LOST and Why I Loved It

Six years and a hundred and twenty episodes. That's a very long time to tell one, compelling story. Sure, there were some parts that dragged and others that seemed pointless. But what kept so many of us tuning in was that the show was smart. It was unpredictable. It was about Bigger Things than network television is usually comfortable with. And, contrary to the opinion of some, it ended with a conclusion that was not only satisfying, but clearly not made up as the show went along. It had always been there.

As soon as the finale ended (and, I admit, I had to wipe away tears), I thought, "That's going to get completely polarized reactions." And it seems that's the case. Lost was a consistent mix of myth, spirituality, sci-fi, and romance. Its viewers may have been divided decidedly into those four camps. And my guess is that the group most disappointed in the finale were those in the sci-fi section. An early episode was titled, "Man of Science, Man of Faith". And the conclusion was anything but scientific.

*SPOILERS*

Having always followed interviews with two of the shows co-creators, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, I knew they felt the the show was ultimately dealing with a weighty topic. I knew it wasn't going to end with a lazy, "It was all a dream!" cop out. When people started asking them if The Island was purgatory, they carefully answered, "No, The Island is not purgatory."

And, as it turns out, it wasn't. The Island was "real life", where flawed characters worked towards their redemption, their personal healing. The flash-sideways of contemporary California turns out to have been a type of purgatory, where the characters continued to work towards healing until they were ready to "move on" with the people who had mattered the most in their lives. None of them seemed to realize that's where they were until they would have a literally touching encounter with someone significant from their life. Then, what was hidden became known.

I'm sure there are some people who will balk at the flatly spiritual ending, even though there were pains taken to make sure no one would feel it was an endorsement of any one religion. In fact, the shots of an alter as well as stained glass window showing symbols of every major world religion felt a bit obvious. Okay, we get that you're referring to a belief commonly held by most faiths, you don't have to keep assuring us that you're not singling one out for special honor.

There's another thing surprising to me about the finale. We tend to think of television that deals with spirituality and religion as syrupy, easily digested shows like the old Touched by an Angel or Highway to Heaven. That audience is not the Lost audience. And what Lost has shown is that those topics can be addressed intelligently, creatively, and movingly. And that's an important distinction.

Are all the questions answered? No. But, I keep thinking back on events in past episodes over the whole series and continue to have enlightening, "Aha!" moments. I'm sure more will come. Because if Lost gave us anything, it was always something intriguing to think about.