The man of science and the man of faith are reunited in the end. As it should be. Photo Credit: Mario Perez/ ABC.

Read on for the conclusion of my (extremely belated) recap and review of the Lost series finale, “The End,” aired May 23rd, 2010:

So, yesterday, about a million years too late (hey, life happens), I mused about what the ending of Lost meant to me, and recapped the first half of the series finale.  If you missed that post, you can read it here: Lost: Yeah, it’s really “The End” (Part I).  For the rest of you, carry on.

When we last left off, Claire had just given birth to Aaron, for a second time, sparking Kate, Claire, and Charlie to remember their times on the Island.  Back on the Island,  Desmond turned off the glowy light in the cave, but it didn’t seem to fix anything.  It did, however, render Smocke vulnerable.  The Smoke Monster can now bleed!  Smocke was still able to best Jack, though, and left our hero unconscious, as he ran off to escape the collapsing Island.

We pick back up on the Island.  It seems that the snuffing of “the light” thing triggered an earthquake—or, rather, a series of earthquakes.  Trees start falling on our Losties, and Ben steps in to push Hurley out of the way, resulting in Ben getting pinned himself.  A selfless act!  Oh, Ben, I’m so proud of you.

Outside the cave, Jack wakes up from the rain.  He gets up and goes back into the cave to find Desmond.  The earth shaking continues.  Jack pulls up the rope, but Desmond isn’t attached.  He shouts, but gets no response, so he runs off, in search of Smocke.

Meanwhile, the rest of the gang tries to get the tree off of Ben.  Sawyer says that it’s too heavy, but Hurley says that they have to try.  Aawww.  As the earthquakes continue, Kate wonders what’s happening.  Sawyer: “I’ll tell you what’s happening.  Locke was right.  This Island’s going down.”  Uh oh.  Then Miles walkies (is that a verb?) them, from the plane.  Kate grabs the walkie, but all she cares about is Claire, of course.  Miles says that Lapidus is working on the plane, and that they’re taking off soon.  Lapidus thinks that it will take 5 hours, maybe six.  Richard gives him a reality check: “You’ve got maybe one.”  Miles tells the other Losties to get over there in an hour.  They are at a loss as to how, but Ben pipes up: “I know how to get there.  Locke has a boat.”

And speaking of … cut to Smocke, heading towards that boat.  He’s at the cliffs already, about to go down the scary rickety ladder.  Jack calls his name, shouting “Locke.”  Um, Jack, didn’t you already say that Man in Black wearing Locke’s face is an insult to his memory?  You’re contributing to the problem.  Sigh.  (More of my thoughts on the inanity of not naming the Man in Black below.)  The two run towards each other, on the attack, and it’s very action movie-esque.  Then they pull out their lightsabers, and there is an epic battle.  At least, I’m pretty sure that is what happened.  Yeah, here’s the video:

Yeah, there were definitely lightsabers.  As they fight, the cliffs begin to fall.  Then, Smocke grabs his knife, and stabs Jack.  Noooooo!  And just when Smocke is about to stab our hero again, in the neck, he takes the time to rub in his victory, as villains are wont to do: “I want you to know, Jack, you died for nothing.”  But then, suddenly, Kate appears and shoots Smocke.  Shoots him dead (well, mostly dead).  She quips, “I saved you a bullet.”  Cheesy, but AWESOME!  Yay, Kate!  And those trumpets you hear are the sound of redemption.  (Still, it would have been nice if her character were more consistent throughout the series as a whole.  Ahem.)  Smocke mutters, “You’re too late.”  But Jack  pushes Smocke off the cliff with one leg, shutting him up.  Totally reminded me of that scene in the Angel pilot, when Angel kicks that vampire out the window.  Bad ass.  I wish Jack had asked “Can you fly?”   But that would have been cheese-overkill … probably.

We then cut to Jack at the hospital, in the Sideways world.  A nurse asks, “What happened to your neck?”  Ooh, he’s bleeding again.  What does it mean?  He says that he will go shower and try to meet David (Aha! That is his name!) at the concert, but when he checks in with Locke he seems to be waking up.  It’s a miracle!  Locke states, “It worked.”  Of course.  Jack says that it went well, but they won’t know until later.  But then Locke wiggles his toe!  Because he’s special.  And did I mention that he’s special?  And, I’m beginning to think that he may just be special.  This regained feeling in his legs also causes Locke to flash, and he remembers the island.  He looked into the face of the Island, and it was beautiful!  Ah, memories.  He asks Jack, “Did you see that?”  Jack asks, “See what?”  Cue more tears (from me this time).  Locke asks, “You don’t remember?”  Jack seems to have a bit of a flash at this point, but he is not willing to accept it.  Locke asks, “Will you come with me?”  Jack is incredulous: “You’re not going anywhere.  You just had extensive spinal surgery, and I need to go see my son.”  Locke: “You don’t have a son.”  Way to sugar coat it, Locke.  Wow.  As Jack leaves, Locke smiles and says, “Jack, I hope that somebody does for you what you just did for me.”  Wow wow wow.  Where is this leading?  (I mean, I know NOW of course, but the suspense is much more dramatic, don’t you think?)

Back at the cliffs, it is now light out, and it is no longer raining.  We can see the boat in the water below.  Is it Desmond’s boat?  Looks like it.  Kate is worried about the severity of Jack’s wound, but he brushes it off: “I’ll be fine.  Just find me some thread and I can count to five.”  Aawwww.  Great nod to the pilot.  Aaand, I’m sobbing again.  Sawyer, Hurley, and company arrive, asking what happened.  Kate: “Locke’s dead.  It’s over.”  Then the ground shakes, and Sawyer says, “It sure don’t feel like it’s over.”  Uh oh.

