LOST: Thoughts, Ideas, and Questions for the final season

We’re less than 48 hours away until the final season premier of LOST, which I feel will go down as one of TV’s greatest dramas ever. I have been watching the show since day one, and because of that, this will be a very bittersweet season for me. I can happily say though, that I have helped turned the show on to several people in my life, my buddy Jason, my sister and brother-in-law, and even my dad. We’re all hooked. I really can’t think of any other show right now that has had so many questions, but at the same time so many interesting and original characters and such a gripping storyline from the past decade.

The show is one of a kind, and has spawned so many shows like it lately. Most, if not all of them, simply were not able to live up to the greatness of LOST. Executive producers and creators of the show Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse promise that many of the questions we all have about the show will be answered this season. I, however, do not think that every single question will be answered, and that some of the answers will not be simply explained in clear detail. At least, this is my hope. I find that LOST is a show that branches itself off from several different simple themes, including science vs. faith, fate vs. free will, rebirth/redemption, and father vs. child. The final one doesn’t seem as “deep” as the others, but if you’ve watched the show, you know what I mean. It’s the kind of show that has to be all encompassing. So while I think many people would be disappointed if the final shot of the show doesn’t make them go “Holy shit that’s insane” and is more of just a closure, I think it would fit perfectly into the mantra the show has created, and it’s what I’m rooting for.

I must say that I am very curious about what exactly Cuse and Lindelof have in store not just for the entire final season, but the first hour of Tuesday’s premier. Season 5 ended, in case you don’t remember (but how couldn’t you?) with Ben killing Jacob, and presumably, the Man in Black, taking the form of John Locke, kicking Jacob’s body into a fire pit. Oh yeah, Juliet also set off the nuclear warhead, which Jack hopes will reset everything, and put everyone back on Oceanic 815, safely landing them in Los Angeles. So many questions have come up over the past five years; here I will post my thoughts (if any) on what I think are the answers to some of the more important questions the show faces in its final season. If you’re a fan of the show let me know what you think will happen this season. Please note, I have not read any spoilers on the season. I know they’re out there, but I don’t really wish to know any details. These are my thoughts, gathered from discussions I’ve had with friends about the upcoming final season.

The nuke/opening of season 6: Honestly? I think Season 6 will open with the ending of season 5, Juliet at the bottom of the hatch, smashing the nuke with a rock. One last swing. Crescendo music peaks. The bomb explodes. Flash of white. Whoa. Cut to: shot of clouds, pan camera back to….Jack, sitting on Flight 815, possibly the scene where he discusses with the stewardess the lack of alcohol in his drink. I remember this scene being the first flashback the show had, when we saw the turbulence that caused 815 to crash. Jack turned to Rose, who was sitting beside him, told her everything would be okay, right before the plane began to crash. I find this same thing happening again, only this time, the plane gets through the turbulence, and maybe even perhaps Rose is the one that is calm and Jack is the one scared as hell.
But…then cut to Jack again, only this time still on the island. Possibly when the plane crashed. Yes, I think LOST will, in its final season, introduce the concept of “flash-presents” (It’s the best name I could come up with). The show has relied heavily on the goings on in these characters lives off the island, with flashbacks, then flash-forwards, introduced at the end of Season 4, just as much as it has with their lives on the island. So there’s every reason to believe the show will still focus just as much on these characters lives off the island, and the only way it can do that now is by creating parallel worlds, one where the characters survive the plane crash and land safely in LA, and another where they are still stuck on the island. It may sound like a stretch I know, but I just can’t see this show taking away either aspect: the island lives, or the shore lives. Parallel worlds seem to be the only logical way of going about this.

Jacob and the Man in Black: The show introduced both of these characters in the opening moments of the finale last season. Their brief scene ended with the Man in Black reminding Jacob how much he wanted him dead, but he needed to find his loophole. He evidently found it with Locke. Many people believe that Jacob is “good” and the Man in Black is “evil”. A lot of symbolism points to this; the most obvious being their dress in the scene: Jacob is in white, almost always a sign for good, and the Man in Black is in well…duh. Black is usually a symbol for evil. However, I don’t think the show would make it that clear-cut. I’m not saying Jacob is in fact evil, but what I’m saying is that perhaps there is not a good or evil character between these two. Perhaps both characters exhibit traits of good and evil, a la Locke and Ben, and the show will not make us choose which character to root for, but instead have us identify with the causes (whatever they may be) of both characters and see what happens. Consider how the characters were shot in their brief scene. The MIB came and sat in front of Jacob, sitting on a rock, whereas Jacob was slouched behind him, in his shadow in a way. The MIB took hold of our view with this shot, and took dominance over the shot. It could be argued that he holds a higher position than Jacob. A lot can be interpreted from this shot, but that is the brilliance of the show. I was reminded of the backgammon game that Locke and Walt play early on in season one, where Locke described the game being played between two pieces, one light and one dark. He also stated that archeologists found boards of the game in ancient Mesopotamia, which could possibly be where the four toed statue is from that we see. I find that to be a major symbol for the relationship between Jacob and MIB. I think it’s no doubt that the relationship between Jacob and MIB will be a major, if not the central part of the final season. But who are they exactly?

