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5/30: Lost finale— gotta go back!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Arum and Belinda Skelton from WSB-AM invited me to an elaborate “Lost” themed party, but I’m not in town.
The season four finale was worth a party. While not quite as emotionally wrenching as season three finale’s “Through the Looking Glass,” this season’s taut two-hour season ender thrilled from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., answering an impressive number of questions. I was bracing to be disappointed but honestly, the producers gave us fans a satisfying joy ride as we hurl toward the real finale in 2010. We will certainly be savoring the final 35 or so episodes.
Again, kudos to ABC for giving the show a specific end date, an almost unheard of concept in broadcast television. This freed the writers and producers to plan the path of this convoluted, yet fascinating, story to the end. This means every moment, every conversation, every plot twist, has real meaning. In fact, season four had virtually no fat in it at all. I can’t say there was a truly bad episode in 2007-08, something that couldn’t be said for “the Hatch” year of season two and the first half of three when the Jack/Kate/Sawyer love triangle in the Others camp played out and out and out. Before the writers knew there was an end, the show frequently meandered, with episodes that ultimately spun in the wind because the writers didn’t know if they had to keep this stretched out for three years or 10.
This finale is the perfect show to watch twice, but I’m at my parent’s home minus a DVR so I can’t go back now. So my summary below is off the top of my head.
And warning, for those of you who have yet to see the finale, what are you doing reading this? It’s going to be spoilers galore below.
Let’s summarize some of the big questions answered, peppered with new questions or questions yet to be answered.
-The gulf between Jack & Kate has widened deeply in the three years since they got off the island. Kate has no desire to go back to the island, despite Jack’s begging (first during the season three finale, then repeated again tonight). And in a dream, Claire warns Kate not to bring Aaron back. Jack’s ability to corral the others to follow him looks severely compromised.
-We now know that more than just the “Oceanic 6” (and Ben) got off the island. Desmond met up with the love of his life Penny, who saves them all, the most heartwarming moment of the episode. Frank, the helicopter dude, just disappears and we may or may not ever need to see him again.
-Walt is one tall kid now but since the flashforwards are three years after they were saved, that makes sense. Hurley explains to him that they lied to save those who stayed behind. Will they need to bring Walt back, too?
-That lie was perpetuated by Jack, who got the idea from Locke, who stayed behind.
-Well, Ben can move the island via a very cold cave-like dwelling, perhaps where the polar bear we haven’t seen since 2004 hangs out. But in a very arbitrary island rule, Ben can’t go back to the island. Why can’t we see this rule book he has?
-Ben is quite a prepared man. Not only did he have a winter jacket all set to go at the Orchid, but he had matches to light the lantern when he got to that frigid spot to “move” the island.
-Locke is now the savior of the Others. But what does this have to do with the yet unseen Jacob?
-We learn about the Orchid, yet another Dharma experimental station, this one involving time travel and the use of those poor rabbits.
-Michael tries to be a hero in saving the freighter from blowing up. He appears to fail.
-Jin seems to have died on the freighter, along with all those poor extras and Daniel. Is Jin really dead? Are any of them really dead?
-Juliet & Sawyer are still on the “moved” island with Miles, Charlotte, Richard, Locke and the Others. And Rose and Bernard are somewhere on the island, too, right? Big question: where is the island now?
-We know why Sawyer didn’t end up as part of the Oceanic rescued crew. The dang helicopter was leaking fuel thanks to an errant bullet and needed to lose some weight to stay up. I momentarily thought this was the best time for Hurley to bail but nope, Sawyer kissed “Freckles” and leaped instead.
-Sun has the guts to confront Widmore — but to what end? What is her scheme and how will this help everyone? Did he already know that the Oceanic Six were lying before Sun alluded to that?
-And that mindblowing final shot at the funeral parlor: Locke is the dead man in the coffin! I’m sure savvier Losties figured that out but I didn’t see it coming, of course, since he was most adamant out of everybody that he should stay on the island. Why is he there? Did he come back to try to convince Jack and the rest to come back? Maybe we’ll find out next season.
-“All of you have to go back!” Ben proclaims. Why? We don’t exactly know but he makes it clear that Jack leaving the island was a big mistake and that this may be why “bad things” happened afterwards (which we have yet to see.)
-Best one word line, courtesy of Ben in response to Locke telling him he just killed all the folks from the freighter after his vengeful knifing of the evil Keamy. (Keamy had a device attached to him that would set up off the C4 if he died.)