Cut to Sawyer in the Sideways world.  He is at the hospital, to make sure that Sun is alright.  Of course, Sun and Jin know who Sawyer is, but he doesn’t know them.  And just like the Hurley/ Charlie and Claire/ Kate/ Charlie scenes, etc., this is just aces.  The looks on all their faces … perfection.  Aaaaand … more tears.   Sawyer, of course, is uncomfortable, and shows the couple the picture of the “dangerous criminal,” Sayid.  Sun says that she doesn’t need protection: “It’s okay.  I am safe.”  As the two happily leave, Jin says: “We’ll see you there.”  Sawyer: “See me where?”  The cryptic thing comes with the flashes, it seems.  Is that the sickness?  Oh, right, they never explained that, and they never will.  Carry on.

Back on the Island, Miles, Lapidus, and Richard are still working on the plane.  Lapidus realizes that something is wrong with the hydraulics, and sends Miles off to fix it.  Ben calls on the walkie talkie, and Lapidus snaps, “Don’t bother me!”  Ben tells the others, “Sounds like they’re making progress.”  Ha!  Kate wonders why this is all still happening.  Jack: “Because whatever Desmond turned off, I need to turn it back on again.  But if it doesn’t work, if I don’t get it done, you all need to leave now.  You need to be on that plane.”  Kate tells him to come too.  He says he has to stay.  Kate: “No you don’t.  Let the island sink, Jack.”  Agreed.  Jack will not be swayed however.  He asks Sawyer if he will be able to get the boat over to the other island in time, and Sawyer says yes.  Jack and Sawyer shake hands.  Awww.  Ben hands Sawyer the walkie: “If the island’s going down, I’m going down with it.”  Hurley: “Nuh uh.  No way.  You think I’m going down that?  [Referring to the ladder]  I’m with you, dude.”  Jack: “Okay.  Kate, you gotta go.  Get Claire on that plane.”  She looks sadly at him: “Tell me I’m going to see you again.”  He just kind of looks sadly at her, and then they kiss.  Kate: “I love you.”  Jack: “I love you.”  I stopped caring about Jack and Kate’s relationship multiple seasons ago, but still, this brought on more tears.  Jack, Hurley, and Ben walk off.

For my shipper friends. Enjoy! Photo Credit: Lostpedia/ ABC.

At the plane, Miles works on the problem.  Richard asks him if he can fix it.  Miles responds: “I don’t believe in a lot of things, but I do believe in duct tape.”  Best quote of the episode, hands down!  Oh, Miles.  He has fixed the whatsit and the thingamajig and he and Richard proceed to get ready to leave.

At the cliffs, Sawyer walkies the others, and tells them not to leave without them.  Lapidus is in a hurry, and he tells him “If you want to go, you better get your asses in gear.”  Kate asks, “What now?”  Sawyer: “We jump.”  Sawyer does not look thrilled at that prospect, but Kate just goes for it.  Again, go, Kate!  She’s hard core.

As Sawyer leaves, he runs into Jack in the hall.  The detective asks the “doc” where he can find some “grub.”  Oh, Sawyer, you are adorable.  Jack tells him about the vending machines.  And there seems to be a moment of almost recognition between the two.  Sawyer finds the vending machines and buys an Apollo bar, of course.  However, the darn thing gets stuck.  As Sawyer tries to shake it loose, and then tries grabbing it from the bottom, Juliet enters.  Sawyer and Juliet!  (My apologies, but that outburst couldn’t be helped.)  Sawyer looks embarrassed, and hurriedly tells her that he’s a cop.  Juliet quips, “Maybe you should be reading the machine its rights.”  Ha!  Sawyer is also amused.  Juliet tells him to unplug the machine, and then plug it back in again.  She assures him, “it’s technically legal.”  (Sidenote: Is that true?  I must try that next time the machine tries to eat my money.)  Sawyer takes her advice, and when he unplugs the machine the lights go off.  Juliet hands him the bar, telling him, “It worked.”  Sound familiar?  (See Miles and Sawyer’s conversation in “LA X, Part II“.)  As he reaches for the candy they both flash.  Sawyer: “Whoa.  Did you feel that?”  Juliet echoes the words she said when she was dying, in “LA X, Part I”: “We should get coffee sometime.”  Sawyer: “I’d love to, but that machine ate my dollar.  I only got one left.”  Juliet: “We could go Dutch.”  The flashes continue, and the two remember everything.  They know each other.  Juliet: “Kiss me, James.”  Sawyer: “You got it, Blondie.”  More tears.  Perfection.

Best vending machine scene in television history. Photo Credit: Mario Perez/ ABC.

Back at the concert, Jack arrives as people are leaving.  It’s over, and we were spared actually listening to most of it.  Thank you, show.  As he pulls out his phone, presumably to call his son, Kate comes out.  She tells him, “It’s over,” and asks if he’s looking for someone.  She knows him, but he doesn’t know her.  Again, this dynamic is so well done.  Jack: “I’m sorry.  Where do I remember you from?”  Kate: “I stole your pen.”  Jack: “What?”  Kate: “Oceanic 815, from Sydney, I bumped into you coming out of the bathroom and I stole your pen.”  Jack: “And that’s how I know you?”  Kate: “No, that’s not how you know me.”  She touches his face, and tells him, “I’ve missed you so much.”  (This sentence will make more sense later.)  Jack starts to flash, but, again, he’s not ready to face it.  Kate asks if he’s okay.  Jack asks, “What is happening to me?”  Kate: “I know you don’t understand, Jack.  But if you come with me, you will.”  Wow, she learned a lot from Desmond in a short amount of time.  Can you vague that up for me?

