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LOST: Remembering TV’s Best Show Seven Years Later

‘What makes you think letting go is so easy?’It’s a question John Locke posed to Jack Shephard in […]

“What makes you think letting go is so easy?”

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It’s a question John Locke posed to Jack Shephard in the mindbending flash-sideways world created in LOST‘s sixth and final season. As it turns out, the millions of fans of the ABC series will agree with Jack’s response when it comes to this show: “It’s never been easy.”

LOST is, was, and always will be one of the bravest and best shows on television. The divisive series has two crowds: those who respond to “Did you watch LOST?” with “I watched it for a couple of seasons and then it got weird,” and those who quickly remark, “Yes, I love that show. It’s the best. I’ve watched it all the way through so many times.”

The latter crowd is the correct crowd to be in.

It has now been seven years since Jack Shephard closed his eye as Kate Austen, James Ford, Miles Strom, Frank Lapidus, Richard Alpert, and Claire Littleton jetted off of the island right above him.

May 23, 2010.

The world learned the fates of each character on the series would be to spend eternity together. Each had been plucked from an imperfect existence and hurled into a journey of survival which taught them more about themselves than any of their diverse experiences prior to Oceanic 815’s crash on the mystical island.

Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse’s series created a roster of characters which any viewer could find a number of whom they can relate to, whether they liked it or not. Be it Jack’s constant urge to fix things, Locke’s constant sense of hopeless longing for belonging, Kate’s refusal to become too close to anyone, or Boone’s yearning for love in the wrong places… The series geniously crafted characters into people who felt like family for viewers. It was unlike anything before it and anything which has tried to follow.

Going For It All

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LOSTย was never scared.

Launching only a few years after the horrificย attack of September 11, the series was built on a plane crashย and doveย head on into making a good guy out of a character who servedย in the Republican Guard. It was one of many redemptionย arcs for characters who appeared condemned.ย 

Theย seriesย created a monsterย in itsย very firstย episode whichย would ripย a clinging-to-lifeย pilot fromย hisย cockpit, spattering hisย blood across theย windshield beforeย chasingย theย show’sย core charactersย throughย a jungle. In fact, theย moveย wasย so risky, theย ABC executives wanted to removeย theย monsterย fromย theย unforgettable Pilot episodeย butย J.J. Abrams insisted on keeping theย key part ofย theย episodeย andย showย fromย theย beginning. Theย showย kept it as originally planned.

Every season, theย showย managed to dropย jaws withย mindblowing cliffhangers. Before theย worldย wonderedย “Whoย did Neganย kill?” or “Is Jon Snow reallyย dead?” theย questionsย of “What’sย in theย hatch?” andย “Whereย did Michael andย Waltย go on thatย boat?” wereย theย hottest topics andย fansย lovedย it.

ย 

The Questions

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Then, there wereย all of the questions… Howย can Locke walk again? What is the smoke monster? Who are the Others? What’s in the hatch? Did Juliet really justย undoย everything we watched and experienced for five years? What is the island? Why is Christian Shephard so important? Howย does Walt do these thingsย by simply imaginingย them? Why is theย islandย under water?

Many of the questionsย wereย leftย plainlyย unanswered.

Some of the questionsย wereย merely provided blurry explanationsย which fans refused to acceptย after committing so many years to a world filled with strangers whisperingย in a jungleย and an island that can move through time. All of this wasย part of whatย made LOST theย juggernaut series it wasย from itsย earliestย episodes. Theย questionsย intrigued theย audience andย theย charactersย keptย them watching.

In theย end, the mostย important question the show ever presented was answered in its finale: what happens to the characters?

The End

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While the ending of Lost is often debatedย by fans, there is one definitive rulingย on whatย was really happening in the final season and moments of the series.ย 

Benjaminย Linusย actorย Michael Emerson recently offered his take on the finale, which kept his character apart from the restย as they moved on together.

“The one thing I’m sure of on the show is that everything you saw happen on the island really happened,” Emersonย said. “Let’s call that the first five seasons. All of that is real.”

It was Season 6, in the flash sideways scenes, where the characters finally began to move on.

“The ending is way in the future. Years, centuries, millenia have past,” Emerson said. “We’re in an anti-chamber to the hereafter, to eternity, if you will. All the characters on the show have come here to celebrate the end of life. They’re all gonna pass through to a happy afterlife. Just as in a Shakespeare, everybody goes two by two. It’s couples. That’s because, I think, by the rules of LOST, you can only pass into heaven (if you want to call it that) with a mirror redeemer. With someone who has loved you without reservation. for yourself.”

It all happened. They were never dead the whole time. They created connections with each other and, moreย importantly, with fans. The actors who portrayed eachย characterย have beenย seared into the minds of fans. Matthew Fox will foreverย be Jack Shephard, a man of science converted into a man of faith by the compelling, hopeful, and all-too-heartbreakinglyย unluckyย John Locke.ย 

Whileย the finaleย was inarguablyย controversial, it was brave and concludedย the story of LOST in beautiful fashion.

If there was one mantra LOSTย proudly livedย by, it was the iconic phraseย Johnย Locke uttered in the fourthย episode…

“Don’t ever tell me whatย I can’tย do.”