446 Comment(s)

1. David Howes | May 24, 2010 | Reply

   Oh rubbish. This ending was exactly the way it should have been from the start. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Well done Darlton. Well done cast, directors crew, the lot. Greatest TV Show of all time. Simples.

2. CK | May 24, 2010 | Reply

   you are wrong about one thing. What happened on the island actually happened. They didn’t all die in the crash. The “sideways” world was a sort of limbo that allowed all of the characters to meet after they died. Whenever that was. For example, Hurley says to Ben, “You were an awesome number 2.” That tells us that Hurley remained alive and as guardian of the island for some time after Jack died. Kate, Sawyer, Myles, et al actually did get off the island on the plane. They died at some point after that. Could have been 2 weeks later or a 60 years later. The sideways world was not actually 2004. It was probably several years in the future.

3. AJF | May 24, 2010 | Reply

   Not so! The ending clearly shows that they did not all die in the crash of Oceanic 815. Remember from Season One, plenty of people did die in the crash, but the survivors buried them near the beach. Over time, some survivors died on the island (Shannon, Sayyid, Charlie, Jack), others died later – offscreen and off the island (Kate, Sawyer). Everything that happened on the island over 6 seasons really did happen. How else do you account for the Dharma Initiative, Ben, Widmore, Desmond and all of the other characters who did not get to the island via flight 815?

   The flash-sideways world was the afterlife – taking place after everyone died, but not in any real time frame. In the end, the characters’ experiences on the island bonded them together – “the most important time of your lives” – and they all reconnected in the afterlife, before moving on to… the light.

4. Jason Scott | May 24, 2010 | Reply

   They weren’t dead from the plane crash! Those that survived the plane crash lived on, on the island. From there on they each continued their journey. At point in their life, like anyone, they died. Upon dieing they THEN went to this limbo-esk place that was the FLASHSIDEWAYS world. In this world they lived out their fantasies or what they were fixated on from their previous life, while biding their time. Upon everyone finally passing on (Presumably Hurley and/ or Ben, seeing as how they were the new Jacob/ Richard combo) so that they could go onto the next part together because their time together was most important. They didn’t die when they crashed, they lived (together) and when they finally died they were together again.

5. BMJT | May 24, 2010 | Reply

   Sorry to disagree with you somewhat, but I strongly recommend you go back and re-watch the final scene w/ Jack + Christian. Hopefully in doing so you will realise that all the characters did not die during the crash, but in fact everything on the island was real, and their arrival in the interstitial ‘purgatory’ occurs only when they die in the real world, be it on the island like Jack, Boon, etc. Or much later on in the future, such as Kate and Sawyer.

6. daithai | May 24, 2010 | Reply

   what a complete let down!! I feel conned by the writers of the show who have taken the money and run.I have watched every episode and now feel gutted!

7. Jason Scott | May 24, 2010 | Reply

   why? How?

8. vanHauser | May 24, 2010 | Reply

   Do Muslim believe in the purgatory? I mean Sayid Jarrah is muslim right… a… wait, what? Eh, I still liked it!

9. Kevin | May 24, 2010 | Reply

   NO!!!

   The island was not purgatory. That place was very much real. That was made very clear. Jack’s dad said that the events that happened and the people they met were the most important things in their LIFE. The alternate reality flashes is purgatory. Again, Jack’s dad said that the alternative place was made by the people to meet up before they move on.

10. LYNN | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    At the end I was like what the hell? I felt stupid cuz I just didnt get it. I expected to at least get a more concrete understanding of what the island was and what they were doing there and to get closure.

11. lisa robinson | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    i loved every single second of the final episode, they were all given a 2nd chance at their happy ever after !!! loved it !!

12. kevin jones | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    clearly when christian said the time you had spent together he did not mean the 20 seconds where they went crashing to earth. The time on the island was real and the part where the blacksmoke is thrown down the light cavern he ends up in the pool and gets transported outside just like jack does when he plugs it back in and the water drips on him. You should really watch the finale again and the part with kate, claire and charlie was really well writen.

13. Lindsey | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    i loved it but what i dont understand is why the “purgatory” started when the plane didnt crash? like what was the whole point of the bomb going of to not crash their plane, so did that not actually work?

14. Jon | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    purgatory an afterlife, a lateral life…. who knows? No one… but one day we will! When will our final episode air?

    show is tweaking with my thoughts on life… are we here? Are there other dimensions or visions of life?

    More questions than answers… in real life!

15. Paula | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    My thoughts are that the island was not real. That it was a place for “lost” souls to go after they died to help them move on to the afterlife. Maybe Oceanic flight 815 didn’t even exists. Maybe they all had died at different times and different places but the illusion of the plane crash was necessary for the characters to find someone in the afterlife that they could love and spend eternity with because they were all alone in their real life and moving into eternity with nothing to “live” for would be tradgic. Remember Jacks quote? “We have to live together or die alone”. This place, the island was to ensure they would not die alone and allowed them to connect with each other and make peace with the mistakes of their past lifes. Once they were “ready” to leave the island, the “sideflash” was necessary to help them see that they were dead and to make peace with that!

16. Gaz | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    The final episode was well written and was emotional at times. However, I was disappointed at the amount of questions that were left unanswered.

    It does seem as though the writers took the easy option, and left most things unanswered.

    I understand what they did do, but if the island was real, why was there no explanation of the polar bears, the radiocative light, Charles Widmore and what his motivation for his actions were, the black smoke, the fact that some people could see ghosts on the island. I also felt that the Dark Man (posessed Locke) was killed too easily.

    There are hundreds of questions which weren’t answered. I do have one point though, I was under the impression that the plane in which Kate, Claire and Sawyer eventually took off was rigged with bombs that Widmore had put on it? Have I got that wrong?????

17. pete | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    i didnt find it too bad the one thing disapointing was the fact that the big twist and shock of the programme was all to do with the alternate reality when we had only be introduced to it in this last season…so really most of the show was fill in, i wish the ending had more to do with the past 5 season we had watched based on the island!!

18. Michael | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    They definately survived the plane crash. Everything on the island was real and happened and then at some point during their lives they died, as we all do. They made the sideways life themselves. A place they could go to, remember and let go when the time was right…in this case when Jack arrived. If everyone died on the island and it was purgatory why would random characters like Lapidus, Miles and Charlotte who were never even on the plane turn up. It all totally made sense to me. Maybe thats the genius of it…we all have our own take on it as we do likewise on beliefs and religion. The main thing is the enjoyment this programme provided to myself and many others and over 6 years I feel privaliged to have watched this show. Much of it and the characters srtuggles I related to. It will stay with me truly for a long time.

19. Ryan | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    I loved it and it was really well written, I know that there are not going to be answers to everything as reference to letting go in the final eposide when Christian was talking to Jack.

    So what I want to know is:-

    If the island was purgatory then they all died on the plane crash?

    If they all died on the plane crash and their death on the island lead them to a cosmic waiting room would that explain why some people where able to get off the island at the end only to exist for longer in purgatory as they had to be punished for longer, Sawyer and Kate had been murderers?

    All I know is that the island wasn’t a real place all though we where lead to believe it was.

    Wasn’t it a great series though.

20. Hannah | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    I believe the events on the island were very much real. as stated, the sideways flash was a waiting room for heaven where they all met up to move on together. I belioeve that the island was another dimension all together similiar to “the Langoliers” watch that one and you will relaise what I mean.

21. Ryan | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Real is what you experience and know to be fact, the island was not in any way real as I or anyone else experiences our own existance. There is no black smoke, time travel, magnetic feilds or golden streams. That is why the island has to be purgatory and why other people are on it who where not on the plane crash.

22. E | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Can anyone explain what happened with Daniel Faraday?
    Maybe I’ve just forgotten a big chunk but after Charlotte died on the island (ages ago) he seemed to just disappear. Where did he go?
    And how did the Daniel in the flashsideways seem to know what was going on?

23. kevin jones | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    i agree that alot was unanswered but the polar bear was a experiment the dharma were working on which must of escaped thats what they tried to get at in season three whats bugging me is juliet said it worked so what worked and why were babies not able to be born on the island what was the temple where the blacksmoke lived and how could jack have had a son with juliet but not know who she is on the island and what did locke mean when he said but jack you dont have a son so many questions

24. Alan | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    The island was real, along with all the events that took place on it. Thought it was a brilliant ending but wouldve liked more answers about the island. After all the hype i felt the smoke monster man was killed too easily. It was good to see the old faces popping up again. Gutted its over

25. Tom | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Lock had removed the explosives and put them in jacks medical bag, the same explosive which blew up the sub

26. Chris | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Well, if I could go back in time 6 years, I would go back and convince myself to never ever watch this show. I would probably go back 4 years actually and tell myself that of the 34,573,958,343 questions I had, about 4 would be answered. Anyone, anyone could write this. Just make up anything and everything as you go. Doesn’t have to make sense, if it’s fun and crazy, just put it in there. I will never ever watch anything that has anything to do with Cuse or Abrams again. Awful. I feel betrayed.

27. tony west | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    If the island was real then can someone explain why hurly never lost any weight, why Richard never aged, why cancer was cured, why John Locke could walk, or are we going to believe the island had some magic non ageing magical healing powers.

    I think the island was the waiting room to purgatory and LA was Purgatory. You were tested on the island by good and bad, if you were bad you died and went to hell however if you proved deep down you were a good soul and redeemed yourself of any bad you had done then you left the island to goto purgatory and would meet with your lost friends and goto to the church (heavens door)

28. Vin | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Gaz, if you don’t know why there were polar bears on the island, than you never watched the show.

    Of all the questions to ask that one was most certainly answered years ago. However, many questions were not answered, which is why we are able to debate the many answers to them.

29. Ben | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    There were a lot of questions left at the end. I will agree with that. I do believe that the island was real, and that they all died at different times (Saayid blowing himself up, Sun and Jin in the sub, Jack at the last scene, etc.) The flash sideways was a place that they all went to after death. The timeline there can not be set, b/c some people died either earlier or later than others. The scene with the church is of course them moving on to th afterlife, and Benjamin Linus is apparently going stay on earth to “work some things out”. As for the island, it’s some crazy place were a bunch of weird stuff goes on. That’s about all I know.

30. mark uk | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    The island was the life and they all met up when ALL of them died. That could have been a week or 60 years later. Hugo and ben looked after the island together,we know this cause hugo said to ben you were a great number 2 and ben said hugo was fantasti number 1!! That’s how I see it anywaym

31. Bill | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Have you people never watched a series like this before? Everyone who says they feel let down, or wanted more closure or understanding…did you really not see this kind of ending coming? It left some details unexplained, but that doesn’t mean they were unexplainable. The writers did what they should have done, and stressed the meaning behind it all. If you want concrete answers for everything, you probably should have realized after the first episode or two that this was not the show for you. As for Kelly (the writer of this article), rather than just say you got it wrong in thinking that the island was purgatory, Jacob was an angel, and that God was testing them, I think there could be some truth to this. At the end of the episode, I was getting those vibes, so I do know where you’re coming from. There are two possibilities that I’m toying with: (a)Like all the previous commenters said, the island was real, and everything that happened until they died was real, and then the flash-sideways world was a place they created together so they could move on into the afterlife together. and…(b)That the island was a real place, in the sense that people could obviously get to and from it, but that it also was a kind of purgatory for them, that Jacob represented good, and his brother evil, and that the survivors of oceanic flight 815 felt a need for the place, because they were in fact meant to be there. And then the same “meet-up world” idea follows. I like both these theories, and I like shows that make me think and find my own meaning. I can’t understand why anyone who did invest six years into this show would complain about this ending, when a constant theme has always been, that no one ever knows what the hell is going on!

32. plo | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    what was the point of jack’s “son” ever being in the show then? lol

33. randy | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Let’s be honest here…they threw all of these questions at us over the past six years and then…nothing. This was the lazy way out…I am so tired of people saying “what do you think this meant? Well, I think it meant this…I think it meant that.” Whatever. The writers of this show owe it to us to simply answer all of the questions.

34. Will T. | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Terrible ending in that it left open a ton of questions. Q1) What is the island? A: Nobody knows. What is worse is that Jacob supposedly knew what the island was but never told Jack anything. Q2) How did the man in black become transformed into the smoke monster? A: Nobody knows. Q3) What was the purpose of the temple on the island and what stopped the smoke monster? A: Nobody knows. Q4) What exactly were the rules about candidates? A: Nobody knows. Q5) What was the wheel that moved the island in space/time? A: Nobody knows.

    I could go on and on and on, and the fact is nobody really knows and if at the end of the show, nobody knows any of the major events in the story then it’s clear that the writers, who claimed over and over that there was a good explaination, actually either lied or don’t know themselves.

    Which leads me to believe that they all actually did die in the initial plane crash. This is why Jack returns to the exact spot where he woke up in episode 1 to die. The island is essentially purgatory and you can’t get off the island or die until purgatory Heaven or whatever is after purgatory is ready to take you. Apparently, Heaven wasn’t ready for them (or they weren’t ready for Heaven) and hence they spent time on the island working out their issues.

    This is why Sawyer kills his childhood enemy, John Lock could walk, cancer was cured and people never aged. The island has to be purgatory. I just wish they had spelled it out in the ending a bit better and answered at least some of the questions.

35. nook | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    I liked the ending but as said many times.. im so confuuuuuses! Where is walt?? Miles? Richard, why was he immortal?? Whats the whole poit of jacob and the MiB story?? This is srsly confusing..
    still i liked it

36. Christoph | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    How can so many people be sooo stupid? Everything that happened on the island actually did happen. The Flash sideways was everyone finding eachother in the afterlife sharing the common bond of their time on the island being the most important part of their lives. After they died they got to experience their lives again as great as they could’ve been before moving on. Still… what exactly is the island? We will never know. It is a place of magic and mystery that has never been fully understood, even by Jacob and the Man in Black (smoke monster). It’s a place that gives purpose to those who feel they have no purpose.
    The show was great, the ending was great. There were some unanswered questions but you’ll just have to draw your own conclusions.

37. Franck | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Pretty intricate stuff this whole Lost serie. My take is that as complex of a job as the writers did, they would not allow a “real” airplane crash from 25-30,000 feet in the air(4-6 miles) to have survivors in the first place; I think they’re all dead to begin with. What we see is a possible story of what happens next, a story of all these “lost” souls. On the island, each lost individual constructs his/her own “reality” in order to find some closure for what happened to them in their past life; they all add pieces to this “place”/puzzle; ghost, bears, etc. and experience the presence of other entities already there; the others, the black smoke, Jacob who still hasn’t found closure and can’t move on…. None of it is real like Richard said in the last season…except for the plane crash…so don’t feel bad for the polar bear that Sawyer shot…it wasn’t real

38. Pearl | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Chris I agree with you
    I feel betrayed and cheated. the storys just piled up with hints to myth, mystics, science, literature, did I forget anything? and none of those were addressed in the finals and or in the preceeding two episodes.
    And what exactly is the moral message in saying they all got a second chance on island, and then have the good guy die just like the bad guy?
    Purpose? what exactly was Jack’s purpose?
    to die for the island? what exactly is the island? not the ‘cork’ thing.. give us a break. physicaly, scientificaly what was the island that Jack’s purpose was to die for?

39. Steve | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    The Finale had some outstanding moments in it. The first three quarters were truly gripping and emotional. However as the clock ticked and the show continued to the ending I began to become nervous… I can come up with an answer that the island contained the balance between good and evil, heaven and hell. The stone plug being the pivot betwwen the forces of light and dark but honestly was it really too much to ask after so many years of watching and loving the greatest television journey of all time to want some questions answered? Yes they ticked the boxes in terms of the relationships and who ended up with who and all that but this show made a BIG BIG point about the intellectual questions it asked. That is what set it aside from more mundane television. The numbers? The special powers? The time-travel? The statues and temples and symbolism? The character connections? The Electro Magnetism? The button? The healing? The dying mothers? ….on and on I could go. None of these questions got anything but vague hazy suggestions for resolution. The quality of thought and imagination of the writers from day one has always been fantastic which makes the ending that ‘they all die in the end’ feel like a rather lame let down to be honest. I enjoyed LOST from start to finish but it’s like the greatest novel ever written had half it’s pages torn out. Still exciting and interesting but very unsatifying on the last page as you try to grasp for a mere hint as to what you could and can never understand. Oh well.

40. Ryan | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Tony your right the island is not real and anyone who thinks it is has missed the point here somewhere.

41. khaynes | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    I have a slightly different theory. Both the Island and the ideal afterlife were stages of the after life. They all died in the plane crash and everyone they ever interacted with was dead (even after they escaped the island, those people were dead too). The “dead” people who came to visit were at a different stage of the afterlife. The island was the lower stage of the afterlife where people struggle, the “sideways” world was an advanced stage of the afterlife, and the Church was where they finally moved on into the highest stage, the light. This is in line with how the Yoruba believe ancestors evolve after death. In some Eastern religions, the dead are given small offerings by the living in order to help them succeed in their struggle to join the “light” (the “One”, God, or whatever you choose to call it).

42. Kristine | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    I like the main theory; island life happened, everyone eventually died and are now together, BUT, I like your answer too because I feel it answers the question about how weird the island was. Thanks for that other option.

43. ken f | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    i just wasted 5 years watching this rubbish
    the power of tv keeps you watching even when you know it dont make sense , no more subscribing tv for me , im going to find something better to do with my life from know on ……….

44. GINNIE | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    I’m pretty sure the writes stated about 5 years ago the show was not about purgatory or death. I hated this ending and could have stopped watching it after the first season when I was sure that it was about the after life and finding peace. A funny thought came into my head about an half hour before show ended. words from the song Amazing Grace. “I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.” The entire show was about people who spiritually was lost and upon death had to find peace with themselves which lead them to open their eyes to love. Therefore, making death a comforting finality of life.

45. Mike | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    I’m In limbo on this one…. I too had seen each and every episode, many even twice! I guess In the end I have many questions, and feel as if the writers simply took the easy way out! After all the twists and turns, I felt as if the ending was predictable, and almost boring! I was hoping for the typical lost twist at the end that would have been a jaw dropper which answered some of the many questions. Instead all of our “friends” from lost end up walking to the light going to heaven. Though the end was emotional, it simply did not give me 6 years of justification for watching… I feel duped!

46. Taylor | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Chris, I’m sorry that your vision is so limited. This show had so much more substance than you will probably ever grasp. I’m sorry that you are unable to see the forest thru the trees.

47. John Smith | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    You’ve totally got it right. Yours is the most sensible explanation of all the ones I’ve seen. How do we know? The picture of the lifeless plane lying on the beach after the crash. They all died, and, as you said, the island was purgatory where they found the meaning that had alluded them. The sideways universe was what they created so they find each other once each was “ready” to move on.

48. B in DC | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    I was totally taken by the finale, I cried, I laughed, I cried some more, etc. And then the last 30 mins happened. After the final scene – I thought to myself, “Titanic?” like when Jack and Rose meet after Rose dies. Jack and the other passengers of the boat were all ‘waiting’ for her. I feel totally duped, 6 years of intense watching and analyzing, for what?! A James Cameron, Titanic ending?!

    If the island was real, why Polar Bears? Why Horses? Who were the Dharma, who were the others? Cancer cured? John can walk? Please.

    There was no point of the flash forward episodes. Basically we could have watched season 1 which was everyone’s backstories and season 6, which is everyone’s purgatory stories.

49. Rob Stack | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Fantastic episode!

    I believe the “island” brought all of these flawed characters together on the island to fix the mess that Jacob created (ei, the smoke monster that was threatening existence). This was their task. In return the island gave them each other. A chance to find their soul mates and friends, a chance at peace. The bomb in season 5 did work by creating a purgatory for them,to find each other again and move on together. (Kinda like the final scene in Titanic.) It’s the only place a world without the island could exist. There was no time relevance in the flash sideways. All we know is it is sometime after they all die. Christian says “There is no now here.”

    Jacks purpose was to fix the island. That is why he died there. Kate and Claire had to raise Erin together that is why they got off. They still had purpose off the island. Everyone who left the island had purpose off of it.

    TOO MANY THOUGHTS RUNNING THROUGH MY HEAD!

    -Jack never had a son because it was Juliet’s sisters baby that they raised.

50. MCR40 | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Did they all die when Jack blew off the nuke? Thats when the sideway flashes/purgatory started. Did that really sink the island? It would appear that it didn’t as the island was still there in 2007 as were Jack and Kate and everyone that would have died by the nuke blast… It doesn’t make sense…too many questions and I want answers…Someone help

51. Gina | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    I feel like a complete idiot. Ihad to read all your posts to even grasp what the heck happened. I did think that the island was purgatory in the first season, but the end left me “Lost”. There are parts I can make sense of, but the more I think about what all happened in the finale the more I think I was wrong. Ya’ll have some really good idea’s. It’s gonna help me put this thing to bed. I am going to miss the show.

52. Milan | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    My take is this –

    Hurley was never immortal, hence the reason he was in the sideways world. He and Ben protected the island as mortals.

    The island serves as a way to keep the real and sideways world separate. The strong electromagnetic field maybe a way to do this. When the cork was taken out and the light vanished, the sideways Jack had blood on his neck at the same time the island Jack was having his throat slit by John Locke (smoke monster).

    We never knew really what experiments were being done by the Dharma Initiatives. Maybe they had something to do with this.

    I think the writers gave us more answers than we know. We have to connect the dots.

53. Harry | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    TOny and Ryan, that’s a good point. However, I am assuming that means everyone died together on the plane? If that is the case, how do you explain people like Penny and Widmore who were not on the plane?

54. Alexis | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    The ending was beautiful, but simplistic. So many questions arised and were ment to mind-boggle the viewers. This is precisely what the creators wanted to portray in this episode. Not all of the questions were supposed to be answered.

55. Gina | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Oh yeah, one more question if anyone has an answer. The scene where Micheal appeared to Hurley as ghost Micheal said he couldn’t leave the island because he had murdered Libby, could that mean the island really was hell and only those who didn’t commit a “crime” could possiably escape. And maybe Smokey really was the devil trying to escape to corrupt the rest of the world?????

56. Smooth | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    GAZ – I thought the same thing about the bombs on the plane but then I remembered that Locke found them and eventually used them to blow up the sub. I spent 6 yers of life wathcing every episode of that show and even though I too would have liked more answers you gotta love the writers for not giving them to us. Maybe they didn’t truly konw that answers themselves. Many of oyu said “they took the easy way out” but in actuality I think contriving answers to many of the questions that plaque most of our spritual walks on this earth would have been the easy way ans certainly would have been swayed by their own interpretations and belief in where we all are now and we we all will go when our time here has ended. Bravo…bravo.

57. jules | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    I THOUGHT UP UNTIL WATCHING THE FINAL EPISODE LAST NIGHT THAT BY JULIET SETTING THE BOMB OFF THE SIDEWAYS FLASHES WERE FOR AN ALTERNATE WORLD WHERE THE ISLAND DIDNT EXIST (COZ OF THE BOMB AND THAT THE PLANE DIDNT CRASH AND ARRIVED SAFELY.

58. Beth | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Tony is 100% correct. It’s surprising that so many people think the island was real. They all died in the crash. In the LA purgatory, even Aaron is born, only to actually be dead all along – how can a dead person give birth to a live baby? Also, remember after Locke’s surgery when Jack says he needs to meet up with his son, Locke tells him pretty emphatically that he doesn’t have a son. The sideways flashes are all fantasies. It’s how everyone would have liked their lives to be.

    This finale was not a disappointment at all. It answered all my questions, even the one about the polar bear. Since they were all dead, the polar bear really never existed.

    The bottom line is I will miss this program.

59. susie | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Loved it although we still have some uncertainties. Guess its a success if we are still talking about it.
    Smoke man didn’t “die to easy”. He only became vulnerable, possibly more human, after the cork was removed by Desmond.

60. jim pinigis | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    I thought it was great! It’s like every good novel you don’t know what to expect till the end. I do believe they were all dead from the plane wreck. They shadowed their own existence doing the things they knew in purgatory. And if there is a purgatory you stay till you become aware that life moves on and you accept your own mortality. I especially liked that when they did become aware of their own mortality, it was in an instant which is the teaching of almost all religions that within that instance you know and then you can move on to heaven. And awareness is not the same for everybody, that is why some died sooner then others. The funniest parts or ironic were when Jake, Desmond and the smoke monster (Father Son and Holy Smoke) the Trinity went to the river of souls ak The Light. And when Jake laid down to die on the island. Here comes the dog to lay beside him. He’s to the right hand side of dog. But! If you read Hebrew and Arabic they are read right to left putting Jake on the right hand side of GOD. It’s hard to summarize 6 years in an instant but it was well worth the ride. Very stimulating and engaging mind game that a large group could participate in discussing nation wide or even world wide. To those that were disappointed, look where it brought you. You probably have a whole series of friend that you never would have had a conversation with around the water cooler. Let’s hope we don’t become lost in our trivial pursuit. Don’t we all feel a little LOST at some time? Sorry to end that with a question for those that want answers.

61. sc | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Ok – loved the finale – but I am trying to figure out what the numbers that where such a focus for so long were important. Can anyone answer that?

62. NJK | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Agreed. The island IS purgatory, just as the flash sideways was, where they realized they were dead.

    Richard was a deeply religious man and very tortured soul for what he had done in life (killing the man), which explains why he was there for so long. It wasn’t until he was able to let go of that, that he was ready to “move on.”

    All of the characters had “issues” to work through and redeem themselves from before they could move on. The island (i.e. purgatory) gave the the opportunity to do so.

    The other people on the island, who were not on the Oceanic flight, were also dead and working their way through their “sins” as well. Ben could not go
    Into the church, when Hurley invited him, because he had not fully worked through all his yet. He had not been redeemed and made ready to enter heaven just yet. As he stated, he was not ready or finished, therefore he was going to stay outside.

    The island being purgatory would also explain why babies conceived on the island died. The parents were dead, therefore they couldn’t “make life.”

    I think a lot of people, even Christians, are going to have a hard time with this explanation because they aren’t fully accepting of the idea of a purgatory. I spent 20 years of my life heavily involved in evangelical Christianity, before coming to the realization that Catholicism is where I need to be on my spiritual quest, several years ago. So I fully embrace the idea of purgatory and why it is needed. It just makes sense to me when you really understand and study what it is! However, the majority of my family is still evangelical and think I am a “whack job” for moving to the Catholic faith. And they certainly do NOT buy i to a purgatory theory. Many of them are die hard “LOSTies”. My guess is they are not taking this ending too well. LOL.

63. Pete Bearing | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    So basically I just saved myself 6 years of watching that show since I said after the first or second episode to friends who were so engrossed that it all seemed like some sort of purgatory or after death experience. I’m sure it was an entertaining ride, but now, finding out I was completely right back then, I am sort of disappointed. I was thinking of “netflicking” the show and now I just would feel so let down. I remember a movie in the 70′s that ended up with the same premise. A group of people on a small plane land on a tropical island with a small resort and each end up wanting to get home, but can’t. The staff of the resort just seem to disregard their desire to get on the sea plane that is pulling away from the dock or some other get away option. In the end it was the exact same thing. The place was purgatory, or hell and they weren’t supposed to be able to get away. I wish I hadn’t seen that movie back then because then this show might have been so tell-tale from the start and been more entertaining. I’m glad my friends enjoyed it, but now I can also say I told you so to those who ridiculed me that it was so much more than some after death experience.

64. Robert | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    I’m sorry but the show just didn’t make much sense (I’m speaking to the whole series here). It is plainly obvious that the writers were in a mad scramble to invent a plot way back in season two. The bottom line is that they had no idea what the plot was! I think that the grand “character analysis” and the whole afterlife scenario are totally tacked on afterthoughts; the afterlife, in particular, is cheap writing vehicle that progressed their story to a totally illogical ending. In regards to the acting, I agree with several of the posters here. The cast did a wonderful job. Very emotional etc. etc. But I feel gypped by Abrams and Cuse.

65. Bobby Sparkle | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    The Man In Black removed the C4 in a previous episode.

66. Leigh Fox | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    I just wanna know what the heck all the Egyptian stuff was, that huge statue, who built all the temple stuff, what exactly was that white light, why women couldn’t have babies on the island, how/why did jacob amd MIB live so long… i mean… they were just 2 dudes right?! Jacob NEVER explained how or what they were protecting. Show really let me down with building up all this science and then not delivering on any of it. Also, the MIB and Jack working together at the end to lower Desmond into the cave was ridiculous- very anticlimatic show down there!

67. Scott | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    I think those of you that believe the island was “real” are missing the point. The island is not real. Everyone on the “plane” was already dead even before it crashed. Random characters can appear at any time because they’re dead. The island was in fact nothing more than opportunity. An opportunity for these “flawed” souls to redeem themselves for there past sins. To form relationships. To feel true love. To feel what they missed on earth before they moved on to the next life waiting for them. The greatness of the story lies in the free will of the island. Even though you are dead you can choose between good or evil. To help your fellow man or turn your back on those in need. The stories they told about themselves could be true or they could just be that…stories. Stories that drew them together. Allowed them to related to one another and work towards one goal. Surviving. And in the process find the goodness in each other that will allow them to move on.

68. Brian | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    I keep going back and forth on two theories. One was LA was purgatory. The island is not real but not purgatory. It was a test of their morals and character. Their choices and actions on the island decided whether they would be able to meet each other in purgatory and move on or be trapped for eternity.

    The other was LA was purgatory and everything that happened on the island was real and as they died on the island, they were able to enter LA purgatory that was created by them. They were all lonely before the crash and this traumatic experience linked them together and they all had to find each other in purgatory in order to move on.

    Either way, it was intended to envoke these struggles and questions inside of you. If you wanted a clear cut answer, then you missed the meaning of the show entirely. There is no clear cut answer in life. I for one will ponder this for some time to come.

69. Flarts | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Hmmm, disappointing to say the least. The final run of episodes in this last season certainly were the best episodes of this entire series, building into the big expectation that we are going to see some strong, extraordinary TV in the final 2 episodes. But alas, we were let down by some very soft story writing, with the appearance that the writer’s had written themselves into a corner of no escape, as if they had managed to get stuck on their own island themselves. We had all possibly read the story that was put “out there” on the interent last week by “someone” that the writers were told they only had a 2 hour time slot, and that no matter how they tried to edit the final 2 episodes, they were overtime by 30 minutes. I’m now shuddering to think what vital parts of the story, indeed possibly the important parts that answered so many of our questions completely, may have ended up on the Edit Room floor!!! Or will this be a ploy by the producers to sell more DVD’s of the final season, with the promise of “Nearly 50 minutes of unviewed scenes, answering your many questions of the Lost Series”!! Hmmm, watch this space, guy’s!!

    Sure, it’s great to finally have an ending to a series that broke some boundaries in storytelling over the last 6 years, but it was very disappointing to get what we ended up with.

