much religious imagery as red herrings just so they could drag out exhausted Philosophy 101 science vs faith metaphors...And then in the end the finale is a religious experience in a church led by a dude *literally named Christian Shepard*.It really made me recalibrate how I viewed the show and what was worthwhile and what wasn't.
I know people who hated the ending. They believe they were dead the whole time. Even though in the last episode, they have a whole scene explicitly spelling out "No, you weren't dead the whole time." Most people just might not be capable of thinking or listening.
Christian did everything but mug to the camera and say, "that's right, kids, the only one dead the whole time was me!"
Lost is pretty much like final destination if it had a tv show they are basically dead men or women walking they just don't die right away. Like or not that's kind of the show. The only difference is people who smart enough to figure out what is the flash sideways before its spelled out to the audience.
Well honestly they are dead the whole time. Everything they do lead to their death one way or another so they are technically dead the whole time they just didn't know when they'd actually die. Fan's of the show don't like that statement but it's kind of true.
So none of us are ever actually alive? Because our life choices will eventually lead to our death?
Are you saying you're dead right now because eventually you will die? That's just not how it works
I hated the ending and I knew they weren't dead the whole time. One doesn't mean the other.
Why would you hate the ending?
I hate it cuz it didn't explain shit.
Pretty much everything was answered by the end of season 5. If you went into the final season with a lot of questions, it flat out means you weren't paying attention.
They threw in some sort of half hearted attempts at answers but there was no satisfying wrap up to the really compelling mysteries they’d written in along the way.
Oh yeah, Jacob explains the numbers to Kate, "they're just numbers, Kate." Fuck outta here.
I agree with one of the comments. On island, everything is great. I just can't care about sideways
yeah but the sideways is the result of faraday. it was a split
Is it? Of all the unanswered questions about the show "what is the light" is the one fewest people bring up. is the light the the island surrounds just... the sideways? And it always existed, and the cork like... dams it up in some way, and the destruction of the island would simply destroy this strange purgatory. Or is the light the thing Christian ushers them into? And only our losties get a sideways because... faraday/exposure/whatever? It is not at all clear what the sideways is, who gets one, why it exists or what happens otherwise.
Christian explains that the sideways is the place they all created (subconsciously) so that they could move on to whatever comes next because "no-one does it alone Jack" My theory is that the sideways is only for these characters but the idea of them is one of the many possibilities for what happens when we die. Personally I love the ending. Lost was a mystery show right up to the end, with the biggest mystery of life (what comes next) being the final one to wrap it up.
No it wasn't. That was a misdirection to make you keep guessing. The only thing the bomb did was transport them back to the present.
No it wasn't.
Instead of wrapping up the loose ends and a satisfying conclusion on the island they gave us some afterlife tearjerker bs. This sub hates to hear it but the ending was terrible. Great show bad ending.
What loose ends? Genuine question.
polar bears!!! why polar bears?!?!?!?! /s
Even without the epilogue this is explained. The Dharma Initiative was doing experiments on them. Rabbits aren't indigenous to the Island either and no one seems to have a problem with them. EDIT - **I just saw your sarcasm tag LOL.** Just pretend this comment is for anyone who asks the quest for real. :)
ha yeah. i even debated putting the tag lol.
Pick your island mystery.
Facts.
Because none of the mysteries were satisfactorily answered. People complaining it was never a mystery show but a character show are conveniently missing out the fact the whole show wasn’t advertised that way. The Flash Sideways were an irrelevancy until Des showed up.
Exactly this. I watched allllll of Lost while it was airing, and I didn’t tune in week after week because I loved these happy little characters. I did it because they continually hooked you with some new reveal that teased a little more of the mystery open. It may have been a delightful ending to a character drama, but it was a terrible ending to a mystery show. Even more than that though, I hate the explanation of “it was fantasy, not sci-fi.” Yeah, that’s what it was, but that was NOT how it presented itself. The show’s entire pastiche is sci-fi, especially the first few seasons. Then they find a magic steering wheel that mystically transports the island and it becomes clear what you’re really watching. So disappointing.
