Lost without LOST

Well, my favorite show has come to an end. At least the first journey of watching it, that is. There is no doubt that I'll watch LOST many more times. Even after watching the show's finale, I feel the need to watch it again to make sure I caught everything. Then I'll probably watch the show again from the beginning with the perspective of knowing (but not necessarily fully understanding) how it ends. I'm also sure that someday I'll be re-watching LOST with my own children and reveling in their enjoyment of putting together the puzzle, asking and answering questions, forming their own ideas, laughing at the dialogue, getting swept up in the suspense, and loving it as much as I do. Of course, there's always the chance that they won't even like the show, but then, would they really be my kids? (I jest.)

There are those who got frustrated with LOST and left it behind. I can understand why. Some people want entertainment without having to put a lot of commitment into it. LOST requires time and thought in order to really benefit from it. Other people don't like ambiguity and want every tiny question and confusion wrapped up in a nice little package. Well, my friends, then LOST really isn't the show for you. Still others thought the quality of the show declined after the first season or so. I ask you, were we really watching the same show?

At any rate, what I loved about LOST (besides the characters that you bond with through the glass of the TV screen until it seems you've known them your whole life, the script that was witty and deftly crafted, the incredible acting talent of such a diverse cast, the dry sense of humor throughout the show, the gorgeous camera work and scenery, and the ever memorable musical accompaniments) was what it made me think about. I didn't usually expend mental energy on the details perhaps randomly or purposefully thrown in, because there were so many more powerful messages expressed. It's rare that a show communicates such a huge quantity of meaningful messages while avoiding the urge to be corny or too overtly didactic. This could only be my interpretation on the show, but after watching the finale, I couldn't help notice themes of love, forgiveness, overcoming personal fears and fear of death, focusing on the things that really matter in one's existence, self-sacrifice, a sense of "oneness" with others, and so much more that I ended up scrawling about 6 pages of notes on the wealth of messages communicated by the show, in addition to all the possible endings I could think of.

While LOST is my favorite show, that doesn't mean I can overlook what to me are obvious flaws. The production efforts of the cave in the final episode, for example. A bit cheap, I would say. Examining one of the possible endings, if what happened on the island was actually real, then Desmond really got the shaft because he was unconscious, missed the plane off the island, and didn't even wake up so as to clearly express his desires of what he wanted. Like it or lump it, he got stuck on the island until Hurley and Ben figure out a way to get him back to Penny and his son.

A third grievance: if forgiveness really is one of the strong messages of LOST, why was the Smokemonster/MiB always cast as a "bad" entity? I can understand from a plot perspective--you need to generate conflict, and everyone holding hands and singing "Cumbaya" would not fly. However, it seems to clash with what appears to be one of the principle ideas of the show.

Finally, the ever present, ever stale and unoriginal use of "black and white" symbolism was a bit disappointing. Most people creating entertainment for mainstream society nowadays can't seem to think of alternative ways of viewing that particular dichotomy. Oh well, maybe we'll save that for the next groundbreaking show.

Maybe at some point I'll devote another post to expounding the many themes I have seen emerge in LOST and the different endings I've contemplated. For now, suffice it to say that the best show in the history of television is now over, but like many things, its cultural reverberations, personal impact, and the pleasure it produces will continue to be felt for a long time to come.