Lost after ‘Lost’

May 22, 2009 • written by Emily Vrem, Photographer  
Filed under Entertainment

        As the penultimate season draws to a close for “LOST” fans everywhere, the ‘explosive’ ending is sure to leave jaws dropped.

       In the mind-boggling finale episode, things were finally cleared up. Then confused. Then cleared up again. Then, finally, confused once more.

        Rewind to 1977. Juliet, Kate and Sawyer are in a sub off the island. Jack, Elouise, Richard and Sayid are concocting their plan with the hydrogen bomb and Faraday’s journal. Hurley, Jin and Miles are stuck back at some DHARMA station and all the while, 30 years in the future (also known as present time) Locke leads a party to Jacob’s cabin to get Ben to kill Jacob. So how did they get back to the island?

        Back to the beginning of the season. Jack and Ben gather the Oceanic 6 together (including the now deceased John Locke) in an attempt to get them all to return to the island. Although many of them resisted at first, they succeed, and the six return to the island. Jack, Hurley, Kate and Sayid hit a time warp as they return to the island in the year 1977 to find they are at the DHARMA Initiative’s prime. They are found by Sawyer, who tells them they are now going to act as a part of the DHARMA Initiative to keep their true identities secret. Meanwhile, Locke (alive, once again) and Ben are at present time with the rest of the plane crash survivors on a different island. They meet up with Locke, who has been named the leader of their party and goes on a mission to find Jacob.

        Though Locke is well and alive in leading the party to kill Jacob, Lapidus (Remember? The pilot of the plane that succeeds in returning the Oceanic 6 safely home?) and two of the passengers (Caesar and Llana) show up with a big package and a bigger shock: Locke’s dead body. Locke continues on his way to Jacob, unaware that his own corpse is on the island with him. His only excuse for being alive is for the same reason that Richard never ages: Jacob.

        While the viewers get to experience flashbacks for each of the Oceanic 6 characters, we finally meet the notorious Jacob. Known for controlling the island and providing guidance for the island’s ‘leaders,’ we learn that he has met each of these characters at different points in their lives. He shows up at a grocery store to pay for a “New Kids on the Block” lunch box that Kate tries stealing in her youth, he crashes Sawyer’s parents’ funeral and gives him a pen to write the infamous letter he carries with him, he wishes Sun and Jin a happy life together at their wedding, he shows up in a taxi when Hurley gets out of prison, and we flash forward to the future where Sayid gives Jacob directions as him and Nadia walk around town. Then we find out that Nadia dies by being hit by a bus while Sayid is distracted by Jacob.

       But who decides what’s past, present and future? As season five unraveled, intense time-travel consumed the minds of everyone, viewers and characters alike. Due to the powerful time warps, Charlotte’s nose starts bleeding. As her condition worsens, the romance between Charlotte and Faraday dies along with Charlotte. And speaking of relationships, what happens to the love triangle between Kate, Juliette and Sawyer? Simple. Sayid’s plan to bomb he the pit that was to become the hatch was nearly followed through. He successfully unwires the core to the bomb and gets Jack to transfer it to the pit, but when it gets thrown in, it does not immediately detonate. This causes the magnetic force to pull every metal object – cars, guns, rebar – into the pit, including chains that get wrapped around Juliette’s torso, pulling her to the bottom. Frustrated, she takes a rock and hits the bomb. Nothing. She hits it again. Nothing. And once again. Boom.

        The volatile ending was the definition of a cliffhanger. What happens to Locke and Ben after Jacob is killed? Does the time travel stop? And if it does, will they all just return to LA with no recollection of the island or each other? And most importantly, who is John Locke?

        All in all, season five delivers. Although not all of the mysteries are solved and not all of the questions are answered (we still don’t know what’s up with that four-toed broken statue), the twists and turns are definitely worth watching. Not only is there a healthy balance of mystery, action, romance and drama, but (almost) all of the acting is superb, especially Sawyer’s reaction to Juliette falling in that really deep pit. The exceptional plotline makes up for the at times poor acting and the accumulating drama between characters seems to always provide for new insights.

        If you’ve followed “LOST” up through this season, you’re sure to be pleased with what’s coming. If you’re lost about “LOST”, take some time over the summer to catch up and find yourself.