MagneticMediaFed

Remember when audiences were fleeing this show like the plague? Man those people were suckers.

I have three pages (though small pages) of notes on last night’s awesome Lost finale and I intend to work through them more or less in order. I’ll do so, complete with all of the brain-melting spoilers right after the break…

Let’s start off with a few things that won’t make your brain melt. First and foremost I noticed something very intriguing right off the bat: Naomi, the parachute girl with the satellite phone, is a total hottie. Does this count as one of those Lost easter eggs?

Outside of that shocking revelation, the episode wasted no time in being awesome. Several Others got blown to bits within the first fifteen minutes. It was a great action sequence. Bodies were flying, people were getting shot. My heart was racing and we still had 90 minutes of story to get through. Honestly, it was a brilliant move to have this massive set-piece so close to the front of the show. It forced you to sit a little closer to the edge of your seat. After all, this was Lost and no one does season finales like them.

Now I’ve never been a fan of Jack-based flashbacks (luckily for us, this wasn’t a flashback). Still, going along with the age-old Lost tradition of providing horrible wigs to its cast members during flashback scenes, we get to see Jack in a beard that might as well have hooks that go over his ears. If, magically, that was Matthew Fox’s natural facial hair, he might be the first human on the planet that can actually grow a fake beard. Bully to you Mr. Fox. Subquestion: what’s the worst wig in the history of the show?

Back to the show itself, one of my favorite lines of the night was when Rose said to Jack as he stoically led our friends to the radio tower, “If you say ‘live together die alone’ to me, Jack, I’m gonna punch you in your face.” Glad to know someone on the island is willing to be led by Jack, but isn’t willing to put up with his Successories brand of motivation.

The three members of the cast who stayed back to detonate the explosives, Sayid, Gin, and Bernard, were a good group to have been captured by the remaining Others. Obviously Sayid and Gin were ready to die, as for Bernard, well, he’s probably not the guy to which you tell a lot of secrets. Talk about cracking like an egg. Not that I can really complain, I’m glad Gin’s still alive. Though as we learned later in the episode our gun-toting others might not have actually put one in his skull had it come to it.

Down below the surface of the ocean Charlie finally found a way to put his annoying snark to good use by driving a few Others crazy (one of who clearly had been down there too long as she seemed more than eager to get her pistol-whip on). Desmond’s arrival was expected, though Mikhail was a surprise as it seems the man keeps getting killed. Clearly The Others have a magnificent insurance plan.

Back on the island, I suspected as soon as he was rejected by Sawyer that Hurley would ultimately save the day, but I’d never have guessed it would have been in such a kick ass fashion. Over the course of these three or four episodes that seemingly useless Microbus has proven to be one of the great dramatic devices the show has ever had. It’s almost to the point of that old theater rule “if you introduce a gun in act one has to go off in act three” where the next time you see a WV in act one you know its going to run over someone by the time we get to act three. It doesn’t hurt that it’s also driven by a big bear.

It was Hurley’s rescue that set up the finales darkest on-island scene where Sawyer kills Tom in cold blood, kind of shocking everyone around him (it’s true, when people die in a swathe of action and adventure its sad, but its justified, when the tensions ebb and the music isn’t swelling it comes off much more sinister). Adding the line, “That’s for taking the kid off the raft” certainly made me reconsider and think, “yeah, well, he’s got a point.”

Speaking of the kid, you can’t top a scene that reveals Locke isn’t dead (though wanting to die) unless you also have Walt telling him to man-up and get out of the ditch. It was a perfect use of something we knew was possible but hadn’t seen since season two — Walt appearing to people (either literally or in their mind). It was enough for a taste, to remind us that yes, this character is still a factor in the story, but not so much that it made us start saying things like, “Holy cow, he looks like he’s 26!”

Locke follows orders (which he seems to only do for people we can’t actually see) and ultimately returns to his crazy-knife throwing ways when he tries to keep everyone from contacting a rescue ship by killing the way hot Naomi. Boo John Locke! Not Naomi. Didn’t you read my first paragraph?

As Locke returns to form, Charlie fulfills the prophecy. He sacrifices himself to save everyone else (which is noble) and along the way contacts Penny who we seem to be seeing twice a year. I also appreciated the fact that the secret code was “Good Vibrations” because, obviously, that song is awesome.

OK, now we should be more or less to the point where Jack, having beaten Ben to a bloody pulp and deciding that no matter what is said he’s sticking to the plan, contacts the rescue ship.

And here’s where things get complicated…

Jack’s flashback wasn’t a flashback. Some might have caught onto this earlier in the episode (especially if you’re thinking of the time line in terms of his dad’s death or his ex-wife’s pregnancy), though I have to admit I didn’t put it together until the show’s last minute. I tend to be someone who just goes along with whatever is presented. I tend to not analyze things until after the episode is over.

Since that’s where things were left off (Jack on the island presumably getting everyone rescued and Jack in the future spiraling out of control, realizing he made the wrong decision), what are we to make of next season (a season that doesn’t get underway until February of 2008!)? Does the show continue on the island? Do we jump ahead however many years and follow Jack as he tries to get back? Honestly, this show, which up until now has worked within a very closed framework (the action is on the island, the flashbacks fill in the gaps), suddenly has the ability to turn into any number of series we’d never had suspected seven months ago.

Season three was rocky, everyone agrees with that, but I defy anyone to watch last night’s finale and say, “yeah, they lost me.” How can you not be utterly compelled to see what happens next?

Likewise, those who left Lost for Heroes have to be kicking themselves. Comparing Monday’s snoozer of a Heroes finale to Wednesday’s table-turning Lost is like comparing a blurb on the back of a cereal box to a Chandler novel. Sure one will get you through your breakfast as you slowly come to, but the other is actually fun to read and will give you a pay-off when you’re done (hopefully).

Wednesday’s Lost was one of the best things network television has aired all year, and its a fantastic way to cap off the end of the 2006-2007 television season. It had action, suspense, and all the rest of it (it also had a brilliantly bleak final moment that is certain to provide fodder for the fanboy for the foreseeable future).

Thoughts? What did I leave out?

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 24th, 2007 at 1:29 pm and is filed under ABC, Lost. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.