LOST: Anticipating "The End"

Although I'm trying to be more cryptic for those who haven't yet seen "What They Died For," spoilers still abound. Only read this blog if you want to figure out what happens in this episode before you watch it.



I'm posting the questions I expect to see answered and some sure bets for the finale. Instead of posting my comments about "What They Died For," very early next week (as soon as I stop sobbing after the finale) I'll post several blogs dealing with some key points from the finale, because I think of "What They Died For" as the first hour of the finale.

I will say that I liked this episode very much because 1) it tied the current island story to the mythology story from the previous episode, 2) it put Jack exactly where I thought he should be, and 3) it resolved a lot of issues between Ben and Widmore.

Once again, Michael Emerson is superb as two very different Bens within the same episode. I liked each of his stories, because each is believable and true to the character within each 'verse.

Once again, we hear Locke's and Jack's repeated lines from previous episodes. We see a mirrored passing of the cup and torch to the next generation of island protectors.

I also like the symbolism of black clothing being worn by those in the altverse given epiphanies or second chances by Desmond. Very interesting.



So--here are the questions I expect will be answered by the end of the "The End":

Will the concert be the event that ties the altverse (or sidewaysverse) to the islandverse, or will the two be forever separated so the "survivors" can live in peace?

Will the concert be the unifying force that brings together the families and wannabe families in one loving reunion?

Will the island be destroyed? Will it be submerged, as we saw at the beginning of the season?

Will the story come full circle with Jack being the last person we see—the story finishes from his perspective, just as it began?

OK--so those are the immediate questions that I anticipate will be answered affirmatively.

More philosophically:

According to LOST, can good overcome evil?

Is love the meaning of life, and we won't be LOST anymore if we find true love?


Those aren't the questions that I thought I'd be posing going into the finale, but right now I don't care why the numbers were chosen or why they work as they have, where Jacob's adoptive mom came from, or even if Smokey existed before Jacob killed MIB. Sure, it would be nice to know all that, too, but I can take some facets of the story on faith. And maybe that's kind of the point, too.

Some sure bets--We'll see the vast majority of the people we've cared about (including Rose, Bernard, and Vincent) one more time. Everyone gets what he or she deserves in “The End.” The surest bet of all: We’ll be discussing just how to interpret the ending for months to come.