Season 3 Lost finale

[selenak]

Island! I knew you wouldn't let me down.



I'll confess: at first, when it became clear the scenes off the island were Jack scenes, I groaned. Jack being the character I'm least interested in, I wasn't looking forward to yet more Jack flashbacks, and I couldn't see how they were supposed to tie to the present-day action anyway. However, the funeral - the coffin with no one attending - had me intrigued, as I couldn't imagine who that was supposed to be, based on my admittedly vague collections of Jack's previous flashbacks, and I did notice they never show us the woman Jack saved from the car. At the time, I wondered whether she would turn out to be Juliet or someone else from the Others, and whether that was going to be the big reveal. I genuinenly did not expect the great twist the show did come up with, which not only made all the Los Angeles-Jack scenes completely tie with the island action but was one both such a wonderful "wtf?!?" moment and the narrative refreshment a show still due for two more seasons needs. (All the flashbacks of our regular gang have been told, more or less; flash forwards to what will happen to them post island, otoh....) Not only that, but they'll make me rewatch said Jack scenes, because that's so damm intriguing; the island scenes are now in the past; the Jack scenes were a flash forward or now the present, depending on one's pov.

I will say I did expect Ben wasn't lying about Naomi and the people behind her being up to no good, despite being, you know, Ben; as a lie, the claim would have been pointless, narratively. (When Ben lies, as about having been born on the island, there is usually a pay-off other than someone saying "I don't believe you" and doing the opposite.)

So: in the future/present, Jack has essentially become his father, is a complete wreck, and utterly convinced that leaving the island was the worst thing ever. Sadly, this makes me suspect the coffin he came to see - "neither family or friend" - was Locke's, but on the one hand, it could also be Ben's (but has to be either one of them, given that they're the two island believers trying to convince Jack not to make the decision he makes in the episode which presumably leads to badness and island rescue turning out to be more badness; and they are the two characters who don't have other people going to their funerals); besides, Jack didn't let the funeral director open the coffin, so by the rules of tv we did not see the body and it could be a faked death.

Locke, alas, had only two scenes, but both were powerful ones. The island did come through for him, and good choice to use Walt to appear to him. Mind you, for all we know this could have been actual Walt, but the point is, Walt has been in love with the island just as Locke has, and both the island (or Jacob?) as Walt and actual Walt would make sense. Presumably the vision did not end there and Locke got told both about Naomi and where to find her and our heroes; I guess we'll find out next season. The second scene illustrates both a crucial difference of Locke before and after his father's death and his latest near death experience, and a continuation: he can now kill a stranger without hesitation (Naomi; we don't know yet whether he knew more about her than the obvious - she was about to contact the world outside - though I do think the vision told him at the very least what Ben said to Jack about her), which is chilling, but otoh, as obsessed as he is, he can't bring himself to kill Jack (not, imo, because it's Jack but because Jack is clearly an innocent in whatever is going oin).

Ben bringing Alex with him was nicely layered, because you know, I do believe him when he says he does so to give her to her "new family" - i.e. her real mother, Danielle. He's a sociopath of the first order (see also: his flashback episode), but he does care about Alex, and after evidence that she betrayed him, he couldn't keep her with the Others.

Charlie's death was very moving, and also narratively necessary in order not to reduce the poignancy of the previous episode. The fact that he used even his last few moments of life to help - to warn Desmond that Naomi hadn't been sent from Penny and wasn't who she claimed to be - somehow tipped it over for me to going from a constricted throat to undignified sniffling.

Hurley to the rescue was priceless, and well earned. I'm in two minds about the Sayid/Jin/Bernard fake-out, as logically there was no reason for Tom & Co. to spare them, but otoh the important thing for the overall story was that Jack was comitted enough to let them die rather than allow Ben to blackmail him (important for the state he's in in the flashforward, imo), which isn't changed by the fact they're alive, and besides, I want Sayid, Jin and Bernard around. Sawyer killing Tom showed how he, as Locke, was changed by the death of Original!Sawyer, and simultanously pay off going back all the way to the first season finale. Great continuity.