    There were moments where I was making excuses to the wife about “there’s something in my eye”, attempting to cover up the bare fact that I was moved to tears (Sun and Jin finally remembering what had happened), but there were so many questions that we were led to believe would be answered in these final 2 episodes that weren’t even touched on. I think everyone on these forums pretty much had the basic plot thought out correctly, and some of the theories bounced back and forth certainly made for good discussion points around the water cooler between friends and work colleagues.

    Honestly, some of the theories by the viewers actually would have made a much better ending storyline compared with what we got. If anything, the Lost experience will make me think twice about committing my time and money into any series that promises so much to deliver, but falls short of it’s mark.

70. Clif | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    I think the questions about what’s “real” are beside the point. The writers obviously used modern theories of physics as a theme in the show, and the possibility of separate “realities” have been theorized by physicists since Einstein, at least. Purgatory is a concept with roots in pre-Christian Judaism, and the show seems to be an attempt to reconcile the ancient ideas with modern science. The result is a compelling story with enough grounding in science/religion to make it at least plausible, and they told the story masterfully. Congratulations to all involved. Whatever’s next, I’m there!

71. Icepulse | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    At the last moments of Jack’s life, he sees the charred shoe hanging from the branch… I think this is telling us that the entire story (Dharma Initiative, Smoke monster, Jacob etc.), right up until his last meeting w/ Christian was just a fevered dream in his(Jack’s)own mind. All the people that populated the story were merely people that Jack had met at some point in his life, prior to getting on that plane. Even when Christian says that the events that happened and the people they met were the most important things in their lives… This is all just part of the delusional malfunction of a dying man’s brain.

72. Janet S | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Thank you, Tony. I think you’re exactly right. I couldn’t put my finger on what I was thinking, but you were able to do it for me.

73. But | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    What about the nuclear bomb? What was its point? Did it create the afterlife world? Did it kill everyone, thus causing the afterlife sideways realty place?

    How does the bomb fit into this?

74. Maya Rose/May 24,2010 | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    It was a love/hate relationship! Isn’t that just life! The only answers we have our our own. The finale made me cry. There were no real answers. What about baby Erin, wasn’t there something about him, like the dark side that would take over if he left the island? And come on, it wasn’t the same dog, duh! But I love the dog being there!! I truly loved all the characters, and the show, but could we get some writers that are actually smart enough to pull the whole thing together!

75. gracie | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    I thought the finale was a fitting ending to the series. I believe the plane crash was real, and the initial 48 people survived the crash and lived the rest of their lives on the island. I do not believe the Oceanic 6 were ever really rescued and had to find a way back to the island.
    In the LA segment last night Kate delivered Claire’s baby just as she had on the island, and Charlie, Claire and the baby were together in the church, which meant they were all dead. If the rescue to LA had been real, Aaron would not have been with Claire and Charlie in the church, or if he was with them he would not have been an infant because he was a toddler when Kate was raising him in LA.
    I think the survivors somehow interacted with real people in the sideways LA segments because Mrs. Farraday was at the concert and feared that Desmond was going to take her son, Daniel, with him. Had she been dead, too, she could have just gone with her son.
    Or, maybe I’m overthinking the entire concept.
    Also, the comment made about the plane being wired to explode is right. Did Kate, Sawyer and the others really escape or did the plane explode, killing them all?

76. tj | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Daniel was shot by his mother elouise hawking in thr 1970s

77. But | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Btw I think tony is might be right. But still, what about the bomb? It was the major point of season 5.

78. gweduck | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    I am still LOST!!!, but I have several unanswered questions. Why would Richard leave the Island? He had been there for hundreds years and never aged. And what about all the characters that came and went during the 6 years? Many where never mentioned, but had major story lines at some point.
    There are too many unresolved story lines for me. So, I guess I will be forever LOST.
    Great acting, great production, great music – Story line ???

79. Lynn | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    I thought it was a beautiful and happy (which no one does happy endings anymore) ending. Of course there are going to be plenty of people who are disapointed because it was such an intense show for 6 years, but it was a conclusive ending that was just ambiguous enough for you to take away several of your own conclusions. For everyone who thinks that they have been “cheated” by the producers I would love to hear your creative ideas or watch you put together one of the best shows ever aired.

80. Icepulse | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    …it would certainly exonerate the writers from having to create valid explanations for all the unanswered lunacy that went down on the island; “There IS no logical explanation! It was all a delusion!!”.

81. BenDover | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    The endings to Lost, Seinfeld, The X files and other shows make me NEVER want to watch any TV series again.

    The idea that given enough time, a bunch of monkeys hitting keys randomly could type great works of literature is shown to be true. In much less time, the final episodes to Lost, Seinfeld, and The X files were “created”. Unfortunately, the weren’t even great TV.

82. gweduck | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    How could the island be purgatory? You don’t meet new people in purgatory. Suffer for your sins.

83. dereck janniere | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    To my understanding, all the events on the island happened. They died eventually and the side universe was a waiting purgatory so everyone can grieve and move on to the after life together. My only questions are 1. What happened to the black people. Lol. Michael and Walt and also Mr Ecko. 2. I thought Desmond has the ability to experience a glimpse of alternate realities. So how can he see purgatory? 3. The last frame on the screen shows a destroyed plane on the island. It is not the same wreckage as the first plane crash (Oceanic 815). It looks like the finale plane. Does this means the duck tape didn’t work and Kate, Sawyer,Miles and company died a little while after Jack died? 4.bonus question…I thought Walt had wishing powers, like the kid in the twilight zone episode. They totally abandoned that idea. 5. oh yeah..Why did only certain females go crazy on the island? 6. What happened to the Russian with the eye patch in the real universe? 7. I have much more questions..but anyway, I enjoyed the show, but as a filmmaker and a writer I can tell they were making s$$$ up as they went along. Lol. THEY WROTE THEMSELVES INTO A CORNER WITH TOO MANY UN ANSWERED QUESTIONS AND DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO ANSWER THEM. But still very entertaining.

84. barbara | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Does it mean that BEN became Jacob and now watching the island or was he pushed into hell because he was so bad and he did not go into the church what happened to him

85. Matt | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Please people! If anyone could write this, then you write it! I’m so tired of hearing people complain about this show – it is hands down the greatest series on television – ever. PERIOD. Just because you don’t understand everything makes it great. If idiots like you could fathom every mystery, I’d stop watching it after the pilot. if anyone on this comment board ever writes anything close to as epic as this, I’d wipe my a$$ with it!

86. Island Bob | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    In total agreement with latest comments. Island was real. But what was the point of the island? That’s what I’ve been waiting 6 years for!

87. sandy | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    I think the island represented creation. Jacob and the Man in Black had come into existence – when? I believe about 2000 years ago. So I guess in a sense they were both Christ-like figures although the Man in Black SEEMED to be the “fallen angel” but why? Because he wanted off the island? I would have wanted off of it, too.

    (Oh, for the person who asked about the polar bears – if you’re reading this – they were left over from Darhma – they were experimenting with animals and after the people were all gone, eventually the bears freed themselves from the cages)

    I liked it. I think that the reason we didn’t have answers to everything is because in life, in real life, we don’t have answers to everything. We debate our existence with others all the time. Evolution? Creationism? Is there room for both? So I think the island, in the show, may represent the birth of creation, and how can there be answers to why creation began? Can’t find those in real life – for sure – so we certainly can’t expect to find them in a TV show.

    On a different note….

    I’m a sappy person who LOVED when Sawyer and Juliette reunited. I could feel their pain of losing each other all over again as well as the joy of being reunited. I didn’t figure out they were all dead until Locke said to Jack, “But you don’t have a son.” That’s when it FINALLY hit me!

88. Island Bob | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    meant to say “earlier” comments, but I do have the same questions as Tony.

89. Andre | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    am saying that everyone died when the plan crashed because u never told me what the island really was is why am saying this … think about it why when they was saying we all have to go back season 5 but u never bring Aren back cause he never was real just something that was wanted by the crew and if penny was there going to heaven when did she die ?? I always said that when I found out Locke could walk that all of them were dead then explain the hole richard when locke was born he sees him and says he is special and looked the same at that point was he an Angel … again there dead on the island the Jacob and the MIB/smoke was them choosing heaven or hell

90. Bret | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    The plane was rigged with C4, but Locke found the bomb and removed it. This was the bomb that later sunk the submarine.

91. frank | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    I started saying after the first couple of years that the writers had no idea where they were going with the show. They wrote a show about people lost on a island and that was about all they had. Then it got popular and they had to make a “storyline” so they threw crazy stuff in there that has no explanation and then just never answered any of it. No intellectual integrity but hey, they made lots of money.

92. Scotto | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    I loved the episode. It was powerfully emotional, well written and acted. And in true lost fashion, answered some questions while keeping others open for interpretation. People are too caught up on what the island was and where the polar bear came from(could a polar bear survive on a tropical island?). The show is about the characters and their arcs. This series was the most original, intelligent and creative show ever and I’ll miss it. It will be fun to forget about it and then rewatch it all through a different perspective.

93. Jason H | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Even though I liked the ending, for a show of it’s own, I was still disapointed in the lack of answers. It ddidn’t upset me as bad as the Saprano”s ending, but it did dissapoint. Just like all other great shows the fans should have written the end. We could have written a much better ending. I would have made the island purgetory and the light and darch Characters could have been collecting souls. If the dark carachter got off the “Island” then it would have been hell on earth. I am just a fan and I believe I could have come up with a better ending.

94. Schroeder | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Lost is just that, L O S T! We, as the characters, were lost from the beginning, and in the end, were found. No one will ever know for certain, for every angle spun another, and for every question answered, came 50 more that were unanswered. In the end, Lost was exactly what the title says, and each viewer has their own take on the happenings, the reality, the flash for wards, the flash back wards, and the flash sideways. Personally, I concur with many of you that the flash sideways was a kind of Purgatory, a waiting room for each character to truly understand their existence. Once that reality came to light, they all knew what was next, to step into the light. A very touching end to a wild and exciting ride for the past six years.

    I am not sure about Hurley’s and Ben’s #1 and #2 reference, it might have to do with their taking the place of Jack on the Island, but I truly don’t understand that twist. Also, when Jack finally does close his eyes, was that the plane that just took off from the Island? And what of the dog that was referred to by the Smoke Locke that just happened to show up at the moment of Jack’s death.

    Again, I believe it is up to each viewer to make their own connection to this series, for in the end, that is what really matters, and that is what makes a truly exceptional television program, one that can touch so many within each episode.

    I am happy that I made the commitment to watch this program, my daughter and I had a weekly ritual to watch each episode together. It brought us closer together being able to discuss and interact with each weekly episode.

    Lost was truly, one of the best in its uniqueness!

    Thank you!

95. Geminon | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Loved every min
    ok not everything was explaned like where was anna lucia in the church I meen they brought her back for what 60 seconds an what was dharma all about and the others but the show was about the survivers living on a lost island
    the writers made it clear to let go so just let go and enjoy
    the island was real
    the sideways world was limbo
    an the church was the gates of heaven it all makes sence

96. Deborah | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    I thought it was a great ending – very emotional & where would be the fun in having every single question by every single person answered – that would take another 6 years! I must admit though that i was confused about the whole Jack/Juliette thing and them having a son together

97. Rachel | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    For everyone who said there were too many unanswered questions, you need to go back and watch the series again. The polar bear, the electromagnetism, the time travel, it was all explained at some point in the series. What wasn’t explained was what the island was. But the magic of the show is it made you think. Maybe some things weren’t meant to be understood…at least not wrapped up in a nice package with a bow. Perhaps we are meant to interpret these things for ourselves. This isn’t Star Trek, where you get all the answers in one show. If you were a true fan and followed the series (and paid attention) you should have felt satisfied by the finale, like many were. It was a great ending to a show that changed TV forever.

98. Geminon | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    Also tony christian said you life on the island was real it’s a tv program dude let go

99. Marc | May 24, 2010 | Reply

    It seems everyone has an angle on what it all meant. It meant NOTHING!
    This was a colossal joke, a put upon, a crank! Think about it. Western Christianity has nothing to do with it. Sci-Fi has nothing to do about it. Great philosophical thinking has nothing to do with it. It was one big joke and the writers & producers are sitting at home and saying to themselves….we did it!! We made an a$$ everyone who thought they knew something….they knew NOTHING! Typical Hollywood hubris. No wonder Rush Limbaugh and other GOP pundits say that Hollywood needs to be taken by the scruff of the neck and shaken up.

100. Mike | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Ach! What about the numbers???

101. kyle | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     even though there was the whole purgatory type thing it still doesn’t explain a couple of my major questions. why the heck was the man in black not allowed to leave the island? IS THERE SOME TYPE OF RELIGOIOUS THING TO THE FACT THAT JACOB WAS GODLIKE AND HOW EARLIER IN THE SERIES THERE WAS AN EGYPTION ASPECT? Who was the women that made jacob and the man in black immortal? who made that women immortal? what would have happened to the world if the man in black got off the island? why was the island so important that Jack had to give up his life,who cares about the stupid island, there are like 4,000 other islands in the pacific. id there some correspondence between the fact that the island could time travela dn move.AND MY MAJOR QUESTION, WHEN IT SHOWED THE PLANE FLYING OVER THE ISLAND IN THE FLASH SIDEWAYS THE ISLAND WAS UNDERWATER! IF THAT WAS A PURGATORY TYPE SITUATION WHY AND HOW DID THE ISLAND END UP UNDERWARTER?

102. Chris | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I agree that they did not die in the plane crash and that everything on the island was real but it just seems like such a waste. Why was the island so mystical? If it was part of reality why are we never explained why the island is so special? It just seems the writers couldn’t think of a good way to write this in which i think is the whole point of the show – what is the island? Remember charlie back in the pilot – where are we? From here, we’re led to believe they are somewhere special, beyond reality, when in fact they are not.

     I think jimmy kimmel actually had the best interpretation: they all died in the plane crash, their experience on the island was a test for the afterlife for redemption, the sideways world was purgatory and they traveled to heaven together at the end. This would make the most sense. But if the sideways world was purgatory and the island was real, the sideways world really serves no purpose to the overall story.

103. Rachel | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     PS…it was a show..not real life. The great thing about TV land is you can have polar have smoke monsters and time travel and it doesn’t have anything to do with real life. Also, purgatory IS where you are judged, right? So there isn’t a waiting room for it. Is that correct? I was in the camp that thought the island was pergatory from the beginning, but the shows writers said in season 3 that it was NOT. So guess you have to take their word for it. The flash-sideways were, but not the island itself.

104. Robin Wahl | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     The island represented purgatory and each character had a specific amount of “tests” to complete before moving on to the next place. The LA life was like a next phase of enlightenment. If Arron was in the real world, why was he born again to Claire and with her in the church?
     Jacob was god and Locke was the devil…always tempting them. Ben and Richard were kinda stuck on the island and helping these people to “pass through.”
     Once each person’s person tests were completed they moved on. I just think that the end focuses on Jack’s moving on period.

105. Karan | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     The most important piece could be the last part when the cast name are being shown…..they show the wreckage of the plane….still lying there and no one around it,i guess it meant that……everyone was dead from the crash in the first place.

     So island was the testing ground……(can be assumed) ,the church was the gate to heaven and ben sits outside,, he knows he wouldnt be accepted there…..

106. Robin | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I had hints throughout this final season that suggested there was NO way to explain all of the mysteries and questions that the show/island/alternate sideways life brought about.

     I believe the island was real. I believe the passengers that lived on the beach and in our hearts and livingrooms for the past 6 seasons did exist within the island as alive-not in a heaven like dreamworld.

     I believe Hurley and Ben stayed on the island and guarded it for years after. Ben found redemption in that role, I think…Why did he stay outside the church and not go in with Hurley? I suspect he didn’t earn the right to go to heaven…perhaps he has more work to do…

     I wondered at first if the plane picture at the end was the last flight with Jack, Kate, etc off Widmore’s island, but after looking closer it was obviously the Oceanic flight reckage from early in the show.

     I think it would’ve been easier to accept the final meeting in the church and eventual final journey to their resting place IF they had better explained the alternate world we watched each week…The alternative plot…I do not understand the overall meaning behind it.

     They island, polar bears, smoke monster, and many many other mysteries will remain just that.

     Where was Walt? Michael? Makes no sense to me…I could see maybe Michael not going to the church after what he had done, but his son was an innocent…

     I hate riddles, always have. My daughter got my husband and me hooked on this show when she rented the entire first season and brought it over. We experienced seasons 1-5 within 1 month timeframe…can you believe that? I feel for the people that followed for YEARS only to be disappointed in a lackluster ending that had little meaning or explanation.

     I will say the awwww moments were wonderful during this final show…Touching and worth watching…

     I think the writers were stumped…how to explain so many random mysteries tossed in for pure effect (with little time spent contemplating the outcome)when the final episode arrived?

     I think they made a lot of money. They loved their “baby”-the show—but from the beginning 3 seasons on, I think they entertained and shocked without a CLUE what it really meant or how it would end. They were STUCK explaining it anyway.

     That’s my 2 cents worth.

107. Chris | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Paula’s view is pretty close to the most realistic goal for which the writers could hope. The main character (Jack) fabricated the entire island experience as his test and journey to the afterlife. He failed the first test and had to reset and try again. The second time through “fulfilled” his soul and allowed him to let go.

     For everyone “in love” with the episode, please remember we were all told the writers knew where the story was headed from the beginning. It is only now we get to find out they meant Jack dying on the ground and closing his eyes.

     Jack searched for meaning and came up with something to justify his existence and death. Anyone reading more into this, than what is unfortunately on the surface, is fooling him/herself. The simplest answer is nearly always the right one and that’s what we see here.

108. Alex Carson | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     To Gaz,
     I read later on in these posts that the bombs that Whidmore put on the plane were the ones that Smoke Locke put in the sub, but I’m still with you. I was actually waiting the whole finale as Lepidus, Miles, and Richard were setting up the plane for the big boom! Whidmore said he had already laced the entire electrical system with the explosives so I’m just curious when Smoke Locke took them out. Well I was just thinking about that too so comments are awesome! Did love the finale though.

109. Jen | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I think that we all caught on that the island was purgatory in season one, so the writers had to come up with a new plot, which was the flash-sideways.

     Overall, the finale did not dissapoint, but now there are sooo many questions left behind:

     I’m dissapoionted they never explained all the references between good and evil, the black and white, even at the church there were ying and yang symbols in the church windows. First there was Ben Lius and Charles Widmore, then we learned about Jacob and the Smoke Monster. Was one Christ and one the charismatic Satan?

     What did Charles Widmore want with the island, his death was too sudden for a character of his importance.

     What about the Egyptian Statue?

     Did they ever explain what the numbers meant? (Hurley’s lottery numbers, etc?)

     When Juliet said “it worked” after the bomb went off- what could that mean and how could that of made any difference if the flash sideways was purgatory? She even had a vision of when she would meet Sawyer in purgatory at her death!? How can you see into a pretend future?

     What is the island and how did it summon people to it? There was a scene with Jacob and his brother watching a ship come in and they made mention how it always ends the same. What was the point!?!

     I just hope they make a documentary or write a book explaining the whole story- especially because in theory they knew the ending the day the first episode aired!

110. Hamsa | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Absolutely GUTTED!!!!!!!! Why couldn’t they just tie up all the loose ends, there is nothing wrong with that!If you know that this is the very last episode, Why short change the people who have been fans from the pilot and watched every episode since. People were saying while season 2 was airing that the island was purgatory, even though its not technically right they were on the right track.I watched the final episode very closely and i do not believe any questions were answered and it was a proper let down, they (the writers) promised the big ones would be answered and they were not….I wish i hadn’t wasted time watching it. I thought that this would be the greatest TV show ever with out anyone be able to question it but know its debatable.

111. Justin | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I agree with Paula’s post. The island never existed. It is a confusing place, because it isn’t reality. Everyone there is confused about why they’re there. Everyone died of their own causes in “real life” then their spirits went to the island because they didn’t believe/realize that they were dead. That’s where they met each other, as spirits. The island was created long before Jocob and Man in black got there. Jacob was put in charge of keeping the Island (spiritual meeting place)around. If it dies “hell” takes over. He connects lost souls via the plane crash to aid them in “moving on”. Jack says to Christian, “they’re all dead?” Christian replies that some died long before you and some long after and that “now” doesn’t exist there. They’re stuck in limbo until they accept that they died, which happens once they’ve dealt with their faults in life. Jack’s need to heal someone, Sawyers need to be good person, Kate showing she’s good, Hugo realizing you create good luck, etc.
     The spirits connected so they wouldn’t spend eternity alone. Ben must remain because he isn’t worthy of heaven yet. Hell, I don’t know just my two cents. Writers said they wanted many to have their own opinions…they succeded
     . Great Show!!!!!!!!

112. Completely Satisfied | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     To me the series ended the way it was suppose to. They gave you enough in the ending to answer questions about the flashsideways and how it relates to peace before afterlife, but left a lot open to interpretation in regards to the island. Which is fine for me because the island stuff is all science fiction anyway, time travel, people not aging, the island moving??? The light was the heart of the island, that’s it. Jacob and how his brother turns into a smoke monster, science fiction stuff. I don’t think there is any real explanation for it nor does there need to be, it’s just part of the story. At first when I finished the episode I was up thinking about all the possibilities of what really happened, but then I realized that’s what made the show so great in the first place. I think people just want it handed to them on a plate but that’s really not what the show was about.

113. Hamsa | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Also what kind of Church has a stained glass window with all the MAJOR Religions Symbols on it?

114. joey | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I guess ben goes to hell since he didn’t join the others at the end. Overall, it was ok. I could have used less commercials and more answers!

115. Captain Obvious | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Ryan and Tony…and a lot of other people here…could you be more wrong?? When people say “real” they don’t mean that it is a real place that you and I can go to tomorrow…it is real in the sense that Jack Shepherd and Kate Austin are real (within the realm of the show) and the island is a very real place to the characters of the show.

     The reason Hurley didn’t lose weight is because Jorge Garcia is a fat pig that doesn’t have the devotion to acting that Tom Hanks had for Cast Away.

     Richard never aged because Jacob made him that way.

     Cancer and Locke walking is attributable to the “mysterious healing powers of the island.” That doesn’t mean that the island is purgatory. I don’t know how much clearer the writers could have been in explaining that yes, the island was an actual physical location…maybe they’ll state it emphatically on the DVD box set for you.

116. Bret | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I now officially hate Lost. Fans were emotional during the final episode only because the sideways world turned out to be a purgatory of sorts created by all the characters as a way to find each other after they all died and then to move on together to the next level in the afterlife. But NO explanations were given for all the mysteries on the island itself. According to Matthew Fox (Jack) on Jimmy Kimmel, the island was real and everyone was alive at this point. So, what WAS the island? What was the light at the center of the island? Why did the numbers on the hatch also happen to be Hugo’s winning loto numbers and why did his good luck give people around him bad luck? Why could Desmond travel between the real world on the island and other future and past worlds and also have a connection with the sideways world (not to mention endure an electromagnetic field that would kill anyone else)? And who was the original mother on the island who raised Jacob and where did she come from? I have a hundred more questions that will never be answered because I suspect the show creators never had the answers in the first place and have now copped out by saying they wanted to leave some things as mysteries. I want my six years back.

117. Rebecca | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     So what about in season 6 when Richard told them “the island isn’t real. we are all dead and this is hell?”

118. Hossein | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I also agree with two comments above (Tony and Ryan). If you want to believe the island was real life, you should consider lost as a cheesy sci-fi. However, things fit into the picture very nicely, if you assume the island was after death, and they just didn’t know.

     Oceanic passengeres all died at the moment of crash. There is a period after death that people still do not realize they are dead (life on the island was that period). Therfore, this opportunity is like a second chance for redemption, being with good (jacob) or evil (smokey). This is why Jacob told Richard that he does not want to “step in”, so that people have a “choice” (second chance) to “prove they are good” (i.e. not getting involved in destroying, fighting and corrupting in the island “mid-life”). Jacob mentioned it would be pointless to tell people what to do, so that the second chance reveals what is inside their heart. MIB (devil) believed the other way of course (that all men are corruptable). Jacob and MIB were judging people (white and black stones on the scale)

     All this indicates that the island was already a place where judging of people by mythological figures had started. For some people this period of life after death is shorter than others. For Jack it seemed a while, for Richard (who also died the moment that black rock sunk) it took a lot longer. Also, time has less meaning after the death (like you sleep an hour and see a dream that is like a day long, or you find your self a child). This is why time travel was possible on the island; time does not make sense. However, after a while, they enter into a new life, where every one knows they are dead. That is what we used to call flash forward world. That was the world of dead people. People are confused first, and some may not be ready yet to know they are dead (Elowise telling Desmond you are not ready yet to know).

     Finally, all the dead, including Jack’s father, get to gether to move on, to the life after death (call it heaven or rebirth or whatever). These people all passed the tests in their life after death on the island, as they stood beside Jacob. Ben couldn’t move on, because he screwed his second chance of life (the island life), by killing Locke and perhaps more importantly Jacob.

119. Luke | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     All I’m wondering is where the polar bears came from?!

120. Arlen | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     What about Mr. Ecko, Penny, the oriental guy who speeks to the dead? Where were they? If the Island was not real, what was the meaning of the Darma group being there and then getting killed by Ben? what was the meaning of the sub, bringing people to and from the island whenever they wanted to? I could go on and on, so many unanswered questions.

121. Chuck H. Loftin | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     If the strange things and happenings were not explained, and they surely were not, then the island was not real, and it was indeed a “Testing” location for all the characters who are in process of dieing. They were given one more chance to prove they were they were worthy of the “Light”. The “Sideways” segment was just another part of their “Testing”. Desmond was the one chosen to “Round Up” the ones who were worthy.

     There is just one thing I would like to have explained however. What about Rose and Bernard. They were not in any of the “Sideways” segments, and I didn’t see them in the church. I know there were a lot more characters that were not in the church, but those characters could have easily not been worthy. Not so with Rose and Bernard. Those two were certainly worthy. If they were not, no-one was.

     Bottom Line, the plane crashed. Everyone died in the crash, and “Lost” was a story of their trials in “Purgatory”

122. Eric | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Does anyone think that the plane wreckage shown on the beach at the very end of the finale was from the plane Sawyer, Kate, Richard, Lapedis, Claire, and Myles were on?

     Also, when the Oceanic 6 got off the island, did that really happen?

123. Natalie | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Great show and what a pathetic way to end it! As if the writers ran out of ideas and how to properly make everything connect! It seems they got Lost along the way. And with the amount of theories everyone is posting its obvious everyone is confused – none of us really understand what actually happened – sooo many unanswered questions – good luck with figuring it out guys!

124. sandra | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     clearly the what happened on the island was real jack’s dad said everything that you experienced happened. and i thought it was great that these people shared an amazing life together, so much so that they all decided to meet in the afterlife. brilliant.

125. Gary | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Just like one of its shows that inspired it, The Prisoner, it couldn’t have an ending that pleased. The fun is it raises more questions than it answers thus allowing more enjoyment of the series long-term. A neat, packaged ending would discourage you from “thinking” while watching previous episodes of the series. Patrick McGhoohan was literally run out of London after the Prisoner’s controversial ending. Like Lost, it can have many meanings to many people.

126. Jay | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     The island was purgatory. The entire story is of purgatory. Nothing of it was real. If you can justify how a man can turn into black smoke is real, if you can justify how people can die and come back to life, if you can justify how polar bears end up on a tropical island, etc. etc. then you can say the island was real. And if that is the case, you also believe in superman, and krypton, and santa claus, because stuff like that do not happen in real life.

127. Alex | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     A lot of the questions were not directly answered but were implied. For example, the polar bears were used in the Dharma initiative in the cages for experiments.

128. Adam | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     What I think till now is that the whole crew wanted us to feel exactly like the characters (with doubt and questions). Honestly, I see it this way (mu theory), ALL the survivors represent society (see all the variety, from high class people: Jack, Sun, etc; to low class or low living: Kate, Sawyer, you name it) in many aspects, the point of the show resides mainly on these phrases or words: ‘moving on’, ‘letting go’, ‘destiny’. To me, death in this series has more meaning than just plain body on the ground. TO ME, they were all death in the way that they were stuck and couldn’t move on, you are basically dead if you decide to live attached to some guilt in life or some other situation of life. They all needed forgiveness, they all needed to remember their true destiny, that was to find themselves once again and be together. The island, the secrets, temples, polar bears, etc, was a bunch of ways to reunite all of them and complete their lives.

129. Luis | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     How a dead guy can state that something real happened?

     Maybe Christian Shephard was talking from his perspective. Thus, everything did happen but in the land of the dead…

     About the numbers, I bet it was the filght seat of each one of the them We are just missing if it was aisle, center or window

130. Noche | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     What is real? is this life real? is there an afterlife? what if this is the afterlife? nothing is what seems to appear.

131. Brad | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     After watching Lost.. I do believe a lot of questions were left open for interpretation. Anyone who watched the show from beginning to end and honestly thought every single question you had would be answered never understood the point of Lost. Whether it was all real, purgatory or just a fantasy island in which anything could happen, the point of Lost was to leave it in the interpretation of the viewers. Everyone will have opinions for this show for years to come and nothing will ever be fully resolved, but what will be remembered is the memories you had of Lost whether it being Jack and Kate/Juliet, Sawyer and Juliet/Kate, Hurley and his girl, or the polar bear and the black smoke killing everything or the point of the Dharma iniative, it doesn’t matter because everyone will remember and interpret Lost in their own way. Nothing will be left in stone and thats the beauty of the show. People watch this show because it takes them out of their reality and puts them into “Lost reality” but just like in real life and in Lost, there will always be questions left to be asked and wrong assumptions of purposes and meanings. With all this said anyone who thinks Lost was a mistake, they should re-watch the entire seasons and then will realize Lost was a journey just like anything else, some journeys end amazing and some end abruptly but they will all be journeys none the less.

132. Chelsea | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Didn’t the Black Smoke use those explosives he took from the plane to blow up the sub?

133. Jay | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     We expereienced an awesome extended version of the wizard of Oz. Just like Dorothy dreamed it all it real life, the Lost characters experienced it all within the context of purgatory. And, for the record, I am not catholic, and know that the idea of purgatory is totally made up, cause there is not even a remote concept of it in the bible.

134. Kelly | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I think a lot of people on this page don’t get it at all. I loved the way the show ended, and of course everything that happened on the island was real! The flash sideways was their way of saying goodbye to everyone they loved before they moved on. I love how they left a lot of things open to your own speculation. Maybe they didn’t answer everything, such as where the source came from, what exactly the smoke monster was about, but essentially that’s not what the show is about. It’s about the characters, and I’m glad we didn’t find out, because they never knew for sure. I’m very satisfied with the end, and if you don’t get it, watch them over again, and PAY ATTENTION!

