For the final episode of “The Transmission,” we want to take a special, wistful look back on the last six years of “LOST.” So much has happened since the moment Oceanic Flight 815 crashed on that mysterious island on September 22, 2004… both on the show, and in the “LOST” fan community. As far as “LOST” is concerned, we’d love to to get your pick for your favorite episode of all time. You could also tell us about your favorite character, or your favorite story twist. There are probably too many great moments to count. But we’re also curious to learn what “LOST” has meant to you. Simply top-notch television? A much needed escape? An excuse to connect with friends, or make new ones?
Tell us your “LOST” story. You can comment below, e-mail us at lost@hawaiiup.com, or call the LOSTLine at (815) 310-0808. We hope to release our podcast on June 27. But we may take longer than expected to collect ourselves!
Why did mib separate Clare and Aaron and keep her on the island? I still haven’t figured out how that helped him.
*this goes away from the general reflections theme & gets specific*
@ carol-thats a great question.
i am sad to say it brings up a lot more in that whole storyline of MIB. i have been rewatching season 4 & very curious about the scenes where CHRISTIAN is MIB…i dont know if they (the writers) truly had that concept/conclusion developed yet or not.
true, its very interesting to watch & SEE what how that character is pulling strings now that we ‘know’ hes MIB.
but it was said by Christian, aka, MIB, ‘Aaron is better being away’ from there, which was the cabin, and MIB, and maybe the island in general.
that was such a HUGE focus of the middle era of the show. Sawyer is so protective of Claire & Aaron, of kids in general. I guess that his ISSUE is innocence & children.
but rewatching some of the episodes it seems they had one direction being set up, then veered away later.
unless maybe this is MIB wanting to keep Aaron away from what he was going to do to Claire to use her as his pawn to get off the island. But that is a bit convoluted in that he was fine to manipulate and string her along, and leave Aaron without his mother.
or was Aaron ‘special’ and could have posed a threat to MIB?
ugh. brain HURTS. plot points & character motivation THIN.
anyway, i guess its about patterns and cycles. and in that it does provide some symmetry if not answers as such.
well Carol, hows that for an answer with a lot of words that says ‘nothing’?
MY QUESTION: What is the loophole MIB finds?
A little help here…?
@Chris – I believe the loophole is using another person to kill Jacob. Poor Ben!
@Chris – funny you should mention mib as Christian – rewatched This Place Is Death the other day and really found Christian’s role there puzzling. He said he couldn’t help Locke, when Locke asked for help to get up (with a broken leg) and move over to the donkey wheel. You’d think mib would want to help. or was there some rule here I’m missing? Head hurts, I agree.
@Carol re Aaron- there was a theory that Claire actually died and was taken by Locke when the barracks blew up. So he was just taking her as another hostage, and separating her from Aaron was incidental. I was never sure about this but thought it an interesting idea.
Another possibility is that by Kate’s becoming Aaron’s adoptive mother, she would lose her status as a candidate, thus reducing the number of candidates to be dealt with. though Jacob told Kate that 51 was just a number on a wall, and that the job was hers if she wanted it, perhaps Jacob and mib had an agreement (due to their own mother issues) that mothers were not candidates. Or mib knew that Jacob had this rule.
Very good question and would love to hear more ideas.
Time travel – if you have access to the Science channel, you might look at Morgan Freeman’s program @ 10 EDT tonight, Through the Wormhole, which my cable provider says will discuss “quantum nonlocality.” Apparkently travel backwards in time requires breaking the speed of light. Who knew? Nosebleeds explained!
@Chris and Embie- thanks for the thoughts. I thought Claire was dead too, till she showed up very much alive this season. I just find it confusing since MIB didn’t like being separated from his own mother, so why would he do it to another baby? Claire could have left with Aarron and both of them being off the island would have helped him. Do the candidates have to be dead? They are still a threat off the island? It seems like he deliberately drove Claire mad.
@Gevevieve = great post! Loved hearing your comments this year.