Lastly, I really don't care much about the Sawyer-Kate-Jack triangle, but Juliet's "no, do you?" reply to Sawyer's "so, screwing Jack yet?" was priceless, and the final scene between Jack and Kate, which showed us whe hadn't watched Jack in the past but Jack in the future, post-island, was excellent.

Comments

[ratmmjess.livejournal.com]

My assumption is that the man in the coffin can't be Locke, since I don't believe he'd leave the island. Too, if it was Locke, would *none* of the Tailies go to his funeral?

So I think it's Ben, yeah.

[strangemuses.livejournal.com]

It could Locke. Assuming that he had stayed behind, if he was the man in the coffin, it would just mean that Naomi's people had finally caught and killed him. The Tailies may have just blown off his funeral because they were angry at the 'crazy' way he'd acted.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Oh, I don't think Locke would ever voluntarily leave the island, either, but there are scenarios in which he could be forced to (for example by whoever Naomi worked for, considering he just killed her). That said, I'm favouring the Ben option, too; he's the one asking Jack "why do you want to go back, and to what?" and if all the island scenes in this episode are actually flashbacks, it would make sense that future!Jack would remember this conversation during his trainwreck of a life. Also, Kate's reaction of disbelief fits more with Ben.

[strangemuses.livejournal.com]

I stopped watching this season because I found all of the psychological mind games and physical cruelty to be too much to bear. I decided to watch the finale just to see how they were going to wrap the season. That ending was terrific. I think that showing the future, and having Jack be so messed up was an excellent way to invigorate this show. Now I'm wondering if they are going to have the rest of the series set in the 'real world' with island flashbacks, or if they will return to the island and continue with their regular narrative. I hope the former. I might just start watching the show again.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

having Jack be so messed up was an excellent way to invigorate this show.

True. Jack, pretty much your standard hero character and the most "must leave this island!" of them all, getting a future in which instead of getting the obligatory happy ending he's so messed up and obsessed with getting back to the island is a twist that I'd never have thought of, and now we have a new mystery to look forward to. Of course we always expected them to be rescued, at the end of the show, but a narrative twist that goes further than a short tag after that and shows that the rescue might have been a catastrophe... wow.

Now I'm wondering if they are going to have the rest of the series set in the 'real world' with island flashbacks, or if they will return to the island and continue with their regular narrative.

My guess is that the island scenes will be flashbacks, but will still take up the majority of the episodes, with the future being revealed to us character by character, and possibly a plot in which some of the survivors try to go back to the island.

[strangemuses.livejournal.com]

They've flipped over into Lost Horizon, with Jack now in the Ronald Coleman role. Will he find his way back to Shangri La, or has the path to paradise been lost to him forever?

[bitterbyrden.livejournal.com]

We had such great conversations at work about Lost yesterday. Email chains that went on for an hour or two. Here's what I've come up with (and I'm totally unspoilt, so this is just speculation):

The funeral was for a man whose name was Jo-- --atham, and he was found hanging. I got that from the screencap. The name of the funeral parlor was an anagram for "FLASH FORWARD" which doesn't seem to affect anything, but is still cool. I really didn't think that the funeral would be for Locke in the end, because I can't see Locke willingly leaving that island alive. So then I thought: Ben? That doesn't explain the name in the clipping though. I have this theory that John and Jacob are the same guy, just on different planes of time, so his name COULD be John Jacob (Jingleheimerschmidt) Locke Latham. Or something.

However, I don't think Jack's reaction fits hearing about John. So, maybe Walt? Unclassily, I think this because the coffin was quite small and it was in a black neighborhood. Also, from the clipping, it said that the man was from New York (which I think Walt/Michael are), but was found dead in LA.

Obviously, I've got nothing.

I think that Kate winds up with Sawyer, although that can just be something that ABC is forcing me into. Who is waiting for her at home might be Sawyer, or it might be their kid.


Finally, I first started to think it was a flashforward when I saw Jack's beard. TV always puts beards on people to make them look older. Then, when I saw how heartbroken and suicidal he was, I started thinking about how the Jack from flashbacks and the Jack from the first season really didn't seem like the kind of guy who might off himself. But someone who was all PTSD'd out from a traumatic island experience... that's someone who I could see offing himself.

