Its been three days. Three days, and I have not been able to go more than 10 minutes without thinking about the Lost finale. I know I sound obsessed and geeky, but there’s a reason I am still thinking about it. The story is so complex and is delivered in such a unique fashion that it takes much longer than most shows to process and understand. During the course of every day that has passed since the airing of the finale, I have peeled back more and more layers of the shows meaning (with help, admittedly), gaining a new appreciation for the show each time. And now the real melancholy has set in.
I feel that I am, in this moment, at the apex of my understanding and caring for this show. After the finale was over, though I knew I would never watch a new episode of Lost again, I also knew that my work wasn’t finished—I had some thinking to do, and it would take awhile. But now, I feel like I’ve grasped it, on all levels. There is nowhere to go but down now. Like the death of a loved one, they gradually leave your every thought until one day you realize you haven’t thought of them in weeks. That’s just the way it works. So, while today is the closest I have ever been with the show, and that should be celebrated, it is also the first day of the degeneration of this relationship, and that is to be mourned.
Now, that I say I have grasped the show on all its levels is not to say that I have all the answers. There are some answers that were simply not ever given. What’s important to understand is that those missing answers were clearly not what was important about the show to begin with. As any avid Lost viewer will tell you, nothing is ever accidentally included or omitted on this show. So, if the show didn’t answer a particular question, it was either because it was deemed ultimately irrelevant to the final message of the show, or because it was meant to be open to interpretation and keep the viewer wondering.
I stated in an earlier post that I was worried about whether or not the finale would live up to what I thought it should be. I realize that I was missing the point. Granted, it just so happens that I have come to think the finale was nearly perfect, but the point is that it really doesn’t matter what I think. I was worried because I care about the show, but it is an entity of its own, and [the writers] has always known best. We, the viewers, began demanding answers as soon as the pilot had rolled credits, yet the writers abstained, knowing what should be revealed and when. If we had had it our way, we would’ve had all the answers right away, and would have never needed to accompany the characters on their journeys of growth. You see, the show is what it is, and should not be compromised or changed (read: dumbed-down) in order to appeal to a larger audience. This is a show that requires both intelligence and compassion to enjoy and digest, and not all viewers are equipped to do that with a work of fiction. Those that are not may want to look elsewhere for entertainment (read: Two and a Half Men). However, for those of us that truly “get it,” Lost really is a gift, and I feel privileged to have experienced it.
As for the emotional impact of the finale, it was massive. The first time I saw it, I teared up at nearly every “awakening”, except for Sayid and Shannon’s, though at the time I didn’t even understand what the awakening really indicated. Then later, when I watched the finale again a couple days later (while Bridget was at work and the boys were taking a nap), alone and now understanding, I bawled like a baby. Seriously. I haven’t cried like that in a long time. While probably mostly due to stress and exhaustion unrelated to the show, I was overcome while watching these people find each other, themselves; redemption.
And as much as I would like to keep writing about the show to try and keep it alive, I realize that by doing so I would be missing one of Lost’s most important lessons: knowing when to let go.
P.S. There is another show I have watched for years, 24, whose series finale was a couple nights ago. While I have enjoyed the show for all 8 of its seasons, watching the 24 finale one night after watching Lost’s finale was like watching a tee ball game the night after going to game 7 of the World Series.
liveanotheryear 