When the story of The Sopranos was closed with a jarring cut to black, fans were mad. Many embraced the art-house-esque conclusion as a brave statement that spoke to the raw reality of the show’s subject matter; corruption, family, even story are all archetypal concepts — they never end, only our perception of them ends, with death. Others were less overwhelmed. LOST‘s producers have promised us that the mysteries of the island will not remain mute behind a similar conclusion, yet last night we saw taskmasters Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof boldly demonstrate that they weren’t above using a similar technique, cut to white, for a cliff hanger ending to LOST‘s penultimate season finale; effectively leaving fans with no indication of what the future may hold for the series.
With another season remaining for LOST, it is clear that Jack’s plan will likely not come to fruition. In that version of the LOST verse, the initial event that is seemingly responsible for everything from Dr. Chang’s prosthetic arm to the crashing of Oceanic 815 is averted by Juliet’s sacrifice-slash-act-of-faith; effectively undoing the happenings of the last five years of the series. I don’t need to tell you how irate LOST fans would be if the last five seasons became an asterisk to a new season six story; since we can be reasonably sure the LOST producers know that as well, we can probably move on from that possibility.
Things will change, and they will change to accommodate a new playing board complete with new chess masters. Of course, if we learned anything last night, these new players are far from new — they’ve been there all along, in the finest details of the characters lives. Two forces: one, Jacob, a man of faith with a philosopher’s ideals on the carnage of mankind’s selfish pursuits; the other, the mysterious Man Number Two, a man of logic who sees the actions of the unenlightened — and enlightened to what? — as fundamental variables in the mathematics of self destruction.
Throughout the episode we see both of these forces at play. Jacob in the flashback portion of the show, touching each of our beloved LOSTies at times that have become character defining in their histories. Man Number Two is subtler, and my instincts tell me we’ve seen his plays more than any of Jacob’s. Man Number Two, as it turns out, has been using the guise of John Locke who is dead after all. Apparently, he may have also impersonated Jacob himself at one point, and probably Christian Shepherd, all in an elaborate ploy to kill the real Jacob, his optimistic opponent.
The subtle conflict mirrors that of Ben and Widmore. Ben cannot kill Widmore, for reasons we don’t know, and Man Number Two cannot kill Jacob personally, for reasons we do not know — and, like Ben, Man Number Two isn’t afraid to let his opponent know he’d love to do it.
Jacob’s dying warning ‘they are coming,’was an ominous tipoff to yet another force entering the LOST battlefield. Something else we will have to wait until next season 4. And then there is the fate of Juliet, Sayid, Jacob, and even the ‘˜real’John Locke. Did the detonation of the bomb save them? Tune in next year.
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I would be satisfied if all the events of seasons 1-5 are undone by the nuclear blast… as long as the characters retain their memories. i.e., the events themselves are "undone" by changing history, but as long as all the character development that we have become invested in remains intact, the story will maintain continuity. This seems plausible, since Desmond has "flashes" from a timeline that never happened in season 3. It will allow all of our dead characters to come back (since they never died) and presumably the Oceanic gang will be forced to choose sides in the good vs evil battle that is coming. The lingering memories of what (no longer) happened will influence these decisions. I bet Season 6 begins with Oceaninc 815 landing in L.A, but with all the characters instantly resuming their friendships and rivalries.
I would be satisfied if all the events of seasons 1-5 are undone by the nuclear blast… as long as the characters retain their memories. i.e., the events themselves are “undone” by changing history, but as long as all the character development that we have become invested in remains intact, the story will maintain continuity. This seems plausible, since Desmond has “flashes” from a timeline that never happened in season 3. It will allow all of our dead characters to come back (since they never died) and presumably the Oceanic gang will be forced to choose sides in the good vs evil battle that is coming. The lingering memories of what (no longer) happened will influence these decisions. I bet Season 6 begins with Oceaninc 815 landing in L.A, but with all the characters instantly resuming their friendships and rivalries.
I felt like I wasted the last five years. We could have gotten to the same place in story in much less time. This could easily have been season three material if they would have paced the story better.
It is so strange when people talk so despondently about Season 2. I watched the entire season on dvd, so I blew right through them in about one week. It remains my favorite season, and the favorite season of several of my friends who did not start watching the show until season 3 or 4. Did you start watching the show week-to-week before or during Season 2? Also, they were broadcast out of continuity (no new episode each week), so I have no idea what waiting a month for a new episode was like.
In season 2 we got the hatch, the button, introduction to dharma, desmond, eko, ben (henry), crossovers started to become apparent… still my favorite season.
I'm glad the first three seasons moved at a slower pace, because we really got a chance to know the characters and slowly explore the Island mysteries. If everything back then moved as fast as Season 5's plot has, I don't think the overall story would have had as much resonance.
It is too bad you feel that way. Not everybody has a deep and fulfilling imagination, but I guess we work with what we have. It's just too bad your mind is like a mutilated arm.
Who are you to diss and bash other people's comments just because they don't get to agree with you, or share your sentiment about what is at the end of the day, a TV show? I doubt it's some 'deep and fulfilling imagination' behind that adolescent 'mutilated arm' comment of yours.