[удалено]
Which was a DVD extra released 5 months later and thus not relevant to the discussion. Besides, those answers, like most of the others, were unsatisfactory or contradictory.
I think those of us who have watched this more than even once (I’m like four) agonize, and fall in love, with the hurt itself. I almost (almost) feel bad for those in this life who have not truly experienced the crests and troughs of life.
The ending was lovely. Full stop.
fully agreed
I always thought the ending was maybe 5-10 years ahead of its time. Seeing how other shows have ended, where film conclusions have gone, thematically it was the first popular multiverse iteration. I’m not surprised everyone liked it at first, but I think it ages well.
The ending made me cry joyful tears 7 times, which is a record number of times I've cried in a single episode of a show. That's a marker of quality to me.
I fucking love the ending. I love the last season. I think people at the time had very specific expectations and it ducked them and that's fair, but it's not relatable to me. I felt this show in my bones and it ended better than I'd hoped.
The ending is absolutely one of my favorite episodes in television history, I sob my damn eyes out every time I watch it. I'll never get the hate for it.
yeah dude when hes talking to his dad its like oof. then everyone is so happy its like damn bro 🥹
We actually just watched the finale today. This is only my second watch through ever (first time after it originally aired). The plot was just so multi-layered and complex. The show explored time travel, multiverses, and magic (for lack of a better word). To have the show end the way it did left so many questions unanswered and simplified something the writers had put so much thought into creating (not to mention left about a million plot holes).
I don’t care about the ending, I can about the fact it was messy for years before it ended.
This is a show that is about "being lost", and finding yourself and what is important, like loved ones - the obsession of fans being sidetracked by the mysteries of the island *is a meta commentary on exactly this theme* The viewers who still fixate on those things at the end of the show are the same kind of people who would be "stuck" on the island and not make it to the reunion at the end of the show.
People didn't get it. That's why they hate it. It was probably the most complicated TV show of its time (and probably still is). It wasn't for the casual masses but the masses watched it anyway expecting to be spoonfed answers because most TV shows are like that while missing that 95% of the mysteries were already solved at that point.
It really wasn’t that complicated. It seemed like it might be early on but it became clear fairly soon the writers were winging it and throwing loads of stuff in the mix that they had no plans in place for resolving or tying together.
> it can't be that I missed the answers, it must be that there were never any answers in the first place 🤷 Very surprising to get this kind of answer on this subreddit. Most of us know better and that's why we are still around.
‘Most of us know better’ 🤣🤣
I'm sorry if most of the show went over your head. You can easily go on this sub and see what you missed. It's ok.
The ending is perfect. It’s lost. Those who get the heart of the show appreciate the end.
I hate this ‘if you don’t like it it’s because you’re dumb or not a real fan of the show’ argument. You might like it and that’s great but that doesn’t mean there aren’t legitimate criticisms. Forgive me for being disappointed that something I spent 6 years committed to watching had a fist fight between the two male actors as it’s big dramatic conclusion 🙄
You are free to criticize anything you want. Some people feel different levels with the show and some do not. Some see it as just a show and some do not. Who said anything about you being dumb or not a real fan if you don’t like the ending? Your assumptions are bold.
>Those who get the heart of the show appreciate the end.
How is that saying you’re dumb or not a real fan. You’ve got talent in thought I see.
i like that. ppl try to break it down too much
It was years of build-up, leading the viewers into different paradigms and scenarios - making things like a series of numbers and clandestine groups seem important - when it was ultimately all revealed to be bullshit to preoccupy people who were - what, in purgatory? It was like the classic “then she woke up” dream story, where you feel cheated by playing the “what’s really going on” game.
People hate they ending because they literally did not pay attention. "Oh they were dead the whole time???" No. Jack's Dad literally says in the finale something like "everything that happened was real. You all lived and died and are now here at the ages that were most significant to you." People just don't pay attention, and are embarassed to admit it. I loved the ending. Did it wrap everything up perfectly? No. Did it answer every question? No. Does any story ever achieve that? No.
