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The End (Lost)

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"The End (Lost)"

"The End" is the series finale of the ABC television series Lost, consisting of the 17th and 18th episodes of season 6. It is also the 120th and 121st episodes overall. As the final episode, it was first aired in the eastern United States[1], and then aired simultaneously[2] in the western United States, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Israel, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom. The episode centers on Jack Shephard, Kate Austen, Benjamin Linus, John Locke, James "Sawyer" Ford, Claire Littleton, Hugo "Hurley" Reyes, Miles Straume, Jin-Soo Kwon, Sun-Hwa Kwon and Desmond Hume.

The finale was written by co-creator/executive producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Carlton Cuse, and directed by executive producer Jack Bender.[3] Unlike the previous season finales, which were two hours long with advertisements, the series finale was expanded by half an hour; running two and a half hours starting at 9pm Eastern Daylight Time, with a retrospective of the past six seasons running for two hours, starting at 7pm.[4][5][6] The series finale garnered 13.5 million viewers.[7]

The final conflict begins as the Man in Black (Terry O'Quinn) executes his plan to destroy the island and Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox) tries to stop him once and for all. In the flash-sideways, the survivors experience visions from the main narrative, and the nature of the flash-sideways[8] is revealed.

Plot

2007

Following the events of "What They Died For", Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox), Kate Austen (Evangeline Lily) and Hugo "Hurley" Reyes (Jorge Garcia) head to the heart of the island while James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh Holloway) goes to the well to help Desmond Hume (Henry Ian Cusick). At the well, Sawyer is confronted by Ben Linus (Michael Emerson) and the Man in Black. After the Man in Black reveals his plan to destroy the island, Sawyer steals Ben's rifle and reunites with Jack's group. Jack then tells Sawyer that he plans to confront the Man in Black at the heart of island. At the same time, Desmond, having been rescued by Rose Henderson (L. Scott Caldwell) and Bernard Nadler (Sam Anderson) (who have also travelled through time in "LA X"), is confronted by the Man in Black. The Man in Black threatens to kill Rose and Bernard if Desmond does not come with him, and Desmond agrees to go with him, provided he leaves Rose and Bernard unharmed. Meanwhile, Miles Straume (Ken Leung) finds a now aging Richard Alpert (Nestor Carbonell) and they set to destroy the Ajira plane. Along the way, they rescue Frank Lapidus (Jeff Fahey) from the wreckage of the submarine and they decide to leave the island by using the plane.

On the way to the heart of the island, Jack's group encounters the Man in Black, Ben and Desmond. Jack tells the Man in Black that he is going to kill him, and together with Desmond, they travel to the heart of the island. Jack believes that Desmond can kill the Man in Black because he thinks Jacob brought him back not as bait but as a weapon. Desmond tells Jack that destroying the island and killing Locke doesn't matter because he is going down to the heart of the island and leaving for another place. Jack and the Man in Black lower Desmond down to the heart of the island and he reaches a chamber, leading to a glowing pool with an elongated stone at its center. Immune to the pool's electromagnetic energy, Desmond manages to remove the giant stone stopper in the center of the pool. However, the light goes out and the pool dries up, and as the Man in Black predicted, sets about the destruction of the island. As a result of Desmond's acts is an unforeseen side-effect of making the Man in Black mortal again. After a prolonged fight, Jack is able to kill the Man in Black after Kate shoots him. However, Jack is mortally wounded and in a heartfelt moment, he and Kate profess their love for one another. Nonetheless, Jack, realizing he must prevent the destruction of the island, returns to the pool. When Kate asks Jack if he will ever see him again, the question goes unanswered. Jack tells Kate to find Claire and to leave the island. She leaves with Sawyer while Hurley and Ben follow Jack.

