I need to watch it again. And I'm not that smart when it comes to this stuff. And I watched through the haze of a migraine...OK, enough excuses, here's what I thought...
I don't see the ending as a cop-out at all. If Jack had woken up in Kate's arms with little freaky Aaron toddling about, now that would have sucked. What I saw last night was a daring commentary on time, life/death, and the power of love. I have way more questions than answers, but I'd rather focus on the conclusion, because I think there actually was one.
Time is fluid and bendable and not linear. What happened on the Island actually happened, whether you think the losties were dead or alive when the events occurred. We know our losties weren't in the light, so they hadn't let go of things like anger and fear and revenge (before Locke goes into the church, he "forgives" Ben, and Ben's reaction reinforces this). Was the island actually purgatory, as people have predicted from the start of the series? No, because heaven and hell and earth exist in time, in all time, and not as actual places but as a part of the total life experience of every human being (which is why Jacob and Richard are so happy to be re-entered into natural life--in protecting the light they are robbed of ever participating--which is why Hurley is in the church at the end--he changed the rules).
What is this light? When Jack enters the vestibule, he sees symbols of a variety of faiths, but ultimately what is in that church is about love and basic connections in our lives that bring love to the world. This sounds cheesy, I know. But it isn't. Not when the show spent six years basically showing us the redemptive power of love.
I think this is beautiful.
But I still have questions...
It was perfect, right? I mean your last two lines are EXACTLY what every writer hopes for. Fans who think appreciate the beauty of the ending, but still have questions. Because if you don't have questions and no one is discussing your work, than really what's the point?
ReplyDeleteExactly! LOST is true art. I don't think these kinds of themes were ever explored to this extent on a television show. We were lucky to have the experience.
ReplyDeleteThis is the best distillation I've read so far, Loretta! So many are hung up on the who, what, where, WHEN and don't focus on the central themes and allegories that override all that. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI loved the way the characters found redemption through helping/supporting one another. Life moved beyond themselves.
ReplyDeleteSomething that helped me think through the unanswered questions was to see things from the characters' perspectives. Juliet never learned why fertility was a problem on the island. Why should we get to know? It wasn't, in the end, what the story was ultimately about (...though I'd still likek to know).