My introduction to Lost was very confusing, after hearing the show buzz I started watching in the fall of season 1 after they reaired the pilot, they were repeating shows during the holidaysso I caught up on a few and then when the new episodes started in Jan I was a bit confused. I had to go read recaps as ABC wasn’t streaming episodes then. Can you just imagine trying to figure out the show not having seen all the episodes? It was tough! But they did show more repeats and I was able to figure out enough to follow the show. I am not sure how I caught up, if they started streaming the shows or what. But I really loved it and it was worth the effort. I had a couple of friends that watched so I had a couple of people to bounce theories off of for the first few seasons.
During season 4 I discovered Jay and Jack, they had so many good things to say about the Transmission I checked it out. My life with Lost changed forever. I got so much more out of the show once I discovered podcasts, it was so much fun to listen to theories and it gave me something fun to listen to while food shopping or walking. I started lurking on the boards during season 5 and started getting up the nerve to post.
It was then that I became truly addicted to Lost and this board. This show is so much more fun when it can be shared.
@Carol- true that mib didn’t like being separated from his own mother, but he also wanted to leave the island. Maybe making it possible for Aaron to leave the island was more important. Had never considered this psychological motive until you mentioned the mother separation motive.
@ carol & embie-my feeling going into this season was claire was dead too. i remember when she went with christian in season 4 and was sort of baffled & amazed by where LOST was taking us.
but i suppose all our ideas that she was dead were based on believing christian to be a dead man walking about the island.
MIB repeating the cycle of ‘violence’ to another generation is very real. just because we see it, doesn’t mean MIB sees it. the idea that it eliminated a CANDIDATE was something i didn’t even think of.
@embie-the donkey wheel scene is very interesting. i think you’re right that it is something to do with ‘the rules’ as to why MIB/Christian can’t help Locke. as themes for the shows go, this seemed to be a big one: influence & free will.
MIB never DID anything to anyone. he pulled their strings & got them to do it all. like with Locke & the wheel, or Richard bringing him to Jacob, or talking Ben into killing Jacob. it was all about manipulating those with power to do what he couldn’t.
RE: LOOPHOLE. was it really as simple as someone else killing Jacob? because that doesn’t seem like a loophole, it seems like MIB’s stated goal. hmm…
as sad as i am there are no more episodes to come LOST this wonderful, fun, detailed conversation gives me hope that the discussion of the show will continue for a long time to come!
@Chris – I thought the loophole was they couldn’t kill each other but the loophole was that he could get someone to kill Jacob for him.
MIB killed many people as smokey, but in terms of the candidates was EKO a candidate because he killed him.
I guess I have to keep remembering MIB wasn’t pure MIB he was also part smokey and had his evil side.
I kind of felt like he had a soft spot for Claire, especially when he pulled her back from running after the sub.
On the Gerinomo Jack’s Beard podcast, Jorge mentioned a scene that had been cut which involved MIB asking Claire to kill all the candidates left after the sub and she refused and he sent her away since he had no further use for her. Which is why in the finale she says that the MIB sent her away. So maybe she was his pawn after all.
But then again, he could have killed her at that time and he let her live. I guess this is a plot point that was never fully developed. I remember MIB telling Kate that he didn’t want Aaron to be brought up by a crazy woman like his own mother. But Claire was not crazy until he separated her from Aaron and she was left on her own for three years with nothing but squirrel baby. His whole “the others took Aaron” story was just a ruse from keeping her from joining them at the temple rather than giving her something to fight for, imo anyway.
Interesting discussion! As far as MIB not killing anyone, I do recall him killing Zoe because she talked too much (not that we minded) ~ and at the temple didn’t he kill several people?
@Carol from Boston- Yeah Eko was a candidate so how could the MIB kill him? Maybe Jacob wasn’t on the Island at that time and that’s why he could kill him. I guess that’s a mistake.
opps. when i said MIB didn’t ‘kill’ anyone, i meant when he was in locke/christians form prior to jacob’s death.
he seemed to be bound by the ‘rules’ in that regard. but post jacob he not only killed zoe, but JACK.
the EKO part is strange. when do we learn eko is/was a candidate?
and the scene we didn’t see sounds interesting regarding claire/MIB. but i have to say, i can only judge the show on WHAT WAS AIRED. that IS the show they presented. and in that regard claire’s story is a bit weak for my taste.
but, se la ve.