135. Dave | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I agree with your synopsis Kelly. Feel the same way.

     All the time travel, the darmha initiative in general, traveling to and from the island with subs, boats and aircraft, having got off the island and gone back again, the island moving/disappearing… nothing to see here please move along.

     If this had been the ending after season one it might actually have worked. But the “story arc” through seasons 2-6 was pretty much pointless and not much of an arc at all.

     I think the feel good emotional ending will appeal to some people’s spiritual/religious side but anyone scientifically/analytically minded will feel gypped.

136. Johnny | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     The only thing I feel kinda confused about is when jack laided down to die and saw the plane fly across the opening in the trees that I assume was the plane Kate, Sawyer, Miles, Richard etc were in and then in the credits there was plane wreckage footage does that mean Kate and everyone else on the plane didnt make it off the island and died around the same time jack did???

137. Kevin | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     The island had to be real. If the island were the “purgatory waiting room” and nothing on the island actually happened, there’s no reason that those people were important to each other in their “real” lives (flashback lives). For example, if the island were not real, Sayid and Shannon have no real life connection and met each other in the after life. How do they end up together and spend eternity together? Even Christian Shepard said to Jack at the end “Everything that happened to you is real.”

138. Jeremy Martinez | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Why are people getting so hung up on the POLAR BEARS!!! Remember how the Dharma initiative was there to study the stange electromagnetic properties that the island exhibited? Can you think of any animal that is known to live at other places on earth with unique magnetic properties? I think that was meant to be a connection the viewers would make for themselves.

     But enough about the bears, I think it was a fitting finale. Very well done, although I would have liked to see how the survivors fared before they finally died off. Did Kate and Sawyer get together? How did Hurley manage the island? And what did Ben still have to do?

139. Jay | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     The island was not real. Nobody died in the plane crash because no plane ever actually crashed. The moment before the series began Jack died. The cameras started rolling the moment Jack’s consciousness slipped from our world into “purgatory”. For 6 years we watched Jack’s consciousness construct a “reality” to deny his death and saw him fight against that reality. We saw his loved ones trying to help him let go and move on. We saw him evaluating his soul and trying to determine if he was a good or bad soul ready to move on or needing to learn more first.

     Everyone in the church at the end represented a loved one from his real life, but they don’t necessarily tell us anything about who the loved one was. Kate was surely his true love, but was she his wife, ex-wife, first love never fulfilled, or something else in reality? We don’t know. Hurley may have been his best friend, his brother, or a cousin. Locke may have been his father, mentor, even his religious teacher, or model. Christian may have been his father… or maybe Christian was Jack’s way of manifesting the higher power in his belief system…

     Ben is a bit of a puzzle… was he the soul of a loved one from Jack’s life? Or is he a part of Jack’s soul that Jack had to deal with and leave behind? Or something else?

     Most every question was answered, those that weren’t were rendered entirely irrelevant, with a few exceptions like Benjamin Linus…

     But I’m quite confident that the island never existed, and that at no point in 6 years did we see anything that wasn’t an afterlife construct of Jack’s consciousness or a construct of the collective consciousness of his loved ones…

140. Tony | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Daniel Fairiday was killed on the island by his Mom in the 70s. He told her He was her son from the future and she didn’t believe him.

141. Don | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Tony West, interesting theory but one major hole. How do you explain the Oceanic 6 survivors and others who got off the island? The series is sci-fi so the island is a supernatural place. There’s a lot of places unexplained and undiscovered on Earth, ie the Burmuda Triangle.

142. Kellie | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I think it was a good ending to the show. I did not expect to have all my questions answered, but I think the really important ones were answered. Farraday was shot by his mother when they were time travelling. I thought the polar bears were brought by Darma at some point?! I think the island was definitely real and not purgatory…otherwise certain people died twice. If they all died on the plane then how did Charlie drown or Shannon get shot and so many other people.

143. Bill | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I liked the ending. I cannot imagine the questions left unanswered could ever have been answered in a way that would have been ood or satisfying.

     Jacob brought people to the island maybe to find a successor and maybe because the people needed to be tested in some way. Their lives were not clearly good or purposeful and the island provided a way for them to have that final test. It was as real as anything else in the world, but it was not a place that just anyone could reach easily.

     If you accept the premise that ths island was a test put there by whatever or whoever had an interest in testing people before their deaths, then all the unanswered questions (polar bear, smoke monster, MIB, etc.) don’t really need to be answered.

     If you even try to answer many of the questions, you end up with things like purgatory, God, etc. most of which aren’t going to satisfy most viewers desire for an explanation.

144. Keevin | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Ryan, Tony,
     I think that the island was real, and it did possess some powers. Remember Jacob’s explanation that the island is like the cork of a wine bottle. It is a gate between the worlds of the living and the dead. It was in need of a protector because Jacob’s time as protector was ending. The hydrogen bomb didn’t work to destroy the island but did work in creating the alternate reality, or the sideways flash world. Hurly didn’t lose weight, Richard never aged, cancer was cured, etc because the island needed the candidates to be healthy/able to protect it.

145. Corey | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Okay, Okay, Okay.

     They all DID die in the crash. The Island is purgatory. The ones who were buried on the beach were the ones who didn’t have to spend penance time in purgatory. Those who did, they had to overcome their personal demons to “move on”. Purgatory was guarded by two people who keep people there until they finish their tasks. After they complete their tasks, they move on to the “alternate life” until they are each ready to move on to where they belong. So, for each, they all had their seperate tasks they had to complete. Jack, he had to take care of others, remove his selfishness, and find peace, love, and happiness. Hugo had to overcome his fears and become a leader. Ben, who was in purgatory before they got there, had to learn to truly be subservient, rather than taking the lead.

     You can see the death of everyone in the pilot where the plane is shaking and Jack is told to “Let Go” at the moment of his death, before going through the purgatory version of the crash.

     The end of the finale shows no survivors of the real crash, they have all died.

     Like I said, purgatory, then moving on to the alternate life until they are ready to ascend to their final destiny. Man, I could write about this for hours.

     Anyone like the “Shepherd” leading the flock at the end?

146. Chad | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I think you guys are not reading this thing clearly. He said in his synopsis that they did NOT die on the plane. Read it again carefully. He explained that the sideways story in LA was for when the characters did die, whether it be on the island, or afterwards. Eventually, they ended up there to move on together. The guy writing this article explained exactly what you guys are saying. You’re just misinterpereting what he wrote.

147. Neil | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Then what was it when they had left the island a few months ago, before they returned? Was that that purgatory also? And was Widmore dead along also?

148. Patrick | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Interesting theory Paula.

149. Bumsteer | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     The island was a purgatory of sorts, hence all the non-sensical activities. The sideways universe was the afterlife or “heaven” since Jack’s Dad was long dead and appearing to Jack there. The gateway to heaven, when they can abandon their ties to the mortal world.

     The last shots of the wreckage tells me that no one survived the fall from the sky, and all died as a result. The island was not a real place, Dharma,et al was totally imaginary.

150. Steph | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     The island was real. Christian explains that to Jack in the church. The sideways universe throughout Season 6 is the only thing that was ever not real – or at least not in this world. The “islanders” constructed for themselves that sideways world, or “purgatory” if you want to call it that, which is how Jack was able to have a son that he always WISHED he’d had, but never did (remember a couple episodes this season when Jack was telling his son about the ways in which his own father treated him and that he didn’t want to treat David the same way – Jack constructed that reality for himself because he wanted be the things his father wasn’t). It doesn’t matter what your religious beliefs are (and “purgatory” is technically a very specific place in Catholicism that does not quite describe the other universe we saw this season). All that matters is that it is an after life of some kind that takes place, for SYMBOLISM’s sake, in a non-denominational church (the symbols on the stained-glass window include those for Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Toaism or something [I think], etc.) at no particular time (assuming time no longer exists when we die) where everyone is able to reunite and make peace with everything they experienced. As for the island – it IS supernatural and it does require a guardian or guardians, which it is implied that Hurley and Ben take responsibility for for an unknown period of time after Jack dies.

     I, personally, thought some things were pretty well explained – the Dharma Init. was on the island to do experiments because all that electromagnetism stuff was real. Richard didn’t age because Jacob had supernatural powers that made him immortal (which seems to be finally nullified when Jacob’s remains are completely burned and his first gray hair appears). There was a polar bear because of the Dharma initiative. Everyone who died, died for real (with one exception – Sayid).

     Other thigns, however, seemed to go unexplained, but if you have an answer, please let me know!

     1 – If the sideways universe was an afterlife, why did Miles say that the dead Juliet said “it worked,” assuming she was referring to the plan with the bomb?

     2 – Why couldn’t women conceive and give birth on the island? And whatever happened to those weird vaccinations everyone used to take? I don’t remember if that was ever explained.

     3 – How did Jacob get off the island to visit everyone in their childhoods?

     4 – whatever happened to Aaron seeming so important? Remember when the psychic guy Claire visited in one of the flashbacks got totally freaked out and arranged for Claire to be on flight 815 so she would crash on it? and he told her she MUST raise her baby? Yeah, what was the big deal?

     5 – who were Ben’s people? If they wiped out the Dharma initiative folks, then who were all those people with Richard that joined Ben and became the “others”?

     6 – Who built that stupid statue and the temple?

     7 – What was up with the Dharma numbers and symbols? Were those numbers powerful simply because Jacob assigned them to the “candidates”?

     8 – Why was Libby ever in the loony bin? She seemed fine to me (even if in real life she has some kind of drinking and driving problem)

     9 – what ever happened to Mr. Ecko (sp?) he was awesome! (I guess he made peace with his life in the episode where he died and moved on immediately, without the need to reunite with anyone at the end?)

     10 – Rousseau shot her companions because she believed they were “sick” or mad or something. Was this true? Does that connect to the vaccinations? or was SHE the one who was mad?

     11 – How was Sayid able to die and come back to life? Who was responsible for his resurrection? Did I miss that? Why did that temple guy think he was bad and try to kill him?

     12 – Why was Alex shot in the head? I don’t think there’s a plot hole there, it was just unnecessary. I guess it was important to Ben’s character, but it was by far the darkest point of the series.

     I think something things can be left to interpretation, but some of them are definitely hanging plot threads! Overall, though, I thought the characters and acting were brilliant and that the first 3 seasons and the last episode were great people case-studies and a beautiful story of personal redemption.

151. Tonya | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Still trying to sort this out. How could anyone have survived that plane crash? It broke apart in the sky. The people on the island who were not on the plane could have been in limbo as well. Just because they were not on the plane, does’t mean they couldn’t have been in limbo. And if Jack and the others were NOT dead on the island, how did they keep seeing other people who were dead, like Christian? Still confused.

152. simon c | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     good old sky tv messed it up right at the start with a fault in the transmission

     these people cant get anything right , poor sound rubbish picture quality , where are the real electronics engineers these days

     as for the show what a rip off no proper ending

153. KURT WEAVER | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     b4 reading all these comments I was abit confused and I still am a bit.

     I do now believe that the Island and everything happened on it was real and that the FLASH SIDEWAYS was PURGATORY not the Island as PURGATORY.

     Where I was confused was we didn’t see PENNY die so why was she in the CHURCH, not to mention JULIET and DESMOND who were never on FLIGHT 815, the ORIGINAL anyways.

     Then with Ben not going in I figured he was not dead like the rest of them, but now I think ehter 1, he was not ready to cross over or 2, he was scared to go in cause I don’t think BEN knew if he was gonna go on with the rest of them or some where else, like BAD for all the things he had done, that’s why when LOCKE forgave him BEN said it really did make a difference?

     I really have to watch it again, and discuss this with my boy JOE. He is stubborn and will probably just stick with his original judgement of “HOT GARBAGE and 6 wasted years”

     also don’t 4get JIMMY KIMMEL had 3 alternate endings on the 1 hour ALOHA to LOST special that aired 12:05 to 1:05 am

154. Elaine | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I have been processing the ending all night and had come up with this same theory. I just keep thinking back to Jacob telling Jack that he brought them all here (to the island) because they were all alone, or lost, looking for something they could not find. I can’t seem to make any sense of the plane just happening to crash, the island then becoming “real life” and so on. I think your theory (and mine) makes the most sense and can’t believe I haven’t seen anyone else with this theory. Maybe I’m just not looking in the right places. Anyway, I loved the ending, I like that it is open to our own interpretation, and I will sorely miss LOST! I’m gonna start watching season one right now!

155. Q | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     @Paula – What about people who came to the island together? (Rose and Bernard, Nikki and Paolo, Boone and Shannon) I don’t think they were “lost souls”.

     @GAZ – I completely agree w/ you. The MIB just gets pushed off a cliff. LAME. I WANNA KNOW HOW THEY GOT LOCKES DAD GIFT WRAPPED TO THE ISLAND! and WHITMORE? WHAT THE HELL WAS HE DOING? BUT… I dont know why you think Whitmore’s plane was set to blow…

     @EVERYONE WHO THINKS THE ISLAND IS PURGATORY – How did the Oceanic 6 leave the island and come back?!?

156. Shawn | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Everything on the island was real. The Dharma, the Others, the Blackrock, The plane crash, etc… The flash backs showed the characters’ pasts. The flash forwards filled in on what the Oceanic 6 did off the island. The flash-sideways’ weren’t an alternate reality created by the bomb, even though that’s what they wanted us to believe. In fact, the bomb did work, it blew up the pocket of energy in 1977. It transported the survivors back to 2007 where there as no ‘pocket’. The flash-sideways’(though they shouldn’t be called that) were actually showing the people’s afterlife, a place where they had the life they dreamed of. That’s why Desmond was on the plane, Miles worked with Sawyer, and Jack had a son with Juliet. When they had their “Awakening”, they realized that they were in fact on the island at some point and were now dead.(Whether they died on the island, like Boone, Shannon, or Jack, or escaped the island and died sometime later, Kate, Sawyer, Claire, Desmond) The meeting at the church was to show that they had truely come together on the island and formed bonds with each other. The church represents, in a way, the pearly gates. It shows that they were all waiting there until everyone showed up(died) so that they could all pass on to the light together. That’s why Ben didn’t go inside; he felt that he wasn’t redeemed, or worthy enough to go in.

     Yes, confusing, but well shown.
     All in all, this was the greatest show i’ve ever seen and there will never be anything like it again.

     Thank-you to the writers, directors, producers, and of course, the actors of LOST. Your combined work has brought us the most amazing television experience ever! Thank-You

157. aj | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     The island and the events that happened on it were real. Obviously there were some “supernatural” things that occurred there, but the show was born out of mythology and the understanding that these things are possible. It was always a science fiction-esque show.

     That said, the end result was two different instances of supernatural worlds. The first was all real and happened during the characters lives. This is what we saw on the island and in the flash forwards and flashbacks. The third timeline introduced in the final season was a suspended limbo between death and the afterlife. Nothing that happened here actually occurred in real life. This world was designed for the characters to cross paths and ultimately “let go”. Remember being young and hearing ghost stories wherein people became ghosts after their deaths because they had unfinished business? This is the same premise. Except they’re not ghosts in the real world, but ghosts in this other plane of existence. Jack didn’t have a son in his real life, but he did in this other world. By being a father and seeing how difficult it is, Jack was able to let go of his own issues with his father. By letting go of all their individual issues, they were freed from the flash sideways limbo and allowed to move into the afterlife.

     The reason they were reunited was because many of their unfinished issues involved people they were separated from in their real lives — on the island. Jack had to stay behind to save the island (and ultimately die) while Kate left. Charlie died on the island trying to save everyone, splitting him from Claire. Juliet died in the same manner, splitting from Sawyer. Shannon was shot and killed, separating her from Sayid. And so on. The flash sideways gave each character the opportunity to rectify these situations one last time before moving permanently to the afterlife — heaven or whatever you want to think of it as.

158. Daniel | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Ok wow, to the people that say the island is not real .. are you stupid or something? it obviously is since THEY GET OFF THE ISLAND in season 5! meaning that the island IS real and if that didn’t make you understand that the island was real then what about the Dharma Program? what they were “part of the purgatory on the island” ? no that wouldn’t make sense. Plus THEY SAID IT STRAIGHT UP AT THE END! Jacks dad tells him that what happened DID actually happen! HOW MUCH MORE CLEAR CAN YOU GET?! So stop overthinking it! lol . Now as for the healing powers of the island etc. ITS TV! they had to make the island do SOMETHING for you to keep watching after season 1 haha

     All in all the series finale was ok, the jumping from island to afterlife in L.A was starting to get on my nerves after a while but to be honest they would never of been able to finish the series up to everyones expectations. How does one finish a series that has lasted 6 years and that is as complex as Lost?

159. Dr. Phillips | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I think that you all are right and that at the same time you all are wrong!

     The island and everything that happened on it is real!

     The MIB became the smoke monster because when he died he would have gone to hell, but because he died right at hell’s gate his evil soul was able to escape from going to hell but he was still stuck on the island. The job that Jacob had, which was given to jack and then to Hurley, is to be the guardian of the portal to hell. That big stone Desmond pulled out of the water was the quirk to hell like Jacob talked about when he tipped over the wine bottle. Jack failed as the island’s protector and that is why everyone that couldn’t die became mortal. But jack still had the power to make hurly the new protector (loved that by the way!). Everyone was healed from cancer or from being paralyzed and so on because of all the energy that the inland had. The pockets of energy and the light at the heart of the island was God’s power, his seal over hell. And as we all know God’s power can heal people. The flash sideways world was like a big bus stop for everyone on their way to heaven (after they all died on the Island). The only meager let down for me was that they went to heaven through a catholic church… it would have been great if they used like a Mormon chapel instead.

     Lol I make about as much sense as the actual writers of LOST do!

160. Mike | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     The author’s synopsis was right on. The biggest question “What is the island” is never answered and thus, the final episode was somewhat disappointing.

161. Mike | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Wow. People are dumb. black and white. The island was real. Christian said this. He also said that the time you spent with these people was the most important time you spent in your whole life. DUH! if the island was fake and they all died on the plane crash then there wouldn’t have been enough time to make those kind of connections.

     For those of you who can’t beleive the island is real because it can cure cancer or time travel, odviously it was a special place that was different than what you would normally see in your daily grind. Who would want to watch a show about that boring stuff?

     Hurley and Ben gave it all away with their number one and number two speech. I suggest anyone who thinks that it was all fake go back and rewatch.

     And for those who are mad because they still have questions… I have the answer. I’ll tell you later.

162. Steph | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Ooh, just thought of another problem: How did Desmond ever get back to Penny and their son like Jack told him to? Last we saw of him in the living world he was unconscious with Hurley and Ben and the plane had already left. Boat?

163. Sean | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I was convinced that the island was not real, but a necessary means for them to move on to the final afterlife. In their lives prior to the crash, they were “lost” souls who had not found meaning in or purpose in their lives. The island afforded them this opportunity, and those who were on the island may have been in their own purgatory, or were perhaps just part of the process that brought them to their enlightenment.

     The only thing that would make me question whether or not the island was real was Christian’s comments about the island being the most important time of their “lives”. But he certainly could have meant life as in the soul, which would still be alive in the afterlife.

     For me, Island not real, just a vehicle to get them to the afterlife and the sideways world was simply the waiting room for the destination.

     Either way, I think the show was great. Left some things unanswered, but that to me is the great thing about Lost. The day after the the series finale, we are debating about what it actually was.

164. bobob | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     The ones who made it off the island died sometime later–it does not matter when. Same is true with Hurley and Ben.

     They were reborn as themselves in a new timeline that did not require the plane to crash but still allowed them to meet again and finally let go– recall that “mother” said that the light was life, death and REBIRTH.

     This reminds me of the all the ring bearers in the lord of the rings and how they left middle earth.

165. Yogesh | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I agree with Tony’s assessment. All of the people really died in the crash of Oceanic 815, that’s why the show the wreckage with the ending credits. All the events that happened were a process for the liberation of their souls. All the main characters were basically “attached” to something in their life and the island helped them to “let go” and “move on”

166. Mario | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I think that the show was great for the most part and I do not regret watching it. However I am disappointed by the ending. The build up was so big that they could have come up with a much bigger purpose for that island. I would do something related to ancient mystical Egyptian powers with a twist of Greek mythology (the writings in the statue wall where in Greek.) The producers/writers took the easy way out and they left a ton of questions unanswered. The way they ended it, people can interpret it in many different ways. For some that may work but not for me.

167. John | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I’m not catholic, but isn’t purgatory the waiting room to go to heaven? As you could see by watching seasons 1-5 everyone on the island had extremely messed up lives. You might say that they had unfinished business. The flashbacks explained their individual problems. The flash forwards were to show that even though they worked through their past they were still alone and without purpose. The rest of the show was about them building relationships, which they needed the help of everyone on the island. Furthermore, if the island was a purgatory state that would certainly allow for the writers to be creative in what it looks like and how it works. Who knows what purgatory would look like or how it works? Can we complain with their interpretation?

     On the other hand, one thing that I found extremely frustrating with the show almost from the beginning was that the writers had complete control of the audience. Some chose to stop watching; good for them. But those of us who willingly spent our time on this show had to endure the killing and return of countless characters in the story. They had complete control of our imagination. They presented the most absurd events in the most unlikely of situations and we not only accepted them, but watched the show for five more years without further explanation! We were duped! But in light of that, the last episode was absolutely consistent with the entire series. It maintained the mysticism of every other episode in the series and left you wondering. Who thought that it would be any different?

168. Dave | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Can someone explain why Ben stayed outside of the church? Does he know whats going on? Is he trying to live with Rouseau and ignore that he’s dead?

     And why would Widmore send the freighter with the gunners on it? Was Widmore bad or good in the end? If he sent people to help the island and kill MIB, why would he bring guns which he knows wont work?

169. Sara | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Maybe the island is a place for lost souls… when everyone dies (in Lost- doesn’t have to be a plane crash/ any death) they all go to “the island” to resolve something they didn’t understand… Everyone on that island did not have a purpose in life so they had to find that purpose on the island with each other… and once they do- then they are ready to go to “the flash sideway” and connect the dots with each other and accept that they dead. From there you are past denial and “move on”… Michael and the other cast we did not see are probably still lost and haven’t been able to learn something out of the whole experience that’s why they are spirits still stuck and lost.

170. jeff | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Hated it. The alt reality wrap up was a cop out. Poor Aaron. You live your life and end up as a newborn in purgatory.

171. Ken | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Christian clearly says THAT THE ISLAND WAS REAL

     Everything in LA was purgatory some people died on screen but others like Kate died much later .

     Kate tells jack how she missed him so much because she had left the Island lived a long life and then later died . She missed him living all those years off the Island

     Hurley tells Ben you were a good #2 and Ben tells Hurley he was a good #1 because those two took care of the Island for years and then died sometime later .

172. David | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     You people are all idiots. The blogger never ever states that “they all died in the plane crash” He says, “they all die on the island” just as Christian Sheppard says to Jack at the end when Jack asks if they are all dead too. Christian responds yes, some before you, some long after.

     But none of this changes the fact that the ending was weak and the show, while some great episodes, was never the same after JJ Abrams left. And those remaining never had a clue where this was going when they began it.

173. Autumn | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I agree with Tony -kind of. In my interpretation, the island was the purgatory and the after life in LA was sort of a waiting room that they all created so they could wait for eachother. They lived out their time in the LA waiting period the way they had always wanted it. Locke had always wanted his father to love him and he was one of the first to “die” and leave purgatory so he was able to relive so much. As well as Jack and Juliet, they both died around the same time so they were able to find eachother first and have a child they had each always wanted. Plus they had that deep connection innitially but their true loves were Kate and Sawyer. I believe it wasn’t until the last one of them “died” and left purgatory that they were able to touch eachother and see what had happened during the time on the island. Which is why Jack and Juliet were able to be together for so long and not realize.
     At the very end of the show it showed the shipreck and no one alive. Which to me shows that no one survived. Also in the very first season it shows Jack open his eyes laying in the forest, and at the end it shows him closing them. Which to me symbolizes the end of his “test”.
     I’m still a little undetermined on the Whitmore situation though. How he was able to leave the island at a young age, have a child and then come back. That child being Penny who is with Desmond. Leaving me to believe that there is some possibility of the island not being a purgatory.
     I’m torn.

174. Chad | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I am concerned that there is an attempt to take a fictional story and work to make sense of what the island is or isn’t based on our reality. The island had unique properties that we don’t experience in typical human life.

     I like the theory that Tony West puts out there about a testing ground for Purgatory. I don’t agree that was the authors intent.

     I think much like Alice and Wonderland, which a fictional story the writers used creative license to play with some science fictional plot elements. I believe the island was real to them and that they time traveled and fought to deal with this weird island that seemed to be a key to life for the World.

     I have no clue why the man in black couldn’t leave the island, but it alluded to the fact that if that happened then the bottle will be uncorked and evil can spill into the world. Yet before he became the smoke monster it seemed like there was a problem with him leaving as well. I have some unanswered questions as it relates to that issue.

     If you do some study on basic overviews of string theory it talks about the need for there to be 7-11 extra dimensions of life. I believe the writers were working to create an awareness there of new scientific findings of our era. Eternity has taken on a new perspective since some findings that relate to String theory and Physics. Supposedly eternity is more accurately described as a dimension than a timeline that is continuous in both directions. It is about a place that transends time and where you move from a 3d perspective of life to a 7d perspective.

     I am kind of jumbled in my points here. But this is what i believe

     -The island was real life and had special powers (writers writing a sci- fiction)

     -The LA events are part of an afterlife experience that includes the new dynamic understanding of eternity and different dimensions.

     - Unsure of how the timing of them all remembering each other differently in LA story ties into things. My guess is it is based off of when each of them actually die.

     -Ultimately I think it propagates a mentality of a new age religious movement that all roads lead to the same door. Christanity, Jewish, Toaism, Muslim and other religions all end up at a place of peace and leading to a door of light. Which might be considered a heavenly environment. I think that is great brain candy and fun to think about but just as much as a christian standing at the corner of the street with a bullhorn preaching the Gospel seems aggressive in its influence, I think that this presentation of a religious view is just as in your face. I get frustrated with people thinking that someone preaching religious tolerance isn’t actually preaching there philosophy which is the same as anyone preaching anything. So as a christian it is a bit frustrating that shows like this do so well at captivating, and then leave the crowd to ponder deep questions with no direction and influencing the world to think that a Kabbahlistic view of our world or that all roads lead to the same place is an accurate depiction of truth.

     Anyways I enjoy the brain candy and the challenge of thinking through the open loops and working out what it could be. Would love to hear some more thoughts.

175. Nicole | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I loved the whole last season and especially the finale. I thought the questions were answered, as much as they could have been, what would the viewers have wanted; a read-through explaination of everything weird that ever happened?? Yeah right, I wanted to see as happy an ending for these characters I cared about and that was exactly what we got. I completely understand the end, and the island, and though the viewers who commented here seem to have it right, the above article does not seem to at all.

176. Nick | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     ok i agree with many of your posts. The island was NOT real. They also did NOT survive the crash. Did you not see the last 10 seconds of the show? The island was a “waiting room” which judged each character on whether they will be good or bad. They were all on the island because each character had a LOST soul. They were all flawed and missing something from their lives. Once they were able to find it they were sent to LA, which was purgatory. Michael was not in the church because he wasn’t able to redeem his soul if that makes any sense. Once Jack was able to let go of the island and die his soul was released which was the point behind the whole show i believe.

177. Cable Guy | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I wasn’t sure how I’d feel on the Monday after the finale…The one word I never guessed I would use to desgribe the final episode…BORING…and that’s just sad.

178. Vince | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     ‘why hurley never lost any weight’

     they never seemed to be wanting for food and the first four seasons occurred over just 101 days of ‘Lost’ time.

     The MIB was easily killed because he became mortal.

     Charles Widemore motivations changed because he was visited by Jacob.

     The ‘point of the smoke monster’ is that he was created by Jacob throwing his brother into the light. Hurley had to drink the water to become the island’s protector because that is traditionally how it was done.

     Sure, not all of the questions were answered, but many of the questions that have been posted here, such as why Richard never aged (he made a deal with Jacob) were. Obviously, if Jacob can make it so that someone doesn’t age, he and the island had the power to do a lot of other things that could answer almost any other unresolved question about the things that happened, including why the ghosts appeared. It is silly that there is a magic island in real life? Sure. But not in a TV ‘real life.’

     Use your imagination a little and come up with your own theories and answers. Everything didn’t need to be tied up in a neat little bow for the a good ending.

     I think the island was ‘real,’ but they left things ambiguous enough that you can believe what ever you want.

179. db | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     The entire island storyline took place during everyone’s lives between the time the plane split apart and the time it hit the ground. “I saw my whole lifeflash before me”. what if all the passengers thought that at the same instance… then they’re connected.

     Note: The end… during the credits as they dissolve between scenes of the wreckage. As I said 6 years ago. “No one survives a crash like that.”

     Been done before? See below:

     —————–

     Set during the American Civil War, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is the story of Peyton Farquhar, a Confederate sympathizer condemned to death by hanging upon the Owl Creek Bridge of the title. The main character finds himself already bound at the bridge’s edge at the beginning of the story. It is later revealed that a disguised Union scout enlisted him to attempt to demolish the bridge, and subsequently he was caught in the act.

     Part I:

     A gentlemanly planter in his mid-30s is standing on a railroad bridge in Alabama. Six military men and a company of infantry men are present. The man is to be hanged. As he is waiting, he thinks of his wife and children. Then he is distracted by a tremendous noise. He can not identify this noise, other than that it sounds like the clanging of a blacksmith’s hammer on the anvil. He can not tell if it was far away or near by. He finds himself apprehensively awaiting each strike, which seem to grow further and further apart. It is revealed that this noise is the ticking of his watch. Then, an escape plan flashes through his mind, “throw off the noose and spring into the stream. By diving I could evade the bullets and, swimming vigorously, take to the woods and get away home.” His thoughts stray back to his wife and children. The soldiers drop him down.

     Part II:

     Peyton Farquhar is a planter in his 30s. He lives in the South and is a major Confederate supporter. He goes out of his way to perform services to support and help the Confederate side. One day, a grey-clad soldier appears at his house and tells Farquhar that the Union soldiers repairing the railroads are at the nearby Owl Creek Bridge. Farquhar takes interest and asks if it is possible to sabotage the stockade the soldiers have set up, to which the soldier replies that he could burn it down. When the soldier leaves, it is revealed that he is a Union soldier who has tempted Farquhar into a trap.