On the Island, Hurley, Jack, and Ben make their way through the jungle, on their way to the cave.  There is more ground shaking.  Jack says he’s going down there alone, despite Hurley’s protests.  Hurley knows that he can’t survive that.  Hurley: “No.  No way.  I’m not going to let you die.” Jack: “Hurley, I’m already dead.”  Hurley: “You said you’d protect the Island.”  Jack: “And that’s what I’m doing.”  Hurley: “You’re committing suicide.” Jack: “I’m not.  This is the way it has to happen.  This is what I’m supposed to do.”  Hurley: “You’re not supposed to die.  The island needs you.”  Jack begs to differ: “Hurley, it needs you.”  Hurley: “What?”  Jack: “It needs to be you, Hugo.”  Hurley cries.  And I cry.  Hurley: “Jack … It’s supposed to be you.”  Jack: “It was only supposed to be me so I could do this.  But if someone has to take care of the Island, if someone has to protect it, then it should be you.  Hurley, I believe in you.”  Hurley: “Alright, I’ll take it.  But it’s only temporary.  As soon as you get that light back on, I’m pulling you out and I’m giving it right back to you.  Deal?”  Jack: “Deal.”  The ground shakes again.  Jack asks for something to drink out of.  Ben hands over a water bottle.  Ben is such a lost child right now, by the way.  It’s rather endearing.  The bottle is all dirty, but Jack fills it with water from stream anyway.  Dirty water.  Eeeewww.  He hands it to Hurley, saying “Drink this.”  Hurley does.  He asks, “Is that it?”  Jack says, “Now you’re like me.”  Aawww.  Still absolutely silly, but sweet nonetheless.

Back at plane, Lapidus tries to start the plane’s engine … and it works!

In the stupid cave, Jack is lowered down the hole, via rope.  Now it is all steamy and lava filled down there.  It looks even more like the Master’s lair than it did before.  Jack sees Desmond passed out and revives him.  Desmond mutters: “The light, I put it out.  It didn’t work.  I thought I’d leave this place.”  Jack: “I got you.  C’mon.  C’mon.”  Desmond: “I’m still here.  You were right, Jack.”  Jack: “Well, there’s a first time for everything.”  More ground shaking.  Desmond: “I have to put it back.”  Jack: “That’s what you did?  You pulled that stone out of that hole there?”  Sigh.  Desmond: “Jack, you can’t. … It’ll kill you.  It has to be me.”  Jack: “Desmond, you’ve done enough.  You want to do something, go home to be with your wife and son.”  Desmond: “What about you, Jack?”  Jack: “ I’ll see you in another life, brother.”  Yeah … I just can’t seem to care about this save-the-island crap.  Sigh.

Meanwhile, Kate and Sawyer arrive on the Hydra Island, and make their way onto the shore.  They see Claire.  The ground is still shaking, and Sawyer sees the cliffs falling.  The engine of the plane is roaring, and Lapidus doesn’t seem to be worried about them.  Bad Lapidus!  Kate, however, stops to try to get through to Claire, and convince her to go.  Claire shouts, “I can’t!”  Kate: “Why?”  Claire: “Look at me!  This island’s made me crazy.  I don’t want Aaron to see me like this.  I don’t even know how to be a mother anymore.”  Kate: “Sweetie, none of us do.  Not at first.  But you’re not alone.  Let me help you.  [Pause for her words to take effect.]  Now, c’mon.  Let’s go.”  She takes Claire’s hand and she follows.  Sawyer walkies the others, but they don’t hear over the engine.  Uh oh!  Goodness, would it kill those boys to wait two minutes?  Some friends.  But then Lapidus sees Sawyer, Kate, and Claire running ahead.  Aaaaand I’m crying again.  Lapidus: “Boys, we got some late arrivals.  Open the door.”  Richard kind of pauses for a second, probably thinking, “But I was so comfortable in my seat already.”

Back at the cave, Jack gets up and goes to put the stone back in.  And he plugs the hole.  *Ahem*  No comment.  Okay, one comment: Symbolic, much?  Aaaand, that’s as far as I’ll go.

At the plane, Claire, Kate, and Sawyer are hurried on.  Hurrah!  Miles: “Way to wait until the last second, Jim.”  Sawyer: “Good to see you too Straume.”  Aw, Sawyer and Miles will always have each other.  Meanwhile, Frank gives himself a little pep talk: “Here we go, Frank.”  Claire and Kate sit next to each other, holding hands.  And they’re off!  Frank: “Amen.”  Kate and Claire look at each other teary-eyed.

Back at the cave, Jack is weak, and can barely stay conscious.  Then he touches the water, and then the light comes back on.  He cry/ laughs.  It worked, I suppose.  The light comes all the way back on and water begins to flow again.  Ben is amazed: “He did it.  The light’s back on.”  Hurley: “Dude, pull.”  They pull the rope up, but it’s Desmond attached, not Jack.  Hurley does not bother to hide his disappointment.  Poor Desmond.  Hurley yells for Jack, but Jack just lies there with a goofy grin on his face.

