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[StoOgE]

It was an epilogue, just there to complete the characters' journeys. It's not vital to the main plot, which ends with Jack dying, the plane leaving, and Hurley becoming the new protector, so if it really bugs you, it's not too hard to ignore.

except it takes up half of the last season, creates a giant red herring for no other reason than to fuck with the viewers and gives us a trite forced happy ending when the show really didn't need one.

It isn't something that is easily ignored unless the bluray comes with an option to turn off x-timeline events.

Which by the way, I would welcome wholeheartedly.

 

[LCfiner]

So questions of faith, fate, and meaning are not spiritual nature. Nice to know.

And faith in God had nothing to with the last scene. Did you even watch the finale?

the questions of faith they were never presented as having anything to do with the afterlife. it was about believing in the island. either the importance of the island in their life or the power of the island to heal, transform, etc.

The final scene was not about faith in God, true. but it was about the afterlife. something the writer wants to say was a key element of the show but it wasn't. not till the very end.

 

[Veidt]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWeW-T1rtwE#&t=03m58s

 

[StoOgE]

the questions of faith they were never presented as having anything to do with the afterlife. it was about believing in the island. either the importance of the island in their life or the power of the island to heal, transform, etc.

The final scene was not about faith in God, true. but it was about the afterlife. something the writer wants to say was a key element of the show but it wasn't. not till the very end.

that and I have a hard time reconciling ghosts hanging out on the island talking to people.. ghosts leaving the island to talk to Hurley and there being an x timeline where people didn't know they were dead. I mean.. if the ghosts hang around because they can't move on that is one thing.. but then in the case of a few of them (Charlie, Hurley's girl) they seem to both be able to not move on and move on in the real world and x timeline.

I mean.. charlie appeared to Hurley in 2007 off island... and he was stuck in xtimeline the whole time waiting to be woken up.

Like I said, I don't like x-timeline.. but I guess the "beauty" of using something metaphysical as their explanation for everything is they can always answer with "well, it's mysterious how being dead would work.. logic doesn't enter into it, etc etc."

 

[Prentice]

Anyone know any GOOD (that's important) Lost podcasts with stuff about the finale? I'm gonna be bored in work

I think the latest Geekbox is all about the finale, but I haven't listened to it or watched Lost, so kind of a blind recommendation.

 

[thekad]

Am I really going to have to spell this out for you? Here, just keep watching that video until it sinks in:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8O_pd_sUhU&feature=related

 

[Jex]

the questions of faith they were never presented as having anything to do with the afterlife. it was about believing in the island. either the importance of the island in their life or the power of the island to heal, transform, etc.

The final scene was not about faith in God, true. but it was about the afterlife. something the writer wants to say was a key element of the show but it wasn't. not till the very end.

Indeed, I didn't actually mind it in the finale, but for a writer to claim that it was a central element all along is some bullshit.

Weirdly, in BSG

Spoiler

faith was kind of a running theme all along, made much more clear in the last season. And yet I think the way BSG handled it in the finale was far, far worse then how Lost handled it.

 

[mrklaw]

I think one thing that has thrown me is that in previous seasons, the flashback/forwards etc was tied in with what was happening on the island, the two were linked.

In this season, the alt-timeline really only works once you know what it is. So going back now, you'll be able to notice eg Jack who has father issues has a son, so is working through his issues to move on. Sawyer is a policeman, putting to rights his previous past in order to move on. Basic purgatory.

But at the time, you're being given a swerveball, as you're assuming it ties into the island somehow. I think thats why it threw me - it doesn't connect with the island as such, its more of an epilogue but you can only really know that with hindsight.

 

[MMaRsu]

Season 2,3, and 4 were the best for me. I liked the storytelling and drama when the Others were the main antagonists. Plus the flashbacks into the past in previous seasons were stronger than the sideflashes of this last season.

Same here but I also loved season 5 .

 

[pedrothelion]

I kind of like the fact they didn't explain all of the mysteries with a 10 minute scene of some one vomiting exposition (ala BSG). The only scene that approached that was the Jacob scene in "What They Died For", and to me that scene was unnecessary as they had already explained everything Jacob said through out the course of the show. I like the ambiguity of the show. They left somethings unexplained and open to interpretation and others implied.

 

[Jacobi]

I kind of like the fact they didn't explain all of the mysteries with a 10 minute scene of some one vomiting exposition (ala BSG). The only scene that approached that was the Jacob scene in "What They Died For", and to me that scene was unnecessary as they had already explained everything Jacob said through out the course of the show. I like the ambiguity of the show. They left somethings unexplained and open to interpretation and others implied.

