Endings (LOST Spoilers!!!)

Endings are a tricky thing. You can have this long, fantastic journey, and then once it ends, you are left with bewilderment. Stories are like a puzzle. You have them all scattered, and once it all comes together, it will fit. As of this writing, I don't know how Mass Effect 3 ended. All I know is that it is getting the same hate LOST had when it aired its finale episode. So instead of pretending to know how Mass Effect 3 ended, LOST will be the topic of discussion.

Lets start with the show's ending. The infamous church scene. Does that church look familiar to you? It should, because it was first introduced in Season 5. Underneath the Church, there is a station and it's called The Lamp Post. The Dharma Initiative used it to find the Island. In the flash sideways, it is where all the survivors found each other.

While people where upset that religion was used, when ever religion is used, people seem to hate it. This should not come as a shock. LOST had a huge theme of faith. This is most apparent of Jack and Locke. One of the recurring lines in the show was "That's why they called it a Leap of Faith."

Another recurring line is "See you in another life, brother" this is mostly said by Desmond who picked it up by becoming a monk for awhile. This line isn't just for show. It's a foreshadowing of the end of the series. Desmond had met Jack at different points in his life.

1. Before the Crash when Desmond treated Jack's ankle. Jack leads a pretty normal life.

"You've got to lift it up"

2. After the Crash at the Hatch. Jack is a leader

"Nothing is Going to happen"

3. After leaving the island. Jack is now a man of Faith.

"We are just the pieces"

4. Back at the Island. Jack is now the protector of the Island.

"All of this matters"

5. And finally the flash sideways when they literally met in another life.

"Do I know you from somewhere?"

It just doesn't end at the Church scene either. Most people felt ripped off that they spent six years with this show and not getting answers. I'm going to lay some cold hard facts for you. Season 1 was NOT about the mysteries. Sure they introduced some, but they all got answered eventually. The first big mystery the show had was answered in season 6. The first shocking moment was answered in season 3. Season one was about the characters. Plain and simple. Why do people groan when there is a Kate episode coming up? Why do people like it when there is a Desmond episode? Because, their stories will be told in that specific episode.

Most of the important questions was answered throughout the series. You don't go in thinking that by the end of it, there will be a complete answer dump. I don't like answer dumps. I think they are a cheap way to end a story. Out of all the questions that relates to the characters that was not answered was Walt. In "The New Man In Charge", a dvd exclusive that answers some things, Ben visits Walt in a mental heal clinic. The same one Hurley has been in. Ben said that Walt was special. How was Walt special? Just the fact that they went ahead and do this opens up for new possibilities. I would like to see a new comic con video that shows a small time back at the island.

In the last episode "The End" it had a lot of small references to the rest of the series. I'm not talking about the big ones like descending of Desmond scene or the remembering scenes. I'm talking about the smaller moments. For example, Claire doesn't want to leave the island because she's doesn't want to see Aaron looking like that. In season 3, Rousseau didn't want to leave the island because there is nothing for her out there. After Desmond uncorked the hole, I seriously thought that lava was going to spew out because in Season 3, a teacher said that this island was a dead volcano (5:12). 


Unlike most TV shows where they beat your head with answers, the producers knew that the audiences are smart. So they leave little bread crumbs for the views to examine. In "The New Man In Charge" the reason why the polar bear was in the middle of the Sahara Desert was answered. The answer was the same theory people had already had. That entire epilogue felt like it was just confirming fans theories.

The reason why shows like The Event and V didn't last long was because it tired so hard to be like LOST. They send out a mystery and let the characters deal with it. It was mysteries first and character second. The reason why LOST was so successful was because it was characters first and mysteries second.

Before the new shows even air, they said that they will not be like LOST and answer everything. This turns out to be a death sentence. Every show that had said this gets cancelled after it's first season. No one wants to watch a show where there is just mystery after mystery. I saw V, The Event, and Flash Forward. While the mysteries are there, something always feels off.

The show is not perfect. It has its weak episodes, and couple of characters that they buried alive to get rid of. Despite this, they ended the way they wanted to. If you go back to the series, and start connecting the dots, you will see how everything fits. From "House of the Rising Sun" to "Across The Sea." From "Everybody Love Hugo (18:11)" to "The Incident." There is puzzle pieces that fits. So, if the ending you want is not what YOU wanted, look back and see if it fits.