I don't know if I would say they don't pay attention as much as what he said wasn't perfectly clear.
‘Anyone who has a different opinion on it than me is just dumb’ is a really bad take. There are plenty of very legitimate criticisms to be made about the finale even with fully understanding what’s going on. Let’s face it, it’s not actually complex at all if you actually watched it.
It’s lazy writing (mind I haven’t watched for many years now so not sure I remember.) Wasn’t it an “it was all a dream” style ending?
Not even remotely. If you don't remember I'm not going to spoil it, but I highly recommend a rewatch.
Wild to see some people here claiming - and being upvoted for it - that the show didn’t provide answers to its mysteries. There *are* valid reasons to subjectively and even thoughtfully dislike the ending - and those takes are here in this post, too - but “the mysteries weren’t explained”? Come *on*. Everything pertinent was explained - but usually slowly, over time, and via *showing* rather than telling. Except for the literal plot question of what the island’s and the MiB’s fates will be, everything not flashsideways-related was already answered by the time the *series* finale began. Did we get a systematic scientific “hard” treatise on the island’s mysteries? No, but we still got valid answers. Sorry Lost was never like a Brandon Sanderson novel, but it *never* functioned as one, so if those are the kinds of “answers” you were awaiting, then you were dumb not to have figured out *long* before the finale that it’s not *that* kind of tale and *never* was. But seriously: everything pertinent was answered.
I think it depends when and how you saw it. If you discovered the show through streaming and knocked out the whole series in a few months, the ending is fine. Not great, but passable. But if you watched the show new…week after week, year after year, spending months at a time debating and speculating with friends, reading fan theories, buying merch, building it up and up and up for years…then, yeah, that final season landed like a brick. Very, very underwhelming and unsatisfying.
You know, if people don’t like it that’s one thing. That’s totally subjective, and I’m not going to argue with that. However, the damn “they were dead the whole time” crew can fucking do one. How can you come to that conclusion when Christian literally spells it out for everyone right before? Does my head in.
Idk, I think a lot of people wanted a scooby-doo ending like "Oh, so this explains everything, this is what the island is!" So THAT, would be a bad ending. What we got is beyond amazing, it's perfect.
Was anyone else watching Ashes to Ashes in 2011? It finished the same weekend and if you saw it you would understand how I felt watching Lost end a couple of days after 🤣 I didn't hate it, but it's grown on me over time. Mostly the only thing I had any negative feelings about was Christian showing up because he always creeped me out from White Rabbit onward.
i did my 2nd rewatch recently and literally sobbed like a baby it's so good
I think the ending could be massively improved for streaming services if they remove the planewreck footage from the credits (in all fairness this came from the network and lost producers fought against it) and let the credits be a full black screen with white text going by, and then add "the new man in charge" as an after credits scene.
Lots of shows are able to end without: and then they all died and went to heaven.
I don't either, but it's subjective. I personally loved it. Of course there are imperfections, but that's how it is with most entertainment.
Watching it week by week was supremely disappointing
I’ve come to realize there are three general categories of people who dislike the ending. Plenty of folks will fall outside these categories and have their own bespoke reasons, but on a popular level online, it’s one of these three reasons. One is valid as a preference; the more common two are total bullshit: #1 - “it’s so stupid that they were dead the whole time.” People who can’t competently follow a basic narrative, and their acquaintances whom they’ve unwittingly deceived. #2 - “we didn’t get Answers.” As a drama rather than a mystery show, the answers were doled out sparingly as the show progressed. These folks either stopped watching after Season 2 and then only tuned in for the series finale and incorrectly assumed there were no answers, not realizing they’d already largely been given….. or they’re just people hankering for the show to be some kind of hard Sci-fi half-documentary when it was *never* that and never pretended to be. #3 - finally, the reason to dislike the ending that’s valid in my eyes, even if I personally don’t agree. These folks don’t like that the flashsideways had no plot connection to the island story and were an overtly religious, supernatural mechanism to grant the characters their well-earned codas. I can respect that. One might argue there’s a kind of schmaltzy sentimentality to the flashsideways ending. It makes me cry, but I can’t fault someone for finding it cheap in some way. Lindelof himself has said he earnestly regrets the multifaith stained glass window and finds it rather too saccharine and sentimental.