“So?”
Comments
By War Eagle
May 30, 2008 8:15 AM | Link to this
Good title-everyone that watches it is LOST!
By James
May 30, 2008 8:46 AM | Link to this
War Eagle…man if that doesn’t speak for itself, couldn’t get into a good college? Anyway War Eagle, this show is for those with a higher than average amount of gray matter. Unless we include your underwear, I don’t imagine this would include you. The finale was great, I can’t wait until the new season and War Eagle will have Dancing with the Stars to look forward to, also.
By Lunatic Fringe
May 30, 2008 9:05 AM | Link to this
When the helicopter was returning to the ship with the fuel leak, the passengers threw everything that wasn’t bolted down out of the copter. When they landed on the ship they had just enough time to refuel the copter and take off again. Where did they get the raft when the copter went down on the way back to the island?
By LOST is the TV version of crack
May 30, 2008 9:20 AM | Link to this
Awesome finale and I love how they aired (and have been) the previous episode prior to the airing of the new episode. It gets you caught up and plus 3 hours of LOST is pretty sweet.
When’s the season premier?
By Ross
May 30, 2008 9:59 AM | Link to this
The question isn’t “where” is the island now. The question is “when” is the island now?
By The Truth
May 30, 2008 10:04 AM | Link to this
James, And where did you go to school? Since you are far more intelligent than Auburn grads. Moron.
By JME
May 30, 2008 10:54 AM | Link to this
I liked Hurley’s response to Sayid telling him that they’re being watched: “Dude, I have regular conversations with dead people so paranoia is not what I need.” Or something to that effect. I cracked up!
But, yes, I’m wondering how Jack and Ben are going to round everyone up and get them back to the island. And just who does “everyone” mean? Just the Oceanic 6? Or everyone who got off the island, like Walt, Locke, Desmond? Desmond isn’t going back. I thought that Ben couldn’t go back because he moved the island.
As always, next season is too far away! :)
By JME
May 30, 2008 10:59 AM | Link to this
I liked Hurley’s response to Sayid telling him that they’re being watched: “Dude, I have regular conversations with dead people so paranoia is not what I need.” Or something to that effect. I cracked up!
But, yes, I’m wondering how Jack and Ben are going to round everyone up and get them back to the island. And just who does “everyone” mean? Just the Oceanic 6? Or everyone who got off the island, like Walt, Locke, Desmond? Desmond isn’t going back. I thought that Ben couldn’t go back because he moved the island.
As always, next season is too far away! :)
By The Oddball
May 30, 2008 11:58 AM | Link to this
The life raft? Apparently, that was one thing that was not thrown from the helicopter. The tougher question is: when the Oceanic 6 returned to civilization, how did they explain having a raft that obviously was not on board Oceanic Flight 815?
By Carri
May 30, 2008 1:00 PM | Link to this
And how did Kate explain the pregnancy and obviously older than 5 month old baby? Was that Cheech playing Hurley’s dad? I love this show, but it makes me CRAZY!!!
By The Oddball
May 30, 2008 1:14 PM | Link to this
Indeed, that was “Cheech” Marin playing Hurley’s dad. And Kate didn’t fool anyone about the pregnancy — at the first Oceanic 6 press conference, she got a pointed question about being 4 months along when the Marshals arrested her, and there was much skepticism about their “well fed appearance.”
By Chris
May 30, 2008 5:39 PM | Link to this
id like the whispers to be explained fully, and how jacks dad just suddenly appears on the boat.
and the raft. frank tells siyead or desmond to get it while they are fueling up and patching the bullet holes, listen to it real loud, u’ll hear it.
By Deirdre
June 2, 2008 4:39 PM | Link to this
Chris…it’s magic!
The life raft was explained earlier when a …I think…Portugese shipwreck washed up on the shore of the island that the 6 survivors were on…they got supplies from that including the raft. I think. :-)
By linny ,,,=^..^=,,,
June 2, 2008 5:07 PM | Link to this
Deirdre i think you’re right, the earlier finale episode (2 weeks ago) i think mentioned the story that they had to tell (or was that the pre-finale show the week before) anyway…. at one point the whole “concocted story” that jack tells and that they all “agree” to covers how they got from a deserted island to the village, including how they got supplies and the raft.
but oh man…. when did you say the next season begins?
and while Rodney is praising the powers that be for the foresight to have a definite deadline … WHAT will we do when the series ends???? I mean, these people are like extended family by now, LOL!!!