No, there were a few scenes like these with the MIB too

 

[JGS]

No. when they first saw the cabin (Locke and Ben) they were very careful to step over the ash circle.

Yet, it seems clear that it was smokey giving orders to Locke from day 1.

The seal wasn't broken in the same place was it? Jacob's Mercs had to search for the seal being broken.

 

[StoOgE]

I kind of like the fact they didn't explain all of the mysteries with a 10 minute scene of some one vomiting exposition (ala BSG). The only scene that approached that was the Jacob scene in "What They Died For", and to me that scene was unnecessary as they had already explained everything Jacob said through out the course of the show. I like the ambiguity of the show. They left somethings unexplained and open to interpretation and others implied.

No one is asking for a scene where they sit down and give you an expose on the islands mysteries. They have known for 3 years when it was ending. They should have answered some of this stuff as they went. Maybe they needed a few more episodes a season to do it. I don't know.

I think the real issue is that they were making stuff up as they went along for 2-3 seasons and had yet to cement what the rules of the island were which led to stuff like dead Christian appearing off island, and the cabin/ash problem.

 

[StoOgE]

The seal wasn't broken in the same place was it? Jacob's Mercs had to search for the seal being broken.

If the explanation for the cabin is "the seal was broken.. but in the back and no one ever checked back there" it would be one of the larger cop outs on the show.

I think Illana's whole team was pretty worthless in general. Outside of carrying a coffin with Locke's body across the island they didn't really have a point.

 

[LCfiner]

agreed with StoOgE and Jexhius about how some of the reveals of ghosts off island don't really jive with the afterlife stuff in season 6. Also agreed that BSG had a ton more spirituality in it. in that show, it was a key plot driver from season 1 to the end.

I feel that the Lost writers were creating really good, character focused genre sci-fi for 5 seasons and then either a) wanted to give the show a more spiritual meaning or b) felt shoehorned by JJ's original ending and shifted gears to this more spiritual resolution.

That's their prerogative. fine. it's their show and they can do what they want and take whatever direction they want. but it's bullshit to try to play revisionist history and say that spirituality and the afterlife was a key driver of the show for the first 5 years.

 

[VistraNorrez]

except it takes up half of the last season, creates a giant red herring for no other reason than to fuck with the viewers and gives us a trite forced happy ending when the show really didn't need one.

It isn't something that is easily ignored unless the bluray comes with an option to turn off x-timeline events.

Which by the way, I would welcome wholeheartedly.

The X-timeline was essential to the characters. Serious development went on with their characters.

And the show did deserve a happy ending. The characters went through a lot of shit in their lives. They were all lost in in their lives and they had to find their meaning.

Finding their meaning is about them getting their happy ending. A huge part of that meaning was realizing the relationships they built on the island were the most important ones of their existence. They were a group that had to be together. Jack and Kate had to be together. Juliet and Sawyer had to be together. Sayid and Shannon had to be together. Charlie and Claire had to be together. And they all had to be together in their big group.

They 100% justified the X timeline and the happy ending. If you don't accept these things then you don't like the point of show. Which is fine you don't have to.

 

[Mar]

I ended up finishing the rest of the series even though I hated pretty much all of season 6.

However, the last couple of episodes were really good. I really liked the end too. While I don't like religious and spiritual things, it was the logical ending to the show that everyone knew since season 1. It had to end that way, any other way would have been unfaithful to the series.

I commend them for finishing it the way it was supposed to finish, and the only logical way it could have ended.

I'm happy to count myself as a Lost fan for 6 years, even if it had its (very) low moments.

 

[JGS]

If the explanation for the cabin is "the seal was broken.. but in the back and no one ever checked back there" it would be one of the larger cop outs on the show.

I think Illana's whole team was pretty worthless in general. Outside of carrying a coffin with Locke's body across the island they didn't really have a point.

Why? If you thought that you would think that Smokey tricking people was a big copout. Ben & The Other would never think they were being duped.

Why would Ben, who was being forced by Locke to meet Jacob, think in the middle of the night to do a perimeter search of the cabin?:lol

 

[JGS]

agreed with StoOgE and Jexhius about how some of the reveals of ghosts off island don't really jive with the afterlife stuff in season 6. Also agreed that BSG had a ton more spirituality in it. in that show, it was a key plot driver from season 1 to the end.