Cut to the Sideways world, where we see Locke arrive at the church, via cab.  After the driver helps him into his wheel chair, he tips him and smiles.  I love Terry O’Quinn’s smiles.  Possibly the thing I will miss most from Lost.  He is just so … something.  He meets up with Ben outside, and asks, “Is everyone already inside?”  Ben: “I believe most of ‘em are, yes.  I’m very sorry for what I did to you, John.  I was selfish, and jealous.  I wanted everything you had.”  Locke is surprised: “What did I have?”  Ben: “You were special, John.  And I wasn’t.”  So everyone says …  Locke: “Well, if it helps, Ben, I forgive you.”  Awwww.   I have tears welling up just writing this.  Frak.  Wrong fandom, but whatever.  Ben responds, sincerely: “Thank you, John.  That does help.  It matters more than I can say.”  Locke asks, “What are you going to do now?”  Ben: “I have some things that I still need to work out.  I think I’ll stay here a little while.”  Clue!  (But more on that later.)  He continues, “You know, I don’t think you have to be in that chair anymore.”  Locke then gives his Locke-like smile and gets up.  “Goodbye, Ben,” he says as he walks up the steps … and then enters the church.

Back on the Island, Ben and Hurley sit outside the cave, with passed out Desmond.  They think Desmond will be okay.  Hurley asks, “Jack’s gone, isn’t he?”  Ben nods.  Hurley cries.  Ben: “He did his job, Hugo.”  Hurley: “It’s my job now.  What the hell am I supposed to do?”  Ben: “I think you do what you do best—take care of people.  You can start by helping Desmond get home.”  Hurley: “But how?  People can’t leave the island.”  Ben: “That’s how Jacob ran things.  Maybe there’s another way.  A better way.”  Yeah, Jacob sucked.  Don’t be like him, Hurley.  Hurley asks, “Will you help me?”  Ben is shocked: “Sorry?”  Hurley: “I could really use someone with like experience, for a little while.  Would you help me, Ben?”  Ben: “I’d be honored.”  Hurley: “Cool.”  Aawwww.

At the church, in the Sideways world, Ben sits there quietly, until Hurley comes out.  He greets Ben in his customary fashion: “Hey, dude.”  Ben: “Hello, Hugo.”  Hurley: “We’re all inside.”  Ben: “I don’t think I’m coming in.”  Hurley looks a little disappointed, but says, “You know, you were a real good number two.”  Ben: “You were a great number one, Hugo.”  Hurley: “Thanks, dude.  I’ll see ya.”  Sweet.  And so much meaning once we saw what happened on the island.  Ben and Hurley lived out years together on the island, protecting it together.  Very sweet.

Then Jack and Kate drive up.  She asks, “Do you know where we are?”  Jack: “This is where I was gonna have my father’s funeral.  He died, in Australia.  Why did you bring me here?”  Kate: “Because this is where you were gonna have your father’s funeral.  You can go in around back.”  Jack: “Wait, where are you going?”  Kate: “Inside.  We’ll be waiting for you there, once you’re ready.”  Jack: “Ready for what?”  Kate: “To leave.”  Oy, with the “leaving” already.  What does it all mean?

Back on the Island, Jack lays on some rocks outside of the cave.  My best guess is that the cave washed him out?  He gets up, clutching his wound in pain.  He’s all bloody and he is struggling to stand.

In the Sideways world, a far less bloody Jack goes into a little office in the church.  There is a painting of Krishna on the wall, and multi-religious/cultural symbols on the stain glass window–including the Dharma wheel, a cross (representing Christianity), the symbol for yin and yang , the star of David (representing Judaism), the Hindu “om” symbol, and the crescent and star (often identified with Islam).  Jack touches his father’s coffin, sparking memories of himself on the island, with everyone.  His memories include his kiss with Kate on rocks.  But his love for Kate wasn’t enough to wake him up.  Daddy issues trump all.  When he opens the lid … surprise!  The coffin is empty.  Christian’s voice sounds behind him: “Hey, kiddo.”  When Jack turns around it’s really him!  Jack: “I don’t understand.  You died.”  Christian: “Yes.  Yes, I did.”  Jack: “Then how are you here right now?”  Christian: “How are you here?”  Good question.  Jack half questions, half states, “I died too.”  He cries.  It’s not a real end to Lost without some tears from Jack.  Hurrah!  Christian became a much nicer father in the afterlife, it seems, assuring his son that it’s okay.  They hug, and say that they love each other.  Really?  Hmmm.  Jack asks, “Are you real?”  Christian: “I sure hope so.  Yeah, I’m real.  You’re real.  Everything that’s ever happened to you is real.  All those people in the church, they’re all real too.”  Jack asks, “They’re all dead too?”  Christian: “Everyone dies sometime, kiddo.  Some of them before you, some long after you.”  And that is the key.  Remember that.  Jack asks, “Why are they all here now?”  Christian: “Well there is no now here.”  Jack: “Where are we, Dad?”  Christian: “This is the place that you all made together so that you could find one another.  The most important part of your life was the time that you spent with these people.  That’s why all of you are here.  Nobody does it alone, Jack.  You needed all of them, and they needed you.”  Jack: “For what?”  Christian: “To remember, and to let go.”  Aww, that kind of feels like Christian is talking to all the Lost fans.  Remember and let go, people–good advice.  Jack notes, “Kate, she said we were leaving.”  Christian: “Not leaving, no.  Moving on.”  Jack: “Where are we going?”  Christian: “Let’s go find out.”

They enter the church where everyone else is.  The Losties are all hugging and reuniting.  Aaand … more tears.  Locke walks up to Jack, and tells him, “We’ve been waiting for you.”  Then Jack shakes Desmond’s hand and hugs him.  Penny is there too.  Then he greets Boone, who is sporting his Damon smirk.  Hurley grabs him in a really big bear hug.  They’re all so happy.  More tears.  Shannon, Sayid, Sun, and Jin all coo over the baby.  You may be the star, Matthew Fox, but you can’t compete with a baby.  Sorry.  Kate sees Jack, and they hold hands.  More tears.  (Seriously, I think something must have been wrong with me.  Shouldn’t I have run out of tears by now?)  Bernard and Rose are there too.  And Sawyer, Juliet, Charlie, Claire, Hurley, Libby—everyone we ever cared about (except Mr. Eko, sadly).  Christian pats Jack on the back and walks over to the big doors.  He opens the doors and light fills the church.  They all look up, bathed in light, and then the whole screen goes white.

