What was the Island?
Were they really dead the whole time?
Find all of your Lost ending answers here.
Of course, thats somethingLostdiehards have understood for a long time.
The final episode ofLostfirst premiered on Sunday, May 23, 2010.
From the moment that credits began to roll on The End, folks have continually misunderstood what actually happened.
Over the years, that initial misinterpretation has evolved into an unshakable pop cultural meme: Lost?
Isnt that the show where they were dead the whole time?
No, hypothetical strawman.
No, it is not.
Every time I hear that incorrect assertion, it sends a shiver down my spine.
Whats with the polar bear?
Who is the DHARMA Initiative?
Why is the Island weird?
Guys, where are we?
Thankfully, the answers to those questions come down to one originating point: Jacob.
Simply put:Lostis the story of one ancient deitys very long, very circuitous retirement plan.
The ancient deity in question is a being named Jacob (played by Mark Pellegrino).
Season 6s Across the Sea provides the majority of his backstory.
Thats because, deep in the heart of the Island, there is a light of great importance.
Exposure to the Islands core turns Samuel into a monster…a smoke monster.
From that moment on, Jacob and Samuel become (im)mortal enemies.
What Happens in the Lost Finale?
He opts to destroy it instead.
Once Desmond removes the enormous stone plug from the ground, the Island begins to crumble.
Jack chooses to perform the heroic act, despite the fact that Jacob already selected him as his replacement.
Ben Linus decides to stay behind and be Hurleys on-Island helper.
Why Do People Think The Characters Were Dead The Whole Time?
So…were the characters dead the whole time?
The answer to that question is conclusively, definitively, unambiguously: No.
The characters ofLostwere not dead the whole time.
The Island wasnt heaven, hell, purgatory, or any other celestial plane.
To borrow from the shows own lexicon: whatever happened, happened.
Thats because the big twist of the final episode is that they were indeed deadsome of the time.
Pull up a chair, this may take a minute.
First, we have to go back(!)
After all, they know from their present day knowledge that The Swan once experienced something called The Incident.
Perhaps they are that Incident.
What The End reveals, however, is that these flash-sideways storylines have nothing to do with Jughead.
These arent details that the viewer is left to discern for themselves, by the way.
Everything thats ever happened to you is real.
All those people in the church, theyre real too.
Everyone dies sometime, kiddo.
Some of them before you, some of them long after you.
There is no now here.
This is a place that you all made together so that you could find one another.
The most important part of your life was the time you spent with these people.
Thats why all of you are here.
Nobody does it alone, Jack.
You needed all of them and they needed you.
And to let go.
Is Losts Ending Bad?
TheLostfinale is good, actually!
Like the best TV shows, it understands that what matters most in an ending is emotional resonance.
In a way,Lostwas the victim of its own success.
The questions it raised were too compelling to ever be answered.
Somewhere along its run, the central mystery of the show went from what is this weird Island?
to what is the meaning of life?
Additionally,Losttaught many people to think of episodic storytelling in a different way.
- Throughout much of TV history, finales were largely afterthoughts.
TheLostending really would matter.
For better or worse,Loststeered a make-it-up-as-you-go-along medium into something more deliberate.
And it had to endure that shifting of expectations within its own run.
With all that in mind, its a small miracle that The End is coherent, let alone good.
Remember theLostfinale as fondly or as poorly as youd like, but do be sure to remember it correctly.
All six seasons of Lost are available to stream on Netflix now.
