So by now, you all know me—that is, if you’ve read my reviews of the previous LOST seasons. You know that I was a huge fan of the show’s mysterious yet elegant design, and that while I was occasionally frustrated by the lack of answers, I was willing to give the writers the benefit of the doubt. After all, underlying all of the utterly bizarre and seemingly inexplicable phenomena that we’d witnessed over five whole seasons of imagination, mystery, and science, they had a plan for all of this… right?
Right?
A show named for its conclusion
I’m going to do my best not to spoil what actually occurs at the end of the series for anyone who hasn’t seen it. After all, many of you are probably reading this review in an effort to develop some sort of insight as to whether or not this is worth your time, right? In other words, while I’ll be opining as to how I feel regarding the totality of Season 6 (in context with the rest of the series), you won’t find any explicit spoilers here—so don’t worry about that.
LOST was a wild ride. It was a never-ending avalanche of questions, questions, and more questions, with a few snowflakes of answers scattered haphazardly, some of which were a bit farfetched to say the least. The audience was heard to complain at multiple points throughout the series about this relentless onslaught of unsolved mysteries, and before long, it became a frequent point of playful ridicule within the entertainment industry. Many viewers began to wonder whether or not we’d ever receive actual answers to the growing pile of enigmas the writers had assembled.
Then, at some point during seasons 3 and 4, the scientifically-minded viewers received a glimmer of hope when the writers began to allude to possible scientific foundations to the plot. Quantum mechanics and astrophysics, to be specific, were leading the movement, with theories based on the Many Worlds Interpretation and other such well-known pop-sci topics littering the forum communities. I, personally, had been hoping for some sort of resolution affiliated with Daniel Faraday and the likes of his hyper-intelligent, enigmatic brethren, as that seemed—to me, at least—like one of the only truly logical ways to tie all of the fantastical plot points together into some sort of cohesive whole.
Enter Season Six, where things began to take a drastic turn for the artificial. With each passing episode, the science faded further and further as it became increasingly evident that the writers had been planning for a more easily-digestible, pie-in-the-sky finale. In other words, one which sweeps most of the questions under the rug and paints over the writing on the wall.
Of course, we’re all well aware of the outrage within the LOST enthusiast communities that this ending sparked. Likewise, I’ve seen plenty of other opinions floating around from apologists who choose to make excuses for its shortcomings on account of the fact that the rest of the series was so strong up until this point. They’ll say, “sure, it didn’t answer anything—black smoke, flash sideways, parallel universes, man in black, what have you—but I don’t care anyway because it touched me emotionally.”
I can certainly respect differing positions on entertainment, of course—and I completely agree that the character development and emotional component of LOST was rich and masterfully executed—but I don’t see how it’s possible to excuse all of these gaping empty promises on the simple basis that the supplemental elements were so strong. In my view, as in reality, both the logical and the emotional components hold equal significance; they are two pillars supporting the story, neither of which could carry it without the other. And considering the resolution the writers chose for this series, it feels almost as though we fans wasted hours upon hours of precious viewing time committing ourselves to exploring the dark and elaborate sprawling tunnels of fascinating mysteries that it contained, only to discover that there was, in fact, no light at the end of any of them.
If you’ve been active in the online LOST communities, you’ve probably heard that the writers had this ending planned since sometime around the third season. That may be true, but I think I know how the decision was made. We will probably never know the truth, but I envision a board meeting with the writers that went something like this:
A: “So, we’ve got all this quantum mechanics stuff in line. It actually explains the premise behind this Flash Sideways concept we’ve been planning, as well as the well-received Flashes Before Your Eyes episode featuring Desmond crossing spacetime into different, separate realities. And Daniel Faraday and his ilk are perfect devices for the explanation of the science.”
B: “That’s great and all, A, but there’s another problem. You do realize that we’ll have to somehow manage to explain this stuff to the American public in the form of quality entertainment, right? We’ve now got just one season left to do that, and we just don’t think it’s possible. Plus, it probably wouldn’t make for good television.”
A: “Damn it B—why didn’t you mention this earlier? You know, like, when we were positing these mysteries in the first place?”
B: “Oh come on, A; who are you kidding? We’ve been writing this thing for years now without actually planning anything. What made you think we were going to start now? And what kind of a stupid name is A anyway?”
A: “I quit.”
All right; I’ve made my point. Whether you or not you personally liked the ending, there’s one thing that cannot be disputed: LOST bailed on the details. Despite the very real opportunity to make sense of it all (however heavy the science), It favors drippy heart-tugging over explanatory closure… and although you might have found yourself choking back tears, if you’re anything at all like me, your left brain was busy crying over countless formulas and logical fallacies left unaddressed.
It was a fun ride for certain (and nothing short of unforgettable), but season six leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
Special Features
As always, LOST: The Complete Sixth and Final Season does not disappoint in the realm of extras. There’s a smorgasbord of special features awaiting you on the final disc covering everything from behind-the-scenes production to a few of the unsolved mysteries. Here’s the complete list of features:
Crafting a Final Season (38:33) – The cast discusses how difficult it was to pull together a compelling final season of such a popular television show. Both the struggles with the cohesiveness and finality and the emotionally bittersweet undertones of the approaching final moments are explored in detail in this nearly forty-minute feature.
The New Man in Charge (11:56) – Created to help answer some of the more frequently-asked burning questions of the LOST fanbase, this twelve-minute mini-episode is essentially just a quick stopover by Ben at a couple of different locations to tie up some loose ends. The first is an old warehouse where food and rations have been shipped off to the island by two workers for the last twenty years. He’s coming to lay them off and provide some healthy severance pay, he says, as their services are no longer needed. When they begin questioning things, Ben shows them (and us) an orientation video which helps provide answers: a few different items, such as why the polar bears were on the island and so forth. Following that, a quick trip to the mental health institute where he encounters a couple other staple characters. It’s an interesting epilogue, but it hardly rectifies any of the serious issues that most people had with the finale.
The Hero’s Journey (8:57) – A philosophical reflection of the role of the hero(es) in LOST and in storytelling as an art. This is a pretty cool piece featuring some valuable introspection from the cast.
See You In Another Life, Brotha (8:36) – An exploration of the “Flash Sideways” mechanic, and how the creators used it to return to the foundational elements of the show and the core of each character’s role.
LOST On Location (28:40 total) – As always, a collection of behind-the-scenes making of stories surrounding some of the season’s more prolific moments.
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LAX
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The Substitute
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Recon
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Ab Aeterno
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Happily Ever After
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The Candidate
Deleted Scenes (480p only, 9:39) –
Bloopers (4:09) – A decidedly short bloopers reel for the final season of LOST… but it’s still very entertaining.
LOST University Master’s Program – Here, you can enroll in various classes covering the sophisticated particulars involved in creating a show as engulfing and complex as LOST. It’s a BD Live extra which leverages a unique account assigned to each user where they can progress toward their degree by watching videos and playing TA in a fictional university devoted entirely to all things LOST.
Commentary (four episodes total):
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LAX
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Dr. Linus
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Ab Aeterno
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Across the Sea
LOST in 8:15