Jack from LOST in his Scrubs
The LOST finale was very well done. It wrapped up the show and even though it didn’t answer every single question that the show presented, it was still good. The finale left some parts up to the imagination of the viewer and I was happy about that. You see, one thing that LOST did around season 5 was that the show shifted from a program that was focused primarily on technology and science-fiction, with splinters of spirituality mixed in; into a show that was focused on spirituality and relationships. In the beginning of the show the 815 survivors were trying to stay alive on the island and cope with issues regarding their lack of food, water, medical supplies, and proper shelter. But as the show progressed, we were introduced to the “Hatch” and the interesting technology of the Dharma Initiative. I am pretty sure the Hatch and the technology really sparked people’s continued interest in the show. It was always intriguing to find out what kind of strange experiments that the Dharma Initiative was doing on their stations. Also there was a lot of mystery behind why the Dharma Initiative was doing what they did. That mystery along with the unknowns about the “Smoke Monster” and why the island was able to increase people’s healing rates made for a very compelling show.
But all along there was always a spiritual side to the show, especially through the dialogue of John Locke. John often referred to the island as a living entity that he was in contact with and it was clear that his character was doing a great deal of soul searching. As LOST got into its later seasons, the Dharma Initiative became less of a focal point of mystery and more of a backdrop for the settings and a facilitator for plot points. The real mystery began to unfold as we learned more about Jacob. I think this is where some people began to loose some of the “Gee Wiz” interest in the show. Jacob didn’t really give any answers to the big questions and the reason for this is because Jacob was limited by the writers for his character and the overall story. And since the writers are human beings just like us and are not immortal they had to write about Jacob and the spiritual mysteries of the island using archetypes and metaphor.
LOST was known to jump around a great deal since the very first episodes. But when the alternate universe happened in Season 6 it became pretty clear that what was happening in that universe was mostly for the writers to send the viewers a message, rather than trying to further the plot and character arcs. I personally liked the idea that the people were dead and that the universe they were in was a medium for them to “Move On.” If you notice in final episode in the second-to-last scene where Jack is looking at his father’s coffin the stained glass window had symbols representing many of the widely followed religions of the world. This represented that the spiritual place they were in and the church they were in was a realm for all people of all faiths. And that people will be able to find each other. When everyone was in the pews and they were happy to see each other and they were hugging, it felt like this was a vision of what the writers were trying to express as what happens when you die. Because all we really are is the information and memories that we have and the connections with others that we make.
In the end the show actually had very little to do with electromagnetism and harnessing energy for power and profit. LOST was about caring for people and having a family and growing that family by meeting new people. It was interesting for me to see that Ben didn’t want to enter the church. This I think was symbolic of the idea Mortal Sin and/or reincarnation. Ben didn’t let himself transcend because of the guilt he carried for his actions. His karma didn’t let him be with the others. That is a strong message and a hidden warning to the viewers of the show. Think twice about committing evil deeds, they will follow you. But in the end the characters had to forgive themselves and “Let Go” in order to truly enjoy the light.
In the end it didn’t really matter about the island. It mattered about the people. Hurley was supposedly protecting the island in the end. But the island was just a teaching mechanism for the characters in the program and invariably the viewers of the show. Some people may be wondering how the island got the light in the middle of it in the first place. Or others may be asking themselves what the water drinking ritual was, or where Jacob’s mom came from. But none of that really matters.