The only trouble is that laying out all those answers appeared almost matter-of-fact as the two-hour finale unspooled. It's incredibly rare that I've been able to predict where Lost is going to take us in its frantic, twisted roller-coaster ride of a plot; yet last night, I probably could have outlined the two hours of finale during the first commercial break and done pretty well in my forecast.
But none of that would have mattered, really, if I felt like the action itself was gripping. For whatever reason, a number of the plot threads landed with a dull thud in our living room. About the only consistently engaging chunk of the finale for me was the Ben/Locke/Orchid Station plotline, especially when Ben kills Kearny even though he's dooming the freighter and its passengers to certain destruction. It's a remarkably edgy moment for a show known for edgy moments, and it plunges Ben Linus into an even deeper shade of grey.
Maybe knowing who would live and who would die (for the most part) dulled the episode's revelations as well. The Oceanic Six (plus a few) were solidly established going into last night's episode; barring some last-minute über-twist, these characters (if no one else) would survive to the end. It sorta undercut the series' typical anything goes, anyone can die tone.
We're also not left with much to chew on all summer. Mostly, I'm curious to hear what's happened on the island since the Oceanic Six left. Heck, for that matter, where the frak did the island go? To the past? The future? The moon? And of course, how did Locke get off the island, and what has happened to him since? There's also of course the lingering Jacob/Claire mystery, and the immortality of that creepy dude Richard who looks like Rod Serling. (In fact, I think he plays Rod Serling in that Twilight Zone ride at Disney but don't quote me on that.)
What I seek from Lost, more than anything else, is to be forced to sit bolt upright in my chair several times an episode, stunned that they actually went there. The season four finale didn't make me bolt much, if at all, and so I was disappointed. However, if there's one thing I've learned from sixty-plus years of television, it's that any show with a time-traveling island is bound to keep the surprises coming, even if they have to stop and explain stuff sometimes.
Article comments
1 - Rosie
"It's the twists. There are plenty of other reasons why Lost is a great show " the character development has always been exceptional; the dialogue, editing, and direction is among the best on the tube; and the actors are towering giants of pretending to live on a deserted island for 100+ days."
"LOST" might have some virtues, but scintillating dialogue is not one of them. And right now, I'm not too sure about some of its character development.
2 - Christopher Rose
I'm sorry, I've watched and enjoyed many a far fetched TV storyline over the years but Lost is just like the stupidest ever.
3 - Dr Dreadful
At least Lost does tie up its loose ends - unlike 24, which outrageously fails to do so multiple times per season.
4 - Dr Dreadful
Although there is one glaring loose end which I can't see how they're ever going to explain away...
...Namely, the one where no-one in the entire world seems to think it at all odd that a flight from Sydney to Los Angeles should have come down near Indonesia - several thousand miles in the opposite direction!
5 - Matt
That's an easy one Dr--they moved Indonesia!
6 - Dr Dreadful
Maybe that's what Locke needs all those weird people for... there's no way Ben can turn a wheel big enough to move the whole of Indonesia by himself...