     Part III:

     When he is hanged, the rope breaks. Farquhar falls into the water. While underwater, he seems to take little interest in the fact that his hands, which now have a life of their own, are freeing themselves and untying the rope from around his neck. Once he finally reaches the surface, he realizes his senses are superhuman. He can see the individual blades of grass and the colors of bugs on the leaves of trees, despite the fact that he is whirling around in a river. Once he realizes that the men are shooting at him, he escapes and makes it to dry land. He travels through an uninhabited and seemingly-unending forest, attempting to reach his home 30 miles away. During his journey through the day and night, he is fatigued, footsore, and famished, urged on by the thought of his wife and children. He starts to experience strange physiological events, hears unusual noises from the wood, and believes he has fallen asleep while walking. He wakes up to see his perfectly preserved home, with his beautiful, youthful, immaculately preserved wife outside it. As he runs forward to reach her, he suddenly feels a searing pain in his neck, a white light flashes, and everything goes black.
     It is revealed that Farquhar never escaped at all; he imagined the entire third part of the story during the time between falling through the bridge and the noose finally breaking his neck.

     ————————–

     The LOST “Flashes Sideways” are a multi-denominational version of heaven (afterlife) that allow the characters to finally be together outside of purgatory (the Island).

180. Zlica | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Do u remember the first scene- first episode, Jack is on the ground and the dog comes and sniffs him… Same as the last scene, that means he never woke and he died as the rest of them. That is why they show us that plane at the end. Also Richard said at one point- U are all dead! So yeah that island was their limbo, so for me as a person that does not belive in hell, heaven and etc. That was not so much fun… but it was the only way to explain it since the writters got lost as well long time ago.

181. kkljnkln | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Yep! It’s called Araf or Al-A’raf…

182. Leon | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Anyone notice that Ben didn’t make the final exit. He’s still sitting on the bench.

183. Bob | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     In response to Tony West, anyone who has been to LA knows its not purgatory.

184. Seerak | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     The fact that there is no consensus about what happened — just a giant collective WTF? followed by everyone reading their own ending into things, is pretty much the most damning indictment of the writers possible.

     I know that ambiguity is in fashion, and a lot of people like having more questions than answers so they can imagine their own “meanings” for things, but the fact remains: if that’s what you like, why bother watching LOST, or anything? Just write your own stuff!

     If a car manufacturer did this, they wouldn’t build you a car; they’d sell you a box of random parts so you can build whatever you fancy.

     When I watch or read someone else’s work, I expect it to have something to say of its own, not leave gaping holes so big I practically have to write my own story. I expect the author to have something of his own to say.

185. Gary | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I think that they all died in the crash and the island is real with its mystical elements. The “survivors” were tortured souls who needed to work out their destiny and come to peace with themselves. The characters from the island, like Ben, Miles, Charlotte, and all the others, were other tortured souls who had died on the island and they all interacted in order to have a quest or journey to find themselves. Battling the smoke monster–pure evil–was a major part of that as the characters had to decide where they took a stand. Ben was pure evil on the island, but his good side evidenced itself in the flash sideways, showing the duality of many people’s character. That is why he was outside the church at the end as he was trying to figure out what kind of person he really was. The flash sideways was the final step until heaven when all the characters met as they were necessary for each other to find peace.

186. Liesa | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Often an ending to great story will have the viewer analyzing every detail. The characters and what they experienced on the island kept everyone coming back. Since no one knows what heaven or hell is the writers created a plausible explanation of the characters outcome. By having the characters reunited in that timeline in the “afterlife” granted them peace and happiness. Because Ben was outside the church it appeared that his choices in life did not allow him into the light. I loved the sentimental ending; while it may not of clarified every plot line it was inspiring!

187. Bruce | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     To everyone trying to understand what Lost was about… go watch “Jacob’s Ladder”! They all were dead or dying, the 6 year’s were their own collective imaginations trying to make sense of what happened. In the end they came to understand they had all been dead and needed to move on.

     So yes, polar bears, atomic bombs, black smoke and of course the mysterious island was their way of trying to make sense of what had happened to them.

188. Dave M | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I see the series as a wildly intricate adaptation of Orwell’s “A Hanging” with a lot of creative growth. My take is the characters all died on a plane crash. I’m not sure if that was actual or representative but they all died together or at least at the same time. Each of the characters was flawed and in the instant between life and death, a flash, time stopped for a moment to allow them to remember their lives and reconcile any outstanding issues. Some took more self exploration and coxing but in the end they all got it. What they each experienced in their mind was an amalgam of their past life and future hopes colored by the last real experiences, in this case the people they met getting on the “plane.” I think “fantasy” island’s role in this was a create a seemingly tangible world where they could “live” out that metaphysical experience until they got it figured out. At that point they could go to the light in peace.

     Obviously and as Damon, Adam and even JJ have said the series had to have several levels. One for casual viewers, one for regular/consistent viewers and one for super fans. To satisfy those sometimes dissonant agendas not everything that we watched can work towards the longer and ultimate story arch. So we have to dismiss some of the plots as mere action movie fun. Others as they have also said were just plane mistakes. And then there are the realities of talent contracts and real life production issues that forced the show into unforeseen challenges. But overall the plan they conceived on the very first weekend creating the pilot came to fruition and it’s what I like most about both JJ’s and George’s stories. The moral is to enjoy life, make the most of every moment and love as much as you can. It’s what you will miss when it’s over.

     I could be totally wrong and I assume once the creators start opening up we will know more including the juicy details and there are many. Until then I feel like I just stepped off a thrilling rollercoaster ride and need to sit down to get my head together but still hungry for more.

     Thanks more than I can say Lost team for six awesome seasons of great television I simply could not miss watching. Not a lot of TV you can say that about these days.

189. John | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     If the Island wasn’t real, then how would you explain that people could leave the island and come back? Several people left and came back, repeatedly, i.e Dharma people, Faraday, Others. I think the writers really screwed us with those flash sideways because that whole storyline wasnt even real. They just made it the afterlife because they couldn’t figure out how to reconcile to two storylines.

190. Kate G | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I think the show did what they set out to do…cause more of a stir with all the questions. Doesn’t it make sense that they ended it this way just as the show started? it caused a lot of people to sit, think and analyze. I appreciate they way it was down…left up to our own interpretation. Bravo!

191. cazza | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     All the questions were answered that needed to be.

     Purgatory, schmurgatory. Jack said it best to Desmond when he countered Desmond’s assertion that nothing matters. . . we’re all going to end up together and happy.

     What we do matters – just like what Jack did mattered (Jimmy Kimmel, you were onto it!!)- in whichever reality. Jack grew into a man who could love, could forgive, and could believe. How fitting that his final conflict was with the man of faith he had fought all along, and yet now he was the one who believed.

     To search for all the story details is missing the point, and guarantees dissatisfaction. You end up missing the forest for the trees.

     Thank you Damon and Carlton. You haved stoked the embers of my faith, and left me basking in its glow. And the added bonus was a truly entertaining story that had me enthralled to the last second.

192. Rob | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Ryan your way off the island was real they said it at the end. The flash sideways was purgatory not the island

193. lee | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     How did Daniel end up as Widmore’s son??????

194. lee | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I agree that the Dark Man was killed too easily. Why were Juliet, Penny and Desmond in the church, they were not on flight 815? If they were imagined in the sideways, then they couldn’t be dead or alive. What happened the pilot and Richard? Why didn’t Ben go into the church? Maybe they kept him for a return of Lost/maybe called Found.

195. lee | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Just a couple of more questions…what was the point of Vincent (the dog) at the end, and why didn’t Michael and Walt make an appearance?

196. hehehe | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     All I have to say is that your typo “Smock Monster” cheered me up a lot after a crappy ending to Lost. LOL!

197. Audrey | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I was just as frustrated by the author of the article with the lack of answers to the big mythological questions. That never would’ve bothered me if we hadn’t been so set up to focus on those as the MAIN POINTS of the show.

198. Patty S | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I still wish we could know what the whole point of the island was… The light, Dharma, the smoke monster, the final rain storm, the island disappearing, the time travel, coming back to the island…so much more!
     I would have appreciated a neater bow tied around these 6 years, but as with anything (but LOST); it is what it is. All in all, a great ride and I’m sad to see it go.

199. Helen | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I agree with Paula totally. The island was not real but a place where they each had to work out their problems and prove themselves. If you think of the strange things that happened on the island, how could it have been “real life.”

200. Alan | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Lisa, a concise but wonderful explanation. Keep it simple and happy!

201. Chase | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     the island was all real. the things left unexplained were simply, never explained. think about mr. ecko, he realized who the black smoke monster was and the smoke monster killed him. the man that we all thought was jacob for so long was in fact the smoke monster lying to ben and locke and jack and claire, trying to get off the island. hurley and ben went on protecting the island for god knows how long, until the day they died and appointed new leaders. the island was in its own way purgatory, if you died without doing something just, you go to hell. ( mr. ecko, michael) if you did some good in the world as in self sacrifice ( jack, boone, sayhid, jin and sun) you go to heaven, or abraham, which was LA. the island was the connector between heaven hell and earth. lets refer to the bible for a moment if you will. i want to explain something about jacob, he is the same jacob from the bible, jacob had a twin named esau. they hated each other, in fact they fought in the womb of their mother, rebecca. jacob was pulled out with esau because jacob had a death grip on esau’s ankle. jacob convinced esau to sell him his birthright so therefore esau hated jacob. similarities anyone? jacob was the keeper of the island and the protector of earth. esau wanted hell to be unleashed on earth. now you people say the island wasnt real, well i believe the island was just as real as the LA in the flashbacks in season 1.

202. Helen | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Hey Tony…Like your expanation the best of anyone..Makes sense…

203. ricardo | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     but can someone tell me what in the hell was the island? how it came to be? those were the questions I wanted answer and were not answered at all

204. Fanatic101 | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     THE ISLAND IS MOST DEFINITELY REAL.

     Someone asked what had happened to Faraday after Charolette died. Faraday continued to live on the island and lived with Sawyer, Jin, Myles, and Juliet in the Dharma Initiative.

     He then left the island for further research on time travel, when he returned to the island it was still 1977, that’s when he came back with the idea of detonating the hydrogen bomb. While trying to communicate with “The Others” he was shot by his own mother.

     -I noticed that no one had answered that question for this confused fan, so I took it upon myself

205. M | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     AMEN!

206. Mike | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     What happened on the island was real. Christian explicitly stated that. But…I think the writers called an audible. I think originally the island was supposed to be purgatory, but all the fans figured that out around 2005. So they rewrote it, but didn’t want to throw out the purgatory idea all together. And that’s how we ended up with this alternate universe purgatory nonsense in the final season.

207. Alwardmeerkat | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     All of the questions that you need answered were answered. The black smoke was explained and Jack did the water thing so hurley would be the new Jacob, I thought that the afterlife thing was done buetifully qnd I would not change a thing. I cannot think of a real question that I still have.

208. ralph | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     The Island /flash forward/flash back worlds were all real. Sideways was a way for the characters find each other in “purgatory” once they died.

     When Jacob spoke to the final four in the second to the last episode he told all of them that they were broken/flawed and alone like he was. Jacob found them and gave them an opportunity to do what he couldn’t do. Destroy Flock. Jack did just that.

     If writers took the easy way out by not answering the why’s or hows of one open storyline in relation to the island being the easy way out isn’t it the other way around? The viewers are allowed to come up with their own answers and theories about what exactly the true nature of the island is and why it all was.

     I know that with science today and “expert opinions” abound on the internet everyone wants spelled out answers. Sometimes X x y = ? and the ? can be a different answer to different people.

     I loved the series writing and the show I am sad it is gone but as they say it is better to have Loved Lost than to not have had Lost at all.

209. Tyler | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     i agree with tony, the island wasn’t real. thats why in one of the episodes the oceanic flight was said to be found in the bottom of the ocean with all the bodies still intact in it. they were all dead and waited on the island until they either earned their way to purgatory to meet up with everyone by being a good, moral person, or condemned themselves to hell, depending on their actions. which explains how their were supernatural powers on the island that could never exist in real life. it also explains why some left the island then decided to go back because their future to go to either heaven or hell was not yet decided.

210. Ed | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I think the word “real” as it pertains to the island is being confused with true reality. In the context of the show, the island was real, not imaginary, not a dream, not the after or in between life. The island and everything that happened up to Season Six was real in the concept that it actually happened during the lives of the characters that we saw on the show. But when people try to compare the reality of a TV show to real life reality they are trying to compare fiction to non-fictio. It would be like wathcing a show like True Blood and saying none of it is real because there are vampires. The reality context of Lost is that there IS an island that is the center of good and evil and that island has special powers. It doesn’t mean if you fly 1000 miles off the coast of Austraila today you are going to find it, it simply means that is part of the reality in this story. People that try and find justification in the science of the island or explainations of it’s powers are first missing the point that it was merely a back drop to a story about individual growth and humanity, and second are not recognizing that reality in a fictional story is not held to the scientific reality that we live in. Anyone that is focused on that is no different than those Treky nerds debating whether or not Warp speed is acheivable….it’s irrelevant.

211. Dave | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I agree with Tony too. Jacob chose the Oceanic cast because they were alone and flawed. After EVERYONE died in the original crash, those who needed more time to resolve their soul’s character did so on the Island. That’s why when the O-6 left, deep down they knew they had to return because the Island was not done with them.

     After proving their character to be good or evil, they entered purgatory to “awaken” to the love they had found and move on (to heaven) no longer being LOST.

212. Candice | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Faraday was shot by his mom in the second to last season when he was back in a time flash or something and wanted to blow up THE bomb. He walked up to her camp with Widmore and she shot him not realizing what was going on. He knew what was going on bc he was a crazy smart scientist man and he’d seen the Charlotte as he explained to Desmond. That was his memory waking moment. Richard never aged bc Jacob said he could have anything he wanted and he couldn’t forgive him or reunite him with his wife so he said he wanted to live forever. The black smoke is just black smoke bc when Jacob knocked him out and sent him down the lit waterfall his nature in addition to all the crazy electromagnetic issues on the island turned him into a smoke monster, it also cures cancer, kills pregnant moms and helps paralized people walk. Seriously UV rays and stuff have serious effects on people so why is it such a crazy stretch that a major concentration of electromagnetic waves can do crazy stuff too. The polar bears were from experiments by the Dharma Initiative. Remember Sawyer and Kate were in separate cages and Sawyer finally figured out how to trip the trigger buttons and get a treat or food. Ben later told him the bears figured it out a lot quicker than he did. I think the island was just an island with electromagnetic squared resources and so it would move or wierd things would happen. The whole last season, the previews said you would get answers, but in interviews they said it wasn’t going to tie up every loose end and it would leave people trying to figure it out. It’s just a fictional story. It was never super-realistic or logical and I think it’s so funny that people expected the 2.5 hour finale to be a complete and total logical scientific explanation of everything that ever happened on the many, many hours on the show. The island was real. Jack’s dad, Christian said that. Jack died on the island. Some made it off and died later. Seems like you, Ryan are the one that missed the point. Why did Hurley never lose weight? Seriously? Awesome point that discredits everything bc the fat guy was still fat (sarcastic as can be). Do you remember all the Dharma junk food? Tons to eat. They even addressed this in one of the early seasons asking Hurley why he wasn’t losing weight and he didn’t know. It doesn’t work for flash backs, flash forwards and sideflashes for one of the main stars to drop 100 pounds. So purgatory is a waiting room and the island was the waiting room to the waiting room…c’mon. They said in the finale that the island was real, that’s why their flashbacks when they remembered each other were not of some ways that they met in the good ol’ US, they were all the events of the island.
     Kevin,
     Locke meant Jack didn’t have a son. BC that was only their purgatory reality. BC Jack and Juliet had moved on with other people, but he had such huge fears of being an unfit dad, that it was part of his purgatory to have a good relationship with his son. They didn’t remember each other bc it was something specific that jolted all of them. For Sun and Jin it was the ultrasound of their child, which could have been Juliets memory moment too, but it wasn’t super special for her..James “Sawyer” was. I don’t know why Juliet said it worked. That doesn’t make sense to me, but the whole show needs a little stretching of your imagination and a lot of blind acceptance. Hurley talked to dead people and that actually didn’t have anything to do with the island, it was just him and Miles too…just use your imagination.

213. CQPearson | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Assuming the island was real, the key question becomes when did the Losties die? Did our heroes die when the bomb was detonated or did they die subsequent to the bomb as depicted in the series?

     If the island was real, then Sawyer-Juliet-Hurley-Miles-Jin traveled backed to 1974, became Dharma employees. They were later rejoined circa 1977 by LA-Losties (Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid) who returned to the Island circa 2002ish along with Sun, pilot Lapidus, Ben but this latter group remained in the “present”. In 1977, Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, Sawyer and Juliet were toether and detonated the nuclear weapon which may or may not have destroyed the island killing all aboard. If all that’s true, then oh what a mess we would have! That would mean Oceanic 815 never crashed, the 1977 Losties died with the bomb at the end of Season 5 and Sun, pilot Lapidus, Ben, Richard and that crew lived out their lives on the adjacent island to later succomb to natural causes or radioactive fallout? It would however be consistent with Christian’s remarks to Jack, that some died before him and others died after.

     Cleaner scenario is if the bomb didn’t kill our heroes but only had the effect of multiplying the electro-magnetic energy to propel them back to the future, then everyone died as depicted in the series. Thank you quantum mechanics!

     Whatever happened, happened. In the Finale, LA is indeed their “final destination”, their waiting room post-death (whether bomb-related or not-due-to-bomb) because in their consciousness (which obviously survived death), LA was their destination when they boarded Oceanic 815 in their original timeline. Everything that happened in LA (which is not our temporal Los Angeles) then was the future of, and not sideways to, what was happening on the Island in Season 6.

     This will all get sorted out in the Prequel coming to a theatre near you: “Welcome to the Hotel California”!

214. Gabe | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I agree completely with AJF

215. Schroeder | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     BINGO!!!

216. Luther | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I’ve watched e show for the entire six seasons and I don’t have any answers for my questions. They don’t explain what the light is! They don’t explain what Jacob and his brother came to be, or any other previous protectors of the island. What was the elixir that Jacob drank, and what caused his brother to turn into the black, invulnerable, smoke monster? TOO MANY QUESTIONS!!!!!

     What was point of the “Others”, Richard, The Dharma Initiative, the focus on Walt and Aaron in the first season, and all the other loose threads that will just fade into nothingness. I found out that the producers have a track record of producing weak endings for shows with a great premise, and this adds to the list.

     Everyone will have their different opinions about the finale of the show and what the show was really about. In my opinion the show was a mix of sci-fi, adventure, and fantasy. You can’ t have six seasons filled with those three elements and then end it with religion.

     I did not like the ending at all, and yes I did want more or at least questions answered.

217. Robb | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     What a great ending. Many people feel that questions were not answered, but such is life. It was a very deep show that was hard to understand at times, which I think kept it interesting and not predictable.

     The finale really makes you think; is Earth like the island? Is this our second chance? Believe it or not, but is that a chance you want to take? Be good all.

218. Yvonne | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I know all things must come to an end, but why end the good ones that keep you comming back every week and keep the ones that you can turn off or find something else to watch? Lost kept you hooked and I don’t understand the reason behind ending the series.

219. debbie and poppy | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     We have watched this together (mother and daughter) through all six series. We have loved every minute – even the parts where we were screaming abuse at the TV when we were left hanging in suspense!
     What an awesome ending to an awesome show. Yeah, so there are a few unanswered questions about the little things BUT how great to have such a satisfying and emotional ending to things – the only thing we are unhappy with is that it is over!!
     Thanks guys, we won’t forget you X

220. Efab | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Why in the earlier seasons was there a “real” crash at the bottom of the ocean filled with passangers?

221. Completely Satisfied | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     The point of Vincent in the end was that the show ended the same way it started. In the pilot episode when Jack opened his eyes Vincent was the first thing he saw.

222. Dan | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Luther, about the smoke monster: I don’t think Jacob’s brother became the smoke monster. My impression is that Jacob throwing his brother down into the light somehow released the smoke monster. Jacob’s brother died, and his body was found along with their “mother”. Since Jacob’s brother was dead, the smoke monster appeared as him. The smoke monster remains a mystery, but I like that some mysteries remain… keeps us thinking and talking about it.

223. Je | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     ok so that was dissapointing, and I think that is the main opinion of everyone with some exceptions. but even if you like the ending (which I don’t) it has nothing to do with the fact that they didn’t even explain anything about the island. they made sure we knew it was real, cause Jack’s dad managed to squeeze that into the 5 minute “explanation” of what was happening. but then nothing else was said about supernatural and weird things that happened over there. based on what they did say, it’s dumb to think they all died on the flight. I just don’t get how they can show us so many episodes (especially this season), that leave us confused and wondering what is going on, and then not even reveal it all in the finale. the only thing I can think of is that they just wanted us to be confused and talk about it afterwards, which is what we are doing. but that won’t last that long, so I think that was a dumb ending to an otherwise good show.

224. Patty S | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I don’t think I’m nit-picking when I ask about storylines that went on repeatedly. Why were the children that were taken never revisited? If LA was purgatory and they met up at the church, why were Rose and Bernard and Michael and Anna Lucia, etc. not there? Was the MIB really a bad guy, and was Jacob really a good one? Light and dark seem kinda gray. Why did Jacob recruit if it was a just a flash in time to reconcile life? How did Jacob get off the island to recruit if nobody was supposed to leave? How did the twins’ murdering ‘mom’ get on the island and find out about this ‘light’ duty? What did the button have to do with anything in the end? Ritual? Like watching ABC every Tuesday?

225. Desiree | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I think you’re all a bunch of suckers for wasting your time! All I’ve seen of this show is the breif glances up from my laptop while my boyfriend watched it and after every episode he was pissed off that he was watching such a terrible show… (yet he couldn’t stop)

     suckers i tell you. catch up on Breaking Bad – now there’s a show.

226. Mike | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Re: Juliet saying “it worked”: Wasn’t she just talking about getting the candy bar out of the machine?

227. Icepulse | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Awwww…….

     “Breaking Bad” and “6 Ft. Under” are / were every bit as good as Lost. Lost petered out after the 4th season.

228. Je | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Oh and I totally agree with what Luther said: “the show was a mix of sci-fi, adventure, and fantasy. You can’ t have six seasons filled with those three elements and then end it with religion.” SO RIGHT ON MAN! You couldn’t have said it any better.

229. Gary | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I am happy for you that enjoyed the finale. As for me, it never made sense and it was utterly dissapointing. Poorly concieved, badly coordinated, poorly written, but well acted. I cried twice, the scene with Charley and Claire and the scene with Sawyer and Juliette. No real passion there with Kate and Jack I was surprised.

     There were enormous holes left to be filled, and again this goes back to the many questions about the writing and wether the writers were making thisgs up as they went along, obvisusly they did because they left so many thing dangling in thin air with no sensible solution. Why was Walt such a special Boy They kept saying that over and over and they kidnapped him for that reason, yet he disappeared and was never brought back at the end. Guess the kid actor was not available.

     My main beef is that soooooo amny of you are sooo focused on the people, you forget that the ISLAND was a huge part of the show. Why was it special? What was the light? I know that it made them immortal and protected the island but WHY? What was the electromagnetic force? Why could you not find it on a map or if you didn’t know the exact coordinates? Nothing absolutely nothing to explain the island including the two temples and why Jacob could leave but not his brother?

     And one more thing I have no idea if they all died in the crash, but some things to think about

     1. Babies died on the island and couldnt survive? Why because the mothers were dead.
     2. Locke walked the first day on the island, why? because he was DEAD.
     3. Bernard and Rose who both had terminal illnesses were cured. WHY? Because they were dead.
     4. Maybe the answer to Walt is that he was the ONLY one that wasn’t dead and that is why he was special and he actually left and never returned in the finally because he WASNT dead.
     5. Jack at the end walks to the exact same spot on the island where the show first started and his eye opened, that was the first scene of the series. The last scene he closed his eye and that was it. Jack survived the crash but died on the island.
     6. Hurley never lost weight, why? because the show let him stay big and Oh Guess what? Dead people don’t lose weight. No need to why BECAUSE THEY ARE DEAD.
     7.Jacob and MIB were dead. Thier Mother DIED in the Ship wreck just like all of those people Jacob went to live with. They were all DEAD.
     8. Why did Richard never age? because he was DEAD.
     9. What the hell happened with the Darma Initiative? They were supposedly alive? So why did they LIVE on the island that was purgatory. Geez this all is so poorly coordinated and makes little sense. WHY? Because the writers were BRAIN DEAD.
     I called the ending prior to jack going into the church. I said this was going to be like the movie titanic where Kate winslett;s character dies and returns back in time in heaven to meet jack dawson (DiCaprio) Screw the man she was married to for all those years and screw her kids and grandkids.

     Then I said that christian would open a door to white fluffy clouds and a big bright light. Don’t think they had the clouds but they had the light. GO to the light Go to the Light. Geez Original. And as far a sChritians “we all gotta die sometime kiddo” well No s$$$, I need a tv show to tell me that?

     I loved this show, but certainly they could have ended it better. What was the point of showing us survivors of a plane crash if they were dead, But how could they also be alinve? Syed died three time? or Two Times Or Once? Whats the answer? Charley Died Once Twice or What?

     Man this sucks.

230. Completely Satisfied | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Juliet said it worked because she was in her flashsideways and realizing her happiness. She knew what it was like to live a life off the island.

231. jeff | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     If the flash sideways was a purgatory, what was the point of showing the island at the bottom of the ocean? Or having miles say juliet said “It worked”.

     I think those two things are indicators that the “purgatory” wrap up of the flash sideways was a hastily thrown together answer to tie things up with a warm fuzy.

     Once again, hated it.

232. Jamie | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I think when Juliet tells Sawyer to unplug the candy machine & plug it back in so the candy will “just fall,” there is a definite analogy to what is going on with MIB on the island. The island being “unplugged” by Desmond allowed MIB o become mortal so he could fall, but then the island had to be plugged back in…

233. Samin | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     It won’t be LOST if all the questions were answered, would it?

234. Mari | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I feel cheated, cheated of my time and all the emotions that I invested in such a senseless and meaningless show. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it until I saw the end. What a disappointment!! One thing is for sure, I will make sure that my time is spent on things that are truly worthwhile. Never again will I let myself be “Lost” in such nonsense.

235. Je | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Juliet was talking about the candy bar falling out of the machine when she said “it worked”. that was obvious, cause they both just started “remembering” after the touched.

236. LOST FTW | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     “Overall it was a disappointing finale for someone who watched this show since the pilot aired in 2004 because the main questions such as what is the island?what is the point of the Smock Monster? When the light went off on the island what was the point of Jack giving Hurley water to make him immortal when he had lost all his powers?”

     I don’t appreciate you speaking for my behalf; I have been a Lost fan since it first aired and this finale exceeded my expectations. If all you care about is getting answers to what is the island and so forth, than you have completely missed what this show is about. It’s about the characters, and how they affect each others’ lives. You can only be disappointed in yourslef for not getting what Lost is about.

237. Frankle | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Too many loose ends to believe the island was real. “Real” as in physical. I think that flight crashed, they all died, but remained ‘alive’ in order to work through their issues/realize their full potentials.
     Especially when considering the good / evil struggle of these (kind of) immortal beings on the island. Are they not angels of sorts, one of them ‘fallen’? Why else would the island need a protector? If its just some physical magical place that doesn’t exist on a map, who cares if there’s a protector or not? Its a spiritual zone.
     All the crazy time travel, the fact that babies couldn’t be conceived on the island, the missing passengers from the second plane crash (when they went back)…it makes more sense.
     The sideways portion…maybe some kind of graduation?

238. Completely Satisfied | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Yeah Je is right. She probably told Miles “it worked” because she knew that was the next time they would be together. Or she was already in her flash sideways. Something like that.

239. Laura | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Totally agree with your theory, it’s exactly what I mentioned to my sister today!

240. Gary | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     JIM PINIGIS

     I really like your comment both in tone and insight. I had told my wife that there was a lot of religious symbolism in the show. Now the Temples even make more sense, they were a symbol of different religions.

     Also, the Take this cup and drink from it, where jacob says a prayer. That was right out of the last supper. When Christ took the cup and gave thanks and then said Take this cup all of you and drink from it. This is the blood of my body the new and eer lasting covenant, do this in memory of me. Etc.
     Christian Shepard, I’m not sure if I caught that until Kate said something. Funny How I just siad I saw lots of religious symbolism but I may have missed that obvious piece.

     Anyway, kudos to you for your easy, calming answer! Doesn’t explain everything, but some very interesting insight. Thanks!

241. Gary | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I always wondered if Smoky was the Devil, fallen from grace and expelled from heaven.
     That is why he could never return home.

     Because the devil never went back to heaven. Revelation 20 The Thousand Years “And I saw an Angel coming down out of Heaven, having the key to the abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpant, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the abyss, and locked (LOCKE?) and sealed it over him. TO keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be set free for a short time.”

242. davec | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     O.k., There are several claiming the flash sideways were ways for the characters to link together in pergatory. Why would their souls want to link up with Ben? Also, why did none of them recognize any other of them without having to re-experience moments on the island through a flash sideways? If the events actually happened these people would certainly have recognized each other, especially if they were searching for one another. What about the ‘others’ – aside from Juliette and Ben – where were they in the reunion? Perhaps Desmond was the grimm reaper – Mrs. Widmore asks if he is taking Daniel Faraday Widmore at the party. To which Desmond says ‘not yet.’

     I think the finale was hugely disappointing and feel like I wasted my time for the past 6 years to be lead to this wild conclusion that makes absolutely no sense at any level mentioned so far.

243. Les | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I didn’t like ending. I wish it could have been more resolved.

     Question, why show the plane destroyed at the end of the show? Doesn’t look like anyone could have survived. Was this the first plane or was this the plane Jack looked up and saw while he was dying?

244. Ken | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I remember the episode when Jacob and “The man in Black’s” mother washed up on the island, she kept asking the woman(who obviously kills their real mother, and take the babies) questions as they were prepping for the delivery, the woman stopped her and said “Every answer will only lead to another question”. I believe this referred to us…the viewers. I knew at that point we would not get the answers that so many people sought, as the show was not about the answers…it was about the people and would they be able to give them closure.

     I loved the finale and thought they did an incredible job wrapping it all up nicely…final scene, Jack closes his eye, the opposite from how it all began. How awesome!

245. John | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     If you watch the end closely Jack is back to to the very first scene of the series. He walks into the woods and the dog licks him. Only, this time he let’s go and moves on. They all had reconstructed collective realities until the became awakened to excepting death in their life and could move on. Notice some stayed who were not ready. Ben outside the church was representative of the “Others”. Those in purgatory waiting at the gate. The final was great in that all found in each other what they needed to except their lives.

     The truth is most scientist now believe in a multiverse. It’s obvious to me the Island was a reconstruction they created of a precieved reality. I’ts like Jacob’s ladder. They were climbing through realities to accept finality.

     This was like a great book in that we didn’t know for sure until the very end. Although, This was my theory from the very first show.