While the above reunion scene is played out, we see scenes of a dying Jack wandering through the bamboo forest, inter-cut throughout.  Finally, Island Jack collapses.  Vincent comes up and lies next to him.  The plane carrying his friends flies over him, and he smiles.  We cut to one last shot of Jack in the church, and then Island Jack closes his eye, mirroring the opening of the pilot, when Jack opened his eye.  Ah, symmetry.  I like it.  Cue the Lost title card.  The end.

He "lived together," so he doesn't have to "die alone." *sob* Photo Credit: Lostpedia/ ABC.

As the credits played, we were shown footage from the original plane crash.  I saw it as a nostalgic visual, but it seems that some thought this meant that everyone died on the original Oceanic 815 crash.  That is not the case.  ABC answered these concerns, via The Los Angeles Times Show Tracker blog:

Those photographs were not part of the Lost story at all. The network added them to soften the transition from the moving ending of the series to the 11 p.m. news and never considered that it would confuse viewers about the actual ending of the show. ‘The images shown during the end credits of the ‘Lost’ finale, which included shots of Oceanic 815 on a deserted beach, were not part of the final story but were a visual aid to allow the viewer to decompress before heading into the news,’ an ABC spokesperson wrote in an e-mail Tuesday.

So, there you have it.

Conclusions and thoughts about the finale:

• So, NO, the Losties did not all die in the 815 crash.  Stop saying that, media!  Christian makes it clear that everyone dies, but they die at different times.  On the Island timeline, we saw Jack’s death, but he was not the first, nor the last, to die.  Boone, Shannon, Libby, Charlie, Daniel, Locke, Sayid, Sun, and Jin had already died before him.  Hurley, Ben, Desmond, Kate, Claire, Sawyer, Lapidus, Richard, and Miles were all left alive.  My feeling is that those on the plane made it home safely, but they’re not immortal.  Eventually they died, many many years later.  And that’s when they became part of the Sideways world.
• So it seems that the Sideways reality was a purgatory of sorts, though nothing as specific as the Christian version (no pun intended).  Christian (the person) says, “Well there is no now here.”  So, the theories that the Sideways reality was an alternate timeline happening parallel to the Island timeline were wrong.  It seems that it is an afterlife of sorts, constructed by our characters to work out their issues, and find each other again.  it doesn’t really exist any one place in time–not a linear time anyway.  Once everyone was ready (Jack being the last), the moved on together.  Normally, I don’t appreciate religious-type endings, but in this case, I think it was so well done.  They kept it vague enough to be interpreted in a lot of different ways.  And thankfully, there was no mention of God or angels (I’m talking to you, Battlestar Galactica).
• Ben, Eloise, Widmore, and Charlotte were not done with the Sideways world yet.  They still needed to work through stuff, and their journeys were not as closely connected to our core Losties.  I imagine that eventually they will find their way to moving on as well.  Ben probably needs to work out his Alex issues … plus all the people he killed.  That could take a looooooong time.
• I’ve heard some say that the Sideways reality was all Jack’s construction, and that’s why it was how it was.  I disagree, and I would be disappointed if that’s the case.  I like idea that this is something they all constructed together, to find each other, like Christian says.  Live together, or die alone, right?  That really did become the central theme of the show.  I love the symmetry of it.
• Why weren’t Michael and Walt in the church?  Michael, it seems, is doomed to remain one of the sources behind the whispers, on the Island.  He has his own journey.  Hopefully he will eventually find peace and move on.  As for Walt, despite the real life logistics of the actor’s age and growth spurt, my argument is that he was so young that he was able to find a more important purpose in life.  He is not as tied to the rest of the Losties, because he formed new, more important ties.  That is also my theory about Aaron.
• Aaron, after he died, would not be part of this Sideways reality.  There is a constructed version of baby Aaron, as he was so key to the Losties’ journey, appearing in the Sideways.  However, the “real” Aaron (although that term could be misleading), I would like to believe, grew up and moved on.  While Kate and Claire would presumably be very important parts of his life, once they returned home, that’s no guarantee that they have to take the next step into the afterlife together.  Everyone’s parents are not in that church.  Aaron wouldn’t have the same connection to the time on the island, so I would hope that when he dies, he is able to move on quickly.
• And David?  He was a construction by Jack so that he could work out his daddy issues.  With David, Jack was able to be a better father than Christian, and work towards closure.  David was “real,” but he was also made by Jack, if that makes sense.  It does in my head!
• Shannon and Sayid?  There has been a lot of chatter about how Nadia was Sayid’s soulmate, so Shannon shouldn’t have been the one to spark the flashes.  However, my argument is that his relationship with Nadia was actually something holding him back, stopping him from ever moving on.  In some sense, the way that Shannon held Boone back from his life, which he realizes when Locke drugged him in season one, was mirrored in Sayid’s fixation on his past with Nadia.  Another parallel would be Sawyer’s obsession with the real Sawyer.  Not that Nadia ever did anything bad to Sayid, but she was a part of his past as a torturer–a past that he needed to move on from.  His connection with Shannon, though short, and somewhat gag-inducing, was something where he could really be present and in love, and they shared a part of themselves that Sayid never could with Nadia.  If the time on the Island really was the most important time for all the Losties, than it only makes sense that Sayid and Shannon would be reunited.
• And Mr. Eko?  Why wasn’t he in the church?  I must say, I found that very disappointing, as I loved his character.  It seems that Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje didn’t want to return, for whatever reasons.  Still, it makes sense story-wise, if you think about his arc.  He faced Smokey, before his death, and he had already faced the issues of his past, and turned to God.  So he had already let go and moved on, it seems.
• All in all, I LOVED the finale.  It did a lot to improve season six for me, and it will be interesting to go back and watch the Sideways scenes throughout the season, now understanding (sort of) what they mean.  The finale really succeeded on an emotional level, for me.
• Still, I think ultimately the reveals of the importance of the Island, and all the mysteries, were disappointing.  The plot of the finale may have worked on an emotional level, but not on an intellectual one, at least for me.  I’m not saying that I could have come up with a better explanation for the Island than “The cork in the bottle of darkness,” but I think I would have loved the series better if they never even went there.  The whole Jacob/ Man in Black storyline just veered into the ridiculous, and kind of l0st me.  Some things are just better left a mystery, in my opinion.  And if “Across the Sea” had never happened, I would have been a happier Lost fan.  (For why that episode is so ridiculous and offensive, and to be thoroughly entertained, you should read Cindy McLennan’s recap over at TWoP.  Still, you can’t please everybody, all the time, and I’m sure some people really loved that stuff.
• Also, one of my biggest disappointments in the show has been the treatment of its female characters.  Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune has outlined the problem far more eloquently than me, stating:

“‘Lost’ started out in Season 1 as an ethnically diverse show with a lot of potentially intriguing male and female characters. Now it is, to a large degree, a story about the epic, heroic or anti-heroic journeys of a bunch of white men. Non-white or female characters — with a few exceptions — just aren’t in the foreground of the main narrative most of the time. Given that, when the show began, I thought that ‘Lost’ was going to be different in that regard, it’s disappointing.  This season has had some strengths, but the stories for women aren’t among them. And we finally got a female character who was tied into an epic, mythologically important story line — and it’s all about how her bitterness, misanthropy and evasions launched centuries of bloodshed. Fabulous.”

(Quote via Ryan’s post “Let’s Talk Lost: The Mother Load.)  Ryan has been very vocal about her disappointment in this aspect of the show in her podcast, and on her Watcher site, and I thoroughly agree.

So, what say you?  Agree?  Disagree?  Any burning questions or thoughts about the finale, or the series as a whole?

*Lightsaber footage via YouTube user Kram1563′s Domain.

Photo Credit: ABC/ Mario Perez.

Early this morning, I posted Part I of my live blog for last night’s Lost premiere.  If you missed it, you can read that here: LOST: “LA X, Part I”.  Otherwise, read on for my live blog, edited with comments, for the second half of the Lost season six premiere, aired February 2^nd, 2010:

• It is now daylight on the island, and Hurley and company get ready to transport Sayid to the temple, while Sawyer plans to stay behind to bury Juliet.  Kate asks him if he wants her help, and Sawyer replies: “Help Sayid.”  But he does ask Miles to hang back, which reminds me that they are close, as Miles worked as LaFleur’s deputy.   Ah, I kind of miss the 70s.  Kate says that they will leave a trail, so that Sawyer can follow them.  Sawyer: “I ain’t following no one, Kate.”  Classic Sawyer.  He glares at Jack, and carries Juliet’s body off to be buried.
• Back at LAX, Jack is paged, and goes to find an agent.  Unknown airline employee: “Mr Shephard, I am very sorry, but there seems to be a mixup…”  It turns out that his dad’s coffin was never put on the plane.  Unknown airline employee is deeply sorry, but they don’t know when it will arrive, because they don’t know where it is.  Um, wow.  Also, good to know that in this alternate timeline Christian Shephard still died.  I wonder if the circumstances were different though.  Hopefully, we shall see.
• Back on the island, Hurley and company find the hole in the wall, where Montand lost his arm.  They enter, and then proceed down a dark hallway.  Kate finds someone’s bag, in which she locates matches, and she lights a torch.   How convenient.  Also, they find the remains of armless Frenchman, Montand.  Hurley: “This is going to be awesome.”  Oh Hurley, you have no idea.  They all have to watch their step at a certain point, as there is a narrow crossing.  It is all very Indiana Jones.  Kate goes ahead, and Jack loses sight of her and gets worried.  Did she disappear?  All of a sudden Hurley is gone too.  Jack is running around looking for everybody, and can’t find them.  Someone attacks him, and he is dragged by what appears to be Others, dressed as pirates/ Turkish merchants/ hippies.  He is dragged outside, and we see that Jin and Kate and Hurley have also been captured by the Others.  When they look up, they see the temple.
• Meanwhile, at LAX, Kate and U.S. Marshal pass through customs.  “Anything to declare?”  Marshal: “A murderer.”  Ha!  I missed that cranky guy.  Kate says that she has to go to the bathroom.  Inexplicably, the Marshal honors her request.  Apparently the descent into LA turned him into a moron.  He says that she has two minutes, and she goes into a stall and locks the door.  She uses a pen, perhaps stolen from Jack when she ran into him, to try to unlock the handcuffs.  In the process, the spring from the pen drops on the ground.  The Marshal begins to get impatient and asks if she’s done.  Then he sees the spring from the pen on the ground.  Uh oh.  Kate kicks open the door (like Sayid, Kate is also a good kicker), and knocks him out.  She also steals his gun.  Then a couple women come in, and Kate covers by saying that he attacked her.  Quick thinking.  She still has handcuffs on, and is using a shawl or sweater to hide them.  She gets into the elevator, with Sawyer.  He sees the handcuffs, but doesn’t say anything.  Two TSA guys enter, and get a call on their walkie talkies about a code 341.  Sawyer: “Sound serious.  What the hell is a 341?”  They say that it’s confidential.  When the elevator stops, the TSA guys move to exit, but Sawyer pushes them back, and says “Ladies first.”  Kate thanks him.  Sawyer is a lot of things, but I guess he is still a southern gentleman at heart.  Or just someone who finds Kate attractive.  Your call.
• Back on the island, Miles and Sawyer are digging.  It’s sad.  Sawyer says not to call him boss anymore, as Miles is no longer his deputy.  Then, the real reason why Sawyer asks Miles to stay behind is revealed.  Sawyer wants to know what Juliet was going to tell him.  Miles: “Jim, that’s not how it works.”  Sawyer is not deterred: “What does she want to tell me Miles?”  Sawyer is a mess, and angry, and he pushes Miles.  He explains: “I know she’s gone.  I know.  Now tell me.”  Miles says OK.  We see some weird effects, and then somehow Miles seems to have heard Juliet.  Miles says that she wanted to say that it worked.  It worked!  Sawyer is pissed: “What worked?”  He stomps off.  Um, Jack’s plan, dimwit.  Of course, in Sawyer’s defense, none of the Losties predicted that the explosion would create two different timelines.  Shouldn’t Faraday have warned them about this?
• Elsewhere on the island, the Others still have Kate, Jack, Jin, Hurley, and Sayid’s dying body.  The Others wonder who their captives are, and a female voice pipes up to say that she knows who they are.  It’s Cindy!!!  She has hippie-hair.  Also, the leader while Locke and Ben and Richard are away seems to be an asian man with long hair, who seems to be speaking Japanese.  He has a nerdy looking translator, who wears glasses.  The translator translates: “Shoot em.”  Uh oh.  Hurley calls out, “Jacob sent us.”  He repeats himself, and tells them that Jacob said he would help their friend.  The Others want proof.  Hurley: “He gave me that guitar case.”  Ooh, the guitar case has significance!  When they ask Hurley if he looked inside, Hurley hilariously replies, “Maybe.”  He totally did.  They open the case, and inside is a large wooden ankh.  Ankhs symbolize eternal life, and are seen a lot among ancient Egyptian symbols.  That exhausts my knowledge of ankhs.  The Other boss breaks it, and there’s a note inside.  Ooh, sneaky.  He asks the captives what their names are, and they oblige: Hugo Reyes, Jin-Soo Kim, Kate Austen, Jack Shephard, and Sayid Jarrah.  The Others agree to help Sayid.  Hurley wants to know what the paper says.  Translator: “The paper says that if your friend there dies, we’re all in a lot of trouble.”  Intriguing!  Why is Sayid so important?  Theories, anyone?
• Back in LA, Jin looks at the watch, and shows it to the customs agent.  He has a letter that says that it’s a business gift, but the TSA agent asks what business he’s in.  Jin can’t understand English, so he doesn’t understand the question.  Also, Jin is Jin, so he gets angry.  Uh oh.  The TSA agent also discovers that he has lots of cash in his suitcase.  Agent: “Anything over $10,000 must be declared.  You didn’t declare this.”  He does that dumb thing that Americans do when people don’t understand English, and just talks louder and slower.  Um, not gonna do the trick, buddy.  He leads Jin away, and tells the other TSA agent to bring Sun to a waiting area.  This other TSA agent talks to Sun, and asks if she understands her.  She says that if she does, then she needs to speak up now.  Sun: “No … English.”  Is Sun lying, as she did in the other timeline?  Or did she never learn English in this timeline?  I think she’s lying, but the other alternative would also be interesting.
