Lost Season 6

[Judderman]

So the end of season 6 and the whole of Lost is almost upon us! It will be like the end of an era (especially with 24 ending too which I also watch).

There has been plenty of great episodes in this series, though not everyone was. Initially it was increasingly confusing but there have been some views of the past which have been great to give some of the explanation.
I hope it has a good finish, seems like it could be a manic end. Any thoughts on season 6?

 

[Mouse]

I've found it to be a massively disappointing series really, and I'm a huge Lost fan. Some episodes have been dire.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I agree with Mouse. I have been a huge fan of this series, and was eagerly looking forward to this last season, but most episodes have been disappointing. There was a time a couple of years ago where they seemed to go off the rails for about half the season and then pulled themselves together. But this season has had some of the worst writing in the history of the series. The way they are killing major characters -- boom, gone -- comes across as lazy rather than shocking and lacks the emotional effect. Spoiler ahead, highlight to read When Sun and Jin died it was at least poignant, but felt like a betrayal after dragging out their time apart and building us up for the big reunion. Said's sudden death just left me blank of any emotion, and he was a favorite character. They are killing off characters so quickly now, there is no time to absorb it before the next one dies. Yes, real life is messy and unexpected, but LOST is not mean to be realistic. It is getting quite pretentious with the symbolism and the "deeper" meanings -- which turn out to be trite and obvious -- and under those circumstances it is not right to dispense with longtime characters in that offhand way.

The Richard episode was one I looked forward to with great anticipation, because I thought it would be amazing after all the mystery built up around him, and it was a little flat. And then last night, boom, he's another one casually dispatched with while we wonder what his extended life-span was really supposed to be about. Frankly, the only parts I have really enjoyed have been in the alternate reality. Then the Jacob and Smoke Monster history episode was just horrible. Horrible acting, horrible writing, stupid explanations for things. And the fact that we found out his origins and they skipped over giving the Man in Black a name seems unforgivably coy on the part of the writers. There had better be a good reason for that in the finale, but if there is any reason given at all, I expect it will be something obvious and stupid, too.

I have only continued to watch because after all of these seasons and so many questions I want to see the answers. Although at this point I don't expect anything much, just that my curiosity might be satisfied. I don't expect the explanations will be satisfying in themselves. They have heavy work to do in that last long episode if they are to make up for all the missteps and stupidity of most of this season. I don't think they will manage it.

 

[Mouse]

Yes, you've just said exactly what I feel about the series too. I've just this minute finished watching the most recent episode (and I've already forgotten what it was called, oops!) And... I just find it so frustrating.

The complete lack of mention of Frank for example. Did he not really exist?!

The character deaths seem utterly pointless. I can't stand Jack, and Jacob to me comes across as being a little slow.

However, I love the Desmond stuff.

edit: Some of the dialogue this series has been horrendous too, especially that episode where Charlie was back in it and helped Desmond see the other reality.

 

[Judderman]

Well I have to disagree with the both of you, sounds like some excessive criticism. The Richard and Jacob episodes were excellent, two of the best in any Lost series. These were really interesting, entertaining and explained a lot of background to what has been going on. I have been waiting for ages for it to be revealed who Jacob was talking to on the beach (in another scene from the past in a previous series). With those and the source of the island's power revealed we now actually don't have so much that needs to be explained in the last two episodes (1 double?).

The alternative reality I think generally has been the worse part of the story though it has had its moments. Clearly Desmond is the key there now and probably something done on that side will cause some change in the island / Locke's brother.
Frank has been shown?? Also Jacob has been living on his own for most of his life, not like he necessarily has to be a quick thinker/talker even if keeping his brother in check.
Still, the last episode will have to be a good'un for this to end satisfactorily.
One other comment about worst episodes, I would have to say most of those were in a previous series when they left the island and then were realising they had to return. Thankfully things picked up again.

 

[Judderman]

The deaths could have been dealt with better perhaps I agree, though it is not needed for them to be strung out into episode long tear jerkers.
As for the smoke monster's name. Well we could have had a name for Jacob's brother but he is not really the same being anymore anyway.
Ah well, people will always disagree on a long program such as this where not all questions are answered.

 

[Mouse]

I'm sneaking on at work so can't write a lot. Frank hasn't been shown, or even mentioned, since we last saw him being knocked out in the sub.

 

[Judderman]

Oh I see, since a couple of episodes ago. Well I think he is dead, though the characters seemed to forget about that...

 

[Mouse]

Yeah that's what I find frustrating. I liked Frank.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

The Richard and Jacob episodes were excellent, two of the best in any Lost series. These were really interesting, entertaining and explained a lot of background to what has been going on.

Yes, both episodes gave answers to questions I had been eager to have explained for a long time. Unfortunately, the answers were a let-down, as far as I was concerned, after so much mystery and complexity leading up to them. Now I wish they hadn't been answered at all, if that was the best they could do.

As for finding out who Jacob was talking to on the beach -- that the Man in Black and the Smoke Monster were one and the same had been made pretty clear in previous episodes, so that didn't need to be spelled out and (spoiler) the revelation that they were brothers did not require an entire episode. Within seconds of the first baby's birth, even before the mother went into labor again, my husband and I both knew there would be twins and that they would be Jacob and Smoke Monster, although she certainly did not look like she was carrying twins when she came ashore. The last surprise in that story was when the guardian of the light murdered the real mother -- and we still don't know why the birth of the second baby apparently brought that on -- and every other major event was telegraphed in advance. That is not the LOST we knew, where surprise followed surprise and nothing was certain.

 

[Judderman]

I think there will still be plenty of questions left at the end but if there weren't some answers given there would be a lot of people complaining that they have been waiting for them for years.
Though I hear the Jacob episode split opinion a lot.
I guess Jack will end up on his own till the next people come..

