If you have been watching Lost since the beginning as I have, you are likely sad to see the show coming to its end but impressed with how well they are beginning to wrap things up. After six seasons, we finally know what the smoke monster is and we finally know what the island is. So it appears some of the internet message boards had it right – at least partly. The island is a sort of gateway keeping the evil contained and from spreading to the rest of the world; the evil of course being the smoke monster or as many Lost fans have come to call it – Not Locke.
We have also discovered that Desmond Hume, a character not even present in the first season, holds some vital importance to the island as does Hurley, a fan favorite and one of the ‘contenders’ to take Jacob’s spot as the keeper of the island. Another fan favorite, Doctor Jack Shepherd, appears to have done a complete 180 from where he was when we first met him. The man of science has indeed become a man of faith. Does this mean we will see him as the last man standing with the task of keeping the evil contained? Time will tell.
Sawyer, on the other hand, is really back where he started. After loving and losing Juliet, he wants nothing more than to get off the island and return to the life he left behind. The debacle with Kate seems to only further that desire. Will Sawyer leave the island and start a life with Kate, or will Kate decide to stay on the island with her beloved Jack?
There are few things certain on Lost. Many thought after the departure of the much loved character Charlie Pace that Lost was done killing off its fan’s favorite cast members. Last week’s episode really proved us all wrong. In quite possible the most heart wrenching death scene so far, we said goodbye to three characters we have been watching since season one – characters that have grown near and dear to our hearts. If you haven’t seen last week’s episode, I will spare you the spoiler but it was really, truly shocking and heartbreaking. Lost has proven, yet again, that no one is safe on the island.
We’ve also learned that those listed as Contenders cannot be killed by Not Locke. The problem is how this will play out for those that aren’t on that list; mainly the lovely Kate. Kate has been in the forefront of the show since the beginning and has one of the most interesting back stories. She is, however, completely dispensable to both sides. No one needs her. Does that spell the end for Kate? I don’t think so. At this point in the game, killing Kate off the show would be far too obvious, and as anyone who has been watching Lost since the beginning is well aware; Lost doesn’t do obvious.
And what of John Locke? Many believed him to be so vital to the island yet, for all intents and purposes, Locke is dead. Sure he is alive and well, in a manner of speaking, in the sideways world, but so is Charlie Pace. Does that mean we may see the adorable Boone and his sort of sister Shannon make return appearances in the alternate universe seemingly created by Juliet’s heroic detonation of the hydrogen bomb? Does that mean Juliet herself may still be alive and possibly open for reconciliation with Sawyer? Does dying on the island mean anything in the grand scheme of things?
This seems to be a matter of debate. We’ve seen that Libby is alive in the sideways world and has found her way back to Hurley. We’ve seen at least one of the three characters that took their final bow in last week’s episode make a return appearance already, in the very same episode, no less. For those of you that missed that little cameo, it took place in the hospital when Jack was trying to convince Locke to have surgery to repair the damage to his spine.
The questions that remain are infinite. Locke and Sawyer discovered they are brothers on the island as far back as season two yet little has been made of it since. Jack was the attending physician the day that Shannon and Boone’s father was killed – or possible mother. My memory is a little blurry on that one. Kate knew the mother of Sawyer’s baby. All of these little crossovers have been made little of since they happened. Will the final few episodes acknowledge all these interweaving events or were they merely there to illustrate coincidence?
Lost has its work cut out for it. People are expecting something extraordinary to wrap things up. They are looking for answers to questions they have had since season one. We have learned so much so far this season, but there is still so much more to learn. We want to know about Faraday. He clearly holds some important clues to the story of Lost even though we’ve only just met him in the last few seasons. We want to know more about how Desmond ended up on the island. It couldn’t have been mere coincidence – not at this point.
One thing is for certain, there is a lot to pack into the final few episodes. It has already come out that Lost asked ABC for more time for the finale – an extra half hour. The final episode will now be longer than most Hollywood movies. Are they scrambling to the end? Let’s hope not. We want to believe Lost has been planned from the beginning not just unfolding as the story develops. If that is the case, will we be able to get the answers we need?
The end of Lost is going to be an epic event. I can’t remember a time I’ve looked more forward to something ending with such excitement and such sadness. It will be a bittersweet event to say the least. You can expect more death to come – more shocking revelations that will make your head spin and regardless of how it leaves us feeling in the end, you can certainly expect one heck of a ride.