• Back at the temple, the Others see that the water isn’t clear.  It’s actually quite dirty.  Ick.  The glasses-clad translator asks: “What happened?”  The Boss-man cuts himself, and puts his hand in the water.  It doesn’t seem to heal—at least that’s the impression I got.  Uh oh.  This does not bode well for Sayid.  The Others ask who did this to him.  Jack says that it’s his fault—he didn’t do it, but it’s his fault.  Translator: “If we do this, there are risks.  You understand?”  Jack: “Do what you have to do.”  Except he totally doesn’t mean that, as he begins whining and yelling as soon as they begin doing what they “have to do.”  The Boss puts an old-fashioned Days of Our Lives style timer on.  “Like sands through the hour glass, so are the days of your lives.”  The Others put Sayid under the water, and hold him under.  Sayid starts struggling, so clearly the healing is working, but all the Losties freak out.  They really don’t get the whole supernatural aspect of this healing process, and are protesting.  Idiots.  What part of bring-him-to-a-temple-to-heal made them think this would be conventional Western medicine?  Hurley: “You’re not saving him, you’re drowning him.”  Sayid’s body stops moving.  The boss signals for them to bring him up.  After examining Sayid’s body, he says, through his translator: “Your friend is dead.”  Uh oh.  Jack isn’t willing to accept this, and performs CPR.  Kate tells him to stop.  It’s like almost-dead-Charlie in season one, all over again.  Except this time Jack totally gives up, after a few tries.  Kate tells him to stop, over and over again, saying that he’s dead, and not coming back.  [Wrong, Kate.  You totally forgot what show you are on.  For the record, I was convinced that Sayid would pop up, and he totally did.]
• Meanwhile, fugitive Kate is still in the airport.  She is hiding out near baggage claim.  She sees cops, and then watches a woman go through a security door.  She then runs up the escalator, and outside to a cab.  But a jerk says that there’s a line.  And oh, the jerk is  Frogurt.  Sadly, no flaming arrows hit him this time.  Hurley is in the line too, on the phone, and Kate steps in line behind him.  Then, however, she spies the Marshal, who also catches sight of her.  Kate gets into a cab and tells driver to go now.  He says that he already has a passenger, but she puts a gun to his head.  His other passenger?  Claire!!!  She’s back!  She was pregnant, right?  I forgot to notice.
• Back in the temple, everyone is sad.  Cindy and the kids bring them food.  Sawyer and Miles are dragged in.  Miles explains, “They jumped us in the jungle.  We took four of them out, but one of them hit him with a damn rock.”  Glasses asks Hurley to come with them.  Boss man wants to know what Jacob said to him.  Hurley notices that the guy can understand him.  Boss man: “I don’t like the way English tastes in my mouth.”  Ha!  Hurley tells them that Jacob is dead, which freaks them out.  Hurley: “What, you guys didn’t know?”  Oh, Hurley.  The Others are in a panic, and set off a flare.  When asked, Glasses reveals, “This isn’t to keep you in, it’s to keep him out.”  Ooh, it must be to keep the Smoke Monster, aka the-man-in-black, aka Flocke, out.  So all this time, Smokey wasn’t working for the Others, but rather something they were protecting themselves from.  Also, I will remind you about the ash all around Jacob’s cabin, which keeps Smokey out.  Hopefully they have a lot of that lying around.  Also, I wonder if that gate which emitted a high sound, surrounding New Otherton, also keeps Smokey out.  Thoughts?
• Then we cut back to Ben and Flocke/ Smokey/ The Man in Black.  What should I call him, in future recaps?  Right now, I’m just going to go with Flocke, for consistency, but I’d love your suggestions.  Ben asks Flocke what he is.  Flocke: “I’m not a what, Ben, I’m a who.”  Ben: “You’re the monster.”  Flocke: “Let’s not resort to name calling.”  Ha!  The second best line of the episode.  Also, Terry O’Quinn is amazing in this new role.  Amazing.  And did I mention amazing.  Ben: “You couldn’t kill him yourself, so you used me to do it.”  Flocke is not so willing to accept this interpretation, and asks if Ben knows what Locke was thinking when Ben killed him.  He gives the answer, despite Ben’s lack of desire for this info: “I don’t understand.  Isn’t that the saddest thing you ever heard?”  Wow.  It is all in the delivery.  Flocke says that John was sad, weak, pathetic, and irreparably broken.  He’s not wrong, but John was a lot of other things too.  Flocke continues: “But despite all that, there was something admirable.  He was the only one who didn’t want to leave.”  Ben: “What do you want?”  Flocke: “Well, that’s the great irony here, Ben.  I want the one thing that John Locke didn’t.  I want to go home.”  Agh!!!  Another mystery!  Where is home, I wonder.  Any theories?
• Back at the temple, Hurley tells Miles, “If you ever wanna talk …?”  Miles looks funny, but says that it’s nothing.  Was he hearing Sayid?  Or was his expression because he can’t hear Sayid?  Kate attends to Sawyer.  Ahem.  She says that they’re in a temple, and being protected by the Others.  She also notes, “I’m so sorry.”  Jack comes in and sits in a corner to brood.  Kate tells Sawyer, “He’s just trying to help us.”  Sawyer: “I ain’t gonna kill Jack.  He deserves to suffer on this rock like the rest of us.”  Good point.
• Meanwhile, alterna-Jack is at the airport, on the phone, talking to his mom. Locke asks what he lost.  Jack says that he wouldn’t believe him, but Locke insists.  Jack tells him that they lost his father.  Locke gives his condolences.  Jack: “Apparently he’s somewhere in transit, which is their way of saying they have no idea.”  Locke gets all philosophical, as he is wont to do: “They didn’t lose your father, they just lost his body.”  Locke gives a smile.  I’m divided as to how creepy the smile was.  Also, Locke explains that all that was in his suitcase was a bunch of knives.  Before he leaves, Jack asks what happened to him, awkwardly revealing that he’s a spinal surgeon.  Locke says that his condition is irreversible.  Jack says, “Nothing’s irreversible.”  He gives Locke his card, and offers him a consult on the house.  They introduce themselves to each other, and say their goodbyes.  Perhaps the only civil conversation that these two have had on the show.  Fascinating.  Also, what do you guys make of the “Nothing’s irreversible” line?  Locke has always been all about destiny and fate, while Jack has believed in science and free will.  Other things have changed, but so much has stayed the same.
• Back on the island, we see another flare go off.  Richard and company see it, still on the beach.  Then Ben and Flocke come out of the statue.  Richard tells his men not to shoot.  Frank: “I’m seeing it, I’m just not believing it.”  Flocke greets Richard: “Hello Richard, it’s good to see you out of those chains.”  Ooh, chains!  So is this a hint that Richard was on The Black Rock?  Dear Show, please give us a Richard flashback.  Richard: “You?”  Flocke: “Me.”  Inconveniently, no one gives us Flocke’s name.  Sigh.  Then Flocke beats up Richard.  No one does anything to stop him. Flocke tells them that he’s disappointed in all of them, and carries off Richard, over his shoulder.  Everyone just stares.  Why, that man has some mad presence.  No one was about to mess with that situation.  The camera pans to dead Locke, who is still dead.  Will he stay that way?  Will the two timelines reconcile?  Oh, so many questions.
• At the temple, a group of Others come in, including Glasses.  They want to see Jack. Glasses: “You either get up and come with us on your own, ….”  Jack gets violent.  But then Sayid wakes up!!!  Sayid: “What happened?”  That’s what we want to know, Sayid.  The end.

So, what did you all everybody think of this first helping of mind-bendy Lost craziness?  Reactions?  Theories?  Questions?  Comment below.