AP REVIEW - 'LOST' SEASON ENDS WITH ANSWERS, MYSTERY

**MichaelDoran** · 05-30-2008, 12:55 PM

by FRAZIER MOORE, AP Television Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - Like the island where so much of the action takes place, ``Lost'' giveth and it taketh away. Flashes of illumination for its viewers are routinely undone the next moment by bewilderment.

This is a game ``Lost'' devotees are happy to play - albeit fewer of them lately than there used to be. Four seasons in, the show demands even more of the viewer than it used to. But those who have stuck around know that rewards richly outweigh the frustration.

This was never more so than on Thursday's two-hour season finale. It might be the most rewarding, deliciously challenging episode in the history of this mystical ABC serial.

Spoiler alert: Read no further if you mean to watch it for yourself and want to preserve its surprises. There are many.

For instance, you get to see the man in the casket at the L.A. funeral home. Though identified at the end of Season 3 as Jeremy Bentham, he is shown to the audience at long last, lying in pasty-faced repose: none other than John Locke.

But how did Locke, who embraced life on the island, get to Los Angeles? And how did he die? Let the guessing begin.

Another mystery addressed: that recent crazy talk about ``moving the island.'' Darned if it doesn't happen! But not like moving a couch from one room to another. This was moving from Now to Who-Knows-Where-Or-When.

Ben did it deep within a chamber of the Dharma Initiative's Station 6, where experiments had previously been conducted in time travel. Ben made the island disappear along with its occupants (including Locke, Sawyer and Juliet), while, aloft in their helicopter, Jack, Kate and several others watched in disbelief.

Yikes! Time, not just space, is now a way to separate and torment the characters - and amplify the ``Lost'' narrative.

From the start four seasons ago, ``Lost'' roamed freely from the island where its characters were stranded. The series interspersed the ``present-day'' island story lines with scenes that captured its characters prior to their fateful flight on Oceanic Airlines flight 815.

But in the final moments last season, ``Lost'' added another dimension to the saga: propelling the action into the future, to offer glimpses of how certain characters readjust to the ``normal'' world.

The flash-forwards have given ``Lost'' an intriguing new perspective on the characters who got out. But their post-rescue lives are also shedding light on what took place on the island - and serve as a reminder to the audience that, even for those characters who came home, there's no escaping. Not yet, anyway.

The finale makes clear how, for the safety of the ``Oceanic Six'' as well as any comrades they left behind, everything that happened on the island must stay secret.

``We're gonna have to lie,'' says Jack.

``Lie about what?'' Sayid asks.

``All of it,'' Jack answers. ``Every moment since we crashed on the island.''

``Jack, we can't pull it off,'' argues Kate.

But, however difficult, they apparently don't have any choice. Dangers from the island have followed them. (Why are people stalking Hurley at his L.A. mental ward?)

Meanwhile, the island is a powder keg of unfinished business, at least for one haunted survivor. Jack remains obsessed by the notion that he was the cause of some disaster there, and that he must go back and, somehow, make things right.

This could be tough, and not just because the island might be awfully hard to find. The season's bitterly funny punch line comes courtesy of Ben, who somehow pops up in the funeral home to deliver Jack a message.

``The island won't let you come alone,'' Ben tells him. ``ALL of you have to go back.'' And that includes the deceased John Locke.

Brilliantly, tantalizingly, the ``Lost'' finale hints at the season to come, where time travel likely will be part of the mix. Yet another element of intrigue is looming when Season 5 arrives early next year. If only time travel could make it come quicker.

Greg Basore · 05-30-2008, 01:12 PM

Best season finale of the entire series and maybe of tv history. I'm hoping next year we see a Sawyer Juliette hook up. Can't wait to see what Hurley and Sayid end up doing.

KoozyK · 05-30-2008, 01:21 PM

i think it was a good finale for sure, but not the best. last season was more shocking and brought the show a whole new dimension of storytelling. this years finale was good, but in the end, just didn't have the dramatic punch of "we have to go back!"

i wouldn't even say that the episode was better than this years wonderful "the constant" which should earn emmy noms for both cusick and davies who were superb.

Topher4801 · 05-30-2008, 01:29 PM

This is the 3rd site I've read this same article on. I was kind of hoping the person that wrote yesterday's article would weigh in what happened last night.

But, as with everything LOST, I loved the finale. As usual the next season is going to be alot different than all the seasons before it. Especially now that the Oceanic 6 are off the island both in the "present" and in the flashfowards. I'll be a different show now without those guys running around the island with rest of them. Can't wait to see if Sawyer and Juliette take up the leadership roles with the castways now or if the all just join up with the Locke and the Others and just try to get along. At this point I don't see why they wouldn't. But obviously things go very wrong after the O6 leave, so I guess we'll have to wait to see exaclty where the island pops up and what trouble they land in.

