LOST, Our Constant (English review)
LOST, Our Constant
"Where are we?" is the question that the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 asked themselves, at the beginning of what would have been an incredible journey into the mystery, in time and into the paranormal; in faith and in science; in love, friendship and human nature: a great adventure called "LOST".
LOST had become a hit, the whole world knew; but not everyone understood that it became "the TV show".
We spent six years asking questions, searching for clues, studying every single detail, discussing our theories with the world, studying Philosophy, Physics and History. We have followed and loved the countless people of the Lostverse, crying and rejoicing with them. We have had their doubts, feeling their fears. LOST was a show based on human feelings.
And finally, here we are... after six years of continuous mysteries and surprises - that kept us in suspense - the long-awaited date has arrived: May 23, 2010.
The world knows how LOST ends and three groups immediately formed: those who have always loved and grasped the meaning of the series finale and the show; those who watched it, but did not understand the finale and felt cheated; and those who never understood it and took advantage of the situation to exclaim: "Ah, I knew that show was crap!", demonstrating that he/she did not understand a thing of this masterpiece.
But let's take it step-by-step and talk about what happened before the series finale...
In "The End", Jack well aware of what needs to be done tells Kate, Sawyer and Hugo the intention to kill Smokey once and for all.
His plan works perfectly. The island, however, is being destroyed and Jack sacrifices himself to save it.
Hugo becomes the substitute for Jack and Ben becomes his right hand man. How long Hugo and Ben were in the vanguard of the island, we cannot know... years, or maybe centuries.
Desmond - after being rescued by Bernard and Rose and having helped Jack make the "miracle" - came back to his beloved Penny and his son.
Kate, Sawyer, Claire, Miles, finally-mortal Richard and the survived (thankfully!) Frank leave the island with the Ajira flight.
Jack, finally, fulfills his destiny as a hero saving everyone, as we expected. Jack, from the beginning, tried helping and leading the group, he sacrificed himself for others, never ducked out and always tried to do what was best for everyone, facing different difficulties. But his selflessness, his wanting to "fix" things and all his goodness did not sit well with everyone. But, in the end, the hero archetype has always been Jack. The character of Jack is the hero par excellence, an epic hero and LOST, from the beginning, told his story. To the detriment of his love for Kate, he decides to sacrifice himself for the good of the island, the world and his friends; because it is the right thing to do, it is his destiny.
"Thanks doc, for everything" Sawyer, finally, says to him.
And here is the most dramatic and moving scene of LOST: as Anubis - the Egyptian Dog-headed God - lived between the living and the dead realm, ferrying the souls of the dead; so Vincent crouches beside a dying Jack. It is just him who in the pilot ran to "call" him, because he had a job to do. The authors have not forgotten about Vincent, he had one of the most important roles.
All this, however, happens on the island... and what about the flash-sideways? Their true nature is also revealed to us: they are a limbo, a purgatory.
We are all connected to certain people in our lives; important people, who may be relatives, or strangers who become a real family to us. Our Losties have, unconsciously, created this other reality to find themselves with their spiritual companions. They live in this limbo until they are ready to move on, until they meet each other and they "wake up", remembering everything. After that they can continue and move on. It is not "Live together, die alone", but it is "Live together, die together".
Desmond finds his beloved Penny, crowning one of the most romantic stories ever written and, like a real Virgil, he helps our Losties to remember and find each other: Sawyer finds his beloved Juliet, Sun and Jin remember everything, Claire finds Charlie, Sayid embraces again Shannon and so on, until Jack and Kate.
There was not any doubt that the endgame was Jack and Kate's. Their story followed a pattern quite accurate, with events (the story with Sawyer) to "distract" the public from what was the conclusion of the romance between Jack and Kate. First we are shown an epic kiss, a tragic and heartbreaking goodbye on the island; then to the wonderful "I missed you so much" by Kate who, died who knows how many years after Jack died, waited for him much longer. Two romantic heroes, for real.
Christian Shepard - Jack's father - lets us know that, in this place, there is no "when". After death, at the end of everything, time does not exist.
In the flash-sideways we see everyone except Michael, because he is stuck forever on the island because of the murders he committed.
Walt, Frank and Richard - as Mr Eko - are missing, probably because in life they were tied to other people and, therefore, they are in this collective vision created by our Losties.
We discover that Juliet - who has always been very maternal and linked to Jack by a deep affection - is David's mother, Jack's son. But who is David if he did not exist in life? David is the part of Jack that had problems with his father, a purgatory ploy to allow Jack to overcome his problems; problems that then, in fact, he resolves.
In the Losties' memory, we also find the little baby Aaron and Ji-Yeon unborn. How is it possible? After death - as explained by Christian Shepard - time does not exist; it is therefore equally possible that either the space exists. Aaron and Ji-Yeon are everywhere, at any time. Our Losties, remembering them as an infant and a fetus, show them to us like this.
In the flash-sideways, Charles Widmore and Eloise Hawking could not be missed and, finally, they can be together. Daniel (our beloved scientist) is the acknowledged son of Widmore and, in this reality, he does what he always wanted to do: be a musician. Eloise tries to convince Desmond not to "awake" Daniel, because she does not want to separate from him again. Daniel, however, meets Charlotte again and begins to understand something, but he does not wake up completely.
