I loved the show from beginning to end. I was happy with the finale, and I will argue that it's the best network show of all time.

I do feel bad that I was robbed of the opportunity to rewatch the whole series and pick up clues as I go along. I was hoping I could watch a Walt episode and say to myself, "HA! That's why him drawing birds was important!" or, "WOW! Those food drops really lead to catastrophe." Instead I am left with a good show that is not very rewatchable because a lot of the stuff they showed is not very important.

I would have preferred more self contained stories like the Nikki and Paolo story as opposed to a bunch of stories that didn't really matter. The writers claim that they only explored the mysteries that mattered to the main characters is a cop out. It's not like they had to take over the show halfway through the run and do the best they could with what previous writers left them. They wrote all of these stories, and then ultimately told us they didn't matter because they didn't matter to the characters. Why write them then? Why give the statue four toes? Why have a food drop? Why have Desmond be all cryptic the first time he meets Jack?

I loved the show, and enjoyed the ride, but I am sad because it could have been so much more.

I really have to agree with all of this. I liked the finale but now find myself wishing there was more explanation of some things. Overall though really liked it.

i enjoyed it, but i can see why some people are bummed...

i watched the whole series on netflix in the last 6 months so i have no real investment, if i had been watching for 6 years i would have a larger stake in how it ended...i was also never a real "lost theorist" that tried to figure it all out, it was more jus enjoy the trip for me...the finale was pretty emotional, the gf cried a bit and i enjoyed seeing everyone reunite, and it was nice to see juliet return...

ill buy it when the set is released and watch it again eventually...

I think the whole reason alot of people feel ripped off is because they are pretending it was a character driven show that drew everyone in because of the characters. Which is like at best 50% true. The show was a mystery drama, and used the island as this crazy mysterious place to get you to ****ing watch. They wrote the plot as they went, and when they couldnt explain alot of it, they just ended it as this drama and people are eating it up because in the end it was all about looooove I knew it! Passion and faith holds true!

I mean the characters were excellent, but I watched the show from the beginning originally because holy **** there is a smoke monster unrooting trees, and these guys are in a lord of the flies type situation but now they found this crazy hatch! Woa it looks like civilizations have been here for thousands of years? etc etc. It was this mysterious place that intrigued everyone, and it happened to have a amazing cast inhabiting it. Eventually the last few seasons drifted to focus on the cast, including a entire season of flash forwards that were all worthless and not real. How people are screaming "omfg 10 out of 10 finale!!!" when they degraded the show is beyond me.

I still love the show as a whole, but put it this way. I watched the finale, and 6 of my friends hadn't seen it yet and were downloading. The very first thing they asked me was "sooo do we get ****ing answers!" not "so does Jack solves his moral problems and move on with his life??". Both are interesting, and yes they did a amazing job of making us care about the characters, but don't ****ing pretend you would rather know question 2 before question 1. Its alright to admit when someone who makes something you enjoy did something sub par.

caught, no doubt it would have been better if they could wrap up everything that anyone found significant and pleased everyone...not very many people (if any) are saying it was perfect, but that doesn't mean it was terrible and the writers owe us explanations etc...

I was pleasantly surpirsed with the finale. I watched every episode since the pilot and enjoyed the show but was getting annoyed once all of the really crazy stuff started happening (ie time travel). At this point I made the decision that they weren't in Kansas anymore.

This season was pretty frustrating as well trying to understand just what was happening with the alt timeline. But I thougholy enjoyed how they brought the timelines together in the finale and actually got goosebumps during some of the realization scenes.

As long as I don't think about it too much anyway What happened happened huh? The only way I can resolve the ending in my own mind is that they all died in the crash. That way what happened happened all right it just didn't happen in real life. Both the island and the flash sideways worlds were forms of afterlife. You had to get through one (the island) first to get to the second (flash sideways) to get to ultimatley leave purgatory (ie alt timeline). This is the only way I can accept smoke monsters, resurrections, immortality, time travel etc.

