Well, all good things come to an end. The last episode of Lost airs tonight. The series started way back in 2004, amazing considering it’s survived on a major network TV station all this time. In six years it’s had its share of klunker episodes, but in that time it also reached stages of flat-out genius. In fact, I can’t recall any TV show that’s left me stunned or marveling at the storytelling on such a continual basis. Just a few great things that stick out:
1) ‘Through the Looking Glass‘ – Season 3
I remember this episode just blowing me away. For three seasons, Lost had used extensive flashbacks to flesh out characters and story lines. Flashbacks were also a good way to “get away from the island” because they took place before the crash. This episode seemed to employ the same flashback device to good effect. However, in the very last seconds of this season 3 finale, the viewer realizes that everything in this episode has not happened in the past, but in the future, post-rescue. Also, in this future,
Jack wants to go
back to the island. Huh? This is also the episode with
Charlie’s “
NOT PENNY’S BOAT” gesture. Awesome.
I love pretty much anything that has to do with time travel (I think that’s why
season 5 is probably my favorite season.) This is the episode where
Desmond keeps bouncing back and forth between 1996 and 2004. It’s also where we really start caring about his relationship with
Penny.
Other awesome stuff:
Locke’s “walkabout” (S1); how we first meet Desmond (I think. I forget when the ’stadium steps’ scene happened. I’m talking about the Season Two opener here (S2); Michael going to the dark side (S3); Jacob and The Man in Black showing up (S5); Rose and Bernard finally finding each other (S3); The Oceanic Six (S4); the ultimate fate of the real Locke (S5); Richard’s backstory (S6); stumbling upon the Dharma Initiative (S2); Faraday’s death (and how it comes about, and by who!) (S5); the adult Miles’ being able to “see” his now deceased parents on a regular basis in 1977, including how his Dad interacts with the infant Miles (S5); and a bunch of other stuff I’m just plain forgetting about right now.
I’ll have to rewatch the series someday, maybe when the kid is old enough to watch it with me. Actually, I’ve no doubt she’ll be able to explain things to me so that I better understand it! After all, this was the first TV show that had me actively seeking out discussion boards after each episode in order to better comprehend what was going on. Anyway, I’m going to miss this show.
BTW, the above illustration is one of many Lost-inspired art prints on display at
http://damoncarltonandapolarbear.com. Plus, aren’t
VW buses just plain cool looking? My family had one when I was 17, so I got to drive it around a lot, even taking it to concerts in SF. I appreciate it a lot more now than I did then!