So glad you are back in line!
Blaming
Just thinking about the idea of personal responsibility as explored in LOST. So many times a character wIll blame another, and then reverse position and take the blame himself. Sawyer for example first blames Jack for Juliet’s death, but then later sitting on the dock with Kate he says it’s his fault, because he asked her to stay (on this damned island) so that he wouldn’t be alone.
Or, turning this around, Sawyer in The End asks Jack if it’s his fault that Sun and Jin and the rest died on the sub, and Jack tells him no, that it’s Locke’s fault.
There’s also Hurley believing hencwused 815 to crash. But it was really Desmond failing to push the button. Or was it something else?
I believe it’s a common human problem to not know where to assign responsibility and to err at either extreme – taking full responsibility, or none. Probably made worse by insecurities from poor or absent or confused parenting.
So who killed Jacob? MIB, or Ben, or Ilana’s crew that let Ben and Locke go in to see Jacob? LOSTÂ helps us explore our complicity in the suffering of others, and that’s a really good thing. Buddhist underpinnings to that. Namaste.
Sorry that’s “he caused” and not “hencwused” or however this iPad keyboard rendered it.
@Embie – I was wondering what that word meant! lol How do you like your iPad? I tried one in the store over the weekend and my only complaint was the fingerprints all over it. Considering that they were all from strangers I could only think “yuck”. I think my dh and I will be getting the new iphone.
All good points everyone and as Chris says we only know as much as we can see, the rest is pure speculation.
I like discussing things like this rather than just getting frustrated at the lack of story.
Personally I like that there are so many things left to think about and discuss.
Something tells me Lost isn’t done yet. We’ll see offshoots, not sure how I will feel about them though.
I must confess I am not here because I think about Lost all the time, it is because I like the company. 🙂
Tomorrow I have to think up my “list” for the podcast.
I love hanging out here too!
Interesting thoughts Embie ~ taking personal responsiblilty for one’s potential part in consequences is a healthy sign of introspection and maturity ~~ In Season One we saw Jack’s marriage to Sarah break down ~ I remember Jack was angry at her for her choice to leave, but I think he took responsibilty for his part of the breakdown due to his work-a-holic nature ~ in the Sideverse, he had another failed marriage, but connected with Kate in the end to be complete ~~ In the case of Sawyer, he was blameless in what happened to his parents, but he needed to take responsibility for wanting revenge in an unlawful manner ~ in his Sideverse, he chose to be on the side of the law rather than being a con artist, but was still grappling with getting (understandable) revenge. Also there is a difference between intentially or accidentally doing something. Jack did not intend to kill Juliet and Sawyer did not intend to kill Sayid, Jin and Sun; but they were consequences of actions that they chose.
Favorite character: In the first three seasons, Kate was my favorite character. She was a woman of passion and action with the right intentions. Her Season One episodes were very gripping. Her storyline faltered somewhat in later seasons, especially when she was reduced to bickering with Sawyer. But she was there for Aaron, and Sawyer (visiting Cassidy and Clementine), and childhood Ben. I had faith that in the end she would be an important character, and she proved me right by saving a bullet to kill MIB, and in helping lead Jack to his redemption.
Desmond really stood out in Season 4, and I liked Miles and Hurley a lot in Season 5. Season 6 really was Jack’s story ~ his calling and redemption ~ he was always so well-meaning and innately ‘good’ but so sad and broken and lost ~ it was so nice to see him fully realized and found.
Hey everyone!!
To all who posted their Lost stories, thank you for sharing.
I have to say that I started watching from day 1 and never looked back. The pilot was truly something to behold. I have often heard writers and critics say that it is very difficult to pen a good pilot. You have to introduce the storyline, plot and the various characters and make it compelling enough to make the audience take notice, become invested in the plot and want to return the next week, and the week after that etc.
Well, honestly I believe the Lost pilot is damn never perfect. The first few minutes with Jack awakening and his walk up to the beautiful beach and as he turns his head to discover chaos … truly unforgettable. The next few minutes with Jack running around trying to help everyone with the music drumming on is fantastic. I was hooked.