I feel that the Lost writers were creating really good, character focused genre sci-fi for 5 seasons and then either a) wanted to give the show a more spiritual meaning or b) felt shoehorned by JJ's original ending and shifted gears to this more spiritual resolution.

That's their prerogative. fine. it's their show and they can do what they want and take whatever direction they want. but it's bullshit to try to play revisionist history and say that spirituality and the afterlife was a key driver of the show for the first 5 years.

Again, they never said that. The themes from season one has been a mix of science and religion. In fact Darlton represent the two extremes themselves. How anyone cannot see the role that science played up to the last episode is beyond me.

Being in previous "religious" discussions on the board though make it clear that many can't grasp that the two can co-exist just fine with each other. Fortunately the writers saw that two.

 

[tabsina]

I just watched it again - that was a truly incredible episode from start to finish..

Also.. I just got around to reading through this thread - the parts during which the episode aired.. the amount of people who got confused by the ending was hilarious - I can't believe people thought the plane crash was when they died.. someone even said 'i can't believe a theory from season 1 was right all along' .. unbelievable :lol

Also.. someone do a compilation of all the posts that Spire posted throughout the episode.. he had something negative to say about EVERY key moment in the episode - i was actually laughing at his posts by the end of it

 

[Lion Heart]

I had the weirdest dream.

I was at this girls house who happens to be my childhood love (a great one) and she drops the bomb that she is getting engaged. I was devastated, I tried everything to win her over, but she for some reason, chose this other guy. The guy was motherfucking HURLEY!! I couldn't believe it and now I kinda hate Hurley.

 

[StoOgE]

The X-timeline was essential to the characters. Serious development went on with their characters.

And the show did deserve a happy ending. The characters went through a lot of shit in their lives. They were all lost in in their lives and they had to find their meaning.

Finding their meaning is about them getting their happy ending. A huge part of that meaning was realizing the relationships they built on the island were the most important ones of their existence. They were a group that had to be together. Jack and Kate had to be together. Juliet and Sawyer had to be together. Sayid and Shannon had to be together. Charlie and Claire had to be together. And they all had to be together in their big group.

They 100% justified the X timeline and the happy ending. If you don't accept these things then you don't like the point of show. Which is fine you don't have to.

There was no character development. Jack learning to be a better father or whatever was pointless because as soon as he "woke up" that was over. What did Kate do to develop her character? Get arrested? Sawyer? Used more women? It was all a giant worthless swerve that set up the reunions.. because as soon as they "woke up" they realized "Oh shit, all that xtimeline stuff I did was pointless.. now I remember who I really am".

And no, the point of a character sacrificing something (love, their life, etc) is that they lose something in order to help themselves or other gain something that they think has value. X-timeline happy ending was a copout way of telling us all "and what they did really mattered in the end.. see? they were all rewarded with a happy ending and the island mattered"

A more satisfying/interesting ending would have been leaving us with the question of who was right. Was smoke monster/old Jack right that the island was being protected by nothing.. that it had no point? Or were new Jack/Jacob/Locke right that the island was special and needed protecting. A better ending would have been to leave it all on island and leave it open for interpretation if the sacrifices were worth something or not. They had done a good job all season of making you question if smoke monster or jacob were right. Clearly smoke monster was an ass.. but up until the writers chucked that sub-plot out the window I was seriously questioning if he was right and Jacob/crazy press secretary mom were wrong.

Giving us the happy feel good ending was a cop out and was a way to make the viewers feel good that they were right that the island was important, and that the characters all got their happy ending that they deserved via slow motion group hug.

The shows central theme was science vs faith for 6 years.. and in the last 20 minutes of the show they basically said "the correct answer was faith. You win a slow motion hug". A good piece of science fiction leaves you thinking about the message of the show.. was it worth it, who was right.. not scratching your head trying to figure out what the fuck you just watched.

And no, Sayid should not have wound up with Shannon. FFS.. had they even mentioned Sayid and Shannon in 3 years?

 

[McBacon]

I had the weirdest dream.

I was at this girls house who happens to be my childhood love (a great one) and she drops the bomb that she is getting engaged. I was devastated, I tried everything to win her over, but she for some reason, chose this other guy. The guy was motherfucking HURLEY!! I couldn't believe it and now I kinda hate Hurley.

dude

 

[thekad]

What the fuck is this spirituality shit doing in my hard sci-fi?

