lost finale part 2
So, here I go. My meat and potatoes LOST post that I'm writing after having watched THAT SCENE about 40 times but not the whole episode again. I will do this on Saturday when it re-airs, but I've already delayed this post. And let me just say that I've stayed away from EW.com, televisionwithoutpity.com, ontd_lost...basically any site that could talk about the show I've stayed away from with a few key exceptions as they related to my job at The Two Cents.
RANDOM TANGENT:
Here's the thing. I hate having to defend this show to anyone, especially people who either haven't seen every episode and still bitch and moan, or to people who watch it and just complain the entire time. Why are you picking an argument with me about a television show? No one's putting a gun to anyone's head and saying WATCH IT NOW, and I know part of it is my own 'I love this show so much that it literally disappoints me when people won't even give it a chance' complex. Not everyone can love everything, but saying you're a fan and then ripping it apart just doesn't sit well with me. So, I've stayed away from places where I know the 'fan' commentary is going to be snarky and one sided without any thought process involved.
Maybe I am just that much of a t.v. diva. #kanyeshrug
That being said though, I'd LOVE to have some conversation about the finale. I'm going to put it all behind an LJ cut and label it for your convenience, and yes there will be some more Suliet talk, but seeing as how there was a whole post about it earlier this week, I won't go into it too much. Okay. Are we ready for this?
No, a character didn't tell us what exactly the deal was with the place. But we know that if something happened to the Island, bad shit was going to go down. So, these are the facts as I've come to understand them:
→ The Island heals people who had previous ailments prior to the plane crash. See: Locke's paralysis, Rose's tumor.
→ The Island DOESN'T heal everyone. See: Boone, Shannon, Libby, Ana Lucia, everyone who died prior to season six. Because they weren't a candidate. OR, they didn't met Jacob's expectations and the Island was 'done' with them.
→ You can't have babies on the Island, but clearly this is only after the 70s since Ethan was born there. But I've decided that's because of the bomb, so it probably doesn't really fit in here.
→ The Island can be moved.
So, taking all of this into consideration, I'm going with the Island is the source of all good - all good life. Bad things happen because that's the yin and yang (the black and white; the Jacob and MIB) of life, but the Island was good and that's where we get all the good in the world from. You can't keep that kind of thing in one location for too long because what could someone do with that power? They could be manipulated by MIB for one to 'uncork' the evil. And we saw what the beginnings of that looked like - the Island in shambles with evil able to escape and dominate. So the Island moves itself for self-preservation. And that's what I've decided we're supposed to take from that. So in theory, Jack saved the world. And as much as I really don't like Jack, the last episode really sold his story for me, and I'll be interested to go back with a more critical eye to watch his episodes. (Except for 'Stranger in a Strange Land'. No one cares.)
We saw Walt do some freaky things. Appear to Shannon talking backwards. Thinking about birds and then suddenly having them show up dead. Appearing to Locke. So what do I think?
I don't think it was always Walt.
I think that he was the closest thing that Team Jacob (Ben and the Others) had come to finding a person able to harness life and death. In the wrong hands - in MIB's hands - that could be a dangerous tool. So, they kidnapped him, made sure he wasn't a threat and then sent him off of the Island where MIB presumably couldn't get to him. But MIB could still use his form and for whatever reason did so to serve his own greater purpose. I mean, it did inadvertently get Shannon killed, and he kept Locke from killing himself the first time in 'Through the Looking Glass' long after Walt was supposedly off the Island. I'm just saying, vessel of MIB.
After Ben died however many years later, he decided he wasn't ready to move on. Not yet. And I'm pretty sure it's because he wanted that second chance at being Alex's dad, and however weird it is, the chance to be happy with Danielle. I don't know if she and Alex ever remembered anything but let's pray for Ben's sake that they didn't.
And that brings me to the Juliet and James portion, though I guess this could be applied to all of them. Do any of them technically HAVE to move on? I mean, they all have these lives that they've been living in the after...life, so obviously it's real (at least to them it is), so who's to say that right after that scene in the church they all had to walk into the light? What if Juliet wanted to play cops and robbers with James and his handcuffs for a little while, I DON'T KNOW. And the fact that she had her ring, the ring that James wanted to give her but never did means (at least to me) that there was a promise to have that happy life they were striving for. And maybe it's the hopeless shipper in me, but I don't want to believe that they walk into a white light and that's it. I want there to be something for them. I want ALL of them to be able to have what they couldn't get because of the shadow of the plane crash following them.