Favourite moments:
Character introductions in the pilot were really well done. Hurley and Sayid, with the reveal of him being a Republican Guard – great. Jack and Kate, with the sewing up the wound. Sawyer, the bad boy, I hate the world but I hate myself more rogue. Sun and Jin – how I disliked Jin at first.
Walkabout, Locke and his wheelchair – fantastic HFC moment. Sawyer’s parents murder suicide reveal with young James under the bed – heartbreaking. This completely changed my perspective on the Sawyer.
The Constant with Desmond and Penny’s phone call. Charlie’s death. Sawyer’s pain after Juliet’s death. Anything Ben. Ab Aeterno.
Every season opener and close were great in that it peeled back another layer of the story and shifted our perspective of the show and where it was heading :
Season 1 : we get the crash – we end with the raft fiasco and Locke and Jack looking down the hatch.
Season 2 : Desmond in the hatch reveal – we end with Penny getting the phone call “I think we found it.’
Season 3 : The Ohers in Othersville reveal — we end with Jack “We have to go back, Kate.†And in my opinion, the best story twist of all time.
Season 4 : The Oceanic six reveal (Hurley and the mangoes) –we end with Locke in the coffin.
Season 5 : Pierre Chang and the Dharma Initiative in its heyday (time travel) reveal – we end with Jacob and the Man in Black reveal (in part one), the death of Jacob and the death scene with Juliet and the jughead incident (in part 2).
Season 6 : The plane lands in LA X – we end with an emotional rollercoaster, on the Island MIB is vanquished and in the Sideways reveals to be the biggest flash forward of all … the afterlife, Limbo, Bardo, or an abstract construct – choose your science or your faith.
I cannot give favourite episodes because there are just too many I loved and the same goes with characters, they each moved me at a particular time.
The acting, the direction, the production values, the writing and Giacchino’s score all came together to create a show that challenge us, cultivated our curiosity and ignited a passion for discussion – a rarity indeed.
In reality, as I am writing this, it becomes clear to me that LOST always played with perspective, how to give you one thing and then make you see it from another side or another angle. The perspective always shifted, this always kept the story fresh and interesting, never the same.
I will miss LOST but am grateful for having experienced it with friends and finding the few podcasts that led me to have a better appreciation for the show. I listened to Jay and Jack which lead me to the Transmission during its hiatus and was bummed that Ryan and Jen did not seem to be podcasting anymore. Glad you guys came back.
@ Chris in Seattle and YAE : re the LOOPHOLE
I did an exercise awhile back, which I posted on the Blog, of following MIB’s loophole. I basically deconstructed the Man in Black’s loophole as depicted in season 5 and tried to show how the manipulations of that loophole might influence a shift in our perspective when doing a re-watch in light of that loophole.
In essence, yes, the loophole was finding a way to kill Jacob. Since the rules prevented MIB to kill him directly, he had to find a way to have someone else do it. But it would not be easy to find someone to do the deed, since the Others venerated Jacob as their leader. MIB saw in Ben a potential candidate of his own and manipulating him by exploiting Ben’s need to be special and pitting him against Locke.
Ask yourself the following question : What if Ben, as Henry Gale, knew about this man named John Locke, that claimed to be the leader of the Others, prior to Oceanic 815 crashing on the Island? Would he not be curious enough, jealous enough, to go and investigate the situation and see who this man was, once in fact this very man fell out of the sky?
Both Richard and Ethan, had an encounter with Locke during the time travel season, whereby Locke tells them that he is their future leader…
I have posted this loophole deconstruction on DarkUfo’s site, here is the link, since it is quite long = please, feel free to read and I would love your feedback.
http://theoriesonlost.blogspot.com/2010/06/man-in-blacks-loophole-debunked.html
@ Carol RE: Claire and Aaron being separated by MIB
I think the reason MIB separated Claire from Aaron, was to destablize her. He needed her to become his pawn and if she had Aaron with her, she would not be as easily influenced by him. By taking Aaron away, he was able to dangle him as a carrot by leading her to believe that the Temple and its people were responsible for Aaron disappearance.
