Once this fire goes out…none of you will be able to toast any more marshmallows.
Spoiler Warning: If you have not seen every episode of LOST up-to and including last night’s “What They Died For,” you should not read any further. You have been warned
Last night was the last LOST Tuesday of this season. It was the last mid-week opportunity for friends and fans to gather together in celebration of one of the greatest shows in the history of television. After last night, there is but one more opportunity to bear witness to a new episode of LOST. The series finale is here, now, you can count the number of days until it’s over on one hand. This is the horrifying and exciting reality fans of the show now face. Sunday night will mark the end of an era. Let’s enjoy this week and make the most of these final hours we have to anticipate a new episode of LOST.
“What They Died For” was as good a setup for the finale as fans could have wanted. It blended humor with answers and sentimentality in a way we haven’t seen in quite some time. Ben got his balls back. Jacob laid things out for the remaining castaways in as concise a manner possible. Zoe got her throat slit. We saw Ana Lucia again. Desmond…his LA_X story has totally changed my opinion on that plot. I’ve started to enjoy watching him bring Oceanic 815 together again. Lastly, if you didn’t notice, the season’s penultimate episode again concluded with a bold affirmation by one John Locke. First it was, “He wants us to move the island” in season 4’s “Cabin Fever.” Then it was “I’m going to kill [Jacob]” in season 5’s “Follow The Leader.” Finally, last night, it was “I’m going to destroy the island.” Seriously, can Terry O’Quinn have his Emmy awarded right now? Why delay the inevitable?
Once again, the episode began with Jack and his neck wound. More pronounced than that reflection we saw in the sixth season premiere. The two realities are merging. The connections are more pronounced. Is that neck wound bleeding through from the island reality? Are we going to see Jack’s throat slit in the finale? One thing is certain, we’re definitely going to learn the identity of Jack’s ex-wife, as she will no doubt be in attendance at the concert where all the LA_X castaways will be brought together. Boone will cater the event. Eloise Hawkwing will say something annoyingly cryptic. Juliet will ask Sawyer to get some coffee with her — they can go dutch. After that…who the hell knows what’s going to happen. At this point, I can really only guess that there will be two possible outcomes.
The consensus among fans now is that the LA_X reality will be the one in which the characters ultimately reside. Somehow they will be safe from the Monster, the island won’t need to be protected, and they can exist in their “happy” lives. Of course, I don’t believe these lives to be any happier than those pre-island lives were. To use Jacob’s own words, the LA_X characters’ lives are still very much flawed. Jack has no closure with his father and will never realize his destiny. Kate is still a fugitive from the law and presumably has no one to care for or have care for her. Sawyer has not avenged the deaths of his parents and doesn’t seem to be in love with his job. Nadia is alive but Sayid cannot have her because he too is a fugitive from the law, and Nadia is married to his brother. Hurley has millions of dollars and is the luckiest guy in the world, but we learned in “Everybody Loves Hugo” that he likely doesn’t have any kind of relationship with his father. Locke has Helen but he’s (for now) still in a wheelchair, he lives with the shame of ruining his father’s life, and has no connection to the spiritual side of his personality that motivated him in the island reality. Desmond does not have a child with Penny, and although they have met a future together is uncertain. Rose still has terminal cancer. Have I made my point yet? The only real reason to expunge the island timeline would be to create a happy ending where all our beloved castaways are alive.
In the LA_X plot, Hurley and Desmond are both fully aware of of both universes. The problem with helping all their friends “let go,” and making everybody in the LA_X universe fully aware of both universes is…well…where do you go from there? What good does that do? You would be negating everything that happened on the island for six seasons by destroying it in favor of this equally-flawed but newly-enlightened existence. I’m sure there is a way to have this scenario work, but right now I cannot say I am in favor of it. Characters that have died on the island really don’t need off-island closure as far as I’m concerned. Dead is dead. I’d rather see the story conclude in the island universe than the LA_X universe. The problem this creates is that if the ending does not occur in LA_X, how do you rationalize spending half a season there?
When I think about the sideways flashes, I think about Charlie’s statement that none of “this” matters. He makes that statement with full understanding of both island and LA_X universes. He tries twice to kill himself because he knows inherently that he’s supposed to die. So if you’re going to negate LA_X, do you destroy that reality or do you just remove the characters from it? Are you confused yet by my logic? Imagine how confused I am trying to write this…Is now a bad time to mention that I’m writing this after a night of drinking and while suffering from a head cold? To say I’m having problems transitioning between thoughts would be an understatement. I just hope this entry makes sense.
Four days. Four days until the end of this saga will be revealed. I’d like to devote more space on this website to LOST before retiring it from the active list of post topics. Maybe I’ll share some thoughts on favorite episodes or moments. Who knows. After all, this time should be used to celebrate and reflect on what has proven to be one of the most entertaining hobbies I’ve had for the past few years.
I’ve posted a new poll question (see: left side-bar). Feel free to vote or share your opinion in the comments section. If you’re a registered Swan Fungus user, your vote will double as an entry into a drawing for a copy of the original motion picture soundtrack for Micmacs, autographed by the film’s director Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amélie, The City Of Lost Children). There are two copies available to be given away. Thank you to Milan Records for supplying the CDs.