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Well, I have to say I have enjoyed the season. The only thing I've been disappointed in is how few answers are being given. And now, with only the finale left, there's no way I can see them answering all questions in one episode. For example, what the hell was up with the numbers? In seasons 2 to 3, we were shown that that sequence of numbers was significant, somehow, (Hurley winning the lottery, their flight was Oceanic 815, which were three of the numbers in the sequence, etc.) but they haven't even been mentioned now for three years!

And we were shown the light that Jacob, his 'mother', and now Jack, have to protect; but what the heck is it, exactly? And why do they have to protect it? And why is it there on that particular island, as opposed to, say, my closet? And 'the mother' told the kids that she has made it so they can't kill each other. How? Does drinking that liquid give them power? To what extent?

There was a time a couple of years ago where they seemed to go off the rails for about half the season and then pulled themselves together.

That's because they didn't know the overral story arc. Once they hammered out the length of the show with the network, it left them free to figure out the details, and how they would be revealed.

The way they are killing major characters -- boom, gone -- comes across as lazy rather than shocking and lacks the emotional effect. Spoiler ahead, highlight to read When Sun and Jin died it was at least poignant, but felt like a betrayal after dragging out their time apart and building us up for the big reunion. Said's sudden death just left me blank of any emotion, and he was a favorite character.

I absolutely agree, particularly about <blank>'s death. One of my favourite characters, too.

The Richard episode was one I looked forward to with great anticipation

Ditto. I found his explanation a little underwhelming, too. But it's times like these I wonder, maybe you're better off not creating such an extended mystery. I doubt there would really be any explanation that would have been truly satisfying. We've built it up in our heads too much.

Frankly, the only parts I have really enjoyed have been in the alternate reality.

I disagree, except for the last couple of episodes. Things are definitely picking up in alt-land.

The complete lack of mention of Frank for example. Did he not really exist?!

Frank's the pilot, right? Yes, of course he existed. But, yeah, it's stupid that they've seemingly forgotten about him. I guess he's dead, too, but they really should have mentioned it.

I can't stand Jack, and Jacob to me comes across as being a little slow.

I've always been okay with Jack, but since season 5, he has become annoying and, strangely, been pushed to the side. I don't know if this was a deliberate evolution of the story, or if it just kind of happened, but over the last couple of seasons the writers have been pushing Jack further back while developing Sawyer. Not a bad decision, though early-Lost Sawyer was super annoying.

However, I love the Desmond stuff.

Season 6 Desmond rocks, but he's another one I couldn't stand earlier. I was genuinely pleased when they (appeared to have) killed him off.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

A TV Guide interview with the creators says that the numbers are meaningless. Jacob just likes them.

Form the beginning the producers acted like they knew where it was all going. They kept assuring viewers that the guesses they were coming up were wrong, and they had something amazing planned instead.

Personally, I think they spent so long denying all of the good explanations, that when they had to come up with their own, they didn't have anything as good left. Unless ... there is far more to it than Jacob's explanation last time, and there is something better to be revealed tonight.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Ok, I will admit that I liked the last episode very much. It was too long, I thought, because it wandered around aimlessly for a while trying to tidy up some of the messier story lines from this season ... but all in all it was a satisfying ending to the series.

And yes, I cried a few times.

 

[Perpetual Man]

I watched the end this morning (and despite the 5am start time in the UK I was prepared to watch it recorded a bit later in the day).

I have to say that I really enjoyed it, and felt that it was a fitting end to the often bamboozling series. Already it seems to have split the fan base with some loving it while others hate it, or at least seem to be a bit upset that not all the questions were answered or indeed there seems to be disagreement on what it all actually meant.

But I think that is a good sign giving rise to discussion in the future and is an apt conclusion to a show that asked so many questions of us throughout it's run.

Personally I actually think that with a little thought and imagination all the questions could be answered anyway.

I have to admit though that it seems kind of one of those weird instances that the ultimate answer to the show was thematically so similar to the end of the BBC drama Ashes to Ashes that ended on Friday night in the UK. A subconsious undercurrent running through the collective minds of the population?

Ohh, there we go thats my two cents worth and I think I managed to do it with no spoilers!!

 

[Bel_Azad]

Ok - no spoliers

I am glad it is all over and the final two episodes were pretty good - but as I tell me wife and kids every time when they watch Lost with me - Lost is for watching and is not about answering questions!

To tell you the truth - I was expecting something more meaningful in the final show to explain what was going on - it seems these final storylines confirmed the writers were making it up as they went along - but still great series!

 

[Mouse]

I enjoyed the ep apart from the very last bit. I didn't like it at all. I won't rant about it, as I've already done that on the Lost forums I'm part of! Incidentally (and don't know if I'm allowed to say this, so please delete this, mods, if I'm not!!) I'm an admin on Lostie.net and there's a big quiz going on at the mo and everybody's welcome to enter. There's a cool prize of lots of Lost goodies.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I'm the opposite. I liked the end, but was underwhelmed by much of what came prior.

The first half of the episode (or rather, the first of the two episodes) was dragging, and I felt it was too predictable and even a little corny. But the second was a lot better. And I think I understand the end, but I'm not a hundred percent sure.

Anyone care to spell it out for me (spoiler alert and all that)? I want to make sure I have it right...

 

[Mouse]

Explanation here: Lost Finale Explanation: Lost Season 6 "The End" Explained | Buzzy Sports

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Good. That's pretty much what it seemed like to me, as well.

I still have plenty of questions, but I guess this thread is supposed to remain spoiler-free? And, of course, not all questions have an answer...