     The light was representative of first creation. The yin and the yang creating polarity. The smoke monster was the dark moving around the light. The closer people got to it the more the dualities in their life became manifested. The plug had to be pulled for them to enter the light. If was a spiral, the Fibonacci. Notice some souls moved on, others stayed, and others still were left in other realities. You have to have a good grasp of what reality really is to understand what the writers are saying.

     It doesn’t matter if the Island was real or not, as it all is part of a dream we are waking from.

     This was the greatest television show ever. I feel for those who have yet to experience it.

246. Morgan | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Okay to answer any questions here they are: Why did Juliet say it worked? She said that because when she bombed the hatch, it was another reason why flight 815 could fly over safely. Babies couldn’t be born on the island because of the magnetic forces and power,it causes damage to the baby itself. I think the ending made perfect sense. The plane flew over jack…were they on the plane? I am not sure if the cast was on the plane, or since they were on the island or elsewhere, they wouldn’t be on the plane, but that wasn’t the goal of the ending. It just ment that they were all safe,and it means in the end you die with the people you love and care about.

247. Morgan | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     The reason why the “others” and the other characters weren’t there in the last part was because it was just flight 815 and Ben was there because he is a big part of the show..the MAIN characters were there in the reuinon.

248. Nick | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     okay so let me help you people out. 1) island was real! (oh but no one aged oh no) wrong! richard actually did end up aging after the light was put out.so there for you can assume everyone did age. gray hair anyone! 2) most of all the questions have been answered in vague ways it just whether you wanted to believe them. 3) i hate how people say the whole show was just random because thats redic. the whole show is about good and evil. if you do good in life, you go to heaven or someplace better. well they got to have a purgatory of some sort so they could meet up with lost and loved ones. oh also if you think there is a question that wasnt answered try me i’m sure i can answer it with fact about the show

249. bellas*mom | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I completely agree with you. I have watched the show for 6 years and was thoroughly disappointed. I still have SO many questions! I heard someone say the writers wanted us to believe it was the good vs. evil theme…but then why weren’t all the “good” people (such as Eko) in the church. Also, if Jack came back after turning the light back on, why did Hugo say that Ben was a great number 2 and in return, Ben responded Hugo was a great #1. I thought Jack would “re-take” his position?! And of course-what is the point in the smoke monster? What was the importance of the light? Why could the smoke monster be killed once the light was put out? If the characters never survived the crash, that means Aaron, Penny/Desmond’s son, Charlie, and Sun/Jin’s child does not exist…and neither does Jack/Juliet’s son. Also, if they died in the crash, how would they have met the “others” on the island or were they all dead as well? SO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS!!!!

250. Cespedes | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Don’t you remember that it was Charles Widmore who put the airplane in the ocean? to make any rescue team stop looking for the people in the island?

251. Craig | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I absolutey loved the ending, it made perfect sense and was so poetic with Jacks’ eye closing as the final scene ended.

     A few people are still confused about a few things and annoyed that everything wasn’t answered but i take the view that it would be very boring to have every thing explained and tbh you probably can work out a lot of things with a bit of quess work. Here are some of my thoughts.

     1. They definately didn’t die on the plane, all that was real.

     2. The whole bomb thing didn’t work at all, in fact it was the incident, if you rememeber Sayid mentioned that underneath the hatch was concrete poured over the area like in Chernobyl, when i rewatched this i knew the bomb hadn’t worked.

     3. I can imagine that the whole pregnany thing happened because of the incident too?

     4. I love that there are more stories to be told in that there were survivors…Ben, Sawyer, Kate, Huley, Rose, Bernard and Vincent! And there story continues on but evertually, they all died.

     I might leave it a while before i watch lost again but it was so so good and i cant wait to hear interviews with the producers for them to reveal even more!

252. Completely Satisfied | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Why did Jacks neck start bleeding multiple times in Season 6?

253. Vee | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     They all died in the plane crash. Remember they found a plane at the bottom of the ocean with all the passengers?

254. MC | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I think we all got taken for a ride by the best pair of bullshit artists disguised as writers that network television has known thus far. They made it up as they went. But, hey… what a great ride.

     The ending was… ok. Except for all the time wasted on the clip-show memories.

255. Les | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Why show the plane on the beach at the end of the show?

256. Marc | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     An island that moves through time and can vanish by turning a wheel somewheres is obviously not “real” in any sense. It seems to me that every single person on the island probably arrived there by dying different ways and in different places and times, and they were making the transition that they collectively needed as Jack’s father stated. The group we were following came from the plane crash. Perhaps everyone else who was on flight 815 did not need the time to reconcile before moving on to the next phase. Every character who “died” while on the island had some kind of acceptance of their life before “dying” and moving on. Take the preacher from Africa – he was not on flight 815, but his interaction with the group we followed enabled him to move on. Same could be said of Desmond or Ben. Certain combinations of people interact and eventually find each other to help gain acceptance of their lives and then continue to the next phase.

257. mark | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Gaz have you been watching the show????

     polar bears -dharma brought them over

     the radiocative light- is the heart of island

     Charles Widmore and what his motivation for his actions were – he wanted to protect the island just like jacob

     the black smoke- man in black turned it the black smoke when jacob threw him down into the light

     the fact that some people could see ghosts on the island – this i dont have a concrete answer, but its a mysterious island, what do you expect

     I also felt that the Dark Man (posessed Locke) was killed too easily. – when desmond pulled out the stone it made locke normal again.

     WATCH THE SHOW OVER AGAIN

258. Les | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Sorry…I mean the crashed plane on the beach

259. alice m | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     the ending to “Lost” was a lost cause. why bother? jack drank the water to become the new keeper, so why didnt it work? what good would it do for Hurley to drank it then? i hope the writers and producers are home living it up right now knowing they let the public down after investing 6 years into the show . stupid, stupid ending. shame on them

260. ryan | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Waht a load of B.S. Talk about cop out! Maybe this was written during the writers strike lol

261. John | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I” say it again. In the last scene Jack was dying with a stab wound to the backside and neck wound. In the first scene of Lost Jack stumbles out of the woods with these same injuries and Kate stitches him up. The last scene was the same as the first. They all died in the original crash.

     The scene in the end of the crash sight no one is moving. Would all this stuff happening in the island more likely be part of purgatory or a recreated reality or part of a the original reality.

     To me it is obvious.

262. Kate | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I feel like it was a purgatory situation on the island and that they were dead on the island. To confirm in my mind, I would have to go back and watch everything again to try to puzzle it together. Not sure it would even be a solid confirmation then. BUT here is what I really want to know… Why did Daniel Faraday call himself Daniel Widby when we saw him at the concert???? That was a twist I havent figured out yet. And I like it!

263. Holly B | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Great thoughts here, folks. I feel like I’ve lost a best friend with the show over!

     I’d like to share my thoughts about the smoke monster and his purpose. Like many of you here, I agree the show had obvious and some subtle religious overtones. Although Jacob and The Man In Black were real people on the island, I’d postulate here they were symbolic angels (or shepherds) of good and evil, heaven and hell.

     In Lost, we see the writers explored the themes of good and evil, and the lack of absolute good and evil – from the beginning, there were no absolute “good guys” or “bad guys.” Everyone had a path. Like the yin-yang, there are seeds of evil in good and seeds of good in evil (symbol of this theme: remember when Richard arrived on the Black Rock ship? From the Pilot where Locke held the black marble to the white and black rocks on the scales, the black rock was a symbol of evil. Richard was one of the more universally accepted “good guys” and arrived in the Black Rock…anyway…i digress in symbolism…god I love this show!!!)

     …back to my thoughts on Jacob and Smoky….

     The reason why I suggest this is that I see the time in the island as these characters’ shot at redemption. Redemption is a HUGE theme in this show (symbol: Christ The Redeemer is shown several times at the church in the last episode). Do you remember how they asked Jacob around the campfire: why did you choose us? He answered: because you were all like me; you were flawed.

     Jacob brings them there and through their experiences, they become whole again. Once The Man In Black became The Smoke Monster, and presumably became “more purely” evil, all he wanted to do was stop the characters from fulfilling their purpose and destroy the island. He wanted to put out the light of the island.

     So, if Jacob is bringing them there to give them their shot at redemption, he is thereby helping their souls move on to a shot at an afterlife. The Smoke Monster, conversely, is attempting to stop this from happening. You could say Jacob is a shepherd of good and the smoke monster is a shepherd of evil.

     For those of you who think the ending was thrown together: read up on JJ Abrams and his intention with the show. He’d written the show from beginning to end before they started filming. Not with every script or detail of course, but the main concept was plotted out years ago.

     Anyway, I’m of the mind that the island was real and they all experienced what they experienced. Definitely. The last few seconds of the finale, showing the wreckage with no survivors, leads me to stretch the definition of real to include different dimensions of reality and not necessarily in this plane of existence.

     They definitely experienced what they experienced together, their lives woven together like Jacob’s tapestries. As their souls were lost, they faced the shepherds of good and evil, were redeemed, and were found.

     I once was lost, but now am found….was blind but now I see….

264. Kate | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Sorry Daniel Widmore. He called himself Daniel Widmore.

265. Y-Not | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I spent a good part of season 1 trying to figure out what things meant, then saw an interview of the authors where they basically admitted that they were making stuff up as they happened. After that, I stopped trying to make sense and decide to just enjoy the people and the scenery. It looks like indeed, they were no grand plans or storyline, just things that happened along the way as the writers thought of new idea to keep the show going and interesting…

266. Les | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     After reading most of these posts, I believe everyone died in the initial plane crash. Just my opinion.

267. Stacy | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Wow, did you people watch the show?

     The polar bears were Dharma experiments. Richard was “immortal” because that’s what he told Jacob he wanted in exchange for acting as his advisor (because he was afraid if he died he would go to hell). Yes, the island was “magical”…..hence Rose’s remission, John’s ability to walk. No other explanation is needed in that case, I mean if we all knew how David Copperfield made the statue of liberty disappear, it wouldn’t be entertaining anymore, would it?

     I’ll concede that the finale was a little deus ex machina, but the whole series has been full of mystery and unanswered questions. The core of the series, the thing that mattered, were the characters and their relationships with one another. Their individual searches for redemption and truth, each of them battling their own demons…that is what made Lost a fantastic show.
     I thought the finale was perfect….in the “waiting room” of the sideways universe they were all able to finally find the love none of them ever really felt they deserved….on the island, in reality, they were all able to be the heroes none of them ever thought they could be.
     It was brilliant and touching and for those of you still craving the answer to life, the universe and everything……..
     The answer is 42…..so long and thanks for all the fish.

268. Frankle | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Funny all the “the island was real” people keep using exclamation points. Shouting doesn’t help make your case. Perhaps you’ll learn this when you too visit the island one day … when youre DEAD. lol

269. Cespedes | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Charle Widmore put that plane in the ocean, don’t you remember? did you really watched Lost?

270. Mark | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     To the comment about Sayid… well even if he didnt believe… he sure found out what really happens.. hahaha

271. Mike | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I believe that any of these theories are reasonable.
     If any of you have read “The Life of Pi” by Yann Martel (which you should if you haven’t), the author emphasizes the value of “choosing the better story”. Whether Pi truly did live with a tiger in the middle of the ocean or if it was a self-created illusion is really up to the reader to decide.
     That is what I think the writers of LOST were going for. Maybe the island happened, or maybe it was just purgatory.
     The show has expressed themes dealing with faith and belief throughout the series, so I think it is fitting for the viewer to simply believe what they think is true.
     Just my two cents.

272. dax | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     So, why did Christian no have to live in purgatory with them, his son and daughter included?
     we are led to believe that only Christians body was inhabited by the smoke monster.
     Where was Christian, on his own island with his own group?

     But why did he hang out in Jacob’s cabin with Claire for a while, acting like, according to Claire?

273. alisa | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     maybe what we’re all experiencing right now is purgatory/limbo/whatever and we just haven’t woken up to it like in sideways world. that would explain a lot of things including our fascination with this TV show

274. Cole | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     It is all much easier to see clearly if you understand Christian, Jack’s father, to have meant “valid” instead of “real” when he told Jack “It was all real.” Real is a common synonym for valid and completely appropriate in this context. I do believe the final shot was of the plane with no survivors and that all of their experiences were completely “valid” in that they were just as important as their living experiences. They were all doing what they could to let go of their mortal existences. All a bunch of hooey IMO except as a trope but I cried in the end anyways because my atheist mind wants what everyone else wants. To be reunited with the ones we love and to be absolved of our transgressions against the belief systems we internalize.

275. Henderson | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     The island can’t be real. If it is, how could Kate see that horse and Jack see his dead father? Polar bears, black smoke, inmortality and on and on and on… I agree with Tony.

     What i really think is the island was meant to be the purgatory at the beginning of the series… but, everybody in internet realized that, so the writers had to find new plot lines.

     I think the key of it all is in The Third Policeman, the book by Flann O’Brien (masterpiece) that Desmond is reading at the beginning of season 2.

276. dax | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I want a movie made! Like Lynch dd with Twin Peaks with Fire Walk With Me.
     a nice 2 1/2 hour movie detailing everything from a totally omnipotent point of view!

277. julien | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     The ending when Jack’s father explained to him what was happening made me completely break down. It made me suddenly think of all of the people in my own life who affected me, and those who I loved, who have passed on (Grandmother, uncles, Dad, etc.)…very good ending.

278. Jake | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     so what exactly happened with Ben. why didnt he go into the church?? my theory is that he got a second chance to be with his daughter. when he went through his flashback, he saw his daughter and wanted to have a second chance with her.

279. john | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     the finale was too long filled with montages we’d all seen before, we wanted answers not a montage

280. tema | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I think everyones death at the plan crash explains some of the unanswered questions. Why coudn’t women give birth? well if you remember, only women who got pregnant on the island could not have children. Women like Claire for example who already had an “alive” child who also died when reaching the island was allowed to be born. If someone who was already dead on the island they could not conceive and give birth. Maybe references to egyptian things has to do with their thoughts on after life? and the island was a transition to that where the losties had to pick their outcomes and make it to their chosen after life.

281. phil | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     guys seriously ill make it easy for you her it goes….the flash side ways where there temporary life made up by a higher power..this temporary life was made so that the souls had time to get things correct in the island …the island is a scale to judge bad or good …it tests you and ultimatley the gurdian in this case was jacob was doing his absouloute best to make people good …jacob was basically an angel that was assigned by a higher power to watch over the oceanic 6 as he knew there fate soooooooooo alll in all the morale of this story is people the is a true love out there u will find them in this life or the next we all have an angel watching us and there is an island waiting for us all after we die as that second chance to redeem ourselves …..piece

282. jking | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     For those who say “the first five seasons were pointless”…You totally missed the boat.

     The point was this;

     “The Story”

     The narrative story that you watched for 6 seasons was the story of how the Losties were drawn into the conflict between Jacob & the MIB. It relates how their lives were manipulated culminating in the arrival on the island, the death of Jacob, and the eventual death of the MIB, thus preserving the island (Jacob’s ultimate goal). This story starts “way back when” Jacob makes a mistake and creates the MIB. MIB wants to leave the island but Jacob realizes the only way he can do this is by destroying the island. Problem is if the island is destroyed, the light is extinguished darkness takes over, and the world as we know it ceases to exist (light and darkness in this case being metaphors for order/creation and chaos/destruction respectively). In this context the island could be seen as a sort of balance point between light & dark.

     You can surmise that Jacob tried to reason with MIB by explaining that his leaving the island would spell the end of the world and the destruction of mankind. He brought people to the island and tried to show MIB that in this place, with a fresh start, by their own free will people could make the correct decisions and live good lives (thus establishing the value of humanity). But it appears that it never really worked out that way and MIB apparently didn’t buy it. He either didn’t believe that the island’s destruction would have any repercussions or he didn’t care. He just wanted an end to his eternal imprisonment on the island.

     Jacob came to understand that MIB would eventually find a way to kill him and destroy the island. So he came up with plan B, the candidates. Enter the losties and the ensuing story.

     In the end of the narrative story, Jacob dies and is replaced (first by Jack then by Hurley), MIB is defeated, the island is saved from destruction, and the world goes on existing, happily ever after.

     That is the “story”; a highly creative tale full of science fiction, pseudo science, mysticism, real science, and a bunch of other really neat stuff.

     “The Point”

     The narrative story was a good one but it is not ultimately what Lost was about. The greater story was about man’s journey through life. It described the full course of the human experience; starting with (flaw) disappointment, failure, and loneliness and ending with triumph, love, redemption, and peace (grace). This tale was told through the journey of the Losties and an important point was that the Losties needed each other to achieve redemption. This is what the finale brought closure to. The characters have achieved redemption and are ready to move on (to what? Who knows…). The end.

     How hard is that to figure out? I thought it was an ingenious finale and I really never saw it coming.

283. anon | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     So…that’s it? This entire series has been Christian Proselytizing? One cannot get to heavan without a Christian Shepherd?

     Nice.

284. Danny | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     The show was called LOST, hence LOST souls. I believe the island was real and that Jacob brought these souls ( people that have lost their way in life )to island to redeem themselves, a chance to go to heaven whether they died on the island or off it.

285. Mikey | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     IT WAS ALL A DREAM. In fact, it was just one person’s dream: Jack’s. If you like, call it his own private “purgatory” or an “alternate reality”. It is the one theory that would tie everything together, in that they all died in the plane crash, and this is the story of Jack’s struggle to resolve some of his issues. Since this is all a dream, it allows the writers a convenient “out” – they don’t have to follow any logical rules and didn’t need to tie up any loose ends in the finale. Once Jack completed all the tasks he needed in his own “purgatory”, he could now “move on.” Yes, I know. This is giving the writers too much credit. The reality is that JJ Abrams had a small premise, castaways on an island, and knew that the show was over if everyone left the island. He had to drag it out for as long as the show lasted and probably never planned for six years of shows. Clearly, the writers were making it up as they went along, without any concern about the story making any sense.

286. Kim | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Can someone please explain to me what the purpose of the island was? what happened to everyone else on the island and why they weren’t at the church? There were a lot of people who weren’t there; the other 20+ survivors of the plane crash, Walt, Michael, Mr. Ecko, Anna Lucia, etc.

287. mickie | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I do believe that the experiences on the island were real for their souls, and the island was purgatory. If you noticed, the end just showed the crash site. A desolate crash site. I think that was symbolic, emphasizing the fact that there was a crash and that no one survived. The island was the opportunity for each of these lost souls to redeem themselves and choose good vs. evil. I also believe that Ben Linus was the “constant” and always will be – kind of like St. Peter at the pearly gates. Ben was a “catalyst” and will continue to be for all lost souls. I also think that Whitmore’s mother – church lady – was a psychic trying to guide them over. Just my thoughts…cried for the episode. It was a great run that kept us intrigued and thinking!

288. Josh | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Who cares about what the island is or what the smoke monster is… i’ve stuck with Lost since the very beginning and thought it was amazing Sure i’m still confused about some parts but hey, that’s Lost for you… And it wouldn’t be the same, People just need to realise that it was a good 6 Years and the finale was spot on! With jack Dieing in the exact same place he woke up in on the very first episode.

     I still can’t believe it’s over, Now what am I supposed to watch ? xD

289. tunie | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     To answer to your question Tony, the reason why Hurly never lost any weight, or Richard never aging or Walt leaving the show, or Clairs baby growing up in the alternate existance is because there could be no change in appearance when you are dead, that also explains the no baby policy on the island… I think the finale gave just the amount of answers to quench our fasination of the show, it we had all the answers to all the questions what fun would that be.

290. Josh | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Because of when the blade cut his neck by the man in locke’s body Durrrrrrr

291. anita | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     This type of show was designed to make everyone think and come up with their own conclusions. There is no right or wrong way to view the island and everything that happened on it. Each of us spent years bonding with the characters, cheering for or against them, and we each were entertained and mystified by it. It is up to each of us to draw our own conclusions.

     I personally feel as if they all died in the plane crash and were left on the island to bond and work through some of their issues before moving on to the “sideways” world where everyone would eventually meet back up again and move onto the true afterlife together. They had to learn to “live together or die alone”. For me, this is the only way to explain the mysteries of the island such as smoke monsters, curing cancer and paralysis, not aging, polar bears, jumping time travel, electromagneticism – I don’t think I would describe the island as purgatory (I think the real purgatory would be far worse) but it was definitely a stage of their afterlife because none of these things could be real (in my perception).

     I was happy with the ending because everyone was able to move on in peace, either with the one they loved or even by themselves. I have enjoyed the show for the last 6 years and I will miss watching the characters each week.

292. Robb | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I think Richard wanted immortatlity because he had committed suicide; that’s what put him on the island. Remember towards the end, when he had a gray hair, he said that he want’s to live. That was his 2nd chance at the life he wasted.

293. Me | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Daniel faraday was shot by his own mother but it was before he was born when he tme travelled back to set the “H” bomb off!

294. christina | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I agree 100% with the writer. It was a wonderful 6 years of Lost, which the writers ruined at the end because they took the easy way out. So what that it was an emotional ending and they all came together or died or whatever. I wanted some kind of answers, what the heck was the island? Lame Lame Lame!

295. bushie | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     to the person that said “Jack’s dad said that the events that happened and the people they met were the most important things in their LIFE.” this is true, he did say that. BUT, who says that after we die there is not anymore life? thats why they call it the AFTERlife. This island was just a stepping stone for them to transition from life to heaven. And I think that on a religious stand point, this island was the opportunity for them to be released of their sins depending on what decisions they made.

296. Donna | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     i believe that the island was real and that everything that happened on the island was real, the alternate time line was the afterlife where they all met once they were ready to go “into the light” so to speak, they were all flawed in some way and were summoned to the island to make their life worth while, sayed, saw himself as a bad man but in the end sacrificed himself to save the lives or the other losties, sawyer, used women to gain money and jupe them out of everything as he though he was in capable of love and fell in love with juliet, just a couple of examples, but none of their lives where going well and the island was a kind of redemption for them all and they had such an experience together that they created this “afterlife” to meet up and move on together, i dont see how people can say that the island wasnt real, even christian said it and when kate saw jack in the afterlife she said “i’ve missed you” she obviously lived alot longer than jack did.

     but alot of my questions werent answered, like the whole thing with the numbers, they were such a big part of the show, whats with them? why did jack have a son in the afterlife timeline? just more and more questions, but what an ending, i laughed and cried and gasped and god it was good, although i did feel a little bit duped at the end, but i liked it and what a show!!!!!!

297. Shauna | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I have a question.

     Alot of you are saying that everyone on the island was “dead” (815 passengers, the others etc.)

     So… what happened when people were murdered on the island? Are you saying it was their time to move on? My point is so many people were randomly shot dead on the island over the 6 series. Many of these were characters who had little importnace to the show. Take that lady who was hiding in the room with Widmore. “Locke” just shot her. Are you saying that her death was pre-destined and it was her time to die because she had become enlightened? because to me, it looked pretty random.

     Its just something that is annoying me and i’m trying to work out what ending will give me piece of mind at this stage.

     Oh Lost..you will never fail to keep us guessing!

298. arman | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     To reply to your question, that lady was essentially unimportant. the plane crash surviovrs are all the important ones, they are the ones who needed each other and all grew from each other and became better people. then they all went on and died, whether getting shot like Libby, or dying ont he island like Jack, or like Kate and Sawyer who probably die of old age. they eventually meet up because of their need for one another to go into the afterlife together.
     the island itself. they were all broght there togrow and get rid of all of their flaws, as jacob said they were all flawed before then. and look they all turned out so much better. the island itself, its importance lies in the fact that it contains the life, happiness, and dreams of all men in the source. and kept the MIB from escape, who is essentially the embodiment of evil.
     they all die eventually, and are reunited in the “purgatory” then proceed to the afterlife together, because their bonds were so strong.
     as for the island, hurley was obviously succeeded by someone else as he is dead with them. so there is still someone protecting the island protecting the “light of man”

299. Tony | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     the sideway world was created because they couldn’t explain the island. as Desmond said to Jack this whole island does not matter.

     well if it didn’t matter why the f*&^ did you just waste 6 years of my life.

300. Grace | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     i think that the sideways life was everyones chances to forgive and forget, and let go of there past and realize that there was a point for there life, because as they have all said many times, they were troubled and bad back home. They all did not realize that they were in that “afterlife/sideways life” until they had those flashbacks of the island with the person that they love, which shows that they did in fact have something to live for. So the island DID happen, and some died on the island and some died back home, it doesn’t matter when or where. but they all needed to come together one last time to make there final move to heaven in peace and be with the ones they loves and they needed each other to move on. Also the flashbacks were a sine to them that they finally realized they were dead and in the afterlife. And once they accepted that fact they were able to move on. But for ben, he wasnt able to move on for some reason. Maybe because his daughter wasnt there, maybe because he needed to still protect the island with hurley, or maybe because he didnt feel he was “good” enough yet to go to heaven and still needed to fix things.

     i have many ideas on the ending and what happend, but they all seem to sooner or later make no sense or not connect!! and alot of my questions were not answered and im still extremely confused o_0

301. dan a | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Hurley & Ben did not die. They remained as the island protectors. Hurley just went in to watch them “move on”. But, when did Kate, Sawyer, Lapidus, Claire, Rose, Bernard, Miles die. The last we saw, they were flying over Jack as he died?

302. Shauna | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     yes but the plane that was shown at the end could have been the remains of the plane that Sawyer, Kate and company were leaving on. Maybe Miles didnt fix it properly. Maybe Jack saw it just before it crash landed? it didnt look like the 815 plane. Its just one theory. Im still unsure of what my opinion on the ending is.

     its kind of ironic, if that theory is correct, that they died in a plane crash!

303. Colleen | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     It makes the most sense that they all died in the plane crash. Think about it – everyone who died on the island died right after experiencing some resolution of their core issues – that is to say, they either died or “left the island” to go to the next stage. Shannon after finding acceptance with Sayid. Danielle after finding Alex. Charlie after becoming the hero. Michael after saving Walt… Libby after finding love with Hurley… Ana Lucia after working out her guilt and anger and being welcomed into the group… Juliet after finding out Sawyer really loved her. Claire after Kate convinced her that she could really be a mother. I could go on and on. It’s obvious the island was where they were all working out their “stuff,” and some took longer than others. Some were there just going through more torture, like Anthony Cooper. Once they each had their personal epiphany, they left the island and went to the next stage. So Ben was finally able to admit he’d just been jealous of Locke, and he moved on. I think the island was purgatory, but that didn’t mean it was the only place of purgatory. It was just a place meant to help them all move on, hence some of the going back-and-forth.

304. Colleen | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     plo, the point of Jack’s son is that Jack had his own father issues to work out, and the only way he could do that was by being a father himself.

305. Ken | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I feel robbed. Feels like s$$$ a cop-out from the writers. If everyone met up in flash sideways/purgatory to move on, it just left to many unanswered questions. Why wasn’t Ann Lucioa or Daniel Faraday ready to move on, why didn’t others charters who played major roles meet and ascend with everyone?(Walt,Echo,etc.) What is the orgin of the island? Who created the statue w/ the 4 toes? and so on…
     I originally felt, when the bomb blew up they created a “parallel time line” (like back in the future) it just didn’t effect not their own time line.(maybe they created a parallel dimension by messing with time)
     I would have felt better it the island sank, everyone died, and the people in the flash sideways slowly regained memories of a past/parallel life. five thumbs DOWN!

306. Duncan | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     my name is duncan, and i am one of the biggest LOST fans you will ever meet. i’ve been watching this show from the very beginning, and i’ve loved every minute of it. Having said that, i thought the ending was amazing and beautiful. yes there were a few cheesy moments (like when they ascended to heaven, or where ever they went), but in the end the show went full circle; tying back to the very first season. and although damon and calrton may not have answered some of the big questions (what IS the island??) or some of the small questions (WHAT HAPPENED TO WALT AND HIS POWERS??) i feel that if they had pushed to answer everything, it would’ve made the finale super lame and boring and a lot of the answers would’ve opened up more questions, leaving the story even more unfinished. I really like how they left it for fan interpretation, that way the story never really ends because you’re still thinking about it and imagining the possibilities. The end to me was perfect. It related back on so many levels to season one, and reinforced the over-arching survivor philosophy: live together, or die alone, as even though the characters separated onto their own physical paths, they ultimately died together. And the final scene with Jack dying was saddest most moving scene of the whole series. In my opinion, the finale was not at all what i expected, but it was nonetheless amazing and powerful. tell me what you think.

307. Paul | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     When Jack opened coffin, it should have contained his corpse. 2. How did Jack get out of that light pit? 3. Overall show struggled from being stretched out too long and thin with too many loose ends. It always had the feeling of being made up as it went along.

308. Kris | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     They could of tried their best to young up walt and put him in the church(even though he doesn’t look like a 12 year old) and try to use him as an explanation or an answer or somthing IDK but the writers could of tried to show 15 seconds of him

309. edie | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I think you are correct.
     Did anyone notice the church windows displayed the symbols for all religions?
     Did anyone notice that Daniel Faraday ended up Daniel Widmore and that David (Jack did not have a son per Locke)also played piano. I think that the plane crash was not distined to happen and that they were all supposed to end up as they did in the end but the crash & their death caused their destiny to change. Because of this there souls were able to leave the “island” to live their life again but they had to keep doing it over until they got it right. Once they get it right they were brought together by Desmond to remember their intended soul mates and their souls could proceed to heaven together.
     I may change my mind tommorrow though. LOL.

310. louis | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     people are just pissed cause they didnt see what they wanted, the show is whatever the writers want it to be, live with it and move on with your lives.

311. Jay | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     All who say that the island is real because Jack’s dad said to hime, all that happened was real. Well, if Jack’s dad was dead, and Jack’s dad never actually was on the island, his appearnace on the island was just the smoke mosnter using his dead body. Then, how would Jack’s dad know about anything that happened on the island? His consciousness was never there, only his corps was being used like a cheap suit

312. angel | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     ween reference? is it possible that there is another lostie/weener out there?

313. Aaron | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I believe they did a good enough job coming full circle. I also believe they all died in the beginning with the series being each characters journey of letting go. But it kind of reminded me of that movie Jacobs Ladder in a way.

314. Jeff Russell | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     What about Jack’s son? Where did he come from. Why was he in the flash sideways but not the original timeline.
     Also, maybe they died in the ATOMIC EXPLOSION from last season.

315. frank | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Ive been watching the show for 6 years and I am very satisfied with the ending.
     In life all of our questions nevar always have an answer.We draw our own conclusions.
     This holds as true as LOST.The show was about the people and not just the mystries.So they didnt get answered,so what.Lifes questions are all never truly answered.If you watched the show for all the answers for questions then you wasted your time.This show wasent about just that.Faith v science.Free will v pre destination.morality v corruption etc.

316. SalC | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I understand, but in novels that is considered the worst kind of cheap ploy in writing, having a ‘deus ex machina’, ‘a plot device whereby a seemingly inextricable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new character, ability, or object.’