Kate and Sawyer travel to the site of the Ajira Airlines plane where Lapidus, Richard and Miles have been quickly trying to make it air-worthy. After convincing Claire Littleton (Emilie De Ravin) to leave, Kate, Sawyer, Claire, Richard, Miles, and Frank board the plane, which successfully takes off. Jack leads Hurley and Ben back to the heart of the island, where Jack convinces an emotional Hurley to take over as the protector of the island. Jack goes down to the light and rescues a barely conscious Desmond from death. Jack manages to restore the light and is enveloped in the light that surrounds him. Hurley, in his role as the new protector of the island, decides to help Desmond get home and asks Ben to be his right-hand man. When Hurley laments that people can't leave the island, Ben suggests that Hurley should not have to follow Jacob's way of doing things. Jack reawakens outside by a river and walks toward the spot where he woke up for the first time on the island. After Jack collapses to the ground, Vincent the dog approaches him and lies next to him. Jack gazes happily at the sky while watching the Ajira plane fly overhead away from the island. Jack slowly closes his eyes, mimicking the opening sequence of the series pilot which begins with Jack laying on the ground opening his eyes after the crash of Oceanic 815.

Flash-sideways

Desmond continues to gather the islanders who begin to recollect their time on the island. One by one, each member begins to recognize one another based upon close contact with a person or object that was important to them throughout their time on the island. Eventually most of them are drawn to the church that was to be the site of Jack's fathers funeral. Locke regains the use of his legs after being successfully operated on by Jack. He then meets Ben outside the church where Locke forgives him for murdering him. Ben then meets Hurley, who says everyone is inside, motioning him to join them, but Ben elects to stay outside. As Hurley heads back inside, he says to Ben that he was a " real good number two, to which Ben replies back that Hurley was a "great number one". Kate arrives with Jack and instructs him to enter through the back of the church, where he comes upon his father's coffin. The coffin acts as the catalyst for Jack's memories after earlier contact with Locke and Kate met with resistance on his part to believe his flashbacks. He then discovers the coffin to be empty. Christian Shephard (John Terry) appears to him. Jack then realizes that he had died, and is emotionally embraced by his father, who reassures him that the people Jack has met and the events leading up until now not only happened, but the time he spent with the people on the island was "the most important period" of his life. Christian then states time has no meaning in this place and that they "made" this place to "find each other", independent of the time at which they died, so they could "move on to the next phase" together. Jack and Christian go out into the church to meet the others. After an emotional reunion, Christian opens the front doors of the church, which releases another bright light, blanketing everyone inside the church.

Credits

Instead of being displayed upon a black background, the closing credits are shown alongside various shots of the Oceanic 815 plane wreckage.

Production

Damon Lindelof, producer, reported on his Twitter page that the finale completed shooting in Hawaii on April 24, 2010, exactly six years after filming was completed on the show's pilot.[9] When interviewed about the finale, Carlton Cuse stated that it had a real, definite resolution instead of "'a snow globe, waking up in bed, it's all been a dream, cut to black' kind of ending," referencing the series finales of St. Elsewhere, Newhart, and The Sopranos, respectively.[10]

The cast members have expressed satisfaction regarding the finale. Daniel Dae Kim stated "If you think about how many pieces the writers had to put together in order to make it fall into place, it’s mind-boggling, and they did such a great job... For me it was very satisfying. After I read it, I had to sit for five or 10 minutes, just reflecting and digesting, because it definitely makes an impact."[11] Michael Emerson has commented on the finale as well:

I have received the finale by degrees. I read the script without the secret scenes, then I read the secret scenes, then I shot the script and each time I’m thinking about 'what does this mean?' When I first read it, the ending wasn’t clear to me – but since then it’s grown more clear and I have to say, grown more satisfying the more I think about it. I expect a mixture of satisfaction and consternation amongst the viewers when it airs. But once they rewatch it, rethink about it and possibly look at the saga again, gradually they will feel like they have just read a good novel—but you have to chew on it for a while.[12]

Nestor Carbonell described the finale as being "all about everyone’s resolutions."[13] Also, Henry Ian Cusick has said "There are so many walks of life getting together to talk about the show and so many issues to be brought up and that's exactly what the ending will bring up. People will be talking about it for weeks afterwards and that's what the show has always done."[14]

After the finale, a post-finale special of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, titled Jimmy Kimmel Live: Aloha to Lost, aired at 12:05 a.m., showing three alternate endings, which turned out to be finale spoofs from Survivor, The Sopranos, and Newhart [15] Lindelof and Cuse have stated that they shot only one ending for the finale. All three were spoofs of other classic finales and were produced by Jimmy Kimmel Live![16] An ABC source reported that the DVD and Blu-ray release of season 6 will feature twenty minutes of additional scenes, some of which will have answers to questions, cut from the storyline due to running time.[17]

All former series regulars who appear (Ian Somerhalder, Dominic Monaghan, Jeremy Davies, Maggie Grace, Cynthia Watros, Rebecca Mader and Elizabeth Mitchell) are restored in the main cast in this episode. Also, guest stars L. Scott Caldwell, Sam Anderson, Fionnula Flanagan, John Terry, Sonya Walger and François Chau are upgraded to the main cast in these final episodes.