Rose and Bernard, however, are the only ones to be aware of the nature of where they are, since the turbulence on the Oceanic Flight 815. That is clear from the way in which Rose, in "LA X", tells Jack: "You can let go now" and as Rose says to Bernard, returning from the bathroom: "I missed you" and Bernard responds: "I missed you too, beautiful". This could also lead to believe that Bernard died first on the island, leaving Rose alone, just as has happened to Kate with Jack. And not only... but also Bernard, later, looking well aware, tells Jack an "I hope you find what you're looking for" much more significant in light of the final season. Bernard and Rose, however, continued to wait for the rest of the group to wake up to go on with them.
In the 6th season, we also saw Miles, Ilana, Ana Lucia, and Dogen, who still have to pursue their journey in this reality and are not ready yet to go into the light.
Regarding Dogen - the protector of the Temple - it also occurs to me that Jacob's promise concern purgatory and, therefore, Dogen could see his son after death.
Boone and Hurley (just "waken up" with Libby thanks to Desmond) help Sayid to recognize Shannon and reunite with her. Many were surprised of this end, because Sayid loved Nadia. In the flash-sideways, however, we found Nadia married to Sayid's brother, because he, himself, had pushed her into the arms of his brother. It is Sayid himself to explain why, when he tells Nadia he does not deserve her and that he does not feel worthy of her for the horrible crimes he has committed. However, for the first time, Sayid does not feel judged with Shannon, free from the sins committed in his past.
And, finally, we also understand the meaning of the "It worked" said by Juliet in "LA X" and, clearly, referred to her meeting with Sawyer. Once again it is true love to triumph.
Jin and Sun, finally, can be together forever. It is funny their laughter when they find out that Sawyer - our former cheater - is a detective: the vision that James has built himself.
And then, there is Ben who, over the years (or centuries) passed on the island with Hurley, has done a great job: "You've been a great number two", Hugo says to Ben. Locke forgives him for killing him, but Ben decides not to go in the Church - not yet - because he must wait for Alex and Danielle Rousseau.
In the Church, Locke is alone; Helen is not with him. Why? The most obvious answer that comes to mind is that she, like David, was a contrivance of limbo to help Locke move on. Moreover, in life, Helen left Locke; they did not end up together and she, subsequently, died alone. Locke will meet the real Helen once he passes the light.
The villains, however, have a particular part: they die in this place. According to karma, who does not evolve will not have more chances to evolve, but he/she will be able to do it in other space-time more appropriate for the person in question. That is why the super villains Martin Keamy and Mikhail die.
The Losties have chosen a Church as a place in which to meet each other again and "move on". What is the meaning of the word "Church", but "group" or "reunion"? They are a big family and share a love that survived after death. LOST, moreover, is a great metaphor for life.
In these years, we did not simply see the stories of the wonderful Lostverse characters, we have also seen their redemption. Each of them - like Jacob - has made mistakes; each of them needed the island, as much as the island needed them. This is why they crashed on that place: in order to accumulate good karma, save their souls and the world.
As stated by George Glaviano, screenwriter and co-author of "Lost And Its Secrets":
"The end of LOST is a beginning, rather than an end. LOST is a revolutionary series for the themes and the ideas brought forward. In LOST there is the sense of community, of destiny and hope; it is a series where people of different ethnic groups live together, where Korean is spoken. It is revolutionary because it is one of the first American series not set in America, but on an island which is basically a non-place. Do not forget that the authors are really obsessed with "community": they used to log in forums using nicknames to communicate with fans. Over the years, viewers of LOST have been made questions and discussed to solve mysteries, to understand the background. They formed a real community. It is a concept that "overflows" out from the series.
So it makes sense that the "end" takes place in a sort of Church that is not a Church. But a spiritual place where the community - once again the central theme - meet. "Church" in greek means just that, community.
LOST is this: the evolution of the characters on which, basically, revolve a series of fringe elements".
Many, after the series finale, were disappointed. The web is full of complaints and articles written by people, more or less, informed. There is even those who say that among the unsolved mysteries there is the mystery of what was under the hatch. It is the case to say that someone, maybe, must have lost some episodes...
From the beginning, I have always affirmed that LOST was not a simple TV show, but a long and beautiful movie; a journey to take with fans worldwide. A truly unique and exciting experience, which led us to study (literally!) every single detail and episode, consult books on Philosophy, Science and History. So, from my point of view, it has always been simplistic to define it as a simple series, because LOST triggers the brain, leading the viewer to think and theorize. It is sure, then, it is not for everyone: there are those who do not like to be able to miss an episode; there are those who would like something easier to follow; some do not like the genre; but there is also those tried to watch it without, however, being able to reconstruct the puzzle. As I was saying, this show need to be watched with the maximum attention to details... the more you watch the episodes, the more you realize how many clues are hidden beneath it, how every little thing or spoken word - that might seem insignificant - has its own meaning and how perfectly it all comes back eventually.
Abrams, Lindelof and Cuse have kept their promise... you bet they did!