 

[pedrothelion]

No one is asking for a scene where they sit down and give you an expose on the islands mysteries. They have known for 3 years when it was ending. They should have answered some of this stuff as they went. Maybe they needed a few more episodes a season to do it. I don't know.

I still think the majority of the mysteries in the show have their answers heavily implied to with in the course of the series. There were some that they left completely unanswered, but even if they answered, for instance, who built the cork room I think it would have come across as completely ham-fisted and anti-climatic (I actually like they idea that the answer to hat question has been forgotten through the millennia).

But I do agree with you that there are logical inconsistencies to some explanations, but as you said it would highly difficult to avoid this considering they were making this up as they went along for 2-3 seasons.

 

[Jex]

And no, Sayid should not have wound up with Shannon. FFS.. had they even mentioned Sayid and Shannon in 3 years?

You have to remember, this is a reality created by flawed individuals.

 

[StoOgE]

I still think the majority of the mysteries in the show have their answers heavily implied to with in the course of the series. There were some that they left completely unanswered, but even if they answered, for instance, who built the cork room I think it would have come across as completely ham-fisted and anti-climatic (I actually like they idea that the answer to hat question has been forgotten through the millennia).
.

I don't have a problem with that sort of stuff being left unexplained. But they begged us to guess at the answers for some stuff that they just never got around to explaining.. or even giving us enough of an implied answer.

The polar bears is a good example of something that they did a good job of implying the answer too. They should have done more of that.

 

[tabsina]

The polar bears is a good example of something that they did a good job of implying the answer too. They should have done more of that.

What exactly about the polar bears did you not get answered?

 

[WillyFive]

It saddens me this kinda of reaction to the finale.

When I watched Sunday, I thought it was the most incredible thing ever, and that the rest of the viewers will agree with me.

Just shows that people will hate anything, no matter how good it is.

 

[Sadist]

I think he's arguing that the polar bear is pretty self-explanatory.

The Dharma Iniative had bear cages.

 

[pedrothelion]

I don't have a problem with that sort of stuff being left unexplained. But they begged us to guess at the answers for some stuff that they just never got around to explaining.. or even giving us enough of an implied answer.

The polar bears is a good example of something that they did a good job of implying the answer too. They should have done more of that.

Is there a list anywhere of things they left completely unanswered? I still don't understand how Sayid was resurrected. Jacob's cabin seems to be relatively unexplained (although there some good theories regarding that). What explanations were you looking forward to?

 

[Jex]

Just shows that people will hate anything, no matter how good it is.

Or that people will react to a show differently to how you do? There's nothing really sad about that.

 

[tabsina]

It saddens me this kinda of reaction to the finale.

When I watched Sunday, I thought it was the most incredible thing ever, and that the rest of the viewers will agree with me.

Just shows that people will hate anything, no matter how good it is.

agreed.. i posted my praise for the final episode as soon as I had watched it (which would have been morning some time in america) and when i looked at all the other posts in thread, i was surprised to see i couldn't find one positive comment about it on the entire page

EDIT:

I think he's arguing that the polar bear is pretty self-explanatory.

The Dharma Iniative had bear cages.

yep.. my bad - my mind just assumed he was concluding his post with something he was disappointed about not getting answered

 

[ErasureAcer]

agreed.. i posted my praise for the final episode as soon as I had watched it (which would have been morning some time in america) and when i looked at all the other posts in thread, i was surprised to see i couldn't find one positive comment about it on the entire page

The east/central viewers right after and during the episode were loving it BTW. I'd say it was 95% positive. Then into the early hours of the next day as everyone went to sleep the whiners came in feeling it was safe to do so and took over the thread.

 

[gdt]

It saddens me this kinda of reaction to the finale.

When I watched Sunday, I thought it was the most incredible thing ever, and that the rest of the viewers will agree with me.

Just shows that people will hate anything, no matter how good it is.

?

I'd say it's about 50/50, can't win everyone.

 

[The Elite]

Is there a list anywhere of things they left completely unanswered? I still don't understand how Sayid was resurrected. Jacob's cabin seems to be relatively unexplained (although there some good theories regarding that). What explanations were you looking forward to?

I think the enhanced healing that the Losties were experiencing was directly related to the water they found near the caves. The water on the island appears to all run through that cave which is obviously doing something to it. The pool in the temple must have been closer to the source than the rest of the water supply and allowed for, what appeared to be, ressurection in some cases.