Reception

In its original American broadcast, "The End" was viewed by 13.5 million households with a 5.8 rating/15% share in the 18-49 demographic, coming first in every timeslot and boosting ABC to the highest rated network on Sunday. The best rated half-hour (the last one) was viewed by 15.31 million viewers and earned a 6.4 rating/19% share in the 18-49 demographic.[7] At least 20.5 million viewers watched at least 6 minutes of the episode according to ABC.[18] The series finale is currently the 55th highest viewed series finale in the United States. Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello called the ratings "Solid, not spectacular". According to Ausiello, even though it was the show's highest rated episode in two years, it was still "far from a record-breaking performance".[19]

According to the web site Metacritic, "The End" received "generally favorable reviews" with a Metascore – a weighted average based on the impressions of a select number of critical reviews – of 74 out of 100.[20] Chris Carbot of IGN gave the episode a 10 saying it was "Masterful" and "Lost may be gone, but it will hardly be forgotten." He also noted that the discussions about the episode may never end.[21] Eric Deggans of St. Petersburg Times also gave the finale a perfect score, stating "Sunday’s show was an emotional, funny, expertly measured reminder of what Lost has really centered on since its first moments on the prime time TV landscape: faith, hope, romance and the power of redemption through belief in the best of what moves mankind."[22] Robert Bianco of USA Today rated the episode perfect as well, deeming the finale "can stand with the best any series has produced." [23] Maureen Ryan of Chicago Tribune highly praised the finale, stating "The first two hours were exciting and emotionally engaging, especially when the island castaways in the Sideways world began remembering their 'real' lives. … But the last half hour or so took the finale to another level. … The emotional part of the finale worked so well that I don’t care much about the analytical/structural stuff." Although she criticized the supernatural plot device of the episode, calling it "wobbly at best" and "vaguely unsatisfying". [24] James Poniewozik of Time also praised "The End", calling it "full of heart and commitment."[25]

However, not all critics were wholly satisfied. Alan Sepinwall of Star Ledger was less enthusiastic of the finale, stating "I’m still wrestling with my feelings about 'The End'… I thought most of it worked like gangbusters. … But as someone who did spend at least part of the last six years dwelling on the questions that were unanswered – be they little things like the outrigger shootout or why The Others left Dharma in charge of the Swan station after the purge, or bigger ones like Walt – I can’t say I found 'The End' wholly satisfying, either as closure for this season or the series. … There are narrative dead ends in every season of 'Lost,' but it felt like season six had more than usual."[26] Todd VanDerWerff of Los Angeles Times felt that the episode "provides character payoffs we’ve been waiting for. … The important thing … is not answers. It’s resolution. And 'Lost' provided that in spades. … [But] I don’t know where I’d rank 'The End' against all other 'Lost' episodes. There were some jokes that fell flat, and an overreliance on sentimentality that could be a little grating at times."[27] Mike Hale of The New York Times gave "The End" a mixed review, as the episode showed that the series was "shaky on the big picture — on organizing the welter of mythic-religious-philosophical material it insisted on incorporating into its plot — but highly skilled at the small one, the moment to moment business of telling an exciting story."[28] Matthew Gilbert of Boston Globe gave the episode a mixed review as well, stating "The mixed episode offered an abundance of emotional resolution and vague metaphor, some of which was compelling (Sawyer and Juliet’s reunion, Jack and Desmond’s farewell) and some of which was quite hokey (the cork?! the light? Locke becoming human again?)."[29] David Zurawik of Baltimore Sun gave the episode a highly negative review, writing "If this is supposed to be such a smart and wise show, unlike anything else on network TV (blah, blah, blah), why such a wimpy, phony, quasi-religious, white-light, huggy-bear ending. … Once Jack stepped into the church it looked like he was walking into a Hollywood wrap party without food or music — just a bunch of actors grinning idiotically for 10 minutes and hugging one another."[30]

