A Lament for LOST

As a fan of LOST I was kind of a late arrival to the party. My parents had been fans from the beginning and my cousin was also a follower of the show. In many aspects it was kind of out of my character to NOT follow a show like this simply because I am such an enthusiastic fan of science fiction. It wasn't until about a year and a half ago that my good friend Mike finally convinced me to check it out. So I ventured to my trusty Netflix Que and added all available seasons to the list. How the hell did I miss the boat (or in this case maybe the plane) on this one? From the very first episode I was hooked. This show in a very literal sense became my addiction, my obsession for three months. I plowed through the seasons like Jonah Hill at a Cold Stone Creamery. My wife more than once got irritated at me, saying, "Ughh you have three DVDs and they're all LOST! Can I watch something for once?!" Sorry babe. This season was in fact the first season that I was able to watch on television. After last night's series finale, which I found extremely satisfying, I began to ask myself what is so indelible about LOST? Why are the fans so dedicated to the show? (By the way if you don't think LOST fans are dedicated to the cause just ask my Mom. She just went through a stem cell transplant and had a horrible week in the hospital, but despite being sick and exhausted she stayed up and watched LOST. THAT is dedication.) In a vast wasteland of television where shows like "I Love Money", "Jersey Shore", and other of their ilk seemed to rule the day, LOST was a shining beacon in the darkness. It was a smart, funny, well written show with intrigue and mystery. It challenged us week after week, kept us guessing as to what would come next. In fact I think most fans will agree that half the fun of the show was trying to figure A) what was going on B) what was going to happen next and C) what did it all mean. The rock solid foundation of LOST was its characters. They were relateable. They were flawed. They were in some instances heroic, in others despicable. In other words they were HUMAN. Look I love Two and a Half Men but let's face it, Charlie Harper is a one dimensional character. The characters on LOST had depth, as each flashback revealed. They were memorable. As fans we rejoiced in their triumphs and cried when some of them met tragic ends. I'll never forget the second to last episode where Hurley and Jack just broke down and cried after Jin and Sun drowned. I'm not ashamed to admit it made me cry. I felt their loss. I felt their grief. Fundamentally LOST is about the human condition; our fears, our hopes, our hate, and our loves. And maybe (in a very Christian sense) the opportunity for redemption, for forgiveness. No one exemplified this more than Ben Linus. It was a great moment in the series finale to hear Hurley tell Ben he was a great number two or to hear John Locke forgive Ben for killing him. As Terry Goodkind wrote, "There is magic in forgiveness." That is why LOST is so indelible. That is why people will talk about this show for years to come, why it will stick in peoples' mind long after the shows conclusion. And now to address the series finale. I for one was very satisfied with the outcome. Obviously there are going to be people out there who are not happy with how the series ended. Too many loose ends they will say. But at the end of your life, I don't care who you are, there will be loose ends whether they be minor or major. The series finale was filled with so many powerful moments, the biggest realization being that the bizzaro alternative universe was actually the afterlife, or at the very least another plane of existence. And what is the afterlife if not a place where your hopes are fulfilled, where you see your loved ones again, where our better natures are fully realized. LOST is a promise of hope. A promise that we are more than just flesh and bone. That we are MORE. That we aren't all here by accident. We have a purpose, a destiny, a destiny that we have the free will to shape and form as we see fit. As Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet, "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." One of the great debates henceforth will be what exactly was the island, or more specifically what is the heart of the island? What were Jacob and then Hurley really protecting? Everyone will come to their own conclusions. That's what I think is one of the key messages of LOST. You have to come to your own conclusions about the great questions, about life, the afterlife, and the universe. For me personally I think that they were protecting hope and knowledge, the light that shines within all human beings. Hope and knowledge are two things worth protecting, even worth dying for. Why shouldn't we stand up and ward against those who would destroy our hopes, who would bend knowledge to their own will, who would stamp out the light in all of us? That last is a key message of LOST, at least to me. In the end LOST will speak to people in different ways and that's what makes the show so amazing. In my opinion LOST was the most important show of the last 25 years. Not since the MASH series finale has there been such focus on the end of a television show. Sunday night was bittersweet. The end of LOST was kind of like going to a funeral for a well loved friend or relative. A funeral that celebrates the life of the person; the joy and passion he or she brought to that life. I think the best way fans can honor the memory of LOST is to remember that each day is a gift, that (as hokey as it may sound) we are all special. I personally intend to honor LOST's legacy in the best way I know how: by loving my family, counting my blessings, and living my life knowing that the destination is not nearly as important as the journey.