Why wasn't Richard there? Why wasn't Miles or Lapidus or Faraday or whomever?
Because I firmly believe it was about those in the original crash and the people most strongly associated with them. Ben was there because he brought forth most of what happened in their lives after the crash. Juliet was there because she's James' soul mate. Michael wasn't there because he told Hurley he was stuck on the Island for doing what he did. (I would assume that Walt has decided to stay with his father.) Ana Lucia wasn't there because no one liked her anyway. (I'm kidding, my guess is that the ones who were in the crash but weren't there hadn't been 'triggered' yet.) These people in the crash built that place for each other, not for every Tom, Dick, and Keamy. And no, red shirts don't count. But WHY WASN'T VINCENT THERE? All dogs go to heaven :'( (On second thought, maybe when Vincent died he went to be with Walt and Michael, too.)
→ How funny that Juliet and Jack shared a life together, had a kid together, and neither one of them triggered each other. Because they weren't each others person.
→ And speaking of David...did he stop existing? Locke shouted to Jack that he didn't even have a son, so once Jack and Juliet remembered, did David just...disappear into that goodnight like a figment of both of their imaginations? He wasn't moving on with them.
→ Can we assume that they were all moving on...hundreds of years later if Hurley was there? Because I'd imagine he was on the Island for a long while.
→ Sun got shot in the stomach. Her baby should have died. And for as much as I want to believe Juliet is THAT GOOD, you can't kill an already dead person's unborn baby. Right? Is she still pregnant in heaven? How badly would it suck if you had to spend eternity pregnant? :(
→ No, for the last time, NO THEY WEREN'T DEAD THE WHOLE TIME. And if you think that, I have no idea what to say to you to make you understand that yes, the crash happened. Yes, they were all stuck on that Island. It all happened. And just like Christian said, they all died EVENTUALLY. Some before and some after Jack, but the end sequence was like everyone meeting up from all corners of eternity for an Island reunion special. Please understand this. I beg you.
I liked the finale. I loved the finale. I've heard that I'm in the minority, but I'm glad it happened the way that it did. I've liked it better than any finale I've watched in years, and yes, that does include Battlestar Galactica.
There.
I said it.
Next post: An update on some real life.
RANDOM TANGENT:
Here's the thing. I hate having to defend this show to anyone, especially people who either haven't seen every episode and still bitch and moan, or to people who watch it and just complain the entire time. Why are you picking an argument with me about a television show? No one's putting a gun to anyone's head and saying WATCH IT NOW, and I know part of it is my own 'I love this show so much that it literally disappoints me when people won't even give it a chance' complex. Not everyone can love everything, but saying you're a fan and then ripping it apart just doesn't sit well with me. So, I've stayed away from places where I know the 'fan' commentary is going to be snarky and one sided without any thought process involved.
Maybe I am just that much of a t.v. diva. #kanyeshrug
That being said though, I'd LOVE to have some conversation about the finale. I'm going to put it all behind an LJ cut and label it for your convenience, and yes there will be some more Suliet talk, but seeing as how there was a whole post about it earlier this week, I won't go into it too much. Okay. Are we ready for this?
No, a character didn't tell us what exactly the deal was with the place. But we know that if something happened to the Island, bad shit was going to go down. So, these are the facts as I've come to understand them:
→ The Island heals people who had previous ailments prior to the plane crash. See: Locke's paralysis, Rose's tumor.
→ The Island DOESN'T heal everyone. See: Boone, Shannon, Libby, Ana Lucia, everyone who died prior to season six. Because they weren't a candidate. OR, they didn't met Jacob's expectations and the Island was 'done' with them.
→ You can't have babies on the Island, but clearly this is only after the 70s since Ethan was born there. But I've decided that's because of the bomb, so it probably doesn't really fit in here.
→ The Island can be moved.