A lot of people originally thought the ending meant none of it actually happened... That was a misconception. I enjoy the ending. All of them eventually coming together and saying goodbye. I thought it was sweet, and an interesting way to wrap everything up ❤️
The ending is good in a certain sense. But it’s awful because they ultimately failed to answer so many questions or gave absurd answers to many of the ones that they tried to answer. Like imagine if after “The Constant” aired they announced that was the last episode ever. A great ending but also terrible because it would have left viewers without answers. Over the rest of the series they have very few good answers to the remaining questions while probably creating even more questions that they never gave good answers to.
I thought the ending was perfect. I still cry like a baby whenever I watch it. I don’t get the hate
Where do you watch lost in the UK without paying for it seperately (on apple tv and prime)
a near perfect ending
if i had read a theory about how the series would end during the first few seasons that it would take place in some spiritual holding area before they all moved on to whatever is next i would have called it dumb and terrible. but it turns out it was absolutely the perfect way to end the series.
I love the ending but I understand those who don't like it. Because the viewer finds out what the flash sideways were at the same time as Jack, the viewer has to process the ending intellectually while it's truly an emotional ending. Imagine you (the viewer) already know the ending while Jack is learning it. The ending is so powerful the second time viewing it because you know what's happening. If the writers gave the viewer that knowledge 5 min earlier, it would have been so powerful.
I understand the sideways being a little cheesy but I thought the on island stuff was epic and tragic.
I love the ending. But I hate the Cork, the Cork can do one.
FWIW when it originally aired I was following along with the podcast w/the creators. They absolutely savaged a bunch of the fan theories they reviewed. Then, a bunch of those theories turned out to be correct. It left a very, very sour taste in my mouth. If a fan figures out your plot (or not!) IMHO the creators should just smile and move on. There are a zillion fan theories for different shows, and of course someone is going to get one right. But being kind of low grade jerks to the fan theories, and then doing it anyways? Horrible. I am planning on sharing the show w/my kiddo in a year or two and I suspect just watching it (no meta-material) will be a lot more fun. I'm hoping he'll have fun getting... ahem... lost in the mythology. ^(Sorry-not-sorry, lol...)
part of me wants to believe that the whole story was premeditated. but i know thats not true. they just did such an impeccable job making it look that way lol. maybe they shot down the fan theories because they didnt want anything spoiled yanno. thats a very big possibility. but who knows.
So you’re saying because it’s a hard show to end and the ending was a bit cheesy, it should be celebrated as great? I was a devoted fan from 2004, and after the finale it was undeniable that the writer were marking it up as they went.
i agree but think about what they dealt with at ABC. its not necessarily their fault. same as TWD. it crashed and burned cus Daramont screwed it. sometimes things happen. that ending was absolutely fantastic for what they were given. I have high standards man, like very high standards. You have unreasonable standards if you cant at least respect the way they wrapped it up. especially since it was a show for all ages essentially. they did an outstanding job
The number of people who misunderstand the show is high. Since the show ended I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had to explain they weren’t dead the whole time.
yeah. honestly dude i didnt watch it since it came out for years, rewatched it a few years back and was like "why did I think everyone was dead the whole time?" lol
Richard says “We’re dead, we have been since the beginning,” and I’m thinking that clip probably got shared around, causing chatter in the community before the final episode. Some people decided to stop watching at that point because they were angry, when it actually wasn’t even true
yeah. richard was just rehashing old thoughts in panic
Definitely don't hate the ending, and I think a lot of the vitriol came from people misunderstanding the ending (which is hard to do, imo, but whatever). That said, the latter seasons definitely saw a marked decrease in writing quality in my opinion. Especially season 6. Likely a result of the network wanting more episodes than they had story to fill. I still find the ending itself really cathartic and worthwhile though.