International reaction

The series finale generated interest from observers outside the United States. The BBC's Entertainment reporter Kev Geoghegan said "Honestly, the show ended the only way it could have possibly ended. It was emotionally satisfying while some of the questions were answered and yet others will remain a mystery. All in all, the show was wrapped up rather nicely with a positive affirming kind of message." Geoghegan, however, criticised the lack of redemption for The Man In Black, calling him "a man who saw the limitations of his life on island and saw his destiny elsewhere" and saying that "killing him resulted in a loss of balance on the island" (balance as well as good and evil being recurring motifs throughout the entire series).[31]

Shane Hegarty in The Irish Times said the finale episode was "about resolution rather than revelation" but admitted that the final scene in the alternative timeline was "somewhat of a letdown", while comparing it to the recent similar ending of Ashes to Ashes and contrasting it with the last ever episode of The Sopranos - "That show [The Sopranos] was not about mystery, but its final scene was so inscrutable that fans are still squinting in an effort to figure it out. Lost ’s finale, though, was not too obtuse."[32]

Michael Deacon in The Daily Telegraph expressed his relief that the show "didn't culminate in the revelation that the plot had all just been a terrible dream" and said he was "beatifically surprised" at the "great" ending.[33] The same newspaper reported that reviewers from the United States (apart from the reviewer with the Chicago Tribune) were "left cold" and "disappointed" by the result.[34]

Some reviewers were, however, left puzzled as to the meaning of Lost. Steve Busfield and Richard Vine in The Guardian said many questions remained unanswered - "if you were after answers about the other mysteries of Lost, you may not have found them" - and that "The aptly named Lost will continue to baffle, infuriate and delight fans for an eternity".[35] Tim Teeman in The Times referrred to "a global scratching of heads" in his review but concluded "The questions are ceaseless: it may be healthier, as one online fan put it, 'to just accept it and move on'".[36]

Broadcasts

The episode aired was initially broadcast on ABC in the eastern United States[1] and then simultaneously[2] in the western United States, CTV in Canada, Fox in Italy and Portugal, Fox and Cuatro in Spain, DiziMax in Turkey and Sky1 in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, HOT 3 in Israel at 9pm Pacific Time on May 23, 2010.[37][38][39] Due to the time difference, its initial Spain simulcast airing was at 6am (5am in the UK) BST. In Ireland, RTÉ Two decided to air it on Monday, May 24 at 9pm rather than its usual Thursday night slot in the interest of fans who did not want the ending to be spoiled.[40]