     And the writers distinctly said in the early seasons that they were not going to cop out with a purgatory idea, that there would be real explainable reasons for things happening.

317. dijoe | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     OK…everyone is trying to figure this out to much, so here it is…The show is called LOST!!! The unanswered questions were intended to make you feel the need to find answers. This was not a plot to throw anyone off, it was exactly what the writers set out to do – keep you so intrigued that you keep watching. What an opportunity for a motion picture! Enjoy it for what it was… entertainment.

     I didn’t watch in the first season. I rented the series just this year and just caught up weeks before the final season. The best entertainment I’ve had in years!

     It was TV…it doesn’t have to be explained. Use your imagination and make it whatever you want it to be. The island was real, the sideways flashes were an depiction of the character’s lives if the plane handn’t crashed. It was great and I enjoyed the ride…bring on the motion picture. My imagination is ready to go with the unanswered questions.

     If the writers explained some of the stuff that happened, we wouldn’t feel like we do and have the discussions we’re having. Powerful and provocative…an epic TV drama. Love it!

318. cazza | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     The island represented real life, the survival that we are thrust into. But it also contains the idea that there is something bigger than us. Each character had their own reaction to it: faith(John), protection(Jacob), rejection(Sawyer), ambivalence(Ben), even the desire to use it’s power for their own ends(Widmore, and the man in black). Some even felt compelled to react without knowing why (think of Desmond pushing that button all those years, then starting to doubt why he was doing it, ultimatley leading to the original plane crash).

     I’m still stuck on the interaction between Jack and Desmond in the finale (note the spelling people!!)where they disagree over whether anything that happened on the island really mattered. Desmond saying that it didn’t, and Jack insisting that it did. I think that all the threads pointing to a purgatory make a point closer to home – that how we act in the here and now(the island)is real, and it matters; that redemption comes in learning to love, to forgive, to help and to accept help. Jack was the central character in delivering this message, so it began and ended, full circle, with him. And he learned that lesson in his fraught journey from reason to a place of faith. (It brought Kierkegaard to mind, but I didn’t notice any allusions in the show – did I miss some. I absolutely loved the way they worked in the refernces and allusions)

     But that alone would have been a sermon and not a TV show. Jack’s tale was enriched with all the threads of others’ stories, woven and interwoven. Would we, who have truly loved Lost, have felt complete if each thread had been neatly sewn up? How could we have received the answers we think we wanted without feeling cheated? That would not have been in keeping with the character of the story that we have been enthralled by (and that is why we have been enthralled – because it was not simplistic, not neat, but a thousand interwoven threads – like life itself)

     I don’t belive for a moment that the creators were making it up as they went. Look at the pregnancy test box in season 1: it says Widmore Labs, long before Charles Widmore showed up. I think details like that show the planning that was involved from the inception.

319. Austin | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     A number of people ask about Jack’s son and what his point was. In the purgatory world, everyone created a world for themselves where they could make up for their life’s problems. Locke made a world where his dad couldn’t hurt him. Sawyer made a world where he was on the RIGHT side of the law. Hurley made a world where he was lucky. Daniel made a world where he could be a musician. Juliette made a world where she could help women. And Jack made a world where he could be a better father than he ever had.

320. lilly | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     My take… the island, as Jacob explained with the bottle of wine, was the barrier between good and evil. If evil took over the island, the world would have been taken over with evil. Jacob was “good” and his brother represented “evil”. Jacob’s test for the candidates was to prove that there was still good in the world – they needed to overcome their own evils and prove they were still good. If they could, they were worthy of protecting the light, or “heaven”. Jacob’s brother was the evil… he became the black smoke after Jacob through him into the light. When he became the smoke he could transform into any dead person. He chose to appear as Locke because he enjoyed using the trust that he had had with the others while he was living to manipulate them and confuse them.

     Jack sacrificed his life to protect the light. If you view the light as heaven, Jack “saved” everyone. Once they all met up in the sideways flash of purgatory that they created, they were ready to all move on to the light. If the evil would have taken over, there would have been no light… no heaven.

321. Jack Talbert | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Just want to throw this out and get the buzz started on the internet;

     Ben told Hurley, “You were a great number One.” Hurley responded, “You were a pretty good number Two.” The new Prisoner (as of 2006 – aired on AMC in 2009) used the Village in a very similar vein as the island on LOST. Ian McKellen was number Two and his wife (the Dreamer) was number One; they passed on the torch of keeping the metaphysical realm alive to Jim Caviezel and his new love interest who he (Jim) met in the Village. Again, no one could leave the Village – and the residents of the Village were often told that there was no where else to go in the world but the Village; kind of like Jacob and the Man in Black were originally told by their mother.

     The more I rethink the Hurley/Ben versus The Man in Black/Jacob versus the Jack/Ben/MIBLocke relationship the more it comes back to the Number Two/Michael relationship from the Prisoner dogma.

     If you haven’t watched the Prisoner please do so and see if you don’t draw almost the same conclusion to both LOST’s and the Prisoner’s conclusions.

     It was absolutely a nod to the Prisoner when Hurley spoke to Ben outside the church/funeral home.

322. trish | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Jack should have become the new smoke. Hurley, the new Jacob. Everyone else should have “left” back to the island to live together in their fully realized relationships. They would be the new “others”. Ben could be the new Richard, and Richard could have died after centuries. The island would be a magical place in which its heart and soul fostered the realization of deep relationships–ala Rose and Bernard.

323. MrT | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Purgotory is the waiting room to heaven though. You can’t have one that sends you to hell. That’s the definition of purgatory so the theory that the island was the ‘hell’ part of purgatory make no sense and is a contradication.

324. MrT | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     The island had to be real

     Why is there 2 purgatorys if not?
     Why would there be 6 years worthof this acted out if that was the case?
     why would they only fall in love,while dead, on the island and not in another reality. Again, why have both?

     Loads of people weren’t on that plane who were in the series.
     What do people think happend to Walt? We know that the episode in LA in series 3 were real life, we know that jacob could get off the island to speak to the living. The main proof being young Sawyer. Sayer wasn’t just in purgatory living his life from a baby was he, so we know people like Jacob, Richard COULD live forever as they contacted him (and loucke) at different stages of there life.

     If the island represented a place people go who’s souls are waiting for something, it’d be very very full of people wandering around from all stretches of the world, not a hundred odd.

     There’s no way the island was not real to put it bluntly. What happend. Happend

325. Jason Scott | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     But anyway the show ended badly and desperatly… what a waste of time! the writers were all out of ideas so thet crapped one out, thank god its all over now though. worst ending of a series ever!

326. zack | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     im sure my take will just repeat someone elses but milans point about the cork seperating the different realities is one of the best observations ive seen. yo repeat what was said when the cork is unplugged jack gets his neck cut by mib explaining his bleeding in the sideways time

327. Mazal HaMidbar | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Everyone assumes Oceanic 815 was a real airplane flight. What if it was not? In many religions, souls go to the afterlife via bird or angel. Perhaps, Oceanic 815 is the modern equivalent. In that theory, no one died in the plane crash; there WAS no physical plane and no crash. The “passengers” were souls that died at different times/places but were together on the bird/angel/plane as the beginning of their afterlife journey.

328. Havoc | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     I can’t believe people are questioning things about purgatory. It’s purgatory. If you can accept that the island was their purgatory, there’s really no further arguments to be made. Do any of us even have the slightest clue what purgatory is like? What kind of experience is it? If it exists, can our minds even fathom it? And I’m not talking about what man wrote in the Bible.

329. Jordan | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Ok this is for people who were to stupid to listen to the conversation between jack and christian. The Island DID happen everything happened the flash sideways was just a type of purgatory but different. In the flash sideways everybody had already died either on the island in 2004 – 2007 (counting time travel) and everyone that died after the finale. Sawyer, Kate, Hurley, Ben etc. So when they remembered it was there whole life before the died ON THE ISLAND IT REALLY HAPPENED YOU DUMB ASSES.

330. Aaron | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Anyone notice how Ben was trapped under a tree and then all of the sudden was free? Did i miss something?

331. jaysin | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     It seems as if the main two dueling schools of thought are those that believe they died on the plane, and those who don’t.
     It also seems as if those who believe that they died in the crash can conceivably explain in rational ideas and with more of an arguable literal explanation the events of the show than those who don’t, without resorting to ideas like “magic”, the island was “a special place” in the “real (real tv) world”, or that “the genre is sci-fi or fantasy so they didn’t need an explanation for the mysterious powers of the island”.

     Wake up peeps. The title of the show was “Lost”. Is it more plausible that the duality of this title referred to lost souls, or people who survived a plane crash that no one could possibly have survived to be lost on “fantasy island”? If you believed the latter, then certainly you were more likely to be disappointed in the ending. If you believed the former, then all of the puzzle pieces, with some thought, can eventually be put into their respective places, and it all makes wonderfully satisfying sense.

     As for Christian saying that it was real, he never said that it happened in the here and now, quite the contrary, and he went on to basically state that time really didn’t have meaning. Here and now, time has meaning, in the “plane” (bad pun, I know) of existence the passengers were on after the crash, time obviously had no linear fashion. Not because it was “magic”, because it wasn’t of this earthly plane of existence. It’s all there is you watch.

     C’mon, really, why do you think the last thing we see as the credits roll is the crash wreckage, “magically” back up on the beach, completely by itself. Not to mention that the title of the next to last episode was “What They Died For” (and I realize it could refer to the deaths in the recent episode, but,seriously, think about it, more duality of title, more foreshadowing), followed by the last episode when they cross over, “The End” (again, with the double meaning, it seems as if these writers were actually driving at something here, eh??). It seems pretty cut and dried. But hey, I’m not here to think for you, if you wanna believe otherwise, salud!

     (Although I did find the theory that it was all in Jacks mind to be an interestingly plausible alternate explanation, after the one that they were dead at the time of the crash)

332. Bob | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     Really? You won’t watch star trek 2?

333. mike | May 24, 2010 | Reply

     All of you people can’t read they already said they lived on the island and died at a later date. I do want to know who the hell had 4 toes!!!!

334. Shawn | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     I believe the island was real but everyone died in the oceanic crash. Notice the plane wreckage at the end of the finale. If I remember correctly in an earlier episode they burned the dead bodies in the fuselage. I don’t remember them burying them. There were too many bodies. The main fuselage was still there. The island was a real place and also purgatory. The events on the island really took place, but it was there spirits or ghosts. They did not realize they were dead.

335. ARC ANGEL | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     first ever show started when Jack opened his eyes, vincent close to him, they was in the bamboo field, on one of the bamboos was a tennis shoe hanging on one of the bamboos / end show Jack again in the bamboo field, Vincent next to him, on one of the bamboos still was that tennis shoe,then Jack closed his eyes

336. Shawn | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     When there spirit bodies died on the island or purgatory they moved on to the next phase of the afterlife(in L.A.)

337. DanF | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     Lost had one character. He called himself Jack.
     The Show starts and ends with his eye opening and closing on the sand in a bamboogrov where, in the end he died. All between including all the characters and questions were figments of his dying imagination. It answers everything to my satisfaction. I liked the finale a lot.
     (PS if you want a big sweeping story with a satifying finale that answers most of the issues raised watch Babylon5)

338. jeff | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     WHAT IS The ISLAND? whats the island? thats all i’m hearing and it was answered people. its a cork holding back an evil. possibly hell or something like it. thats up to us to guess on but all you have to know is it’s evil and jack gave his lif to stop it and as a reward was reunited with the people he grew to care about. All the important questions were answered, it was just the small stuff that wasn’t which franly i don’t care about anymore after seeing the awesome finale.

339. jeff | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     oh and one more thing if they died in the crash then wouldnt jack have been wearing his old suit instead of jeans and a t shirt in the final scene?

340. Luis | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     I just finished watching the episode…
     What I understood was:

     Realtime in Island – Purgatory
     Flashbacks – Real Life
     Flashforwards – Hell (for leaving the island/purgatory)
     Flashsideways – Heaven, life resumes when left off after redeption in purgatory.

     Wow! I think I understood Lost!

341. Alan | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     The island was real, as christian said to jack that everything in his life had been real, meaning the time spent on the island. An explanation of the origins of the island wouldve been nice, the healing powers etc. It was a lazy ending that left more answers than questions for me, for example what was widmores reason for being back, and what happened to the rest of his crew. Who built the massive statue on the island. It was a sad ending, but it couldve been a whole lot better

342. Je | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     Hey guys, remember when abc released that one photo of lost before this last season started? the last supper one…it was suppose to give hints or insight into the last season of lost. some people said Richard looked older, and that really happened. There was sceletton bones on the ground, probably representing their deaths. There is an airplane seat next to the pilot guy, which relates to the fact he flies some of them off the island with that plane. And also the whole concept of the photo was religious, which is what the ending of the show was too. So it’s kinda like they hinted to us about this. Anyway, just a thought I remembered.

343. Alan | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     One more thing, if the sideways world was a chance for everyone to redeem themselves why was charlie still a waste of space?

344. Steve | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     Well, the mystery continues…

     If you want a nice tidy wrap up based upon what we were given then believe that the whole thing started and finished with the plane crash where they died and the show was about the journey to an afterlife. It all fits together nicely especially if you take Jack opening his eyes (series 1) and closing them (series 6) as the framing points of his flash moment of purgatory (or whatever you call it).

     If everything happened to Jack and him alone then it all ties up well. Although…The writers had said that Jack was only part of an ensemble of characters and not the main lead as such. Also, meant to be killed early on.

     So, if all the people (as the very end church scene would suggest) had their own journey through the island of purgatory style resolution then that asks more questions again… Here are a couple…in the flashbacks to the definate REAL lives of the people…why did Walt seem to have the power to cause death through the power of his mind? and why did Locke get visited and take the ‘object’ test to see if he was ‘special’. There are many more if you think about it…all of which suggest that the real lives of the characters did indeed link in someway to the island (whatever you may think about that).
     If like me you also went along with the fact that the writers told us it was not purgatory…that leaves a lot of unanswered questions. Then again they said that Jack was not meant to be a major character, only part of an ensemble.

     I enjoyed the show very much but it feels like it was incomplete. I look forward to the new partner series… ‘Found’ so that between Lost & Found we know what the heck it was about.

     Ta.

345. Mac | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     The black man had taken the bomb from the plane and it was the one used to blow up the submarine.

346. Max | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     BINGO!

     Oceanic 815 NEVER existed and if you think of the island as a transitional non-realistic place, a lot of the mysteries will have a clear cut answer…

     1. it will explain how there was not a true time line in the island (one moment we’re in the 2000′s and the other we’re in the 70′s)

     2. it will explain the black smoke and the light in the heart of the island. These seem as medicinal ideas based on biblical interpretations that could NOT be present in the physical world as we know it.

     3. Polar bears in a tropical island?? sure, in an unrealistic world, anything goes…

     4. If you re-watch season 1 all over again, you will find that all the characters have one thing in common. THEY WERE ALL ALONE!! they had nobody to help them make that transition to the afterlife or “the light”. Therefore, they were chosen by a master plan to be put on a plane and crashed on an island AFTER THEIR PHYSICAL DEATH. Their souls roamed the island until they were ready to let go. Whoever was good saw the bright light (most of the characters we knew) and whoever was not good was stuck on the island WHISPERING for eternity (Michael.

347. MB fan | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     Jack’s son was actually himself. Think about that. He was reconciling with his father and the relationship that they had in the sideways, ‘purgatory’.
     I think that the Dharma initiative was real. I am trying to figure out though if when Sawyer flashed back to the 70′s.. if that part was real. I am really leaning towards them dying when the plane initially crashed and then moving over to the purgatory when they reconcilled their life. Then the final acceptance stage came. The reconciling of their life went along with the flashbacks that they showed us of their past life.
     I think there is a lot of significance to the name of the show.. Lost. They were Lost souls and people, then found by souls that they made peace with.

348. Luther | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     Hi Dan – I believe his brother is the smoke monster. Whatever happened to him when Jacob threw him in the heart of the island stripped him of his mortal body and transformed him somehow. Otherwise why wouldn’t he be able to kill Jacob. The rule their mother put in place for them still applied because they are brothers.

     His brother can assume the image of any deceased person including his own dead body.

349. MB fan | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     One more thought.. Jacob.. could he have been an ‘angel’.. contacting the characters at some point in their life to give them hope. I wonder too if Desmond was an ‘angel’ of sorts..
     oh, who’s dog was that? Was it Jacks from his childhood??

350. Troy | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     What i want to know is why did the writer’s never mentioned Eko again, he just seemed to disappear

351. Yngwie | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     The one thing I don’t understand…is if the Island was the most important thing in their life, and the people they met, and that purgatory was created by them so they could meet up again before moving on.. then why didn’t none of them remember each other until they evidently touched each other in some fashion? other then that…I thought it was a great ending to a great series.

352. Georgia Dougherty | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     Listen, I think we can all agree that the Island did in fact happen and Jack’s father told him “that of them died before you and some died after you”. I was a little upset with the ending too, because I thought it was a easy way to explain.
     But I don’t think the writers could or should explain the meaning behind the island because the island is like life. And how do you explain life. It had to leave us guessing because it is everyone’s own ideas or beliefs of what the island is or should be..

353. Alex Fortchile | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     The Lost ending sucked bananas. And, yes, many devotees will tell me I’m not a true fan, say I’m not smart enough to digest it, mail me death threats for maligning something they’ve all invested in, etc. But if we’re all honest with ourselves, less than half the issues and mysteries were dealt with. Undeniable. Many here criticize folks who are still asking questions, but in the criticisms, they don’t answer either. That’s because you can’t. Take a cue from the directors. By there own admission, they changed things as they went along (e.g.: Ben was brought on for a three-episode stint, and became the third most character in the plot’s progress). Don’t create resolutions where ther are none. If anything, the show is consisent to the end: it created lingering questions.

354. chris | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     I think one thing thats very telling is the fact that Ben does not go into the church in the end, there are only two explanations for this in my mind, one is that he has done too many “evil” things and knows he cant “move on” to heaven, or wherever they go….this is a little flawed for me though because Sahid is in the church and he killed lots of people for pretty much no reason……but a better explanation and what I think it means is that Ben cant go because he is still alive, and will remain alive because, though all the characters have lived out their lives and have died and are re-convened Ben stays on the island as advisor or protector ultimately, and presumably lives indefinitely because on the island you dont age. Also very important though im not sure how… the following clues

     1. at the beginning of season 6 after the a-bomb we see 815 un-crashed continue on to LAX,
     and we see the island at the bottom of the sea.
     So in that reality it sunk

     2. Rose and her husband are in the reality after the a-bomb, living in the jungle, and they say they saw a flash after a couple years
     so the bomb moved everyone in time

     3.and I think the a-bomb shift gave them all the ability to move through time and realities like desmond does, they just dont know they can move this way and it takes them the whole season to realize it
     and use the power to move together

355. Teri | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     I have to admit I am not a Lostie. I did not watch every episode. Watched 4-5 each season and then the recap episodes. In general I saw the sideways flashes like a life they wanted. More closure. That is why Jack had a son. That is why Sawyer was a cop- not a con artist. Realizing he had killed a man that did not deserve and wishing he had used his skills to be on the right side. Juliet living a great life and giving great news to Sun etc. Sawyer crossing paths- still helping and saving Kate a little- but ultimately being with Juliet. Jack getting news that they found his fathers body- Helping Locke with his skills to walk- But it was like they were all supporting roles to Jacks death- passing over- whatever people want to call it. It was Locke who saw Jack was almost ready. He is the one that broke the fantasy first by saying “you have no son Jack”. It was Kate who said slowly the things to bring him to the reality. I saw it like they all were living a life with answers or purposes waiting for the last member to join. The last person to get it. Jack. After reading what someone said about him falling by the tree- with the dog seeing the plane in his “sight” – dying. But then showing the plane wreckage. Please do not attack me LOL. I am not a LOSTIE so please take my holes with the spirit they are intended. A more outside view. All holes to me can be explained by it being a situation that was created. I do not know when everyone died. I see the theory that they all died on the island – slowly one by one with nooone off the island. Jack wishing that the plane took Kate off the plane with the only pilot that was there. Which is why that is why he was in the vision before his death. Again- do not attack me please. lol

356. chris | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     yeah think about it.

     the bomb goes off
     it WORKS, but look where they wind up…

     the hatch after it blew up…

     so the electromagnetic events (bomb, hatch, wheel) can only “lead” to each other (unless ur desmond)

     sooooo… the cork/light thing is the final event… think about it… when desmond turns the key he winds up outside without knowing how.
     when jack does the cork, he winds up outside
     without knowing how

     so the light in the church at the end is an event and thats why the story syncs up jack remembering with him doing the cork thing

     get this

     the plane flying over jack at the very end
     IS 815… not ajira.

     all of season 6 is him trying to complete
     his “it never happens” plan

357. Jane | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     Well I was disappointed and satisfied at the same time. Which is sort of “Lostish” – wouldn’t you say?
     The questions about whether they died in the plane crash or after they were on the island may be addressed by the comment by Christian Sheperd to Jack about time and space. As we say in Buddhism, there is no “there” there.
     It is impossible to explain the unexplainable. Like really guys, what the hell are we even doing here???
     I think the creators of this show had some insight into that.

358. Teri | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     And I also know my theory leaves the whole point of Kate still being a criminal (but really not all criminals regret it) The same with Sayid and Ji (sp)– if they felt their actions were justified then maybe their sideways would not have them trying to rectify those – maybe they would not wish they were different– just as they are with love. For my theory to fly you have to take all the polar bear- Dharma stuff as simply activities and tests to challenge them to ready them for a Zen spirit. Some it worked easily- some it did not. Some would not let go. Would not use info gathered to grow. So the sideways for them (jack I am thinking of ) he continied not accepting because he didnot have his father- did not have the child he wish he would have- he had not helped enough people. He kept trying in the Island life – but not there. The seeing of dead people were flashes of them not being alive- but they kept finding reason why it was not really dead people they were seeing. That is why Hurley never lost weight. It was all in their own visions. Again- I know I have lots and lots of holes in my thoughts– so be kind. I am just putting things out there to get peoples thoughts going on a diffrent path.

359. Khalil | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     @ vanHauser: Yes, Muslims believe in purgatory. the concept in Islam is very similar to that in Catholicism. I have to admit, I was disappointed by the ending. It was painfully predictable and seemed slapped together. I don’t buy that the writers had this planned out from the beginning, this was way too deus ex machina for my taste and too many major questions are left completely unanswered: who built those temples? why could the smoke monster not enter jacob’s temple until the priest was killed? what is the smoke monster? were the flashbacks sweet and touching? yes. but when you’re done wiping your tears, you realize there was not much else there.

360. becky | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     OMG. So many unanswered questions. I really enjoyed finding out who “ended” up with whom and all the mushy stuff, but overall I’m disappointed. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the writers would be on a talk show or just a LOST reunion show and take questions from the audience on all the things that they left out??? Anyhoo…….just wanted to see if I was the only one who looked at the clock at 11:20 and got a very bad feeling that the burning questions would not be answered with so few minutes left to go. I looked at my boyfriend after the closing credits and simply said “huh?” As I have so many times before.
     *sigh*

361. Schroeder | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     What was with the sneaker tied to one of the bamboo trees just as Jack was about to fall and die?

362. NIkki | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     Possessed Locke took the explosives off the plane and put them in Jack’s backpack. That is what blew the submarine up.

     Still trying to work out the ending properly!!

363. Wendy | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     I wasn’t happy with the finale because there was no real explanation however if you look at all the clues – the weird stuff like traveling through time, black smoke, the long lives of Richard etc and the whole good Vs evil battles the flashing backwards, forwards and sideways, the “ghosts” of peoples loved ones (most of whom were causes to issues of the islanders eg. Jack’s dad, Richards wife, Locke’s dad) and then the huge clue of The DHARMA initiative(just look up the word on wiki) one of it’s definitions is “ultimate enlightenment” amongst many other similar definitions which suggests it needs to be achieved before crossing over to a new plain of existence or rebirth depending on your beliefs – you will notice the similarities to purgatory/limbo. Therefore they were all dead on the island and had to go through all that stuff so that they could R.I.P. Yes Christan Shepperd said it all really happened which is perfectly acceptable if you believe in purgatory or whatever you want to call it – just because living people can’t see it happening doesn’t mean its not real. If you watch all the “sideways flashes” to LA it is showing the individuals issues being resolved as they work their way through the tests which the island, Jacob (a reference to Jacob’s ladder to heaven perhaps?), and the black smoke etc throws at them. Maybe Charles W was an angel he was once the leader of the “others” and after all he was trying to stop the black smoke from leaving the island, maybe Desmond was playing the part of the angel of transition/death (Archangel Azrael otherwise known as Ismael who was the “keeper of the door”). There were many, many other religous references whether Christian, Buddhist or whatever, all of which were mainly about what you have to overcome before coming to rest in “heaven” or before being reborn again depending on your beliefs.

364. Amy | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     This is how I see it. It’s the only way that makes the most sense and I promise that you’ll like it.
     We know that after the bomb was detonated that two separate time lines came into play. And both time lines were real and both of them really did happen. Christian said that, “Everything that has ever happened to you is real.” What makes you get confused is that he also says, “There is no here, there is no now.” I think he was meaning that this isn’t the only existence and time is irrelevant and it’s really not the point. When he said, “you created this place so you could find one another” I believe he was referring to what happened when the bomb went off. It created an alternate reality where they didn’t crash and had never met each other. But, it was destiny for them to meet each other! “The world has a way of course correcting”. And the course correcting started happening when everyone started having flashes of their life on the island and those people they had flashes of were the most important thing to them and brought them true happiness. If the bomb didn’t work, then why would the show go through so much trouble to having Daniel explaining it twice! Once with Jack on the island in the original timeline and once with Desmond in the alternate. Those were very important scenes.

     Another thing that people got confused with was when Jack said, “I died?” and “They all died?” Notice that he didn’t say, “I’m dead?” They weren’t dead in the alternate time line. And I can prove it. Christian said, “We all die sometime. Some before you and some long after”. He was referring to the island time line. Everyone died in that time line. Some before Jack and some a long time after. Who knows, it doesn’t matter. You know that Kate for sure died sometime after Jack because she said, “I’ve missed you so much Jack.” Why would she say that unless she remembered her life on the island, she remembered leaving on the ajira flight and remembered her life without him. What she did after the ajira flight, we have no idea. Another thing that proves this point is when Hurley said to Ben, “you were a great #2″. He wouldn’t have said that unless they actually did protect the island together, for how long we don’t know, after everyone else left and jack died.

     Now for another answered question: Why was aaron still a baby, Why didn’t penny & desmond have baby charlie with them, what happened to Jack’s son, and Ji Yeon? Aaron was a baby because Claire had just barely given birth to him. Now she gets to raise him like she always should have. Penny & Desmond didn’t have baby charlie because in that time line they had just recently met and found each other. Baby charlie didn’t even exist yet, but they’ll probably still end up having him later. Jack will still be with his son David too and so will Juliette. David didn’t disappear or anything. He really was real. Locke only said to Jack that “you don’t have a son” because he was trying to get him to remember his other life. And Ji Yeon wasn’t there because she hasn’t been born yet in this time line. But Sun & Jin will be able to raise her together after she’s born. It’s the perfect ending. Everyone gets their happily ever after and exactly what they wanted in the end. And Locke is still going to be with and marry Helen too. They didn’t die in the end or go to heaven yet when they were at the church. It was Christian’s funeral, not theirs. When you see the bright light, you only see Christian walk through the doors. The rest of them sit there and look ahead. It was representational that they “let go” and get to live out the rest of their life. They’ve made it through all their problems and trials and have remembered what life is about. They’re with the person/people they love and get to spend the rest of their life with them and have this awesome memory of their life on the island and what they have overcome.
     Also, Ben is outside the church because he’s not ready yet. He still has some things to work out, but when he does, he too can have the same experience. And I believe Michael could probably do the same as well.

365. tyjcarter | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     Thank you to the writers and creators and watchers of LOST for making it what it was and will be. I’ve never been so involved in a television program/book/movie before and wow, so much to think about.

     A few responses and suggestions for further study:

     I watched the first four episodes before the finale and wow, there is a lot in those episodes that is directly referred to in the finale including, the wreckage on the beach (it is the oceanic wreckage, no doubt), Jack’s final resting place, Jack’s wound from the MiB (it’s the exact same wound he had after the initial plane crash…whoaaaa, what is that about?), the shoe hanging in the bamboo forest, the suggestion that the MiB was actually Locke (who seems to have been picked right from the very beginning for his role), Hurley the care taker, Sawyer the ‘tweener, Rose the wise, Kate the do-er, and more!

     I have so many questions and interpretations! That said, there is a lot to suggest that they were all dead from the beginning and that’s it’s all in Jack’s head but that being such an emotionally unsatisfying answer I prefer to think of it as the island was real and sideways was…I don’t know.

     But, I DO know that one thing I took from the ending that regardless of good or evil or right or wrong or what really happened and what did not, being loved, loving, and generally being part of the human race is “the most important part” of life. We are social animals. Lost and the culture around it is a perfect example.

366. Luigia | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     The true meaning of LOST for ME.
     The Lord Is My Shepherd:
     Psalm 23

     You, Lord, are my _SHEPHERD.
     I will never be in need.
     You let me rest in fields
     of green grass.
     You lead me to streams
     of peaceful _WATER,
     and you refresh my LIFE.

     You are true to your name,
     and you lead me
     along the right paths.
     I may walk through valleys
     as dark as death,
     but I won’t be afraid.
     You are with me,
     and your shepherd’s rod
     makes me feel safe.

     You treat me to a feast,
     while my enemies watch.
     You honor me as a guest,
     and you fill my CUP
     until it overflows.
     Your kindness and LOVE
     will always be with me
     each day of my life,
     and I will live forever
     in your HOUSE, LORD.

367. lostfan | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     It seems to be the minority opinion, but I contend that the Island was NOT real. It served as the green room for the eventual LA (purgatory) where the principles were re-united. When you introduce divinity into the equation, it really does give the writers endless possibilites in creating the “rules” of the island. In short, since God created this Island, everything on the Island is there for the purpose of determining good and evil. you don’t have to explain the golden light or the polar bear. Its there because God wanted it there and it helps him decide where you eventually end up.

368. Luigia | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     Do you think the writers will be coming out with a book?

369. jonathan | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     does anyone understand anything!!!!! the island was real and the church was purgatory until everone was ready to leave did you pay attention to what christian shepheard said to jack near the end of the episode. everything was real, the island and everything, like he siad, everyone dies some before him(on the island)i.e. charlie, ana lucia and some died after like the people like kate, claire and sawyer. or bernard and rose on the island.

