How "Lost" Found Its Way to the Greatest Finale in Television History

Mash, Nip Tuck, Newhart, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Cheers. All had great finales. Surprising, fun, emotional ... they had it all. However, I have never been as pleased or (frankly) moved by a series finale, or for that matter by any piece of scripted television, as I was by the Lost series finale.

I have been cynical about and critical of the last two seasons of Lost. I thought the story was going nowhere and that the characters had stopped developing. The writers had lost my faith, and as you know I respect quality writing over any other part of a television show. I kept watching because I wanted closure; I had bought-in to the story arc, and as with a promising book that drags on in the last few chapters I couldn't leave it unfinished. I considered it! But I'm immensely grateful that I didn't.

My main complaint with the last few seasons may seem familiar. I thought the mysteries of the island were turning out to be yet another stab at over-used good-vs.-evil metaphors, and that the ending of the story would leave me disappointed and unchallenged. Seriously! The good guy and the bad guy were even wearing white and black, respectively! C'mon!

The finale episode, "The End", changed my mind not only about the series, but about the capability of a television show to challenge even my cynical outlook. As usual, I have to credit the writers here, Damon Lindelof and Carleton Cuse (J.J. Abrams also has a writing credit for this episode, but I doubt he put pen to much paper). The richness of the story in the finale was something I did not expect from a scripted show on a major network in general, and from Lost in particular. Here are my thoughts about why the Lost finale is the greatest series finale in television history (bold words, I know!):

First, the episode made me happy. Before I started, I was expecting lots of banal reveals about the island, the Dharma Initiative, Jacob and the Man in Black, and maybe a final crossing over sequence (ironically I did get that one right). What I was given was a reminder that great drama is not about the setting ... it's not about the mystery ... it's not about special effects ... it's not even about the plot! No, great drama is about the characters; how they relate to each other, and how we relate to them. This finale unapologetically tells us that (in the words of Desmond) "what happens here [on the island] doesn't matter." That's right folks, everything that has drawn us in for 6 years, in truth, hasn't really mattered. The truth of the show has been happening right in front of us, without us really noticing. Jack and Kate, Hurley and Benjamin, Locke and Jack, Jin and Sun. The relationships are all that really mattered. The writers effectively slapped us upside the head and said, "Look at these people. They are the reasons you watch this show. They are what you care about. It's not about an island, or good vs. evil. It's about humans finding each other when they most need to be found themselves." The characters weren't "lost" on an island, they were simply "lost" ... until they found each other.

Second, the performances of the actors was simply unbelievable. I thought Matthew Fox and Evangeline Lily did particularly wonderful jobs here, but everyone laid it all on the table. They were all great. Some of my favorite moments included Hurley, as he takes on the protector mantle from Jack and has to say goodbye; when Jack first touches the sideways Kate at the concert and refuses to remember; and when Kate, Claire, and Charlie come together for Aaron's birth and remember together. I'm not ashamed to say I cried a bit each time. And, of course, the deus ex machina moment (subtly and wonderfully done) when Jack meets his dead father for a final moment of pure, raw relief. The range of emotion in the finale, from all the actors, was enough to impress anyone. I would be surprised if any of these fine actors ever does better.

Finally, the message of the finale. I'm sure there will be people who talk about the death, the rebirth, and the need to find your purpose before you "cross over" as messages in Lost. I'm not in that camp. I truly think the message here was all about the love and joy we all find in life every day from the other people in our lives while we are unfortunately caught up in the vagaries of our setting: our homes, our jobs, our hobbies, our islands. The fantasy of the show is that we will eventually find each and every person we need to live full and purposeful lives, whether we find them here or in some other reality. Normally, being the cynic I am, I roll my eyes and groan at heart-string schlock like that, but for some reason it worked beautifully in the Lost finale. As a result, I think today I will be more optimistic. Don't worry, I'm not going to invest lots of money in GM, or anything like that, but I'll put aside my misanthropic tendencies for a few days and see if I can live up to Jack's example. Or Locke's. Or Kate's, or even Charlie's!

I never expected to say this, but Lost ... thank you for reminding me that television can be surprising, and challenging, and wonderful. Now, if I could erase the last 20 years of reality programming all would be right with the world ...


P.S. -

Erica Durance, I love you.