So, taking all of this into consideration, I'm going with the Island is the source of all good - all good life. Bad things happen because that's the yin and yang (the black and white; the Jacob and MIB) of life, but the Island was good and that's where we get all the good in the world from. You can't keep that kind of thing in one location for too long because what could someone do with that power? They could be manipulated by MIB for one to 'uncork' the evil. And we saw what the beginnings of that looked like - the Island in shambles with evil able to escape and dominate. So the Island moves itself for self-preservation. And that's what I've decided we're supposed to take from that. So in theory, Jack saved the world. And as much as I really don't like Jack, the last episode really sold his story for me, and I'll be interested to go back with a more critical eye to watch his episodes. (Except for 'Stranger in a Strange Land'. No one cares.)
We saw Walt do some freaky things. Appear to Shannon talking backwards. Thinking about birds and then suddenly having them show up dead. Appearing to Locke. So what do I think?
I don't think it was always Walt.
I think that he was the closest thing that Team Jacob (Ben and the Others) had come to finding a person able to harness life and death. In the wrong hands - in MIB's hands - that could be a dangerous tool. So, they kidnapped him, made sure he wasn't a threat and then sent him off of the Island where MIB presumably couldn't get to him. But MIB could still use his form and for whatever reason did so to serve his own greater purpose. I mean, it did inadvertently get Shannon killed, and he kept Locke from killing himself the first time in 'Through the Looking Glass' long after Walt was supposedly off the Island. I'm just saying, vessel of MIB.
After Ben died however many years later, he decided he wasn't ready to move on. Not yet. And I'm pretty sure it's because he wanted that second chance at being Alex's dad, and however weird it is, the chance to be happy with Danielle. I don't know if she and Alex ever remembered anything but let's pray for Ben's sake that they didn't.
And that brings me to the Juliet and James portion, though I guess this could be applied to all of them. Do any of them technically HAVE to move on? I mean, they all have these lives that they've been living in the after...life, so obviously it's real (at least to them it is), so who's to say that right after that scene in the church they all had to walk into the light? What if Juliet wanted to play cops and robbers with James and his handcuffs for a little while, I DON'T KNOW. And the fact that she had her ring, the ring that James wanted to give her but never did means (at least to me) that there was a promise to have that happy life they were striving for. And maybe it's the hopeless shipper in me, but I don't want to believe that they walk into a white light and that's it. I want there to be something for them. I want ALL of them to be able to have what they couldn't get because of the shadow of the plane crash following them.
Why wasn't Richard there? Why wasn't Miles or Lapidus or Faraday or whomever?
Because I firmly believe it was about those in the original crash and the people most strongly associated with them. Ben was there because he brought forth most of what happened in their lives after the crash. Juliet was there because she's James' soul mate. Michael wasn't there because he told Hurley he was stuck on the Island for doing what he did. (I would assume that Walt has decided to stay with his father.) Ana Lucia wasn't there because no one liked her anyway. (I'm kidding, my guess is that the ones who were in the crash but weren't there hadn't been 'triggered' yet.) These people in the crash built that place for each other, not for every Tom, Dick, and Keamy. And no, red shirts don't count. But WHY WASN'T VINCENT THERE? All dogs go to heaven :'( (On second thought, maybe when Vincent died he went to be with Walt and Michael, too.)
→ How funny that Juliet and Jack shared a life together, had a kid together, and neither one of them triggered each other. Because they weren't each others person.
→ And speaking of David...did he stop existing? Locke shouted to Jack that he didn't even have a son, so once Jack and Juliet remembered, did David just...disappear into that goodnight like a figment of both of their imaginations? He wasn't moving on with them.
→ Can we assume that they were all moving on...hundreds of years later if Hurley was there? Because I'd imagine he was on the Island for a long while.
→ Sun got shot in the stomach. Her baby should have died. And for as much as I want to believe Juliet is THAT GOOD, you can't kill an already dead person's unborn baby. Right? Is she still pregnant in heaven? How badly would it suck if you had to spend eternity pregnant? :(
→ No, for the last time, NO THEY WEREN'T DEAD THE WHOLE TIME. And if you think that, I have no idea what to say to you to make you understand that yes, the crash happened. Yes, they were all stuck on that Island. It all happened. And just like Christian said, they all died EVENTUALLY. Some before and some after Jack, but the end sequence was like everyone meeting up from all corners of eternity for an Island reunion special. Please understand this. I beg you.
I liked the finale. I loved the finale. I've heard that I'm in the minority, but I'm glad it happened the way that it did. I've liked it better than any finale I've watched in years, and yes, that does include Battlestar Galactica.
There.
I said it.
Next post: An update on some real life.