Lost

Well, I guess I'll weigh in on the Lost finale, along with every other blogger on the internet. I had to watch it in low def, which looked really bad on a 50" screen, but we're having issues with our Tivo, cable, and/or set--we haven't pinned down which yet. (SPOILER ALERT: READ NO FURTHER IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE LAST EPISODE!!!) With my luck, they're probably all dying--which ties in nicely with today's blog.

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the last episode. The fact that you could interpret it as a Christian metaphor (right down to the wound in Jack's side and the ending in a church); or as it all having been a dream in Jack's mind as he died--or maybe just the sideways reality of season six was a dream, or maybe his being on the island was a dream; or as an unknowable version of what Life and Death are really resonated with me. After six seasons in which mystery was piled upon mystery, and countless fans and reviewers pondered online What It All Means, an ending which was open to interpretation was the best conclusion. That we can feel relieved that most questions were answered--through one explanation or another--is a testament to the writers' skill. Maybe the sideways reality was Purgatory--a popular theory for a long time--but by not spelling out that it was, we can still look for other answers...or tell ourselves that that's indeed what it was. I was able to go to bed thoroughly satisfied--and yet I was anxious to see what others said this morning. Closure, yet still open to discussion.

I'm pleased that I can still ponder what happened in those six seasons, yet not be frustrated that there are big, unresolved questions left hanging that will never be answered. I would have thought that this series, with all its twists and turns, would have been a closed book when it ended. But I would now like to watch the whole thing again (at some point, and not all in one sitting!), knowing the ending, and see what answers I come up with as I follow the stories again. It's impressive when a linear drama is able to compel one to watch it again, even after one "knows" how it all turns out.

By the way, I'll give away the eventual ending of the QlownTown comic strip now: they all turn out to really be clowns. Big surprise.