370. jonathan | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     the sneaker was something that was hanging their in one of the first episodes right after the crash when jack wakes up for the first time on the island, and it is still the sneaker for when he lays down for the last. their really was no point except that it was the first and last thing he saw from the crash. their might be a point that i dont get all i know is that it was their in like the first episode

371. Rob | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     I bought into the premise but something in the finale threw everything off for me. Here it is:

     The island exsisted. They all died at some point and went to the after life including desmond. However, Desmond is cognizant of the afterlife. Its as if he is exsisting in both life and death.

372. Artero | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     How about this: does anyone remember the movie “Jacob’s Ladder” with Tim Robbins? The story line is similar (to the ending of LOST, that is).

373. Charlotte | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     When i watched the ending of lost i was baffeld i wasent sure what to think , then i thought maybey they were all dead before they went to the island!!! the island was just a place to find peace within themselves..if you remember in the flash backs they all died and jacob turned up and when he spoke to them he touched them …wich could mean he in some way mentally brought them back to life in wich they were like summond to the island to find friendship and happiness and to protect it before they could all let go …i dunno i would really like to have a solid conclusion for closure ,lots was truley brill and i feel honerd to be a part of it .

374. The Answer | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     The island and all that happened WAS real. You nay-sayers are forgetting one piece of critical information. If everyone on the island was already dead in purgatory…how the HELL would anyone ever know the Red Sox won the world series in 2004???

375. Linda | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     I agree with you. The finale and the discussions that followed make me realize what a waste of time this show was.

376. Jay | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     The opening scene in season is of jack opening his eyes with wounds on his neck and his side. The closing scene in season 6 is of Jack in the exact same spot, same sneaker on the bamboo, dog next to him, same wounds on his neck and on his side. There is a reason the writers did that. The entire series takes place in Jacks mind as he is breathing his last breath.

377. Jay | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     The opening scene in season is of jack opening his eyes with wounds on his neck and his side. The closing scene in season 6 is of Jack in the exact same spot, closing his eyes, same sneaker on the bamboo, dog next to him, same wounds on his neck and on his side. There is a reason the writers did that. The entire series takes place in Jacks mind as he is breathing his last breath.

378. Greg | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     Mother of MiB, if one more person says they think the 815 passengers all died in the crash, that the post eye closing shot of the plane debris on the beach is proof, etc. I am going to scream. There is no debate about this. What was called sideways is the afterlife and everyone there has died. The island was real “lifetime”. In the afterlife world there is no time. I understand that is hard to comprehend but Hurley and Ben could have guarded the island for 1000 years after Jack died and it doesn’t matter. Kate could have lived another 60 years and the same for James. They were awakened in the afterlife to their lifetime experiences and will now follow Christian into the light together. It’s over. The End. No More. Finished. A great series with a great ending once you understand it.

379. Steve | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     it occurs to me…

     Because the survivors of 815 go back in time and set off the nuke, Jacob hasn’t been able to change the course of their lives and so draw them to the island to help him find a replacement. As a result of the nuke, the ‘cork’ is destroyed and the light goes out, sinking the island…which also means it can’t have an electro magnetic event and crash the plane. Desmond is probably the link as to why the alternate reality must cease to exist for the survivors. Remember that Widmore and co would have still had involvement with the island and therefore encountered the time travelers. It is Desmond’s encounters with these people that seems to lead to the unraveling of the alternate reality’s position as top dog…therefore the original history takes back it’s control and they must all pass on and cease to exist.

     Just a thought.

     The alternate reality (which is perhaps real within itself) ceases to exist when

380. jeff | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     dude in the first season jack was in a suit. in the last he had jeans and a t shirt. so during the crash he changed clothes before he died. or someonone found him and changed his clothes. ugh watch the show!!

381. jeff | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     and as jacks dying he sees ajira flight overhead?

382. Steve | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     I’m starting to cheer up a bit about the ending. I felt let down at the end but in typical lost fashion it seems they have left a lot of clues for us to figure out. I hope there are answers in there to find.

     I’ll leave it for a bit and see what interviews and dvd bonus titbits bring i think. Good luck working it out everyone.

     Steve.

383. Elle | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     Regarding the sneaker in the babmoo: How would you explain the sneaker is new in season 1 when Jack wakes up from the crash…but the shoe in the closing frame is weathered, and Jack is not wearing the suit he crashed in…?

384. BJ | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     Karma

     Thank you writers, it was beautiful and will be missed.

385. Naomi | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     will t. your dumb. the island was just an island where people landed in a plane crash and it was special because it cured cancer and stuff like that. and jacob was the protector of the island. the man in black became the smoke monster because jacob pushed him down that hole. the temple was just a place where people lived, and the chinese guy prevented the smoke monster from coming in. didn’t you hear the chinise guy’s translator when sayid killed him? “you just let him in” or something. the rules about the candidates was that they all had flaws in their life before the island. they were alone. they were special. and jacob needed someone to protect the island from whoever that could put it in danger like the man in black..(but he died) or charles widmore. and the wheel… well thats just what it is! its a wheel basically there for emergencys that moves the island through space and time when it really needs to hide. and the island IS NOT PURGATORY. how the hell do all the people know desmond or charlotte who were not on the plane? ITS CALLED TV. it doesn’t have to be realistic. you’re really thinking to hard on this. chill out a little. the time before the island, the time on the island, and after if some lived that long, was their REAL LIFE. the end just showed jacks death, but the characters all die like normal people eventually, and the island was just a VERY IMPORTANT part of their life. so since the island and the time that they spent with these people were the most important part of each others lives (as christian says to jack) when the final person that lives the longest that was on the island dies (maybe kate or sawyer) they all start the after life which is the sideways flash, and then when the memories of the island and the other people come back they come together to “move on” or “let go” of this world to move on to heaven together. which is why when christian opened the doors, it was white. they were the doors to heaven, so that the most important people that jack spent his life with, would join him into going to heaven.

     but i do agree with you when it comes to some questions being left unanswered.. like why micheal and walt weren’t there. maybe its because they weren’t there after that hydrogen bomb went off. or what did Ben want to do that made him stay on Earth a little longer? what did he have to do? I’m guessing be a father to Alex. and what about Jack’s son? what will he do when he finds out that his parents have moved on to heaven? or maybe their whole sideways life will just dissapear with them as they go on the heaven with the most important people to them. well thats just my theory;)

386. Jay | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     How does Jack’s father know “everything that happen was real” ??? He was never there? He died before he even got on the plane. Every time he appeared on the island or anywhere, it was smokey using his body. Unless you are saying that the MIB revived him, and he actually witnessed the stuff on the island as well. The writers were making up the stuff as they went along, that is why there are so many questions. When the series had to end, they decided on the standard feel good ending. With such a long running series with a large cast of characters the standard ‘feel good ending’ is the ‘Reunion’ theme, so they made up a reunion scenario as they went along, just as they did for at least the last 4 seasons of the show.

387. JIL | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     There are many questions LOST, most of which are not answered directly, but one way or the other, the questions are answered. First, the island is real and there are three main importance of the highland: It houses a magical light that represents good in every human, and also represents birth, death, and rebirth; second, it has some powerful magnetic field pockets which give clues to how to leave the island;third, the island is magical and generations of individuals have being entrusted the duty of keeping it save.
     Now going on to the smoke monster, Jacob’s brother turns into smoke monster after Jacob pushes him into the lake of light, and his transformation into smoke is his rebirth (which explains why his body is placed in the tomb. Since then he wants to kill Jacob and get of the island. From his previous projects he found a way of getting of the highland from one of the magnetic pockets (the big wheel) but the problem for him is that he cannot get off the island unless Jacob dies.
     The season finale tells the story of how these people, after they died, lived the lives they would have had if they did not crash when they were alive. Jack having a son with Juliet and sawyer being a cop. But there is a force, which is Desmond, that helps all of them change the story of their afterlives by helping them connect with the lives they lived before they died. The subtle thing that most people missed is that Desmond is not suppose to interfere in their afterlife stories until a given time, which he obviously ignored and helps all of them make connections with the lives the lived before they died. Jack does not have a son in his life, but has one in is afterlife, thus Lock’s comment.
     The answers from every question from LOST can be inferred from these facts.

388. Chris | May 25, 2010 | Reply

     I’ve watched the final episode twice now. I think it was a very well done ending to a complex series. No, it didn’t answer every question, but that’s what allows us to have these philosophical discussions.

     The show defintiely contained a lot of metaphysics and philosophy, hence the characters names — Hume, Locke, Hawking, Faraday, C.S. Lewis, etc. The show was supposed to make the viewer think philosophically. It mixed elements from a number of religions.

     I think the series needs to be taken at face value. I believe that the main appeal of the show was the lovable and dispicable characters the series created. It was always about the characters, and I believe that the writers were flexible to add characters from their original concept as they found actors they liked. Over the course of 6 seasons we see a lot of personal development if the characters, and their journies of development are a main point of the series.

     What could have been a better ending than all of these beloved characters (or most of, at least) reuniting and moving on to a happy place?

     The message was that there is an afterlife, a heaven. And it was a nice feeling to see the characters going there at the end. Even though, as an evangelical Christian I disagree with the show’s presentation of what makes a person eligible to enter heaven (i.e. no Christ as personal Savior who died for redemption of the sin of those who trust in Him, and a melding of eastern religious thought) I find the ending to be a satisfying and happy one.

     In regard to the many unanswered quesions, as I ponder the series finale I am finding that there are more answers that have been provided than we might think at first. My thoughts are:

     – The island was real, the Oceanic 815 crash was real, those who survived survived. What happened, happened.
     – We have to take with a grain of salt some of the sci fi, religious, metaphysical aspects of the island. LOST was a sci fi sereis, not a reality show.
     –The island existed as a place to guard the light. It always had guardians (i.e. Mother, Jacob, Jack, Hurley). These guardians were flawed people who made mistakes, but who were given supernatural powers by the island in order to do the job of protector.
     – The Jacob, MIB story is the classic story of good versus evil. MIB started out as an ambitious person who just wanted to get off the island. When the rules did not permit that he became angry and obsessed with getting of the island. Jacob became his enemy by blocking his goals and destroying his human form, and action Jacob admitted later had been a mistake. MIB became more and more evil as the years went by, culminating in the very evil Man in Locke embodiment.
     – Many different people came (were brought) to the island at various times in its existence. These people brought their culture with them. Hence the existence of an Egyptian statue, and eastern looking temple.
     – The island’s special properties of electromagnetics intrigued people, some of whom wanted to exploit the island. This is part of why the island needed protectors. Mother said that men came to seek the light, but would end up destroying it with their efforts. The Dharma initiative is an example of this kind of exploitation. I think one main purpose of the Dharma intitiave episodes was to show one example of how mankind tried to exploit the island.
     – Jacob knew that one day MIB would find his loop hole and be able to kill him. As protector of the island, he was obligated to annoint his replacement. For this reason he brought (and had been bringing for many years) candidates to the island to find a replacement. The island was a testing ground to find suitable replacments from among many candidates (hence the lighthouse with around 360 candidate names, one for every degree on the compass). Apparantly, he didn’t find sutable replacements until the batch from the Oceanic 815 crash.
     – At least with the Oceanic 815 survivors, there was an alternate purpose in bringing them to the island. They needed each other. They were all living messed up lives in their home countries. The island experience gave them an oportunity to find meaningful relationships as they struggled together for survival.
     – Some people who made bad life choices while on the island (i.e. Michael) were doomed to stay on the island as specters, and became the whispering voices.
     – Walt was considered to be special, hence the interest in him by the Others. But when he left the island (or should I say, was permitted to leave the island) he was no longer needed by the island or in the story. The island already had another special person, Locke (confirmed by Ben in “The End”.)
     – The Jughead explosion was needed to bring the characters back to the same time period after they had gotten scattered into two different time periods when Ben moved the island and the donkey wheel got stuck. Locke got the island to stop skipping through time, but the characters were left in different time periods.
     – Some things we have to just accept as storytelling and science fiction. How could the island be moved? How could it move through time? This is metaphysical, supernatural, beyond our rational explanation.
     – Which brings me to a another point. This show was about the conflict between the man of science (Jack) and the man of Faith (Locke). It’s interesting how the comments by viewers fall into these two categories. The “fans of science” are bugged that all the mysteries have not been adequately explained. The “fans of faith” accept that these mysteries were the islands way of doing things.
     – In the end, all of the characters died. Some before Jack, some after Jack. But they all eventually died. The sideways flashes were the place that they all created in order to connect together and go into the afterlife together. Their lives were bonded together by their island experiences (the most important part of their life according to Jack’s father) and they needed to reunite to enter heaven (the light) together. Flash sideways LA was just a “place” without “real time” where they could all meet back up. Desmond was the constant to help them remember their island experience. He and Hurley (as protector of the island) worked to re-unite the main characters and help them remember and let go.
     – The island may have been on the bottom of the sea in the flash sideways world because it was no longer necessary. It may have also been put there by Hurley as a final means of protecting its light.

     Well, the writers have given us alot to think about. Overall I think it was very well done, well acted series. I will miss LOST, but I am satisfied with the ending.

389. DanF | May 26, 2010 | Reply

     As Jack is dying he gets to imagine whatever he likes- plane, dog, whatever he likes. As for his clothes, evrything that happened after he opened his eye was in his control so he was a person who would begin in a suit and after finding peace in the end would feel relaxed enough to wear what was comfortable. As for the plane- Ajira or Delta seems unclear but whatever it was it helped him gain peace. I am seeing the entire series as Jack’s coming to terms with his own death and there is not a verifiable fact to be had. Shots after his eyes close were STILL in his head until death arrived with the credits. It was brilliant and complete and needs no further explanation.
     OK maybe not brilliant but complete.

390. chris | May 26, 2010 | Reply

     This is what I want to know if someone could please make me understand…. Yes I do to believe that everything happened on the island and was real but then I think to myself why it would take Desmond n Hurley to get them to remember in their “purgatory” life or sideways life however you want to say it… To me if something like a plane crash happened for real in my life and I was on an island that was so mysterious with time travel and smoke monsters etc how would you not remember it?? Why does it have to take you touching someone or kissing someone or even someone else trying to convince you that you were in a plane crash and stuck on an island??? I just don’t get it when you die does your mind forget events in your life that were so crazy and tragic and mind boggling? I love the show and am a huge fan I just need someone to make me understand why these people would not remember instantly when seeing someone who was on the same plane that crashed and on the same crazy island?? I understand they lived their afterlife in a way to be all reunited but SINCE THE ISLAND WAS REAL then why DON’T YOU REMEMBER ANYONE THAT WAS THERE WITH YOU THE PLANE CRASH OR EVEN THE ISLAND ITSELF!!!! also….. Why did everyone’s afterlife they created was bad or didn’t make any sence? Why was Charlie still a drunk and drug addict why were kate sahid in jail and why did Claire give birth?? If this was a life they created then why wern’t they happy and if Claire gave birth on the island WHICH WAS A REAL PLACE AND DID HAPPEN then why did she give birth again? I AM LOST!! lol if someone could please maybe make me understand a little better so I can sleep haha I appreciate it

391. Jay | May 26, 2010 | Reply

     There are 3 schools of thought here.

     1. The island was real, and the events were real, 2. The island was real, but all the events were in a supernatural world of purgatory.
     3. Everything was in Jack’s mind, in which case the island being real is of no consequence.

     If you consider the events that happened on the island was real, then you have dozens of unanswered question you have to rationalize. If you consider all that happened on the island was in supernatural world of purgatory, or in Jack’s mind, then there are no questions to be asked, and the entire series makes brilliant sense, and is basically the same premse as ‘Sixth Sense’, ‘Wizzard of Oz’, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ etc.

392. Icepulse | May 26, 2010 | Reply

     My final analysis is that Jack WAS the island, and all events, locations, objects and characters were merely symbolic fragments of Jack’s psyche.

     •Jacob / MiB = the id/ego of Mr. Shepard.
     •The hatch represented Jack’s own impenetrable emotional “safety locks”.
     •The hourly code was a symbol for the O/C behavior Jack needed to engage in, to keep from sinking into the depression that comes from his feelings of helplessness.
     •The polar bears represented the frigidity Jack had subconsciously put in place, in order to avoid the pain that comes from failing a loved one.

     Etc, etc, etc.

     Ergo, Jack committed suicide. He saved “the island” (soul), only by sacrificing his own life.

393. Hazel | May 26, 2010 | Reply

     Maybe this is like Dante’s Inferno – there are two islands – the first island is Hell with nine rings populated by all kinds of different “Lost” souls (like the island the plane crashed on). At the center of Hell is Satan and after you’ve gone thru Hell you come to the second island (Purgatory – where you can redeem yourself – LAX sideways flashes) – and once redeemed you can go on to Paradise/Heaven – thru the church doors). The reason the Oceanic 815 had to stay together was because they all died at the same time in a common event.

394. Jeramy | May 26, 2010 | Reply

     Ok, I watched this thing from the pilot too. I am disappointed to sy the least. The writers definately had a one track mind in explaining the “characters” story, but they built up the story of the island and smoke monsters and dharma iniciatives that they could have made more interesting in the end. Heres my thoughts on alternate anding =)

     If the light turned MIB into smokey then they should have made it so Desmund could help facilitate Jack (cuz Desmund has ability to harness and distribute electromagnatism) to capture the same power, if you will, and turn him into a modified (good light) type of smokey and Jack and MIB could have had an EPIC BATTLE. Not a crappy fist fight we see on everyday TV.

     So many other things but they could have at least done something like that to make it more interesting…just my thoughts

395. Jerms | May 26, 2010 | Reply

     you are right to be confused because it doesn’t make any sense. Unfortunately, the only reasoning would be fiction, therefor there is no solid explanation. The writers didnt seem to care to much about that though. I felt that Desmund should have helped Jack harness the light’s power and Jack would become smokey too and him and MIB would have an EPIC BATTLE instead of the crappy fist fight we see all the time on TV. Once the smokeys battle it out (which would have been really freakin cool =) then somehow Jacob could discuss with Hurley how to harness the light to bring both demensions together. Since the losties were the only people effected, in a sense, then everyone else on the planet would never even have a clue what they went through and what they did over that time so other people would not be effected by the 2 demensions merging together…

396. Jerms | May 26, 2010 | Reply

     the numbers were a becon of sorts, one number per candidate which Jacob used to make Hurley do what he did in order to get everyone on the plain in the first place

397. ric | May 26, 2010 | Reply

     stab in the dark

     ok googled a few forums, heres my theory

     the manuscript “bad twins” sawyer read in season two, i’m thinking jack read this on the plane….( the author was gary troup – anagram for purgatory by the way)

     also in season two locke found a book called ” an occurrence at owl creek bridge” if you search for this on wikipedia you will have a better understanding of what i am about to say…..

     lost was all about jacks life and fantasies flashing before his eyes just before he died on the plane!

398. tiva | May 26, 2010 | Reply

     Actually, yes they do

     Regds

399. Larry FL | May 26, 2010 | Reply

     My gut feel when the first season was unfolding was that the experiences of the survivors were too incredible to be real. I suspected they were in an after life state. However,back then, the authors kept insisting that it’s all real and all will be explained. Alternate realities, or purgatory are not the proper explanation to someone who saw this was coming but told it isn’t so. Science fiction, theology, myth, and magic are all okay with me, but lying is not. Excellent cast and great acting.

400. mikey | May 27, 2010 | Reply

     I have poured through literally hundreds of theories.What a testimony to what a clever show it was or a really unorganized one that so many can see things so different..for a while i leaned to the theory of the castaways dying throughout the show, either on the island or after they escaped (like the 4 who took off on the plane) No matter how much i want to believe it was that cool, i keep coming back to Jack making it all the way back to the spot he was when the original plane crashed. It is that and that only, that makes me believe they all died and that was a moment in jacks mind (your life flashes before you) and in a blink of his eye (just as we saw it) he created this whole tale we have watched for many many years..it was his purgatory, and although he wasnt in all the scenes, he was still “directing ” them in his head..I honestly think he had a after death experiance culminating in his crossing over when he died on the spot he lay at the beginning of the season..i mean , dont you think he would have just died where he was stabbed? no he just so happened to walk all the way back to where he was..and once he laid down and let go, he was in the church and you know the rest..for those who thought he was alive for half the season (at least till the a bomb went off) how would it be that he knew faradays mother, and in that case found her at the afterlife concert? I think he created her character.. I think he created all the characters from his memories of sitting on the plane (just as we dream often about things we see just before we fall asleep)its a cluster frick anyway you slice it…i pray when the DVD comes out they have the writers doing commentary through the last episode…

401. Paul (UK) | May 27, 2010 | Reply

     Well, all I can say is dissappointed. I think the writers really messed up in the first series, setting things in motion, without thinking in 6 years time how they would answer them.
     The writers did state, that the island isn’t purgatory very early on, But the ISLAND simply can’t be a real place on earth.
     Points to consider:

     1)Jacob selected the candidates he had left the island lots of times and visited every candidate in LA or whereever they lived and watch the candidates constantly? So how was Jacob able to leave? MIB wanted to leave all the time, and made him EVIL?? Just who knows?

     2)Another major point that the island couldn’t have been real was that Jack’s DEAD father appeared on the island in Series 1, Jack chased him into the forest. So how could he be there? Unless purgatory had already begun.

     3)The bomb, if the bomb would have succeeded then the timeline would have been restored, no plane crash, no LOST, the END. But because the island wasn’t real, they all still carried on as nothing had happened.

     4)The science? Time Travel? Babies never being born? Cancer cures? Paralysis cured? Immortallity? Black Smoke? A light and plug? Electro-magnitism? The blacksmoke stopping pillers that blow your head off! The ISLAND being able to move? No one being able to find the island unless it wanted them too! Convienient Teleportation! The imfamous wheel, which seemed to be the MIB idea? Jacob and MIB where just kids when they arrived? how did they become immortal? Good/Evil?

     Also a few people are ranting about the numbers.
     in Jacobs cave each candidate had a number, these combined where the infamous numbers.
     But still that doesn’t help. as why would Jacobs numbers for the candidate be the number needed to stop the electromagnetic explosion in the hatch? Jacob had nothing todo with it?

     All this said, I have enjoyed lost since it started and do feel cheated. Simply because they ISLAND need explaing, a simle mention of “The Island was making you ready for this church Jack” from Jack father in the Church. But it really has left far too many people trying to come up with there own conclusions, which some people seem to find fantastic. But if thats the case why not just make you own series in your head and not bother watching TV at all. It simply needs answering.

     But once again lost rocks, just a dissapointed closure to a 6 year adventure!!

402. Icepulse | May 27, 2010 | Reply

     Ric, you are right on.

     It jives w/ my theory completely; the notion of all events / experiences after crash-time being a mere fever-dream in the mind of Jack Shepard.

     It makes all other questions completely moot.

403. Icepulse | May 27, 2010 | Reply

     Also, when perceived from the above theory, the ending is totally satisfying, and vindicates the series.

404. Gotsuckered | May 27, 2010 | Reply

     Nobody likes to admit when they get conned. Its a shameful thing. So, people who get conned come up with all these possible explanations to justify that they did it willingly and were not really conned.
     LOST is the biggest con played on innocent TV watchers. It was a master con. The end result to make big bucks for the producers and others involved succeeded. Now all these millions of conned people are trying to find answers. Purgatory, sideways world??? Come on people!!! Sooner you admit that you were a victim to a con the easier it will be to move on. You don’t want to be on your own “LOST” island…
     Bottom line, LOST was a spaghetti of plots copied from variety of sources, concepts and theories and the writers did not have any in-depth knowledge of any one subject and they winged it as they went along.
     My lessons learned:
     - Do not ever watch any shows produced by Lindelof and Cuse
     - Do not watch any shows that don’t have some conclusion at the end of a show or season

405. Amy | May 27, 2010 | Reply

     ending is SUCKY! too many unanswered questions:
     1- what is the island?
     2- how come Jacob is good, when he killed his own brother? he admitted that he made a mistake
     3- what is the point of Richard? how come he didnt age until the light was out?
     4- so what the hell is this light?
     5- black smoke?
     6- how come Penny was there, when she wasnt on the island or even on the crashing airplane?
     7- what is the point of Charles widmore, and why is it important that he is related to Danny and Penny?
     8- What is the point of all the kids?
     9-How come Danny wasnt a Physict but a Pianist anymore but Jack Shepard was still a Surgeon, Charlie was still in a rockband, and Hurley was still a busniessman in the end?
     10- what was the point of Jack, Kate, Sun and I dont know who to leave the island and comeback, when Sawyer, Juliette, and I dont know who stayed back in the island?
     (it didnt do anything but let them know that Juliette should be with Sawyer, and Kate should be with Jack) so what is the point of the rest leaving or staying in the island?
     11- Why didnt Ben go inside in the end?
     12- what happened to the Pilot and Richard??? Seriously???

     ghrrr too many questions! …I feel I still need closure…

406. H.monir | May 27, 2010 | Reply

     its mistake of writers , they draw many many mysterious without know whats end .

     i had enjoyed , and all these posts prove that this show success.

     but really we all disappointed from this silly ending . also i surprised who say its beautiful
     please wake up .

     the writer of this show surprised that there answer must write for audience .

     and this also prove they write an introduction by luck and without any planning .

     and this not professional work .

     dear all , please stop from trying to explain what final for other , its anther prove that writers is failed to say what they need .

     the show is just money machine maker and worked for 6 years , don’t blame them .

     in bottom line we gain a good quality actors .

407. normom | May 27, 2010 | Reply

     The end was a huge disappointment! It seemed like it was just thought up on the fly slammed together in a rush and was such a let down. Here I was thinking…”I can’t wait to see the end so I can get the whole set of CD’s and find all the little snip-its of tells throughout the previous seasons.” Not gonna happen for me. That ending just took away the high, excitement, and edge of the chair anticipation that had me up until mid way of this last season. Really didn’t give the answers that they claimed “would explain it all”, unanswered, unorganized… promises to give us the finale we anticipated. It felt like a rush job and a jip. Gives me no reason to want to see it all again. Sad.

408. Al Winston | May 27, 2010 | Reply

     LOST explained: You’ll notice the ‘source’ of the island seen in the cave with the light looks like a giant sphincter. It is. The island is the a$$ of the world and the sphincter is the output for all the s$$$ inside. The rock that Desmond moved was the Great Butt-Plug of the World, which contained all the s$$$. The smoke monster came into being when the Man in Black fell in and disrupted the ButtPlug, and some runny s$$$ (aka Cosmic Diarrhea) squirted out. The Smoke Monster would smear the island with s$$$, wreaking all kinds of havoc. Jacob was the Mr. Clean of the island, but the job of wiping up all the runny s$$$-stains of the smoke monster was too much for him. Fortunately, the runny s$$$ that escaped caused all kinds of s$$$-storms in the sea and in the air that brought people to the island. Sadly, they did not have the janitorial excellence required to clean up all the skid marks of the island. When people died on the island, it would always be under shitty circumstances, so like s$$$ they’d get flushed, purified, and then reappeared in the nice, clean toilet tank of purgatory. Once all the litte purified turds were there, they got the Royal Flush to the afterlife. There. Now you have it. ‘Lost’ was nothing but a pile of crap. Oh, and the bomb was the plunger to backed up toilet of the plot.

409. JEB | May 27, 2010 | Reply

     What about Ecko? They never made reference to him…also what was the point of that episode with Paulo and Nikki and the diamonds and the spiders???? Just filler?

410. Gotsuckered | May 27, 2010 | Reply

     Al. lol buddy, urs is the best explanation so far.

411. axl | May 27, 2010 | Reply

     BRUTAL. What a crime to end in this manner.

412. muzonat | May 28, 2010 | Reply

     For those of you who say that Jack created all of the story in his mind I think you’re wrong.Some people say that the place Jack died at the end of the finale is the same place where he found himself when he opened his eyes in the first episode but if this is so then how can you explain the clothes he wear are not the same in those two episodes?When he first opened his eyes in the first epi. he was wearing a suit but in the finales dying scene he was wearing a T-shirt and jeans.All I want to say is what happened in the island is happened.They all lived there and shared their very special moments together.That’s why they met eachother in sideways and walked through the light in peace and love.

413. claireabelle | May 28, 2010 | Reply

     THEY WERE NOT “DEAD THE WHOLE TIME”
     I don’t know why people are having trouble understanding this, as it is CLEARLY explained in the final minutes of the finale episode by Christian Shephard (Jack’s dad). The original Oceanic 815 plane crash happened. Everything on the Island through seasons 1-6 happened. The “flash sideways” universe introduced in season 6 was a sort of stop-over point between life and afterlife (referred to here as the “purgatory universe”).

     Each person in this “purgatory universe” created a reality for themselves based on their lingering issues in life – that which they could not “let go” of. For Jack it was Daddy issues; Kate, the guilt of murder; Sawyer, the quest to find “Sawyer” and be a better man; Sayid, the unrequited love of Nadia; Charlie, looking for something “real” in his hollow life of fame, etc…

     Everyone was still attached to their Earthly concerns (we’re getting very Buddhist here, bear with me) – but when they made contact with those people they’d met on the Island, they remembered the journey and growth they had experienced because of the Island, and could finally understand the connections and “purpose” brought into their damaged lives by being there. With that greater understanding of themselves, they were each ready to “leave” or “move on” to the next phase of existence – i.e., the true afterlife.

     WHAT WAS THAT FINAL IMAGE OF THE CRASHED PLANE?
     Some people are convinced the final image during the end credits of the Lost finale was the “clue” to the characters being dead the whole time. OK, let’s think about this: The image appears during the closing credits, after the final appearance of the “LOST” logo. That means that the story had officially ended. Saying that the biggest reveal came while the end credits were rolling is like saying a movie’s climax happens during the end credits. Not bloody likely.

     The image of the plane crash (if you look closely) has memorabilia from the Lostie’s time on the beach where they first made camp. Shacks, towels, etc… it was one part nostalgia (remember where it all began?) and also one part commentary on the circular nature of the Island.

     Like the Black Rock ship that brought Richard to the Island (“Ab Aeterno“), or the downed plane with the heroin that had Mr. Ecko’s brother’s corpse inside of it (“The 23rd Psalm“), the remains of Oceanic 815 and the evidence of a small community built on the beach are just more monuments of the Island. The next time somebody crashes there, they’ll see that stuff and wonder what the “mystery” behind it is…

     Then they’ll whine and complain about how unsatisfying the answer is. (“What? That’s how that mystical guy “Hurley” came to the Island? LAME.”)

     WHAT WAS DESMOND’S POWER?

     One of the biggest things people seem to be questioning is how Desmond was able to “wake up” from the purgatory universe and how he had the know-how to “wake up” the other Losties. For that answer, you really just have to look back over the history of Desmond.