One opportunity that they didn't explore here is what Sayid saw when he died. Wouldn't he have ended up in the purgatory? Was the reason he came back due to the fact that he wasn't happy with himself in that realm?

I'm pretty much convinced that Jacob's cabin wasn't Jacob at all but the Smoke Monster manipulating both Ben and Locke.

 

[StoOgE]

What exactly about the polar bears did you not get answered?

No.. I'm saying that the polar bears were a good job of what was a good implied answer that was never spelled out via exposition.

I get what the polar bears were and where they came from.

 

[Calcaneus]

Sir Hamish's theory a few pages back about Jacob/MIB/Smoke Monster is really good.

 

[pringles]

It saddens me this kinda of reaction to the finale.

When I watched Sunday, I thought it was the most incredible thing ever, and that the rest of the viewers will agree with me.

Just shows that people will hate anything, no matter how good it is.

Well said. Let's be honest though, we all knew the Lost finale couldn't please everyone. I'm just disappointed that it seems like a lot of people would have prefered a dude reading the answers to every little mystery for 90 minutes instead of the amazing TV we got.

 

[StoOgE]

Just shows that people will hate anything, no matter how good it is.

Yes.. that is exactly it. I thought to myself "Man, I've been watching this show for 6 years.. and that ending was amazing.. but I'm going to hate-fuck the shit out of it anyway because I'm that kind of guy"

FFS, can you not get that some people just don't feel the same way you do about it?

 

[LCfiner]

What the fuck is this spirituality shit doing in my hard sci-fi?

the broken Virgin Mary was important in that is contained the smack that Charlie wanted to cleanse himself from. the inmagery of the actual statue was not the key part of that scene.

Eko was an interesting character I'll give you that. he definitely wanted to find real faith, not just in the island, but in God to redeem himself. Of course, he got killed off since he was so important.

Building a church does not equal a show that is concerned with spirituality outside of Eko's character.

As for Kate, does it mean that anytime a character prays on a show, the show is ultimately all about faith? got it

Locke, we already established as being someone who needs to believe in the island. not sure what you mean.

and, of course, the last snarky remark from you, attempting to diminish what i meant in my posts.

I don't mind if spirituality is in a show. hell I liked BSG more because of the heavy influence of faith and science intersecting.

I'm just saying that Lost was way more concerned with EM pseudo science, time travel, dharma mysteries and The Numbers than spirituality for 5 seasons.

 

[thekad]

?

I'd say it's about 50/50, can't win everyone.

It's more about 90/10 with people who actually watched the show.

As for Kate, does it mean that anytime a character prays on a show, the show is ultimately all about faith? got it

This tells me all I need to know :lol

 

[StoOgE]

Sir Hamish's theory a few pages back about Jacob/MIB/Smoke Monster is really good.

except mom's body turned into a skeleton in the caves so she couldn't have been smokey and those couldn't have been the remains of other protectors going down the well to become smoke monster.

I assume those are the remains of other smoke monsters.. but I doubt they were also the protector.. and it at the very least wasn't the case with crazy mom press secretary... so who knows how she shit fucked that village up so quickly..

unless smoke monsters leave skeletons too. I guess that's possible.

 

[JGS]

There was no character development. Jack learning to be a better father or whatever was pointless because as soon as he "woke up" that was over. What did Kate do to develop her character? Get arrested? Sawyer? Used more women? It was all a giant worthless swerve that set up the reunions.. because as soon as they "woke up" they realized "Oh shit, all that xtimeline stuff I did was pointless.. now I remember who I really am".

It didn't teach him to be a better father imo. The kid was there because Juliet was a part of Lostie group and they had a kid together. It's that simple. The fact that they were in the X-timeline proved Jack was ready to move on- especially since it was after the events on the island.

This is why i think the timeline existed before the flight. The kid was the one making the mistake about Jack. Jack was overall a better guy in this timeline.

And no, the point of a character sacrificing something (love, their life, etc) is that they lose something in order to help themselves or other gain something that they think has value. X-timeline happy ending was a copout way of telling us all "and what they did really mattered in the end.. see? they were all rewarded with a happy ending and the island mattered"

The X-timeline ending wasn't a copout because it only showed how the characters endured. The X-timeline showed them as successful. If we watch the events of the Island then there's no reason to be dissatisfied with idea that the Losties could move on or were connected to each other more than any other person they met.