Yeah, but you guys and gals have to remember, Lindelof, Cuse and the rest of the writers weren't here to tell this story in three season. You can say about almost any TV show "they could've got there in 3 season." But TV shows are meant, hopefully if the network gets their way, to go on for years and years. Basically the idea is to bleed a show of its talent and creativity until it dies a slow death. So do I think the writers started some subplots to this story with the intent to allow it to last as long as the network wanted? Absolutely. We just have to be thankful that ABC agreed to let them do only 3 more years of the show (at the time the final season was negotiated) so that the writers could start centering on the important part of the plot, and start to drop some of the senseless subplots we were starting down. So yeah, looking back after this is all over, there are going to be plenty of onscreen moments where we go, "What the hell was the point of that subplot or scene?" But that's okay!
I felt like I wasted the last five years. We could have gotten to the same place in story in much less time. This could easily have been season three material if they would have paced the story better.
It is so strange when people talk so despondently about Season 2. I watched the entire season on dvd, so I blew right through them in about one week. It remains my favorite season, and the favorite season of several of my friends who did not start watching the show until season 3 or 4. Did you start watching the show week-to-week before or during Season 2? Also, they were broadcast out of continuity (no new episode each week), so I have no idea what waiting a month for a new episode was like.
In season 2 we got the hatch, the button, introduction to dharma, desmond, eko, ben (henry), crossovers started to become apparent… still my favorite season.
I’m glad the first three seasons moved at a slower pace, because we really got a chance to know the characters and slowly explore the Island mysteries. If everything back then moved as fast as Season 5’s plot has, I don’t think the overall story would have had as much resonance.
It is too bad you feel that way. Not everybody has a deep and fulfilling imagination, but I guess we work with what we have. It’s just too bad your mind is like a mutilated arm.
Who are you to diss and bash other people’s comments just because they don’t get to agree with you, or share your sentiment about what is at the end of the day, a TV show? I doubt it’s some ‘deep and fulfilling imagination’ behind that adolescent ‘mutilated arm’ comment of yours.
Yeah, but you guys and gals have to remember, Lindelof, Cuse and the rest of the writers weren’t here to tell this story in three season. You can say about almost any TV show “they could’ve got there in 3 season.” But TV shows are meant, hopefully if the network gets their way, to go on for years and years. Basically the idea is to bleed a show of its talent and creativity until it dies a slow death. So do I think the writers started some subplots to this story with the intent to allow it to last as long as the network wanted? Absolutely. We just have to be thankful that ABC agreed to let them do only 3 more years of the show (at the time the final season was negotiated) so that the writers could start centering on the important part of the plot, and start to drop some of the senseless subplots we were starting down. So yeah, looking back after this is all over, there are going to be plenty of onscreen moments where we go, “What the hell was the point of that subplot or scene?” But that’s okay!
I completely agree with you Foo Bar. It would be amazing if that happened. It's what I think will happen, and I desparately hope that I am correct! [:
I completely agree with you Foo Bar. It would be amazing if that happened. It’s what I think will happen, and I desparately hope that I am correct! [:
i dont know. it would be kind of cool if the losties did go back to the crash of oceanic 815 with thier memories intact, but could you imagine the production nightmares of trying to bring back long gone characters like michael, boone, tom, and shannon back, not to mention a young walt. I think it is logical and almost obvious that the people that were on board ajira 316 (jack, kate, hurley, sayid) will be transported to immediatley after the crash of 316 while sawyer and co. will be transported to somewhere on the main island, and probably get tricked into letting the man #2 escape from his cabin by removing the ash. With that said the original john locke will live again… so to speak. With hurley now in the present time i can definitly see locke paying him visits and trying to get him to stop his evil self
i dont know. it would be kind of cool if the losties did go back to the crash of oceanic 815 with thier memories intact, but could you imagine the production nightmares of trying to bring back long gone characters like michael, boone, tom, and shannon back, not to mention a young walt. I think it is logical and almost obvious that the people that were on board ajira 316 (jack, kate, hurley, sayid) will be transported to immediatley after the crash of 316 while sawyer and co. will be transported to somewhere on the main island, and probably get tricked into letting the man #2 escape from his cabin by removing the ash. With that said the original john locke will live again… so to speak. With hurley now in the present time i can definitly see locke paying him visits and trying to get him to stop his evil self
i'm still wondering: why did richard say that he watched all of the time travellers die? he wasn't even at the swan site. is that a clue to what's to come?
Maybe he saw a big mushroom cloud and figured they had succeeded in blowing themselves to smithereens.
i’m still wondering: why did richard say that he watched all of the time travellers die? he wasn’t even at the swan site. is that a clue to what’s to come?
Maybe he saw a big mushroom cloud and figured they had succeeded in blowing themselves to smithereens.
Guys, what about the contents of the guitar case (or the case itself) Jacob left to Hugo in the taxi, after he was jailed out?
mmm.. either it worked to make Hurley a perfect prop for Charlie on the airplane, or it contained something that may be useful when it comes to face tremendous eruption of pocket of radioactive energy…
If the latter is the case, could it be that Hurley did put this tool inside Jack's bag, substituting it to the real Jughead's core? In other words, that Juliet did activate this tool instead of the JH?
.. My mind's twisting..
Guys, what about the contents of the guitar case (or the case itself) Jacob left to Hugo in the taxi, after he was jailed out?
mmm.. either it worked to make Hurley a perfect prop for Charlie on the airplane, or it contained something that may be useful when it comes to face tremendous eruption of pocket of radioactive energy…
If the latter is the case, could it be that Hurley did put this tool inside Jack’s bag, substituting it to the real Jughead’s core? In other words, that Juliet did activate this tool instead of the JH?
.. My mind’s twisting..
Great Tv Show and i'm waiting for the Season 6
Great Tv Show and i’m waiting for the Season 6