What’s up with Richard?: The dude doesn’t age; weird right? I think this can easily be explained. At the beginning of last season’s finale, Jacob and MIB see a ship heading towards the island. My thought is that the ship is the Black Rock. It’s captain? Richard. My guess is Jacob kills everyone on board except Richard and grants him one wish. Richard, at this point a greedy pirate, asks for eternal life. But, in that classic theme of be careful what you wish for, Richard is forced to remain on the island forever, serve Jacob, and always be second in command, a constant reminder of his terrible deeds aboard his slave/pirate ship.

Where the hell is Claire?: Cuse and Lindelof promise that she will be back this season. Last time we saw her was Season 4, and she just kind of got up and left everyone behind. Is she the key to everything? A sort of Mary, and Aaron perhaps as a kind of Jesus figure, with Locke taking the role of God? Locke did, after all, build Aaron’s crib remember.

Who is the most important character of the Oceanic survivors?: Almost everyone has been thought to be the most important character. Jack was the first, then Walt, then Locke, then Charlie, then Walt again for like a minute when he showed up randomly to tell Locke he had “work to do”, then Sawyer, then Claire, then Aaron, then Kate, then Locke again, then Jack again, then “Locke” (MIB as Locke). But someone who hasn’t been mentioned there? Hurley. Go ahead laugh, but I think Hurley has a lot more to do with the outcome of everyone’s lives than the creators have been leading on. Think about it, he was the first person the numbers affected. He used them to win the lottery, and became very unlucky. He’s seen all of the people who have been killed on the island. Jacob even said to Hurley that what he thought was a curse could in fact be a gift. Hurley had a difficult life off the island. I’m fairly certain there is not one LOST fan that dislikes Hurley. Also, it’s always Hurley who wants to keep everyone in good spirits. He created the golf course in season 1, he discovered the food in the hatch in season 2, he found the Volkswagen Darhma van in season 3. So I would not be surprised if Hurley plays a vital role in the lives of the losties this season.

Those numbers!: 4. 8. 15. 16. 23. 42. Such a random set. Yet, as the show has shown us, they are not so random. Adding them up gives you 108, the amount of minutes between each time the button had to be pushed in the hatch in season 2. The flight number was 815. There were 42 crash survivors. Countless upon countless of other references to the numbers appear throughout the show. The season has to explain their meaning, no matter how messed up it may be. In fact, it is the answer I am most intrigued by this season.

The Black Smoke: I think the answer to this puzzle lies with the answer to the appearances of “dead” characters showing up on the island. People like Jack’s father, Hurley’s friend from the mental hospital, Ben’s daughter, Eko’s brother, even Walt and Locke (although Walt technically isn’t dead). They’re all the MIB. Has anyone considered the smoke monster to be good? I think it is very possible that his actions are for a greater good. Consider that Locke said the monster was “beautiful” when he saw it. Perhaps the monster looks for its victims to seek redemption, or show them the wrongs of their ways. This would counteract my theory of the MIB in fact being a “good” character, but I do believe that the recurrences of dead characters appearing on the island are his doing. Consider that Jacob touched each character that he interacted with in last season’s finale. Perhaps this gained him the ability to transform into them.

Other questions: A lot of people want to know answers about specific questions. Take for example, will Sun and Jin reunite, why are Boone and Charlie (supposedly) back? Although these are fairly interesting questions, I am more concerned with the show answering its big questions, and concentrating more on its overarching themes, rather than specific characters. However, if the show can in fact answer the bigger questions by showing them in smaller implications, then that would be a way to satisfy all viewers.

One thing I can be certain of though, is that this is going to be a mind-blowing season, with twists we won’t see coming. I can’t wait to see what the show has in store, and I have full confidence that Lindelof and Cuse will bring us a final season that will not only leave us impressed and satisfied, but also continuing the conversations about the shows themes, ideas, and characters long after the show is finally off the air. I can’t wait.