Lost for the Last Time

The series finale of Lost was emotionally satisfying. That is if you believe that it is a character driven philosophical show. For those who read the show as a literal untangling a mystery may have missed the point, as punctuated by the finale.

The mysteries of the island, while intriguing, are just trials that test the faith of the characters. The island is a MacGuffin (A device that helps propel the plot in a story but is of little importance in it you get bonus points if you know the term was coined by Alfred Hitchcock.) It is like the Lord of the Rings Trilogy just being about an obsessive love of jewelry -it is more than that emotionally and spiritually. Or Citizen Kane, being just about an old sled, these MacGuffins are artifacts that helps tell a compelling story about interesting characters.

Saying this, the mysteries don't have to be answered and shouldn't be fully explained. I've experienced the show in a different way, than others, I see it as a as a journey. The fun of being a Lost fan is interpreting the episodes and with an easy answers, I would feel the fun is taken out since it is no longer up for interpretation. So here is the way I saw it on a macro level:


The people who crashed on flight 815 or arrived on the island otherwise were all suffering overwhelming sense of loneliness. Everyone was lacking connections in their lives, as viewed from season 1 through 3 flashbacks. They were all looking for something whether it is freedom, adventure, acceptance or closure; our characters were on a quest to transform their existence. The plane crash set the path, but enlightenment occurs through experience and faith on Lost as in real life.

Supernatural occurrences are used as a catalyst for the characters to test their belief system. The narrative uses allegory, to talk about faith as a construct and not as a particular religion. Religious icons and symbols are used in Lost (think of the stained glass window in last nights episode), but that doesn't tell the whole story. The plot allows faith to be discussed in a popular culture forum, without the constraints of pure dogma. This frees the writers to shows multiple journeys of faith, without pandering or blaspheming someones core beliefs.

During the run of Lost, I was in graduate school and was enrolled in an Interfaith Dialogue class. We studied world religions and discovered ways to discuss religion with people of other faiths. I thought that Lost is a perfect vehicle to discuss religion, since the show provides examples of different faiths and ideologies interacting in meaningful ways. Characters are shown to be Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Buddhists, atheists, and undefined. The symbolism and iconography of the show also displayed a strong pluralistic point of view as there is not only one path of faith. In addition, concepts of faith are left so open ended, that it can foster intelligent discussion.

Now that Lost is over it is time to start discussing it as a complete statement. I'm planning a complete DVD re-watch. For me this process will be enlightening and I might see it with new eyes. Ive stayed offline, since I watched it, because I needed it to soak into my head a while before I heard what everyone else thought about it.

One final thought: “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was LOST but now am found, was blind, but now I see.” Or in John Locke's case, “was crippled, but now I walk.” I guess that doesn't rhyme good enough to be catchy.