LOST: The End

As expected with a show ending there was no way the writers were going to make everyone happy. And this show is no exception. The camps seem evenly divided for the most part and like always the ones that weren't happy with the ending are the most vocal. They spew their venom onto the interwebs with a passion that was once reserved for the show itself when it was running full steam ahead.

I'm not going to be one of those guys.

The evening was a good one for the most part as I gathered with friends and filled a living room to max capacity and settled in to watch the final episode. We watched as the folks on the island battled the Locke-Less Monster and really fought to get through what seemed to be an impossible task of finally getting free of the island once and for all. We witnessed the coming together of loved ones in the flash sideways as the people there came to realize what they were all there for. You would have thought seeing the memories flood back for all the characters would get old but for me it was wonderful each time.

In the end the show was over and the room was silent. Then came the hate. The room was filled with people complaining about questions not answered and characters not seen and within the time span of a few minutes it seemed all fun had been drained from the room. With the realization that there were two among their midst that actually enjoyed it they turned on us with a barrage of questions about why we enjoyed it with none of the answers being accepted but rather pushed aside and scoffed at. It was then that I realized that there were two schools of thought for the fans of LOST.

There is the "Question Fans" that watched the show only to get answers to queries posed during the run of the show. This quest for answers drove their fandom and kept them tuning in week after week hoping each episode would give them some sort of answer to a burning question deep within them. Where did the Polar Bear come from? What is the Smoke Monster? What is so special about Walt? What's with the big egyptian statue with the four toes? Tell us what we want to know!!!

There is no way that these people were going to be satisfied with the final episode. The Powers That Be had already stated that not all the answers were going to be revealed. They were going to leave some of the mystery hidden on the island. The island is a place of wonder, magic, and questions. To spill all the answers would take the wonder away and turn it into just another rock sticking out of the water. Besides... a lot of the answers to the "unanswered" questions are out there if you just pay attention and think about it.

Then there are the "Character Fans". These are the people that have followed these lost souls on their adventures and have found friends. They followed the leaps to the past and the future with rapt attention as the lives of these people unfolded and we discovered what makes people the way they are and why it's important to not judge other by stereotypes and looks alone. We all have stories and these were more important to these fans than questions about how the island works.

The division comes with the realization that the writers and creators of the show were of the "Character Fan" variety. They loved these characters and felt that their lives and stories where the most important thing on the show and that's how they tackled the end. They finally gave these poor beat up people the happy ending they deserved. They showed us that despite the fights, sadness, and intense situations these people went through together... they had all become friends. A family. A family that we as fans had grown to love as well. And I like the fact that they all were given the happy ending they deserved.

Was the episode perfect? No. I had a few things I would have liked to see but in the end I felt it was a good way to go out. It was a fun adventure and one I will be taking again when I watch the series again someday.

Oh... the polar bear was brought to the island by the Darma folks for the animal testing that they had been doing. When Darma stopped operating the thing was either set free or escaped. This question was answered years ago so people really need to stop asking about how it got to the island. Sheesh...