References

  1. ^ a b http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64J6HY20100524
  2. ^ a b http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2010/0524/Lost-finale-broadcast-live-in-eight-countries-but-Australians-outraged
  3. ^ "Weekly Primetime Schedule: April 26 - May 23, 2010" (PDF). ABC Medianet. April 23, 2010. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  4. ^ Lindelof, Damon and Cuse, Carlton (February 2, 2010). "Jimmy Kimmel Live!". ABC. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
  5. ^ Ryan, Maureen (December 15, 2009). "Lost Photos and Info Found: A Few Thoughts from Cuse and Lindelof on the End of the Island Drama". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
  6. ^ Snierson, Dan (2010-05-23). "'Lost' series finale will expand to two-and-a-half hours". EW.com. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
  7. ^ a b "Nielsen TV Ratings Sunday: 60 Minutes ratings, Lost finale ratings, The Simpsons finale Ratings, 'Til Death ratings, Family Guy finale ratings, Cleveland Show finale Ratings, Celebrity Apprentice finale ratings, CSI ratings, Brooks & Dunn The Last Rodeo ratings, Minute To Win It ratings - TV Ratings, Nielsen Ratings, Television Show Ratings". TVbytheNumbers.com. 2010-05-21. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  8. ^ "Confused by the 'Lost' premiere? Never fear! Damon and Carlton explain a few things about the start of Season 6". Entertainment Weekly. 2010-02-02. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  9. ^ "Twitter / Damon Lindelof: We wrapped the Pilot on my birthday. Bender called at 6 AM to say the finale is completed exactly six years later. The circle closes". 2010-05-12. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
  10. ^ "Talking 'Lost' with Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse". Washington Post. 2010-05-20. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
  11. ^ Lopez, Mario (2010-05-12). "Lost: Daniel Dae Kim on Twists, Taking It Off and 'The End'". TV Watch.com. Retrieved 2010-03-31.
  12. ^ Wieselman, Jarret (2010-05-12). "Michael Emerson: Ben's about to form a dangerous new alliance". New York Post.com. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
  13. ^ Keck, William (May 20, 2010). "How will Lost End?". TVGuide.com. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  14. ^ Fienberg, Daniel (May 20, 2010). "Nestor Carbonell and Henry Ian Cusick tease the end of Lost". Hitfix.com. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  15. ^ Stanhope, Kate (May 23, 2010). "ABC Extends Lost Series Finale by 30 Minutes". TVGuide.com. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
  16. ^ "Executive Producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse rehash Across the Sea in their final audio podcast before the series finale". ABC.com.
  17. ^ Keck, William (May 20, 2010). "How will Lost End?". TVGuide.com. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
  18. ^ "20.5 Million Watch At Least Six Minutes of LOST Finale - TV Ratings, Nielsen Ratings, Television Show Ratings". TVbytheNumbers.com. 2010-05-21. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  19. ^ Ausiello, Michael (24 May 2010). "Early 'Lost' ratings: Solid, not spectacular". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  20. ^ "Episode Review: "Lost" Series Finale". Metacritic. 24 May 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  21. ^ Carabott, Chris (2010-03-29). "Lost: "The End" Review - TV Review at IGN". ign.com. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  22. ^ "'Lost' finale: Long, satisfying trip is done". St. Petersburg Times.com. May=25, 2010. Retrieved May 24, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Text "Deggans, Eric" ignored (help)
  23. ^ Bianco, Robert (May 25, 2010). "'Lost' finale: Redemption as 'The End' justifies the journey". USA Today.com. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  24. ^ Ryan, Maureen (May 25, 2010). "The 'Lost' finale: It's hard to let go". Chicago Tribune.com. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  25. ^ Poniewozik, James (May 25, 2010). "Lostwatch: All of This Matters". Time.com. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  26. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (May 25, 2010). "'Lost' - 'The End': See you in the other life, brother". Star Ledger.com. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  27. ^ VanDerWerff, Todd (May 25, 2010). "'Lost': If you come with me, I'll show you what I mean". Los Angeles Times.com. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  28. ^ Mike Hale (2010-05-24). "No Longer 'Lost', but Fans are Still Searching". New York Times.
  29. ^ Gilber, Matthew. "'Lost' finale: emotional resolution". Boston Globe.com. Retrieved May 23, 2010. {{cite web}}: Text "May 25, 2010" ignored (help)
  30. ^ Zurawik, David (May 23, 2010). "'Lost' finale: Wondering where the wisdom was". Baltimore Sun.com. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  31. ^ Geoghegan, Kev. Review: The final episode of Lost. BBC Entertainment and Arts.
  32. ^ Hegarty, Shane. Did 'Lost' lose it? The Irish Times - Tuesday, May 25, 2010.
  33. ^ Deacon, Michael. 'Lost' finale found the secret of successfully ending a series. The Daily Telegraph. 24 May 2010.
  34. ^ Collins, Nick. 'Lost' finale disappoints reviewers. The Daily Telegraph. 24 May 2010.
  35. ^ Busfield, Steve and Vine, Richard. A Lost embrace. The Guardian. 24 May 2010.
  36. ^ Teeman, Tim. After six years, finale of the TV drama Lost is just the beginning. The Times. 25 May 2010.
  37. ^ Digiturk (May 23, 2010). "Final episode of LOST simultaneously with America". digiturk.com.tr. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  38. ^ Campbell Lisa (May 23, 2010). "Sky 1 to simulcast Lost finale". Broadcastnow.com. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  39. ^ "Lost: Sky1 To Simulcast The Lost Finale In The UK! May 24th At 5AM". Sky.com. May 23, 2010.
  40. ^ "RTÉ to show final of Lost next Monday". RTÉ Entertainment. May 21, 2010. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
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