Okay, I admit, I stole that line from a review of "2001: a Space Odyssey"--but it's apt, is it not?
I was a "Lost" devotee for most of the series. But, for me, it really peaked with the revelation at the end of Season 3 that Jack, Kate, et al. had escaped the island--shown to us through some mysterious "flashforwards". That was some thrilling TV story-telling. However, within a few episodes the plot (already wonderfully loopy) began to strain under the influences of time-travel twaddle, quantum-mechanical claptrappery, and metaphysical hokum. It was often still entertaining and "oh-just-go-with-it" fun, but in the main the story arcs became too cluttered with mysteries--almost every one of which was fuel enough for a series itself. I grew fatigued. Generally, I like ambiguous storytelling, challenging narratives, and formula-busting scenarios, but this just started to feel out of control. By the end of Season Four I was beginning to see it all as a shaggy beast that would inevitably succumb to heat-exhaustion in those equatorial temperatures. Not unlike a polar bear who finds itself running loose in a tropical island forest...oh, never mind.
Last night's series finale was rather disappointing. I had held out some last desperate hope that the writers might pull a rabbit out of a hat. I didn't expect every mystery to clean up nicely, but I sort of thought they'd have an exit strategy that would supply us with a strong, smacking, "whoa!" of a finish. It didn't come. The "sideways" reality turned out to be a purgatorial holding-pen for islanders and friends who, evidently, made it into some kind of clique. The antics on the island reached a new level of silly what with Desmond, quite literally, pulling the cork out of the island and Jack sacrificing himself to put it back. So much scurrying around. Such murky motivations. Such silly and improbable turns of event. There were good moments--Jack closing his eyes in the bamboo forest, Vincent beside him; the promise of Hurley as the island's protector; the cliffside battle between Jack and "Smocke" (credit goes to Lynn Nolan for that handle); the resolution of Jack's daddy issues with the most emotionally authentic embrace of the series; Hurley's stupid grin at meeting Charlie again...there are many more. But they're singular pieces to me, not links in a strong narrative chain.
Anyway, good-bye "Lost" I loved you most of the time. Thanks for the great times. I'll get over the less than great, sure enough.
And here's a crazy thing: http://www.theackattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/FINALEFINALE_final1.png
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