AlexLothos · 05-30-2008, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg Basore

Best season finale of the entire series and maybe of tv history. I'm hoping next year we see a Sawyer Juliette hook up. Can't wait to see what Hurley and Sayid end up doing.

It was a great finale, but I think third season's was a bit better.

Oh, good God NO on the Juliette/Sawyer hook-up.

I can't wait for this to come out on DVD!!!

Kid Devil · 05-30-2008, 01:31 PM

I thought that this episode was great, but not as good as the last two finales.

One of the main things I did like about this was Miles' comment to Charlotte about her being on the island before. In the commentary for The Man Behind the Curtain, they said that the little girl in Ben's flashback will be important later on. Could Charlotte be Annie? But Ben did try to shoot her after she first landed... In any case, Charlotte got much more interesting.

Speaking of Charlotte, I think it's interesting that she has the same initials (and last name) as CS Lewis who wrote the Narnia books. Especially now since it seems like she's been on the island before.

I also loved the reference to Mr. Eko when Hurley was playing chess.

AnthonyL · 05-30-2008, 01:34 PM

Great season ender, can't wait to witness the attempts to return to the island next season, and find out what happened when Locke took over as leader of the Others.

There is something that has been bothering me, though. Maybe a fellow Lost Fan can help answer:

Earlier in the series, the Hatch was a main component of the story. Somebody had to push the numbers or disaster would happen. If I remember correctly, those numbers initiated a small release of built up electromagnetic energy, correct?

Anyway, the Hatch ended up being destroyed. I want to know: What was the purpose? If that Hatch helped regulate something on the island, and it's now destroyed, is electromagentic pressure (or whatever is) building, or has it just stopped because the Hatch was destroyed?

This has been bothering me for awhile.

Thanks!

Anthony L

Skatonic10 · 05-30-2008, 01:41 PM

I love that this show is starting to come full circle. Some of the pieces from the beginning of the show, are starting to come around in another form: i.e. a dead person in a casket. A large group of people somehow coming together to get to the island, ITS ALL A GIANT CIRCLE, PEOPLE!

Magic. Poof.

This show freakin rocks.

It was also good to know that Ben's flash forward starts almost immediately after the finale.

AirDave817 · 05-30-2008, 01:44 PM

I was very satisfied by the LOST Season Finale last night.

* The Desmond-Penny storyline is resolved, maybe - until Ben finds them.

*Michael got what he deserved as far as I'm concerned. I understand why he did everything he did; I still lost complete respect for him. Maybe that's what LOST for him means.

What's up with Christian, Claire and Charlie. Except that they all seem to be ghosts who's names start with the letter 'C'.

*I think we all kinda knew that Jin was going to die. At least I kinda thought he would.

*So, besides Juliette, Sawyer, Miles and Charlotte - who's left? Did all the Red Shirts die in the explosion? What about Daniel and the people in the motorboat? What about "Adam & Eve"? Are they still on the island?

*The whole moving the island was...something. Weird, freaky, different. I kept wondering why they would put that behind the chamber. The more I watched, I kept wondering, What's the point? What's the point of moving the island? To hide it from Widmore? The world?

I'm wondering if this ties up enough for me to move on, or if I care enough to come back in the fall and find out what happens next...What's left for LOST?

How the H-E-double-bamboo-shoots did Jeremy Benthem get off the island?

Apocrypha · 05-30-2008, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kid Devil

I thought that this episode was great, but not as good as the last two finales.

One of the main things I did like about this was Miles' comment to Charlotte about her being on the island before. In the commentary for The Man Behind the Curtain, they said that the little girl in Ben's flashback will be important later on. Could Charlotte be Annie? But Ben did try to shoot her after she first landed... In any case, Charlotte got much more interesting.

Speaking of Charlotte, I think it's interesting that she has the same initials (and last name) as CS Lewis who wrote the Narnia books. Especially now since it seems like she's been on the island before.

I also loved the reference to Mr. Eko when Hurley was playing chess.

Charlotte is the only baby born on the island to survive.

0bsessions · 05-30-2008, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KoozyK

i wouldn't even say that the episode was better than this years wonderful "the constant" which should earn emmy noms for both cusick and davies who were superb.

THIS is having to do with something important others do not seem to be picking up on from last night.

Faraday was NOT ON the island when it disappeared. He was on the Zodiac en route to the freighter with five or six nameless castaways. After the island disappeared, the raft was nowhere to be seen. Were they close enough to the perimeter of the island that they went with it? Was their raft upended when it disappeared? The attack on the barracks proved that the writers have no qualms about killing anonymous castaways en masse. Could Faraday be a casualty of association?