At the end of the 1st season, when our Losties discovered the hatch, we viewers thought that the answer to everything was the hatch. It was not. The hatch simply was another link in a long chain and each answer led us to another question, until "The End" arrived.
Did we get used to having easy answers, during these six years? Of course not! The magic of LOST lies in this and LOST had to end absolutely in pure LOST style! It could not certainly fall into predictable and boring as other shows; we Lostlovers got used to certain rhythms, cliffhangers with the upper case ”C” and we could not be content with little right now. So, here is the action, the majesty, the excitement, the battles, the adrenaline, the farewells, the discoveries and mysteries still hidden in the six seasons... what you could ask for more from a series finale? And just because we have never got used to having everything easy, here is the gift from Abrams, Lindelof and Cuse: there's still years to discuss LOST and find all the answers in our loved six seasons. The answers are there, you just have to know how to find them.
Some mysteries were simpler than we thought... that's all, dudes! For all questions, we can say that 50% had a direct answer, another 25% obtainable by inferences and reconstructions (more or less obvious to some) and the remaining 25% are questions that can not be answered for several obvious reasons. So, just open our minds once again and analyze!
Personally, I can say that, the night of the series finale, I still had a lot of questions running through my mind; I was too excited, sad and shocked by what I had watched to reason it with due care. The more the days passed, the more the puzzle was clear to me... increasingly, more and more. The answers were always there under my nose! But just now, in light of everything, with the full picture, they come to my mind. Amazing, amazing. I can say that, until now, there is no mystery to which I could not find a satisfactory solution; and regarding questions that may escape me for now, I am sure that through a "total rewatch" I will find the answers.
A "traditional" series finale would have been so simplistic, not in LOST style. LOST is a puzzle, we always knew it; rewatching the most difficult pieces, to which we could not give a location, now we can find their own place. To some there is an answer not everyone has thought about; some others were not even real mysteries and were mistaken for such. An example? Some apparitions of our Losties - to which we were unable to find meaning, also after the revelation of Smokey - were caused by hallucinations caused by some red flowers, found in some of these scenes. Sometimes, in a series, some elements and situations can be introduced even if they are not necessarily important to the story, with the sole purpose of misleading the real mystery. For the purposes of the full picture of this series, some events may have been irrelevant; as some situations, we live during our lifetime, are not of particular importance to our path and we live them simply and purely by chance.
What the island was we have been told; it has also been revealed that the experiences on the island were real and all our Losties were alive; even what the light was it has been explained, as well as other things.
The soothsayer Richard Malkin who told Claire not to give Aaron up for adoption - because something terrible would have happened - confessed to being an impostor, when Mr Eko went to Australia to investigate on behalf of the Church. Anyway, later, something happened for real, not to Aaron, but to... Claire! What happened in fact? How is it possible that so many people have overlooked the connection? Claire, because of the loss of Aaron, went mad and killed several people.
And what about the Egyptian statue? It was the goddess of fertility: why and by whom it was built is evident in the light of the problems of pregnancies and the people who succeeded on the island for centuries.
At most, we could say that we would have preferred more insights into certain aspects, but LOST would have never ended, because "answers lead only to more questions".
An end, then, that doesn't displeasure anyone, in my opinion... nor me who love the science and mystery of LOST. No series has ever been able to mix so many themes, characters and genres.
However, in August, for those who do not know, with the release of The Complete Collection (for myself, strictly on Blu-ray to be able to enjoy the exceptional picture and the Hawaiian setting) and of the Encyclopedia everything will be even clearer. In The Complete Collection will also be included 20 minutes of unreleased material with scenes of the duo Hurley-Ben.
The next date to note on the calendar is on August 24 to immerse ourselves in the crystalline waters of the island and, this time, all in one breath! There is still so much to look at, to discover, read and say (I could have written many other things) that our "constant", LOST, will never die.
From "La Stampa": "Lost was the highest thing ever seen on the small, and now even on the big, screen. The Iliad and the Odyssey of the twenty-first century. A masterpiece without equal. It was a fortune to live the same time as LOST".
A personal thanks to genies JJ Abrams, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse for this incredible experience.
Thanks to all the wonderful members of the cast: Evangeline Lilly and Matthew Fox, Elizabeth Mitchell, Henry Ian Cusick, Sonya Walger, Josh Holloway, Naveen Andrews, Jorge Garcia, Terry O'Quinn, Yunjin Kim, Daniel Dae Kim, Nestor Carbonell, Michael Emerson, Jeremy Davies, Ken Leung, Jeff Fahey and Ian Somerhalder.
Lastly, thanks for giving the chance to many people to know each other, creating a huge and wonderful community.
We're not Lost, we're FOUND!
Namaste and see ya in another life!
Reading tips:
- Italian article: Lost - The finale: reading guide (Chiara Poli)
- Italian article: Lost - Lost in Progress: Series Finale (Chiara Poli)
- Italian article: Why Lost Is A Masterpiece (Fabio Guaglione)
- Italian book: The Philosophy Of Lost (Simone Regazzoni)
- Italian book: Lost And Its Secrets (Giorgio Glaviano and Carlo Dellonte)
Source photos: Lost Media