My favorite book ends with the author, as a character, showing up to the protagonist's house and handing him a stack of papers. At the bottom of the stack of papers, the end of the book is written. Many people really felt cheated and robbed by this ending. The rest of the book is beautiful and funny to me, and I don't care about the ending one bit.

I feel the same way about Lost. I don't need to know Dharma's goal, Walt's powers, or the the four-toed statue (really, who cares about that one). It just doesn't matter. The journey was fun. They left a lot unsolved. The character arcs were great and mostly completed.

I don't care if the author shows up. The journey itself was the fun ride. The ending is just another episode.

theres no doubt in my mind that if someone tried, they could create a list of well over 100 questions that the writers just ignored. somewhere in the middle of season four, i came to the realization that this show was really, really bad, and the only reason i kept watching was that i wanted to know the answers to these stupid questions. i guess technically, all the questions did get answered because, theres a magic light at the center of the island that's magical. magic.

I think for those people that only watched seeking answers like it was a crossword puzzle and who weren't remotely invested in the different characters and wanting to see where they would go, if they would find redemption, what the reason was they were brought there, etc....I'm not sure why they actually bothered to watch the show after a season or two.

I mean almost every episode involved character flashbacks...sure there was some minor mysteries in each episode besides the 2 or 3 main ones...but they were stupid little gimmicky type stuff that really served no purpose other than to cause speculation. I kind of figured people would have caught onto to that by Season 6 instead of just thinking that the writers were going to spend all of season 6 creating story lines to answer all the open questions from the prior seasons. That's not to say there weren't flaws in some of the writing but given the scope of the show it's kind of asking to much to assume perfection in terms of the story lines.

My #1 one question that I thought was fairly huge to me in terms of why the island/heart of the island was so important was answered in the church scene in the finale(in my mind anyways) so besides that, seeing a solid conclusion to characters like Sayid, Locke, Ben, Sawyer, Jack, even Boone and Bernard/Rose was 100x better than finding out why Walt was special, why people couldn't have babies, why Christian's ghost showed up off island etc.

I mean I watched the Sopranos and loved the show and all the story lines...but I never really gave a **** about a majority of the characters besides maybe Tony compared to how invested I became over 6 years with Jack, Locke, Ben, Sayid, Sawyer, etc etc.

So maybe it all comes down to how well you emotionally connected with the main characters in terms of how you viewed the show and the finale.

I gave it a A. Was def. one of the best finales I've ever seen in my lifetime.
It was def. a flawed show...but despite those flaws it was still brilliant which says a lot.

Dharma was still an organisation in 2004, they still had people in the Hatch (Kelvin) and a man got to eat right?

Here's a very interesting explanation from a 'Lost' writer on the entire series. I pulled this from lostpedia, not sure where is came from. All below is a direct quote.

Orignal Post

I can finally throw in my two cents! I've had to bite my tongue for far too long. Also, hopefully I can answer some of John's questions about Dharma and the "pointless breadcrumbs" that really, weren't so pointless ...

First ... The Island:

It was real. Everything that happened on the island that we saw throughout the 6 seasons was real. Forget the final image of the plane crash, it was put in purposely to f*&k with people's heads and show how far the show had come. They really crashed. They really survived. They really discovered Dharma and the Others. The Island keeps the balance of good and evil in the world. It always has and always will perform that role. And the Island will always need a "Protector". Jacob wasn't the first, Hurley won't be the last. However, Jacob had to deal with a malevolent force (MIB) that his mother, nor Hurley had to deal with. He created the devil and had to find a way to kill him -- even though the rules prevented him from actually doing so.
Thus began Jacob's plan to bring candidates to the Island to do the one thing he couldn't do. Kill the MIB. He had a huge list of candidates that spanned generations. Yet everytime he brought people there, the MIB corrupted them and caused them to kill one another. That was until Richard came along and helped Jacob understand that if he didn't take a more active role, then his plan would never work.