Man, I hope not, because Faraday is easily my favorite of the season 4 additions (Though Frank was great and Miles is swiftly catching up with his cynical and sarcastic attitude).

berkovw · 05-30-2008, 01:55 PM

Did we really learn the name of the man in the coffin at the end of Season 3? I thought that they had purposely kept that hidden and it wasn't until last night that we found out his name.

Me? I always thought the man in the coffin was John Locke. Last night, when they revealed Jeremy Bentham, I was thought ,"Who?" When they revealed it was an alias (no pun intended), I started thinking maybe it was Desmond since he, seemingly, was the only other person other than the Six who got off the island (I don't really count Frank Lapidus since he was never really an island resident.)

On top of all the other questions I have, I think the biggest one is, "What does this mean for future stories?" What I mean is, since the Six are off the island, I'm assuming next season picks up with them, but are they going to cut to Sawyer and Juliet on the island, too? Will there be no more flashbacks and flash forwards because we're going to have two different sets of characters in different spaces/times?

I also loved how Season 4's finale picked up where Season 3 left off. I think that was a piece of narrative genius.

KyleCowstar · 05-30-2008, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AirDave817

*So, besides Juliette, Sawyer, Miles and Charlotte - who's left? Did all the Red Shirts die in the explosion? What about Daniel and the people in the motorboat? What about "Adam & Eve"? Are they still on the island?

Rose and Bernard are still there. The motorboat will probably return with an injured Jin (yes, I have faith that Jin jumped off the boat, grabbed onto some wreckage, and swam towards the island...he's a BA).

0bsessions · 05-30-2008, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by berkovw

Did we really learn the name of the man in the coffin at the end of Season 3? I thought that they had purposely kept that hidden and it wasn't until last night that we found out his name.

I also loved how Season 4's finale picked up where Season 3 left off. I think that was a piece of narrative genius.

Yes, for the astute or really nerdy, it's been known since season 3 ended. Screen caps were analyzed and the name, location and method of death were all figured out from zooming in on the newspaper Jack was reading.

And I agree about the opening. It was fantastic and I didn't see it coming.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KyleCowstar

Rose and Bernard are still there. The motorboat will probably return with an injured Jin (yes, I have faith that Jin jumped off the boat, grabbed onto some wreckage, and swam towards the island...he's a BA).

I figure Jin survived too, but I didn't think of that. The raft was en route to the freighter when it exploded. Jin's survived a much longer swim before (Season 1's finale when he was knocked from the raft) and I think it's entirely possible a man raised in a fishing village could probably have made the swim to the Zodiac or even the island in time.

MikeD · 05-30-2008, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by berkovw

"What does this mean for future stories?" What I mean is, since the Six are off the island, I'm assuming next season picks up with them, but are they going to cut to Sawyer and Juliet on the island, too? Will there be no more flashbacks and flash forwards because we're going to have two different sets of characters in different spaces/times?

They will still be able to show flashbacks, because Kate indicates that 3 years have passed between the time they got off the island and her "We have to go back!" conversation with Jack.

DephKon Prym · 05-30-2008, 02:15 PM

IF this show is so "great", why is it that all I have to do is read wikipedia and be able to figure things out w/o any visual images?

It seems like that the only thing keeping people involved are unanswered questions. NOt good story telling if you ask me. Go watch THE WIRE and get a clue

buzz1976 · 05-30-2008, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by berkovw

I also loved how Season 4's finale picked up where Season 3 left off. I think that was a piece of narrative genius.

QFT

I love how it picks up right where it left off and then Jeremy Blentham (sp) name keeps getting dropped by everyone.

I also think that Sun's reaction to Jin's death was very realistic, she is a great actress and one of my fave characters.

Also, am I the only one who thought the way the island disappeared was reminiscent of how the ships in Battlestar Galactica disappear when they hit the FTL drive? Cool nonetheless!

The only question that I needed answered before this episode was done was to see who was in the coffin... and they gave that to us! Thank god...

Best lines of the show:

Christian: "Michael, you are free to go." BOOM!

Locke: "It says not to put anything metal in it..."
Ben: "You better duck."

And the best one:

Locke: "You just got all the people on the ship killed!"
Ben: "So?"

Ben is the villain that I love to hate, he kicks a$$.

Buzz1976

artjunkie · 05-30-2008, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DephKon Prym

IF this show is so "great", why is it that all I have to do is read wikipedia and be able to figure things out w/o any visual images?

It seems like that the only thing keeping people involved are unanswered questions. NOt good story telling if you ask me. Go watch THE WIRE and get a clue

LOL. What a troll. So typical of a non-watcher on the outside feeling left out. So what have you learned from Wikipedia? What exactly do you have all “figured out”? Please share.

While you take your time coming up with what I hope is a smart and well-informed rebuttal, I’ll go watch The Wire so that I can get an additional clue about things I already know about.