A more satisfying/interesting ending would have been leaving us with the question of who was right. Was smoke monster/old Jack right that the island was being protected by nothing.. that it had no point? Or were new Jack/Jacob/Locke right that the island was special and needed protecting. A better ending would have been to leave it all on island and leave it open for interpretation if the sacrifices were worth something or not. They had done a good job all season of making you question if smoke monster or jacob were right. Clearly smoke monster was an ass.. but up until the writers chucked that sub-plot out the window I was seriously questioning if he was right and Jacob/crazy press secretary mom were wrong.

That would not have satisfied the need for closure that most viewers have. LOST is very much a traditional series told in extraordinary circumstances. There was never a time the writers indicated anything would be open ended about the finale. If there was one thing I expected, it's a definite ending since that what the writers have been sayng for years.

Giving us the happy feel good ending was a cop out and was a way to make the viewers feel good that they were right that the island was important, and that the characters all got their happy ending that they deserved via slow motion group hug.

Well, except for the copout part, the rest is true.

And no, Sayid should not have wound up with Shannon. FFS.. had they even mentioned Sayid and Shannon in 3 years?

Agreed, but he did seem to love her a lot in Season 2 at least!

EDIT: Forgot to mention, but I think the writers tried to address this by having Nadia choosing Sayid's brother and reducing the relationship to pretty much just a crush. This could also be echoed in the real timeline since they barely ever saw each other. Again that's weak but I think they were trying to address it.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Jack's scar being MIB's knife wound is completely obvious :lol Why is this blowing people's minds?

I'm kind of upset that his knife stab was completely healed but the little scratch on his neck kept bleeding.

 

[StoOgE]

Well said. Let's be honest though, we all knew the Lost finale couldn't please everyone. I'm just disappointed that it seems like a lot of people would have prefered a dude reading the answers to every little mystery for 90 minutes instead of the amazing TV we got.

Point me to anyone asking for that ending.

Most people aren't mad that they didn't answer this stuff in the finale. We're mad they never got around to it at some other point.

I'm mad that the finale had a tacked on happy ending that I feel was completely unnecessary. In fact, I think the happy ending is more exposition than a guy reading answers was. It was a very nice "and everything they gave up in their lives to protect the island was worth it all along. Also, them dying wasn't even that big of a deal because they are all happy together again.. their sacrifices weren't sacrifices at all!"

 

[Sadist]

You know, MiB could have been the first Smokemonster.

 

[infinityBCRT]

So I think I get the whole Hatch and pushing the button thing.

In the 70s, when Dharma drilled into the pocket of energy, they basically uncorked the electromagnetic energy and that almost destroyed the Island until Juliet used Jughead to blow up the hole that they drilled and close it off. (At the same instant it blew up they time flashed so they weren't killed.)

With the Swan Hatch, they ended up drilling into that energy again, but with the pressing of the button they end up corking the pocket of energy so that the Island doesn't destabilize. With that energy they are able to channel it to do time travel (which is shown in one of the Dharma training videos with the two rabbits). MiB likely has done something similar (with more ancient technology) with the Frozen Donkey Wheel.

Whatever energy they were channeling into was the same energy that existed underneath the cork that Desmond unplugged.

 

[pringles]

Point me to anyone asking for that ending.

Most people aren't mad that they didn't answer this stuff in the finale. We're mad they never got around to it at some other point.

I'm mad that the finale had a tacked on happy ending that I feel was completely unnecessary. In fact, I think the happy ending is more exposition than a guy reading answers was. It was a very nice "and everything they gave up in their lives to protect the island was worth it all along. Also, them dying wasn't even that big of a deal because they are all happy together again.. their sacrifices weren't sacrifices at all!"

Happy ending?

I thought it was bittersweet at best, and extremely depressing from certain angles.

 

[StoOgE]

That would not have satisfied the need for closure that most viewers have. LOST is very much a traditional series told in extraordinary circumstances. There was never a time the writers indicated anything would be open ended about the finale. If there was one thing I expected, it's a definite ending since that what the writers have been sayng for years.

Which is my problem. The ending was fan service and nothing more.

They could have had an interesting question about the nature of faith. Viewers who were inclined to it could have believed it was all worth it in the end while other viewers might have been inclined to believe it was all for nothing.

If the show was about science vs faith and was fairly ambiguous about who was right and wrong (up to the point that MIB was probably the more sympathetic/relatable of the two brothers) about the island being important. It would have been much more satisfying to me if they hadn't have given us the answer at the end about which side was right in the fight.