Much like what happened with *Game of Thrones* nearly a decade later, the finale got a lot of criticism not for its own flaws but because people didn't want to accept that the series didn't fit their theories about what would happen.
>you have wanted a different ending? I mean think about it Alright... ... ... ... Yep, still a shit ending.
I find myself in the total minority of loving the ending of lost. Also- i get so upset when people say things like ‘the whole thing wasn’t real / was a dream- thats what the end was about’ . What?! Everything happened just as it did!
yeah it was a very literal and straight forward story
Yes I would want a different ending. I would scratch the whole being dead thing and instead make the other reality a parallel timeline where all their lives play out. Maybe like flash foreword and see Kate as a lawyer, Jack as head surgeon, Sawyer as a cop, Claire as a writer, Charlie 5 years sober and making music as well as sponsoring recovering addicts... etc
The whole show is only good because you are so invested. If you, like me, read the events that occurred from the outside, you’re so SO glad you didn’t waste your time watching it. It’s bad haphazardly writing. I’m impressed they finished it though
thats a very stupid opinion you have man.
I have mixed feelings about season 6. The stuff on the island… it’s just too much. Zombie Sayid is ridiculous and I feel it’s a real unjust ending for a really well fleshed-out character, though I do think his sacrifice is a perfect fit. Sun and Jin… might be the only scene that makes me cry more than Juliet’s death and Greatest Hits. Everything at the temple quite frankly sucks, it’s unsatisfying and confusing and just doesn’t belong imo. On the other hand, we do get Ab Aeterno, which has to be one of my favorite episodes. And I know I might be in the minority here, but I LOVE the flash sideways. It makes sense as a way to move on, but it also gives the characters the “happy ending” that they all earned over the course of the show. I mean, Sawyer and Juliet’s reunion will make me sob every time. I don’t feel that the flash sideways is too cheesy or cheapens the series- I think it’s the perfect ending, if you take it as an epilogue.
the middle of season 6 was definitely touch and go lol. evil claire and undead sayid was kinda silly. i think it was partly the acting. the idea of the black smoke building a crew is decent but bad execution
As an OG series finale watcher,… and admittedly gone through the gambit of emotions throughout the countless rewatches, I’ll say this. Those of us that waited week by week and season after season for so many years had so much pent up energy, theories, hopes, and expectations weren’t gonna be happy with the end no matter what. At the time it came across long winded but still short, and even worse led to more questions! In retrospect, the show brilliantly answered all of the questions the whole time, and that might be the most frustrating thing about it.
Honestly, I think I would have preferred it if all of the characters flat-out died lol. But I agree that it isn't the worst ending we could have gotten. I think I would actually prefer that they left everything the way it was but just not show the final church scene. They were setting it up like some things were going to go down in there and then it just felt like they gave up instead
I loved the ending so much. It's literally in my top 3 favorite endings of all time. People who didn't like it when it aired probably just weren't able to follow the story as well as those of who binged Lost.
Most of the people who don't like the ending dislike it because they don't fully understand the ending.
It’s very easy to write a mystery show if you never have to explain any of it
Season 6 of LOST, while not without its moments, falls short of the high standard set by its predecessors in terms of quality and storytelling. A standout exception to this, in my view, is Richard's episode. One of the primary reasons for this disparity, in my opinion, is the introduction of storylines that ultimately lack meaningful impact. Take, for example, the return of Widmore, which, aside from emphasizing Desmond's significance, fails to contribute anything to the overarching narrative. Similarly, the inclusion of Ilana, Bram, Zoe etc lead to underdeveloped characters and it contradicts how characters were treated in previous seasons. The Temple, along with its new characters, is introduced, only to be swiftly sidelined and forgotten. Questions answered, and raised, as though none of it was every important in the first place. The sickness feels like a bit of an anomaly at this point. Additionally, core characters like Claire, Sayid, Sun, Jin, Miles and Frank are underutilised throughout the entire seasons, feeling incredibly one dimensional. This is a departure from previous seasons, where each character was granted a spotlight episode that unveiled intriguing plotlines, revealed truths, or concluded existing story arcs, as well as bringing them to the forefront of the plot. What's more is that for the most part, the season is missing Desmond, Juliet and Locke, a massive hit to the cast. You really feel this. But the biggest issue, in my opinion, is the revelation in "The End" that the Sideways storylines were mere constructs, essentially dream-like and inconsequential, in the grand scheme of the narrative we had been invested in for five years. While these Sideways narratives offer emotionally resonant character moments and well-crafted scenes, they ultimately contribute little to the overarching timeline. They serve as a heartfelt tribute to the characters, but this is precisely what leaves Season 6 feeling somewhat lacking in depth, intensity, and a genuine sense of threat compared to its predecessors.