Also, it's very interesting to see that Jack has turned into his father in some regards and Kate might be turning into her mother (in fear of her husband).


Best episode for me yet. Obviously, I loved it. Personally, I think it's all about alternate planes of existence and time travel. Because I want it to be. :-)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Interesting about the name; however, it could easily be a new alias being taken by one of the characters once he's left the island. (Which sounds like either Sawyer or Ben, only with Sawyer I really think Kate's reaction would be different, and as you say, it's more likely he's the one waiting at home.)

Jacob = future John: you know, I could see that.

But someone who was all PTSD'd out from a traumatic island experience... that's someone who I could see offing himself.

In retrospect, even Jack's reaction to the slight air turbulence in the very first scene should have given it away. His line in the last scene, that he was hoping for a crash every time, and didn't care about any of the other people on the plane? One of the most chilling (in a good way) things anyone said on this show.

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

Grr, I wrote this whole long comment right after you made this post, and then LJ wouldn't let me leave it. :( Here it is now, anyway.

I genuinenly did not expect the great twist the show did come up with,

You know, it's weird, but as soon as I recognized Jack -- it took me a moment, with the beard -- I immediately said to myself, "Oh, we get a future flash this time?" It seemed intuitively obvious to me, somehow, and it didn't even occur to me that that was supposed to be a
surprise until I started getting puzzled by it not being confirmed quickly the way I'd expected. I've heard some people say the brand-new model cell phone gave it away to them, but I know nothing about cell phones. The only thing I can figure is that a) beards always seem coded to me to signify an older version of a character, just as long hair or a baseball cap signifies a younger version, b) Jack seemed to be embracing his aloholic tendencies rather more than we'd ever seen him, which didn't seem to fit into his backstory, and c) I had this odd, irrational belief that he'd never flown Oceanic before the flight that crashed.

I really wish I had been surprised, so I wouldn't have had to spend the entire episode going, "Wait, is this supposed to be the past? But it can't be; it doesn't fit in anywhere!"

I have to say, btw, that I found Future!Jack weirdly more tolerable than Present or Past!Jack. I think it's because he knows he's a fuck-up, and w'ere clearly not supposed to think he's great. :)

I will say I did expect Ben wasn't lying about Naomi and the people behind her being up to no good, despite being, you know, Ben; as a lie, the claim would have been pointless, narratively.

Yeah. I can totally understand Jack choosing not to believe him. Knowning what we know of Ben, I'd believe a random stranger's word over his any day. But, for narrative reasons, yes, I did figure he was telling the truth; the results of that are much more dramatically interesting!

Sadly, this makes me suspect the coffin he came to see - "neither family or friend" - was Locke's, but on the one hand, it could also be Ben's

That was my thought, too, that it was one or the other of them. On reflection, though, I have trouble imagining Jack getting that upset about Ben, even if reading about his death could easily trigger his Island Issues. So I'm guessing Locke. It's far too easy to believe that no one would show up at his funeral. *sniff*

[ETA: I see someone above suggested Walt. I somehow doubt that, but Michael might be a possibility.]

Lastly, I really don't care much about the Sawyer-Kate-Jack triangle

Yes, the Locke/Island/Ben triangle is infinitely more interesting!

but Juliet's "no, do you?" reply to Sawyer's "so, screwing Jack yet?" was priceless

Yeah, for one brief moment, I actually liked Juliette. :)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I have to say, btw, that I found Future!Jack weirdly more tolerable than Present or Past!Jack. I think it's because he knows he's a fuck-up, and w'ere clearly not supposed to think he's great. :)

Oh, same here, and for the same reasons. I'd add that Matthew Fox really came through with the performance for Future!Jack, and he's usually not an actor who has the power to command my attention much.

So I'm guessing Locke. It's far too easy to believe that no one would show up at his funeral. *sniff*

In that case, I do hope the future is avoidable. Locke deserves to die on the island! (in the FUTURE. Not on my present day tv screen.)

Yes, the Locke/Island/Ben triangle is infinitely more interesting!

To be sure. After the previous episode, I was afraid Ben kind of ruined that one with the mass grave thing and that Locke would kill him when next they met, but no! He doesn't! And we might have much competition and bonding and mindgames ahead. *hopes*