0bsessions · 05-30-2008, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buzz1976

Best lines of the show:

Christian: "Michael, you are free to go." BOOM!

Locke: "It says not to put anything metal in it..."
Ben: "You better duck."

And the best one:

Locke: "You just got all the people on the ship killed!"
Ben: "So?"

Ben is the villain that I love to hate, he kicks a$$.

I was partial to the back and forth about the bomb.

Desmond: If we cut this wire, it triggers the relay aaaand...

Jin: Boom?

swaniak · 05-30-2008, 02:51 PM

During the show there was a commercial about two alternate endings that were filmed. They were supposed to be shown on Good Morning America today. Did anyone happen to see those or has anyone found them online?

Jeremy Bear · 05-30-2008, 03:00 PM

I'd agree with most of the sentiments here. A great season finale, but the two most jaw-dropping moments in LOST, for me, have been the Season 3 premiere and the Season 3 finale.

A bunch of big moments last night: the return of a post-puberty Walt. Jin and Michael, mortal enemies from Season 1, now dying together. Sawyer's sacrifice. Ben reminding us that he's still a complete bastard by ensuring the death of those on the boat. Desmond and Penny. The ghost of Claire warning Kate not to go back to the island. Sayid-the-rockstar-mercenary with his underwear-model haircut. Sun the super-tycoon swinging deals with Charles Widemore. And, of course, a rigor-mortised John Locke.

John, Michael and Jin... all principal players from the beginning... all dead this episode. Yeah, it was definitely a big one.

Agent Wax · 05-30-2008, 03:01 PM

Greatest Two Hours in television history.
Seriously. I was losing my mind every few minutes.
The Sayid Vs Keamy fight was so awesome that I thought I might fall out of my seat.
All around great.
But let's face it.
Jin is still alive. There's no way around it. The "EXPLOSION DEATH" is the one tool used by movies/tv/comics that guarantee a return for that character at some point, unless of course the camera stays with them the entire time and you see their body shredded by the force of the explosion.
aaaaaaand we didn't.
Jin is gonna wash up on shore for the 43rd time in 4 seasons and spin kick the hell out of anyone that looks at him the wrong way.

Oh and DephKon Prym, go troll on another thread, or better yet, wikipedia some more shows and think you have ground to stand on when cutting them down.
asssssssssss.

-wax-
xxx

Earth2Comics · 05-30-2008, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swaniak

During the show there was a commercial about two alternate endings that were filmed. They were supposed to be shown on Good Morning America today. Did anyone happen to see those or has anyone found them online?

Found this:

Alternate endings to the 'Lost' finale

As revealed this morning on ABC's "Good Morning America," the production of "Lost" filmed three different endings to last night's Season Four finale — as a means of confounding any spoilers and sneak peeks.

Basically, it was the same final scene, but with three different people shown in the coffin ...

There was the real scene, which we saw last night, showing Jeremy Bentham in the coffin to be ... John Locke!

Picture 25.jpg

But they also apparently filmed one shot of the coffin with Sawyer in it, and one shot with Desmond in it.

Silly ruses, sure, but fun to think of the implications of each of those, especially Desmond ...

0bsessions · 05-30-2008, 03:15 PM

In terms of the "alternate endings:" don't bother. It really wasn't worth the trouble of finding (And by trouble, I mean five seconds of google searching). It was literally the exact same ending, except with two different bodies in the coffin. No extra insight, no fun twists, just different cadavers. Whoopdy doo.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Agent Wax

Jin is gonna wash up on shore for the 43rd time in 4 seasons and spin kick the hell out of anyone that looks at him the wrong way.

And I will love every damn second of it.

KoozyK · 05-30-2008, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 0bsessions

THIS is having to do with something important others do not seem to be picking up on from last night.

Faraday was NOT ON the island when it disappeared. He was on the Zodiac en route to the freighter with five or six nameless castaways. After the island disappeared, the raft was nowhere to be seen. Were they close enough to the perimeter of the island that they went with it? Was their raft upended when it disappeared? The attack on the barracks proved that the writers have no qualms about killing anonymous castaways en masse. Could Faraday be a casualty of association?

Man, I hope not, because Faraday is easily my favorite of the season 4 additions (Though Frank was great and Miles is swiftly catching up with his cynical and sarcastic attitude).

oh, i didn't forget. but they didn't show the boat still out there in the ocean with the survivors from the helicopter. my thought are that they were just out at sea and can swim/boat back to dry land. i think we'll definitely be seeing them next season.

Quote:

Originally Posted by swaniak

During the show there was a commercial about two alternate endings that were filmed. They were supposed to be shown on Good Morning America today. Did anyone happen to see those or has anyone found them online?