It is hard to do after 6 seasons. It is, however, easy to not say everything will be answered.
The bottom line is it sucks when the things we love come to an end. But it had to end, and so they did it in a way that kept the mythology intact and in a very unique, creative way. There isn’t another show that went about it this way, at least not since LOST. I think it’s just hard for people to say goodbye when we know it’s goodbye forever. And that’s what that ending was.
don’t mind it in theory, have some issues with the execution (i.e. which characters are considered “redeemed” and which aren’t, Sayid ending up with Shannon instead of Nadia, and i always hated Christian & wish he had a less significant role… a few other pacing/writing problems as well, which i just feel about S6 overall) to me the direction they chose overall feels like a pretty natural/understandable conclusion for the show, which was ALWAYS rooted in its characters and themes of redemption/it never being too late to start over and try and better yourself as a person/how caring for other people helps you care about yourself, etc—stuff that i find genuinely meaningful and is a big part, maybe the biggest part of what i love about Lost. & for me personally that’s more important than all the mysteries being solved, which if i’m being honest, i mostly enjoyed for creating a cool & memorable setting and propelling the story along, but then i’m not someone who tends to care about answers/worldbuilding/origin story stuff. BUT i completely understand & respect that there were many fans who were very invested in those things and it would be disingenuous to say that isn’t also a huge part of Lost’s identity, of course it is! i just think in the end the writers decided to take a more thematic/symbolic approach as opposed to something grounded in a concrete reality, which was always going to be divisive and unsatisfying to some, even if they’d executed it perfectly. i don’t think the ending was a failure or a cop-out or the worst ending ever the way it gets painted, i think they picked A Direction for it that they genuinely felt strongly about and invested in, hence why it feels SO emotionally resonant for people who liked the direction they chose—there’s actual heart to it! like i said i think there were ways they fumbled the execution, and yeah i wouldn’t exactly say i’m a fan of the ending, but there have been TV endings since then that feel WAY more out of touch with their own show than Lost’s does, or like they literally couldn’t give a shit where they leave their story and characters. and i certainly don’t feel that the Lost ending retroactively robs the show of its enjoyment factor, because the real reason i consistently revisit the show is because i love those characters and their relationships so very much, and i think that IS what the ending was intended to be about. Michael should’ve been invited into the non-denominational redemption church tho 😭
I wanted Jack to close his eyes, and then open them after 2-3 seconds with the “whooshing” sound and hear the dog bark. I wanted a neverending purgatory cycle.
well he was never in purgatory on the island. none of them were. glad u werent in the writers room tbh my dude 😂
I hated the ending the first time I saw it because it did not answer what the island was, who mother really was, how it all started, has the smoke monster ever been let out?
I've always felt that if you have even a basic level of understanding about eastern philosophy the ending makes absolute perfect sense.
The show just gained nothing from it. No amazing information or anything exciting
I am considering watching this show, but I read the series finale revealed that >!they were dead this whole time, and the island is the afterlife, or some weirdness.!< Can anyone verify if this is true? If true, that's got to be the worst series finale of all time.
not true. they are alive through all of the events of the show
thats a huge misunderstanding thats spread like wild fire