Enter Dharma -- which I'm not sure why John is having such a hard time grasping. Dharma, like the countless scores of people that were brought to the island before, were brought there by Jacob as part of his plan to kill the MIB. However, the MIB was aware of this plan and interferred by "corrupting" Ben. Making Ben believe he was doing the work of Jacob when in reality he was doing the work of the MIB. This carried over into all of Ben's "off-island" activities. He was the leader. He spoke for Jacob as far as they were concerned. So the "Others" killed Dharma and later were actively trying to kill Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley and all the candidates because that's what the MIB wanted. And what he couldn't do for himself.

Dharma was originally brought in to be good. But was turned bad by MIB's corruption and eventually destroyed by his pawn Ben. Now, was Dharma only brought there to help Jack and the other Canditates on their overall quest to kill Smokey? Or did Jacob have another list of Canidates from the Dharma group that we were never aware of? That's a question that is purposley not answered because whatever answer the writers came up with would be worse than the one you come up with for yourself. Still ... Dharma's purpose is not "pointless" or even vague. Hell, it's pretty blantent.

Still, despite his grand plan, Jacob wanted to give his "candidates" (our Lostaways) the one thing he, nor his brother, were ever afforded: free will. Hence him bringing a host of "candidates" through the decades and letting them "choose" which one would actually do the job in the end. Maybe he knew Jack would be the one to kill Flocke and that Hurley would be the protector in the end. Maybe he didn't. But that was always the key question of the show: Fate vs Free-will. Science vs Faith. Personally I think Jacob knew from the beginning what was going to happen and that everyone played a part over 6 seasons in helping Jack get to the point where he needed to be to kill Smokey and make Hurley the protector -- I know that's how a lot of the writers viewed it. But again, they won't answer that (nor should they) because that ruins the fun.
In the end, Jack got to do what he always wanted to do from the very first episode of the show: Save his fellow Lostaways. He got Kate and Sawyer off the island and he gave Hurley the purpose in life he'd always been missing. And, in Sideways world (which we'll get to next) he in fact saved everyone by helping them all move on ...

Now...

Sideways World:

Sideways world is where it gets really cool in terms of theology and metaphysical discussion (for me at least -- because I love history/religion theories and loved all the talks in the writer's room about it). Basically what the show is proposing is that we're all linked to certain people during our lives. Call them soulmates (though it's not exactly the best word). But these people we're linked to are with us duing "the most important moments of our lives" as Christian said. These are the people we move through the universe with from lifetime to lifetime. It's loosely based in Hinduisim with large doses of western religion thrown into the mix.

The conceit that the writers created, basing it off these religious philosophies, was that as a group, the Lostaways subconsciously created this "sideways" world where they exist in purgatory until they are "awakened" and find one another. Once they all find one another, they can then move on and move forward. In essence, this is the show's concept of the afterlife. According to the show, everyone creates their own "Sideways" purgatory with their "soulmates" throughout their lives and exist there until they all move on together. That's a beautiful notion. Even if you aren't religious or even spirtual, the idea that we live AND die together is deeply profound and moving.

It's a really cool and spirtual concept that fits the whole tone and subtext the show has had from the beginning. These people were SUPPOSED to be together on that plane. They were supposed to live through these events -- not JUST because of Jacob. But because that's what the universe or God (depending on how religious you wish to get) wanted to happen. The show was always about science vs faith -- and it ultimately came down on the side of faith. It answered THE core question of the series. The one question that has been at the root of every island mystery, every character backstory, every plot twist. That, by itself, is quite an accomplishment.
How much you want to extrapolate from that is up to you as the viewer. Think about season 1 when we first found the Hatch. Everyone thought that's THE answer! Whatever is down there is the answer! Then, as we discovered it was just one station of many. One link in a very long chain that kept revealing more, and more of a larger mosiac.

But the writer's took it even further this season by contrasting this Sideways "purgatory" with the Island itself. Remember when Michael appeared to Hurley, he said he was not allowed to leave the Island. Just like the MIB. He wasn't allowed into this sideways world and thus, was not afforded the opportunity to move on. Why? Because he had proven himself to be unworthy with his actions on the Island. He failed the test. The others, passed. They made it into Sideways world when they died -- some before Jack, some years later. In Hurley's case, maybe centuries later. They exist in this sideways world until they are "awakened" and they can only move on TOGETHER because they are linked. They are destined to be together for eternity. That was their destiny.

