Possibly the most difficult episode for any series is the final episode. When a series has been on for years and the network decides to cancel the show (or the producer/director/star(s) decide they don't want the show to continue) and they give the series a chance to wrap things up, this becomes a major challenge for the show. They have to come up with an episode that feels larger than a normal episode, gives the series a sense of finality while still remembering what made the show so good in the first place. And, as fans, we set even higher standards for these episodes because this is the last thing that we will take from the show. We can forgive a mediocre show if it's in the middle of its run but a mediocre or bad final episode? That is going to leave a taste you will not soon get rid of.
Fortunately, some series have gotten the final episode right. Some such as Mary Tyler Moore Show and Newhart went on series highs (Newhart especially, saved their very best episode for the last one) and some, such as St. Elsewhere, The Prisoner (60s version) and Angel went on divisive notes that have fans debating their endings years later. Unfortunately, too many others (Roseanne, Moonlighting, X-Files and M*A*S*H) went out on notes that sacrificed self-importance for remembering what made the shows so popular in the first place. And, finally, there are some (Seinfeld) that just went out on a lazy note.
So where does Lost rank in this continuum of series? Lost, with its 6 years of mysteries and complex stories involving tropical polar bears, time-travelling islands, smoke monsters and cursed numbers, had a really tough hill to climb. They had so many unanswered questions (some by design, some by necessity due to actors leaving the show) that, even with 2 ½ hour running time, it doesn't seem like the show could end on a satisfactory note that will please everyone.
And this ending won't please everyone. There are reviews and comments complaining that the ending was simplistic and predictable (which is odd because I had not read a single theory that predicted this particular ending and most weren't even close to being right) and said that the show should have ended in some other fashion (though the critics fail to explain how they would have ended it). What these reviews all uniformly complain of is that the show left too many questions unanswered and too many threads dangling.
What the reviews fail to grasp though is that the show was never about the mysteries. We don't need to know exactly why polar bears were brought to the island or why Walt was special. The show was always about the characters' journeys. As the producers explained in the recap show airing immediately before it, the title of the series referred to not just them being "lost" geographically but the fact that they were "lost" spiritually and emotionally as well. Looking at the original flashbacks, none of the main characters were happy or emotionally balanced (Jack was a doctor with severe daddy issues, Hurley was convinced his life was cursed, Sawyer was obsessed with finding the man who ruined his life, etc.) As Jacob mentioned in the episode near the end, they were all chosen as candidates because they were alone off island and needed the island to make them whole.
And that's what the series did. Through the course of many adventures, the characters slowly found their balance in life. Sawyer eventually got past his obsession and Hurley realized that he controlled his fate, not some numbers. They were ready to move on with the next stage in their journey through life.
And that is what the final episode displayed brilliantly – the final stage of their journey. [NOTE: THE REMAINDER OF THIS REVIEW WILL BECOME VERY SPOILERISH. IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE EPISODE YET, STOP HERE]. The episode broke this journey up into 2 parts – the island world and the sideways world. In the island world, we had a definite end to the season-long arc involving Man in Black. Terry O'Quinn (who should already be preparing his Emmy acceptance speech) was at his most menacing and evil. O'Quinn, better than most actors, knows the power of a glance and how much information it can convey. Watch the episode again and pay attention to his eyes and you can see pages of character exposition in terms of when the character is confused, angry or scared. He does it all subtly and never draws attention to it and that is what makes it all the more impressive.
The series managed to come up a resolution that felt epic and plausible at the same time. The fight scene between Jack and Locke was better paced and filmed than some major motion pictures. It was hard not to cheer when Locke was finally kicked off the side and sent to his death. While there was still another act to follow from that (preventing the island from being destroyed), it never felt tacked on and flowed naturally from the story leading up to it.
Likeways, all of the characters emotional arcs came to a satisfying end. Jack finally found a purpose in life by sacrificing it, Sawyer assumed the role of a leader and Ben finally received the respect that he long desired. Each of the characters ended up in a place that made sense for them. Some remained on the island and some left and could continue on with their lives, much more balanced then when they first arrived.
And then there was the sideways universe. All season, producers Damon Lindeloff and Carton Cuse had been stating that the flash sideways were not glimpses into an alternate universe and that we were to pay attention to the small details throughout. They had also been stating from the very beginning of the series that the island was not purgatory. They never said that they wouldn't bring purgatory into it, just that the island was not it.
And that is where their brilliant misdirection came into play. In a final act that became more powerful as the scene went on, we discovered that the sideways world was actually the next step in their journey after passing away. It wasn't purgatory per se because they weren't atoning for their sins (in fact, most of them were actually happier in the sideways world) but it was a chance for them to finally come to terms with their lives and be prepared for the next stage. Locke got to live a life with Helen, Jack got to have a son, Sawyer was respectable and Ben was respected. But, as we found out, these events were all a fiction. It was a way of easing them into their afterlifes. The task they had to achieve here was to "let go" of their previous lives and be ready to move on.
And that leads us to the beauty of the final scene in the church. The characters were paired up with the person they were meant to be with on a spiritual level (Sawyer with Juliet, Kate with Jack, Sayid with Shannon, etc) and all brought together as one final reunion with the people who had the greatest impact on their lives. Now, willing to let go, they were now ready to move on.
Once this revelation was given, we then are given the perfect ending to the series and one that I do honestly believe they had planned for 6 years now. Jack, dying from the fatal stab wound inflicted by Locke, rushes out to the same woods that he first landed in in the pilot episode. He then collapses in the exact same spot he first landed and is visited by Vincent (the first creature he saw in the episode) who lays down next to him. After watching the plane escape to safety and knowing that he didn't die for nothing (which Locke predicted he would), he laughs and the camera closes in on his eye. While the series begins with a closeup of his eye opening, it now ends with his shutting.
Poetry, resolution of emotional arcs, items to think over and epic battles – what more could you ask of.
I will mass Lost and it's ambitious story telling. Series like this are extremely rare and I am happy that it ended on such a strong note.
Grade: A+
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