     Desmond (specifically through his connection to Penny Widmore) is a sort of “constant” in the show. No matter what happens, when, or where, Desmond seems somehow immune to the Island’s energy (which has electromagnetic properties) and has a sort of awareness that can transcend space and time (his consciousness shifts seen in episodes like “The Constant“). These “shifts” and Widmore’s explanation that Desmond is special because of his resistance to the Island’s energies, imply that Desmond would even be able to “shift” his consciousness back and forth between this universe and the purgatory one, catalyzed by Widmore’s team placing him in that huge electromagnetic machine in the season six episode, “Happily Ever After“.

     So, it does stand to reason (at least Lost reasoning) that Desmond – after having his consciousness “shifted” to the purgatory reality – would “wake up” after encountering HIS constant, Penny. It’s another fast and loose metaphysical explanation, but one that (for me) still works within the framework of the show.

     WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH THE ISLAND’S “RULES?”

     Over the course of the show people have wondered about the mythology of the Island – where it came from, what it is and what are the “rules” that govern it and its mystical protectors? Admittedly, this is an area where the showrunners played things fast and loose, hoping that the momentum of the characters’ story arcs and the whole “good vs. evil” showdown would be enough to appease most fans. Alas, not so.

     Season six of Lost did a great deal to semi-explain what the island was – a sort of container for a very important energy that seemingly links this world with worlds beyond… or something. That energy is represented by light and water, and if that light goes out and the water stops flowing, the world is basically screwed. Everything magical or fantastic about the Island stems from this energy, and many of the technological oddities found on the Island (the Swan Station from season 2) are a result of the Dharma Initiative trying to harness and control that energy (i.e., man trying to bend magic and mysticism to the will of modern science).

     However, there are some things that were definitely left unexplained: Why did the Man In Black become a smoke monster when he was exposed to the light (was it a manifestation of his corrupted soul)?; What is the nature of the “rules” that governed certain aspects of the Island – who could come and go, who could kill who, who was healed from injury (Locke, Rose), who lived forever (Richard). How were these rules established and maintained?

     The Jacob/MIB origin episode, “Across The Sea”, attempted to fill in that aspect of the Island mythology, but what we came away with were a lot of vague pseudo-explanations. The protector of the Island basically makes up the rules and once those rules are established they are set until somebody (a new protector?) changes them. This is the reason why the MIB was obsessed with “finding a loophole” in order to kill Jacob; it’s also why Jack was ultimately able to kill the MIB. Smokey was connected to the energy source, and when Jack had Desmond “turn off” that energy, Smokey lost his powers and was merely flesh and blood again.

     Makes sense…doesn’t it?

     WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE BABY MAMA DRAMA?
     One of the earliest running sub-plots of the Lost mythos was the notion that pregnant women died on the Island before they could successfully give birth. This was especially important during season one when Claire was pregnant with Aaron and was kidnapped and experimented on by Ethan, a memeber of The Others (“Raised by Another” & “Homecoming“). Of course we now know that Ethan was likely working with baby-doctor Juliet to help Claire – that is before Charlie killed Ethan (oops!) – and that Aaron was likely born on the Island without incident because Claire was already far enough along in her pregnancy before coming to the Island (just like Jacob and the Man In Black’s mother).

     However, the pregnancy issue popped up again in season 3 when Sun learned that she was pregnant (“The Glass Ballerina” & “D.O.C.” ) and was a the prominent focus of Juliet’s flashback arch (“One of Us“). So whatever happened to the mystery of the baby mama drama?

     Simple answer? Story developments made the issue a moot point in later seasons. Aaron was born fine, Sun eventually gave birth OFF the Island, and Juliet died even after she had no more pregnant patients to tend to. So really, when you think about it, there was no more of this story left to tell.

     But does that excuse the fact that we never found out why pregnant women were dying on the Island? It might be bugging you, but I’m chalking this one up to being another random “rule of the Island.” Or maybe it electromagnetic mystical lights just aren’t good for fetuses. Either way.

     WHAT WAS WITH THE STATUE?

     This is one Lost mystery I don’t really need answered. Who built the statue, why and what did represent are all things you can probably find out with some historical research on ancient cultures.

     As for the relevance of the statue to the Lost mythos: It was evidence that the Island had been around for a long, long, time, and that people had been coming to it throughout history. So basically it was a way to let people know, “This place plays a pivotal role in mankind’s existence.”

     I wouldn’t try to look much deeper than that!

414. Gotsuckered | May 28, 2010 | Reply

     I like Al Winston’s explanation better than claireabelle’s. Also it seems like claireabelle did not read my post above [about the con] else claireabelle would not have written a thesis about this.

415. cazza | May 28, 2010 | Reply

     dear gotsuckered

     Perhaps claireabelle DID read your post, and her subsequent thesis is the fitting equivalent of flipping a bird in your direction.

     In light of your theory, I might wonder why you’re even still in this discussion. But then, I guess you have nothing better to do since, by your own standards, you won’t be watching any TV series until after its’ finale airs. I guess you could busy yourself with Flash Forward or Sex and the City. Have fun with that.

416. Gotsuckered | May 28, 2010 | Reply

     I am still in the discussion coz I am trying to show people the way out of their “LOST” islands. Dont want them in “purgaratory” or “sideways world” of forums, do we? ha ha ha. Millions “LOST” 6 seasons of their time on this stupid s$$$ and I just want to ensure that folks are aware of this con. Someones gotta do the job right? Someones gotta tell that the emperor has no clothes. Someone’s gotta call a con a con.
     Look the bottom line is there were too many unanswered questions, no logical connections between major sections of the story, too many useless fillers and so on. It was a poor crappy job.
     As far as having nothing better to do… u r in the same boat dear cazza… wanna open a bottle of wine while we sail?

417. claireabelle | May 29, 2010 | Reply

     haha Cazza you got it in one… I think those who think it was a ‘con’ just dont like to admit they didnt get it! but hey-ho!

418. abh | May 29, 2010 | Reply

     You are so right. He told them the plane was rigged with explosives.

419. Kim | May 30, 2010 | Reply

     Like post internet blogs?

420. Eduardo | May 30, 2010 | Reply

     To be honest, i think the writers themselves are f-ing LOST! They have no freaking idea how to tie all the loose ends that the story’s numeous turns took. I mean, its obvious that the writers fooled a lot of people (me including unfortunately! grrrr!!!), they made the story so intricate by toying with concepts such as time-travel, alternate-reality or universe or whatever you want to call it, quantum physics etc., only to probably realize later on, THEY CANNOT NEATLY MAKE A COHERENT ENDING OUT OF THE DAMN STORY! Shame on you whoever you are or how many you are! If you think that you are being creative by making the story so unclear and uncomplicated then you are dead wrong! Your writing ability smacks of mediocrity and at best is chaotic mumbo-jumbo! Clearly, you people have no idea what to do with the story to begin with!

421. Eduardo | May 30, 2010 | Reply

     To be honest, i think the writers themselves are f-ing LOST! They have no freaking idea how to tie all the loose ends that the story’s numeous turns took. I mean, its obvious that the writers fooled a lot of people (me including unfortunately! grrrr!!!), they made the story so intricate by toying with concepts such as time-travel, alternate-reality or universe or whatever you want to call it, quantum physics etc., only to probably realize later on, THEY CANNOT NEATLY MAKE A COHERENT ENDING OUT OF THE DAMN STORY! Shame on you whoever you are or how many you are! If you think that you are being creative by making the story so unclear and complicated then you are dead wrong! Your writing ability smacks of mediocrity and at best is chaotic mumbo-jumbo! Clearly, you people have no idea what to do with the story to begin with!

422. Colin | May 30, 2010 | Reply

     I thought the ending was great…. almost any technical writer can write stuff that can be interpreted only one way and give you all the answers you need. I think we should use this to look into ourselves…

     if you are upset that you didn’t get all the answers, maybe you don’t understand life? I believe life is meant for us to find the answers, not for someone to give it to us… so my recommendation is you might want to start doing some soul searching and understanding spirituality.

     if you see and only think that there is just one interpretation of the island, the different flashes of LA and etc, you are probably on the right path, but you don’t have enough knowledge right now to see the complexities of life and spirituality… so my recommendation is don’t stop seeking the answers just because you found one.

     if you see the multiple interpretations… then great.. I don’t need to say anything else or recommend anything.

423. Meryl | May 30, 2010 | Reply

     I think your comment makes the most sense.

424. Meryl | May 30, 2010 | Reply

     I was responding to Paula from May 24th.

425. Colin | May 30, 2010 | Reply

     Finally read all the posts… what people interpret about Lost is possibly even more interesting than Lost itself… although not as creatively and brilliantly done except maybe Claireabelle and a few others.

     Gotsuckered is like the MIB trying to persuade everyone who isn’t enlightened that mankind is evil and life is pointless; devoid of spirituality and deep meanings.

     Lost is another brilliantly creative story to give us insight on our own lives and kind of a “test” for us to see how much we understand life. People that tend to be feel cheated by the ending or angry at the series or writers are probably feeling cheated and angry in their own lives. People that see the brilliance and beauty in Lost and similar stories such as The Matrix, Chronicles of Narnia, and etc are also probably very content and understanding in their own life as well. Everyone in between is still trying to understand how science, religion, fantasy, relationships, and etc fit in our “real” world and our perceived “spiritual” world… and hopefully this show will help them move towards understanding instead of towards intolerance.

     For those people still trying to figure things out… my advice.. knowledge is power. The more you can study about religion, science, literature, philosophy, psychology, history, and etc… the more you are going to understand. Obtaining the answers on your own with a little help here and there is a lot more rewarding than someone giving you the answers. Don’t worry about people calling you stupid or an idiot just because you don’t understand as they also don’t understand, but express it in a negative different way; hopefully in time they can change too.

426. Jay | May 31, 2010 | Reply

     17 people “created” a supernatural reality for themselves after death, just so they can re-unite with a bunch of other people, yet when they find those people in that realm that they created, they did not recognize each other. Are you kidding me? What a crock! The writers just slapped something together to end the series. They had already made their money in the 6 years.

427. Gotsuckered | May 31, 2010 | Reply

     Jay, I couldn’t agree with you more. You seem to be one of the enlightened ones. It just amuses me how people are willing to come up all this crappy theories to justify their time “lost” on “lost” and not see the elephant in the room. I was going to stop writing on this forum, but I am having so much fun reading all the interesting [read stupid] explanations, ha ha ha. I wonder when someone is going to put forward the theory that it was actually all in Jacobs head. He got shipwrecked, went delusional [like Tom Hanks in Castaway] and cooked up this story until he died [ie Jack was actually Jacob]. Wait a minute, did I just come up with that crazy idea??? ooops…

428. claireabelle | May 31, 2010 | Reply

     hahahahahaha yet again the MIB strikes…

429. grayson | May 31, 2010 | Reply

     Ok here’s what happened: J.J. Abrams originally wrote the church ending after the Lost pilot. So I think they DID intend the island to be purgatory, but then everyone figured it out so they changed it. What they came up with was fantastic. They explained the smoke monster, the purpose of the island, Jacob, everything. And if you remember Juliette said “it worked” after the bomb went off. That means the explosion worked, that they changed time and created an alternate timeline where everyone got a happy ending. It should have ended at the concert like you said, where everyone had a memory of the island, and they all found happiness.

     What they did instead was tack on J.J. Abrams’ original ending (the writers said this, not me) which started when Jack touched his father’s coffin. So after years of denying that the island was purgatory, they made it essentially purgatory anyway, they just used a bait-and-switch so the flash-sideways world was purgatory instead of the island. Love the show and always will, but really disappointed that after crafting a brilliant, engaging show they would tack on a diluted ending written in 2004 that totally disrespects both the show and the fans.

430. NNG | Jun 1, 2010 | Reply

     Jacob said the island was like a cork that kept all the ‘bad stuff’ in check..
     smoke monster was some of this evil manifested in form of MIB..
     Evil could only inhabit dead human bodies in order to spread..so it got lots of dead bodies with the plane crash, then on and on ..another example is Sayid ‘dying’ and coming back to life with ‘the darkness within him’..
     Discuss…?

431. Thom Hogan | Jun 1, 2010 | Reply

     Casual observations:

     The table at the concert was #23 (Jack’s candidate number) which signifies to me that they were all there not so much for the concert but were waiting for

     Jack so they could move him towards enlightenment.

     The Apollo candy bar we have seen so many times in this show is at slot G23 in the vending machine. I imagine if we watch this show again from the

     beginning, we’ll see that it was always in this slot.

     In Season 5, when Juliet said, “it worked” just before dying, she was talking about getting the Apollo candy bar from the vending machine, not about the

     bomb resetting everything (very cool).

     ~~~~

     I struggled with three theories after seeing “The End” the first time:

     1) They all died in the September 22, 2004 plane crash
     2) They all died when Juliet detonated Jughead
     3) Each person died when we saw them die or they died in some future that was not shown

     After seeing “The End” a second time, it is clear that the writers opted for choice #3, which I’m told they had already decided upon after writing the

     pilot. However, I could easily sit down with an enlightened group and create an even greater ending that involves choice #1. I honestly believe that.

     Creating an ending with choice #1 would help me much more easily explain the numerous discrepancies and unanswered questions in Lost. One example would be

     the impossibility of how many times the numbers appeared, including the off-Island odometer reading on Hurley’s Camaro. However, I digress, and as I hear

     one of Lost’s key messages beckoning to me, I know I must let go and move on. . .

     Agree or disagree, because since the following opinion is my “choice,” my opinion is correct, as is yours:

     “The universe has a way of course-correcting” and the ultimate message of Lost, in my opinion, is that the Island is the extension of a higher being (God,

     Allah, Yahweh, Buddha, or whatever you choose to call it) who will continue to try to save all humans, no matter how flawed, until most humans are ready to

     have their souls take that one final journey to eternal contentment. The light on the Island embodies the collective souls of all who have moved on and is

     also the energy source that balances and sustains the light (each living person’s soul) of all who have yet to move on.

     “Why must there be a human presence on the Island?” Because the Island, for me, is an extension of God and God allows people free will and the ability to

     choose their destinies. Therefore, the Island allows humans to fight the battle with evil to protect the light because if that light goes out, all human

     souls moving forward will cease to exist and the world will be destroyed. Basically, God is allowing people to decide the destiny of the Earth and

     therefore, a human protector is required.

     Another key message of Lost is regarding fate vs. choice and although we repeatedly heard, “whatever happened, happened,” in the end we realized that many

     things can be changed; outcomes are not necessarily predestined. In Lost, redemption was a gift that was offered over and over and over again by the Island

     until the human spirit either evolved or became the possession of evil.

     As we all know, the Island is an eternal place that continuously balances the scales between good and evil. We were repeatedly reminded of this with the

     numerous black and white references throughout the show. The Island was real and ironically, Sideways World was not, so by association the Island under

     water in LA X was never real (which clears up one of my “issues”). Also, the repeated reopening of Jack’s neck wound, which was first seen in LA X, was a

     continuous reminder of Jack’s real life, with that wound actually inflicted by Smokey, presumably on or close to the day Jack died on the Island.

     Jacob was the protector of the light since approximately Jesus’ time and the writers were showing us that Jacob and the Island were the protectors of all

     human souls (just as Jesus is, based upon his ultimate sacrifice) and that the “protector” must be willing to sacrifice his life to save humanity. The

     Island really was a cork, holding back evil from destroying the world and it was Jacob’s job, as well as all the ones that came before him and all the ones

     that will come after him to keep that cork in place. Since Jacob could see his ultimate demise, he needed someone else (a candidate) to take over the role

     as the protector of the Island. Did you notice how Jack’s role mirrored the role of Jesus in the Bible? Did you notice the symbolism of Locke stabbing

     Jack which mirrors the spear wound that Jesus was given after his sacrifice and death? And also mirroring the Bible, Jack still needed to sacrifice himself

     to save humanity.

     An interesting note was that just outside the “Cave of Light,” while Jack was attaching the rope to Desmond, Desmond stated that none of this mattered –

     whether the Island was destroyed or Jack killed Smokey. Desmond believed that he would return to Sideways World when he was lowered into the light and he

     told Jack that he would try to find a way to bring Jack there, too. Even near the end, the Huminator still didn’t get it. Thank God Jack replied with,

     “All of this matters” and followed through with his mission because if the light went out and stayed out, none of the Losties (at least the ones in the

     church) would have moved on.

     Jack: You think you’re gonna destroy the Island
     Smokey: I think?
     Jack: That’s right, because that’s not what’s gonna happen
     Smokey: And what’s gonna happen, Jack?
     Jack: I’m gonna kill you
     Locke (incredulous): How do you plan to do that?
     Jack: It’s a surprise

     Man, was it ever! Brilliant! I loved that scene! It reminded me of the “do you know how badly I want to kill you right now” scene with MIB and Jacob only

     this scene was a direct threat and left us, as the viewers, thirsting for the outcome to that threat. Jack thought that Desmond was a weapon due to the

     Huminator’s resistance to electromagnetism (although I’m not quite sure what Jack expected would happen). Whatever Jack did expect did not happen.

     However, it was indirectly true that Desmond was a weapon because it appeared that uncorking the entrance to hell would have delivered a lethal dose of EM

     to anyone else except Desmond and after the cork was pulled, Smokey was basically human, and vulnerable. Let the steel cage match begin! I absolutely

     loved the confrontation between Jack and Smokey! That one shot of Jack up high on the cliff side, Locke down much lower at the ladder on the edge of the

     cliff, pouring rain all around with the ocean in the background, and my full knowledge that this was the final battle between good and evil made that shot,

     and the subsequent scenes, absolutely breathtaking.

     Note: For the amount of time that the cork was out, all souls on Earth were basically “extinguished” and I believe that given a bit more time, the entire

     Earth would have been destroyed. Also, did you notice the skeletons Desmond saw on the way to the cork and the light? Electromagnetism is a b$$$$!

     How about one of the final mysteries – how did Jack get out of the “Cave of Light?” I think the Island raised him from its depths because “the Island

     wasn’t done with him yet.” It wanted to show Jack that he did not die in vain, that not only did he save humanity, he also saved his comrades who he saw

     flying away from the Island in Ajira 316.

     I agonized over this tidbit: The people in the church at the end were Jack and Kate, Sawyer and Juliet, Jin and Sun, Desmond and Penny, Charlie and Claire,

     Hurley and Libby, Shannon and Sayid, Bernard and Rose, Christian, Boone, Locke, and baby Aaron. Does anyone see a problem with this picture? Christian

     told Jack, “The most important part of your life was spent with these people. That’s why all of them are here. Nobody does it alone. Jack.” Apparently

     what Christian meant to say was, “The most important part of your life was spent with these people and some have also brought along the people that meant

     the most to them.” One example of this would be Aaron, who couldn’t possibly have been one of the most important people to ALL those other people when so

     many others were not in the church. I have two theories on why we see Aaron as a baby in Sideways World: 1) The closing credits scene really was the

     crashed Ajira 316 and the Island did not let the plane leave. All died including Claire so her only memory of Aaron was when he was a baby. 2) Aaron, when

     he died, would have been much older and therefore, only existed in Claire’s imagination in Sideways World because it is assumed that Frank, Miles, Richard,

     Kate, Sawyer, and CLAIRE made it back safely on Ajira Airways 316 and therefore, Claire would have reunited with a much older Aaron. I believe that for

     Claire, the memory of baby Aaron is perhaps what she chose to cling to in Purgatory.

     The writers screwed up a bit with Christian stating, “Well this is the place that you all made together so you could find one another.” That was a bit of

     loose writing. There is one Purgatory, and after all those in the church left, others that had been on the Island still remained in Sideways World and all

     people for eternity will continue to end up there. The Losties did not create Sideways World but they did create their experiences within it. Perhaps that

     is what Christian meant to say. Make no mistake – every person in Sideways World that was alive in the real world is now dead – EVERYBODY. Therefore, ALL

     the people on Oceanic 815 (as well as anyone else that we saw on the Island in six seasons) are now dead. Some are stuck as Whisperers on the Island

     (Michael comes to mind), anyone who died in Sideways World went to hell (anyone that could not redeem themselves, such as Keamy), and most of the rest have

     either moved on or are still hanging out in Sideways World, either aware they are dead or unaware. Ben was aware that he is dead but chose to stay in SW

     until he is ready to move on. Ana Lucia doesn’t yet know that she is dead but eventually someone will come along to enlighten her and she, too, will move

     on when she is ready. Charlie became aware (thankfully) because he wasn’t doing so well. I think Charlie, however, got a free pass due to his sacrifice

     for the others. The only group of people in Sideways World that are NOT dead are people like David Shephard and perhaps the many other “props” we saw,

     because they never actually existed anywhere except in the imagination of the unenlightened people in Sideways World. I think Jack “created” David and

     forged him into the son that Jack could never be – forgiving. This was all part of Jack’s redemption phase. And so it goes in the world of “Sideways,”

     where people are able to add things to their “deaths” that were never true in their real lives. I think that Eloise Hawking is the “curator” of the

     Sideways World and perhaps she stays there for eternity, enlightening one person (if necessary) who can then in turn enlighten an entire “soul cluster.”

     Note: I found the term “soul cluster” on the Internet and found it perfect to describe these “groups.” Anyway, also note that Eloise Hawking shut down

     Daniel’s piano talent in the real world and pushed him into physics in the hope that he could alter time and prevent her from killing him. In Sideways

     World, Daniel became what he was always destined to become – a master pianist – and Eloise gets to spend time with him so she wants him to stay there and

     not move on. Eloise asked Desmond if he was going to take her son to which Desmond replied, “Not with me, no” implying that there will always be someone to

     enlighten the people in the Sideways Matrix. Note that it appeared that whatever anyone added to their SW life had to be along some path they were heading

     in their real life or perhaps wished to head in their real life. Ultimately, whenever a person is ready, they move on. In Jack’s case, he needed to be

     kicked off his pink cloud (by Locke and Kate) to eventually accept that it was time to move on and finally, in the end, Jack was complete and fulfilled.

     Note: When Jack walked in the back door of the church, he walked through one room to get to another where the coffin was. I noticed symbols for at least 5

     religions – Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Christianity. I imagine there are several more but these are the ones I recognized. They are all over

     the rooms – watch it again! I believe this was the writers’ way of saying that no matter what religion you are, you will end up in a place similar to this

     before you move on.

     I think it’s safe to say that by the time they all met in the church, it was well into the future. Why do I say that? For now, put aside the thought that

     time has no meaning in Sideways World. As Christian stated, “There is no now, here.” Hurley became the new protector of the Island and there was no Smoke

     Monster anymore so there was no immediate threat to Hurley (or Ben). Hurley became just like Jack (and Jacob) which means he would not age. He was given

     the same powers as Jacob (and Jack) so he most definitely passed along the non-aging gift to Ben (much like Jacob did for Richard). I think it’s safe to

     assume that Hurley and Ben were on the Island for a long, long time, overseeing the “balance” of good and evil and eventually, they both died with one or

     the other passing the torch to the new Island protector. And yet, they were both in Sideways World so they eventually died, and Hurley moved on. As

     Christian stated, “Some of them died before you, some of them long after you. I would say that the “long after you” part refers to Hurley and Ben. Also,

     as Christian stated, “Everyone dies sometime, kiddo.” The only two people in (and just outside) the church that could have lived longer than the average

     human life (and most likely did) were Hurley and Ben and therefore, that is why I stated that they are ALL dead; everyone that we ever saw in the show.

     Did I find numerous issues with Lost? You bet I did. Did the writers string us along in Season 6 and throw many meaningless plots at us? Absolutely. But

     in the end, after all the cerebral gymnastics that I engaged in throughout this show, only to be left with many unanswered questions, I decided to suspend

     my disbelief and “critical eye” and accept, let go, and move on because frankly, the finale in and of itself was mesmerizing. The acceptance phase for me

     was the realization that the writers, too, are flawed, as are all of us, and although Lost was never perfect, many, many, many sequences were. The

     character development and acting was some of the best I have ever seen and the connection that I formed with these characters will never be forgotten. The

     gratification phase for me came throughout the finale, with the writers skillfully reminding me of my deep-rooted emotional investment in these characters.

     What an inspiring thought, that perhaps we will all end up in a rest area where we, too, will find the people that mattered most to us in life and then move

     on together on a highway into the unknown. All moments in time, since the ability to harness the “light” via the turning of the Donkey Wheel, were (and

     still are) accessible from the Island. And what exactly is that light source? When Christian opened the back doors to the church, the “light” permeated

     the room and at that moment, I believe that all the souls of the people in the church were absorbed into the Island “light” and all those “people” moved on

     to heaven.

     The final scene with Jack was one of the best I have ever experienced. They brought us right back to the beginning, and even threw in the sneaker hanging

     from a tree in the bamboo forest which is the same sneaker in the pilot in the very first scene of Lost. “Live together, die alone” was not the message at

     all and they showed us that by brilliantly inserting Vincent into the final scene so Jack had company when he passed on. The eye closing was simple and yet

     absolutely brilliant and so emotionally gratifying – who could possibly think of a better final scene?

     It’s been a fun ride and I want to thank all of you for experiencing it with me. Lost – you will be missed. But I know the Island lives on and someone is

     there even now, protecting all of us from the forces of evil.

     See you in another life, brothers (and sisters). . . .

     thomhogan

432. Julie | Jun 3, 2010 | Reply

     Well, due to someone’s post, I am now CONVINCED the island was purgatory. Very simply put, the manuscript found on the beach, “Lost Twin” was written by Gary Troup. Anagram the name…..”purgatory”. Looks like the writers gave all the viewers the answer a long, long time ago. This means that nothing at all HAS to make sense.

433. claireabelle | Jun 6, 2010 | Reply

     ah c’mon seriously….if you still think the island is purgatory you are not getting the bigger picture, each to their own and all that tho!

434. Gotsuckered | Jun 8, 2010 | Reply

     Julie, that’s such a brilliant observation. You are awesome and so right!!! Nothing has to make sense….

435. Captaink | Jun 9, 2010 | Reply

     Why do some of you have a difficult time grasping the concept that there was never a flight 815 and a crash never happened, this was a version of someone’s purgatory, probably Jack’s or maybe all of there’s. Christian in the Church said That this is the place you all created so you could get together, he could have been referring to the island or the sideways, those could have both been the purgatory the sideways was so they could remember each other. He also said that everything that happened did happen, that doesn’t neccessarily mean it happened in life. My theory is that there was never a plane or crash the entire show island and sideways reality was the place they each created to come together. Jack looking up at the plane was his letting go, his goal was always to save people, so at that moment when he saved them in his purgatory that’s the moment he let go and was able to come to grips that he is dead. I believe that all these people who had to move on together were all soul mates in essense that’s why they couldn’t move on without one another, the island and the sideways events were a way of remembering and coming together as already dead souls. Not once in Christian’s explanation did he ever say one thing about a plane crash, all he said was this is a place you all created to come together, he never specifically said that was only referring to the sideways, I believe neither the sideways or the plane crash were real, they were each ways for there souls to ultimately remember one another and move on together. Christian clearly stated that some died before and some died long after, he didn’t mention at all that any died at the same time, which some would have if they plane crash were real. So in the end I believe there never was a plane crash.

436. Captaink | Jun 9, 2010 | Reply

     The only way everything makes sense is if you come to the realization that they were all already dead, not by a plane crash but were all already dead some before and some long after Jack died, he was dead already too and the plane crash was created to bring all there lost souls together including Jack’s. When Christian said everything that ever happened did happen, yes that could have all happened but doesn’t mean it happened in Life, Christian’s father would not have even known about the island so by him stating that everything that happened did happen, he doesn’ t know about Jack’s perceived plane crash.

437. Alan | Jun 10, 2010 | Reply

     @ cAptaink. If there was no plane crash then how would they all know each other when its made clear in season 1 they are all strangers?! The island was real but i still dont understand what juliet meant when tellin miles it worked! Im startin from episode 1 right through to the end to try and find any clues that may have been missed watchin the 1st time. At least now i can watch straight through with no waitin for new season. The answers are in the show somewhere, although not all of them.

438. claireabelle | Jun 10, 2010 | Reply

     @ Alan. When Juliet stated ‘It worked!’ she was referring to the Candy machine in the sideways reality that she told Sawyer to switch off at the wall to get his chocolate bar…it would seem that she got a glimse of where she was going as she was dying on the island and repeated it on the island to Sawyer who clearly had no idea what she was talking about

439. captaink | Jun 13, 2010 | Reply

     Of course they were all strangers, again going right with my theory. Basically in there purgatory it was like righting the wrongs they made in life, the island was where there souls righted them, the sideways was the place they accepted there deaths, in essense yes they were once again strangers on the island, it’s like restarting and correcting things from there lives, I do believe that all these souls were important to each one that’s why there souls were brought together on the island to make things right, but yet to NOT remember until there free will made things right, again they didn’t have a chance to remember until they corrected there wrongs, correcting there wrongs were done on the island.

440. captaink | Jun 13, 2010 | Reply

     Everything makes the most sense if you come to the realization that the entire thing was death and souls, the entire thing about seeing the light and entering the light, it’s all about the soul or spirit or whatever coming to grips. Don’t forget Jack’s father also said there is no now or here which again the island kept traveling through time too, so that would be another strong indicator there is no now or here on the island either because there never was an actual real life island it was part of someone’s death experience.

441. captaink | Jun 13, 2010 | Reply

     Was it made clear they were all strangers or was it made clear that in purgatory they all were strangers, but in real life all these people meant something to one another so they had the right the wrongs with each other and not remembering them until they did. Doesn’t this make the most sense? Every other explanation has holes.

442. Jay | Jun 15, 2010 | Reply

     You can watch all 6 seasons 27 times straight through to look for clues. If you believe in the island was real, and the events were real theory, all you will get is more questions. You undoubtedly think you found clues, they will be clues that you have made up in your mind, which were not even intended by the writers. That is the flaw with the island was real theory, it leaves each person to rationalize dozens of questions, which do not need explanation, if you entertain the idea that the entire series is in a supernatural realm, or entirely in one person’s mind.

443. T.S. | Jun 18, 2010 | Reply

     I had mixed feelings on the finale.The first time I saw it I was disappointed and thought they took the easy way out.The second time it hit me like a ton of bricks when Jack died.There is no doubt they did not answer the majority of the big questions they said they would.Why was the Island special to begin with?Why were the people destined to be drawn to it special as well?Why did the fate of the world rest on the fate of the island and its inhabitants?That’s just a few of the countless metaphysical loose ends that haunt me.Who knows maybe someday we’ll get the answers.More clues to the show seemed to be leaked on the internet throughout the series than ever made it to air.

444. James | Jun 23, 2010 | Reply

     thank you for explaining what the f$$$ happened at that worthless piece of s$$$ of an ending. I remember that the producers said that everything that happens could be explained with modern science or scientific theory. Thanks for nothing! Guess they got lazy and figured, “since everyone thinks they are dead, lets just have them be dead.”

445. claireabelle | Jun 28, 2010 | Reply

     Oh dear James you really are clueless…

446. Milan | Jul 17, 2010 | Reply

     thanks zack!

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