They were NOT linked to Anna Lucia, Daniel, Roussou, Alex, Miles, Lupidis, (and all the rest who weren't in the chuch -- basically everyone who wasn't in season 1). Yet those people exist in Sideways world. Why? Well again, here's where they leave it up to you to decide. The way I like to think about it, is that those people who were left behind in Sideways world have to find their own soulmates before they can wake up. It's possible that those links aren't people from the island but from their other life (Anna's parnter, the guy she shot --- Roussou's husband, etc etc).

A lot of people have been talking about Ben and why he didn't go into the Church. And if you think of Sideways world in this way, then it gives you the answer to that very question. Ben can't move on yet because he hasn't connected with the people he needs to. It's going to be his job to awaken Roussou, Alex, Anna Lucia (maybe), Ethan, Goodspeed, his father and the rest. He has to attone for his sins more than he did by being Hurley's number two. He has to do what Hurley and Desmond did for our Lostaways with his own people. He has to help them connect. And he can only move on when all the links in his chain are ready to. Same can be said for Faraday, Charlotte, Whidmore, Hawkins etc. It's really a neat, and cool concept. At least to me.
But, from a more "behind the scenes" note: the reason Ben's not in the church, and the reason no one is in the church but for Season 1 people is because they wrote the ending to the show after writing the pilot. And never changed it. The writers always said (and many didn't believe them) that they knew their ending from the very first episode. I applaud them for that. It's pretty fantastic. Originally Ben was supposed to have a 3 episode arc and be done. But he became a big part of the show. They could have easily changed their ending and put him in the church -- but instead they problem solved it. Gave him a BRILLIANT moment with Locke outside the church ... and then that was it. I loved that. For those that wonder -- the original ending started the moment Jack walked into the church and touches the casket to Jack closing his eyes as the other plane flies away. That was always JJ's ending. And they kept it.

For me the ending of this show means a lot. Not only because I worked on it, but because as a writer it inspired me in a way the medium had never done before. I've been inspired to write by great films. Maybe too many to count. And there have been amazing TV shows that I've loved (X-Files, 24, Sopranos, countless 1/2 hour shows). But none did what LOST did for me. None showed me that you could take huge risks (writing a show about faith for network TV) and stick to your creative guns and STILL please the audience. I learned a lot from the show as a writer. I learned even more from being around the incredible writers, producers, PAs, interns and everyone else who slaved on the show for 6 years.

In the end, for me, LOST was a touchstone show that dealt with faith, the afterlife, and all these big, spirtual questions that most shows don't touch. And to me, they never once waivered from their core story -- even with all the sci-fi elements they mixed in. To walk that long and daunting of a creative tightrope and survive is simply astounding.

- Desmond, Penny, and Juliet are post first season characters present in the church, though that may simply mean they were always intended to be major characters.

 Desmond is pivotal to the series, so yeah. Penny and Juliet surely were conceived from the beginning to be Desmond and Sawyer's soulmates respectively. Anyhow, I find very interesting the part about MiB corrupting Ben and manipulating him to get rid of DHARMA. It goes well with the small puzzling reflection Ben makes back at his home: "I thought I was summoning him and it turned out it was him summoning me all the time."

thedoctor,

do you have a link to the original article? I can't seem to find it on lostpedia

Edit: Kinda wish I didn't read that..

http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/The_End/Theories

its at the very bottom of the page

If they insist that the Island was actually reality then Lost is the worst show ever made I don't care if that's the way the writers envision it I can't accept it and prefer my own intrepetation that they are dead from the plane crash and the island is a form of afterlife as is the alt timeline.

thedoctor -

That whole explanation and synopsis provided by the writer exemplifies why the show (and the finale) doesn't work. If you need someone who actually created it to explain everything ... and essentially connect all the fuzzy little dots (I can't ever recall the writers even vaguely suggesting anything about Jacob leading Dharma to the Island...I thought Dharma was an organization started by Hanzo and/or Widmore who bought stumbled accidentally upon the Island) then it doesn't work. A long, extended explanation like what you posted shouldn't be necessary if the writers had been doing their job correctly.

