LOST

Last night was the end of an era on TV. Lost wrapped up its six-year run with a near 5 hour finale spectacular. The first 2 hours were dedicated to looking back at seasons past, and included interviews with most of the regular cast. After that, the two and half hour final episode began.

Now with a show like Lost, which is open to a multitude of interpretations and creates more questions than answers, its hard to write an ending that won't disappoint someone for some reason. Lost is an intensely complex show, and perhaps the writers had developed certain story lines with no clean resolution. Of course, the big surprise that the show's creators had saved up was the revelation that all the "flash-sideways" scenes during the last season weren't actually taking place, but were instead a purgatorial-type world. In these flash scenes, Jack suddenly had a teenage son who he fathered with Juliet. Another difference from the earlier season flashbacks was that Sawyer was suddenly a cop. The question remains whether this semi-altered non-existence was exclusively from Jack's perspective.

All in all, I enjoyed the finale. While it didn't answer all my questions, namely what the island actually is, it did bring together lots of familiar faces from earlier seasons and played up the emotional connections between the characters.
Despite its many supernatural and scientific themes, Lost at its core is a show about the relationships between a diverse group of people who must put aside their differences to survive on the mysterious island. It seems almost everyone found their true love, and the scenes where old pairs finally remembered their time on the island together were particularly moving.

Regardless of how you feel, a show with the depth and complexity of Lost will probably never come around again. These days, networks have little patience for shows that require the same of their viewers. So even if you were just a mild follower of the program, try to appreciate this unique show, especially when major networks are parading out their 'original' trial-based procedurals and dramas that take place among hot young med students. Lost allowed viewers to see things how they wanted to, and much was left to the imagination - even in the end. The theme of last night's finale was 'let go'. It's a phrase that should be familiar by now to the avid Lost fan. It was the message given to Jack by his father during the final minutes. To me, it was also a direct message from the show's writers to its most dedicated followers. It's over. Let go. Move on.