LOST Finale

Here it is...The End. Well, after two days and another viewing of the finale here are my thoughts on what became my favorite TV show of all time.
Let me start by saying I "liked" the ending. Not loved it or hated it. As far as episode ranking goes, I would say it belongs in the top 10 of best LOST episodes. I loved the photography of the finale as it had a very cinematic feel to it and set the mood for the important event. Strangely, the picture on my TV appeared to be "Super High Def" for this episode. I don't know if they did something different, but it was beautifully photographed. I especially liked all of the lighting elements. Story wise, I thought that the pace was perfect and the dialog was spot on, especially hearing Sawyer drop 3 or 4 classic "son of a bitch" bombs. Hilarious. All of the exchanges between the losties when they had their "awakening" was very moving. I also, enjoyed the Star wars references by Hugo early in the episode. His "I gotta bad feelin about this" was almost a hint to the viewers that many of them will probably hate the finale.
Basically, I thought the ending of this episode summed up season six very well, However, as a finale to the series, I thought it fell a little short. The twist that we got to the "flash sideways" was pretty well executed. The fact that they were all dead was probably supposed to invoke a "Sixth Sense" type of gasp from the viewers, but instead it was a bit of a "WTF?" moment. That is until I remembered some of the earlier dialog between Hurley and Ben. I then realized that they were not ALWAYS dead, just in the "flash sideways". That was a huge "whew!" moment for me. The accompanying scene where Jack walks through the bamboo forest and lays down to die was awesome. I shed a tear when Vincent laid down next to him. At first, I thought we were watching Oceanic 815 flying overhead, but I quickly realized it was Ajira 316 whisking away what was left of our Losties. Eye closes...Brilliant.
I know that the show has always been about the characters, and I thought the emotional finale was a tribute to them and all that they went through. It was very moving. So yes, I did watch LOST because of the characters, BUT the whole reason I went on to message boards, subscribed to LOST-related blogs, played viral internet games, and posted theories on blogs was because of my fascination with the island mysteries. Unfortunately, the fans were left high and dry in this department. I mean why introduce so many mysteries only to leave them unanswered? I'm all for leaving things to interpretation, but as the tagline for the DVD box set says "All mysteries will be revealed!"...ummm...no, there were not. The writers have always said, that the shows mysteries could be explained away with science or pseudo-science. That was exciting to hear, but where were these explanations? That is why I watched. If the Jacob vs MIB story was not going to be resolved completely, why shove it in our faces all the way up leading to the finale? Too many unanswered questions left me too disappointed. I was planning on watching the entire series again on blu-ray, but now what is the point? I may be able to draw some new conclusions by doing a re-watch, but I'm still not going to learn answers to some of the fundamental questions posed on LOST.
1. What IS the Island?
2. Who built the statue and why?
3. What was with the Dharma food drops?
4. Who/What occupied Jacobs cabin? and I thought he lived in the foot?
5. What did the temple represent and why is there a temple "master"?
6. We didn't get the full story regarding "the others" and what they represent.
7. What was Man in Black's name and why is it so important not to tell us?
8. Why was Ben allowed to move on and not Michael? Ben killed way more people!

9. How did Christian appear to Michael on the freighter?

10. What went down during the outrigger shootout?

11. Who was mother and what was her origins?

12. Why were all the characters interconnected like they were? both the castaways and the others.

13. How did Jacob and Richard and Mr. Friendly come and go from the island so easily?

14. What was with Walts powers?

15. If Jughead really did go off, how was everyone not incinerated by a nuclear blast?

Dude, I can go on and on and on...

(I'm posting these questions as a reminder to myself that I will continue to seek these answers and cross them off as they are revealed)
When you are watching the series from start to finish, you have to come to grips with the fact that many of theses questions will go unanswered. The show is amazing and I'm thankful for it but I wanted to be able to walk away from this and never have to look back. Now I know I'm going to have to remain in the LOST online community just so I can grasp at hints of answers that my slowly leak out from the producers or insiders. Its kind of a cop-out and yet it might be cool as the LOST universe may live on much like the Star Wars universe has.
If my take on the finale appears to be too negative, I apologize. I really do love this show, but its going to be hard to recommend it to people who have not seen it. I may have to forewarn them regarding keeping an open mind when it comes to how it ends. Maybe my opinion will change over time. The show ended 3 days ago and it still has me wrapped around its finger. It is an experience that will always stick with me and frankly, there are not too many television programs that leave such an indelible impression on ones life. This is the only TV show that has ever done that for me. I will be forever grateful for living LOST.
Namaste.

LOST Finale