I'll never believe that they had this series planned out from the beginning.

I think a lot of the complaints about unanswered questions are legitimate, but it depends how you look at it. I love the show just for the experience of it, episode to episode week to week.

The story of lost turned out to be far smaller than we thought. What happened on the island before, during and after the losties were there is all part of a big mythological back story. The main story is about the characters, and their 'change' if you will.

I personally loved the ending. I kind of hated it with the ease as to how they killed off characters, to the point where there was hardle anyone left alive. To see a happy ending where they all reunite was perfect in my opinion.

The world created by 'Lost' is so vast that the questions people are asking are parts of a different story that the writers chose not to tell. Kind of like the star wars universe, with the multitude of stories told in books, comics etc.

But we were certainly told that everyone who comes to the island is brought there by Jacob, including the Dharma Initiative, to prove that man can be capable of goodness, and that the MIB was manipulating them to prove Jacob wrong.

This is kinda how I feel as well. I had one question and one question only. Since the Island obviously isn't reality (ie smoke monsters, time travel, it disapperaing and moving etc.) What is it? Is it a dream, a drug trip, an afterlife? I had been leaning afterlife for a while.

If their answer to the one and only question is "Nah all that crap was real" I believe they failed miserably. Luckily it is open to "some" intrepretation.

Really? When was this? Because other episodes directly contradict this idea - as evidenced by summation on lostpedia:

it was reality in the lost universe, not our "real" universe...it clearly wasn't our universe since people can't speak to the dead, talk to animals, turn into smoke, teleport to tunisia etc...

Just a few unanswered LOST questions

It just bothers me that they suggest all these rules that Jacob and MiB had... and how Jacob and him were playing a game and Jacob brought all these people there to pro... wait they just dropped all that **** and it got ignored out of nowhere.

The finale was very well done and wrapped up the character aspects of the show nicely and I enjoyed that, but that is only 50% of the story. I don't care what any of you apologists are saying, you did not , and I repeat DID NOT get into lost during the first season because you thought Hurley was funny or Jack was a cool guy. You wanted to see what the **** was going on that crazy island, got sucked in by all the weird interesting things and the history of it all, and it never got answered. Period.

this was really good.

It seems pretty obvious to me that they wanted to do a purgatory ending from the beginning. But when everybody guessed that swerve after the first episode, they had to start denying it. They had everybody used to flash backs, so they can introduce flash forwards. That gets everybody used to the concept of time being off, so they can introduce time travel. That gets everybody introduced to some physics, so they can introduce a split reality multiverse. Then they can finally make that alternate universe into the purgatory without people seeing it coming and without lying.

The problem is that the whole show works a lot better if the "smoke monster, religious symbolism filled, people working through their fears, characters overcoming themselves to a cathartic ending" mysterious island is the purgatory instead of the "we follow all rules of physics" alternate reality.

I think they just painted themselves into a weird corner by vehemently denying the claims of the island being purgatory, so that they had to stretch a little too far to get their purgatory ending.

I think it became abundantly clear about two months ago that they were not going to answer everything, and that some suspension of disbelief was in order, so start getting it ready or stop watching.

I got it ready, and I found the finale to be satisfying.

When I was a kid writing short stories, I suffered from a malady wherein I could not get a character across a room without describing every single thing about him getting there.

Over time, I have learned this is not necessary, and I appreciate that perspective (to some degree) in the art I consume as well.

LOST came close to throwing too many loose ends in, but I think they stopped pretty well short of it being dangerously close. Yes, the island is_____, and the flash-sideways are _______, etc etc., and let's just accept those things and enjoy the bigger journey.

I really enjoyed the entire series, throughout, and at the end.

I like the Lostpedia explanation and it makes sense to me.

To think a group of writers can forsee every question and write a synopsis of a whole television show before the first episode airs is patently ridiculous, though. And to say the writers failed is silly.