I am one of those that thought Claire had died in the explosion of her house. It still could be argued that she did die there and the MIB claimed her then as later he did to Sayid. Miles did show he was getting some weird vibes from her after the explosion. There may be various ways to be claimed by MIB.
Could be something to look for during a rewatch.
Totally Lost returns!
http://www.ew.com/ew/video/0,,20313460_20313475,00.html
@coolpeace – makes sense except they really didn’t show him using her much, maybe he saw it wouldn’t work. Though I did think he was using her as something to hold over Jack.
I forgot about your loophole theory, which is totally awesome btw!
The beginning of the totally lost video is Hurley and the dharma van, love that moment and it goes in my Favs list. They show a lot of clips, Jin laughing at Sawyer being a cop in the sideways is fun as well.
I am going to enjoy the rewatch again. I am giving it a bit more time. Though I watched The Candidate again and they mention “letting go” several times. I bet if we go back it is probably mentioned in every sideways episode.
@Carol – the iPad is useful, and gets used a lot – microfiber cloths seem to take off fingerprints easily – annoying that you can’t multitask but have to close out one app and go to another rather than being able to see them all at once. But it’s lightweight and easy.
@greenberry – yeah, personal responsibility – that’s one way in which the characters seem to have grown – Ben especially – I like that in the Sideverse he chose to help Alex rather than further his career ambitions – he knew he had more work to do in growing his sense of personal responsibility and caring for others and that’s why he remained behind I think.
@Coolpeace – I like your theory about MIB manipulating Locke and Ben for a long time (or in many different times) – what a lot of work went into tracing those events out! It’s fascinating that the whole rewatch or even single episodes could be so altered by our knowledge of the MIB-Ben-Locke manipulation.
It’s extremely hard to pick one favorite episode of Lost. I guess mine would be Numbers. We finally get Hurley’s story started and, in looking up more about Jorge Garcia, I found the Fuselage and The Transmission podcast and that began my life with the Lost family. As someone who’s not able to be out much, this is really been a lifeline for me. I’ve made friends all over the world through our common bond of loving Lost. Not acquaintances but friends who have helped through the loss of my mother-in-law and my dad. Friends who have rejoiced with me over the adoption of my granddaughter. Friends I have been able to rejoice with over the milestones in their lives as well and friends who were lost but lived in our memories whenever their favorite characters were on the screen. Lost has made me think about my place in the world as well as reminding of what I truly believe in life. No other show has done ALL these things and that’s why it’s irreplaceable.
“The End” still would be in the top 5 episodes for me along with the Pilot, Exodus and Walkabout. There are so many great episodes I just now realize I’m leaving some of my faves out!! Even if some episodes weren’t as captivating as others, there was always a nugget or two to think about and some kind of character progression and that includes “A Stranger in a Strange Land” and “Expose”.
I am completely unashamed to say that LOST is the greatest TV show ever. I strongly believe in the power of story to impact people, and I have seldom experienced such a powerful story, even in books or film, which typically get more credit for their ability to develop characters. After all, the characters are what this is all really about. I admit to being one of those “mythology” types, myself–I spent the majority of my theorizing on the Island and Dharma and the meaning of it all. But, in the end, I came to realize that the SF plot, while compelling and exciting, is not what makes LOST the greatest. There are many good SF films and TV shows. The thing that causes LOST to stand above the rest is its ability to give us flesh and blood characters with fully realized personalities and hangups, and still place them in such a compelling story. For the first three seasons of the show, the primary device the writers use for character development is flashback–which gives us the very unique experience of seeing these people both in the utterly foreign and incredibly stressful context of the Island and also in their everyday, rather mundane lives back home. Thus, we see the characters over a span of time beyond the bounds of the immediate story, giving us a much broader view of their motivations. The writers’ taking the time to do this built these characters into people we could relate to–even love, at times–and carried us through those parts of the show where the story weakened because of too-long stays in the polar bear cages, or random trips to Thailand for no reason, or writers’ strikes, or whatever.
LOST is about a group of ordinary people thrust into extraordinary situations. We get to see them change, fail, be redeemed. And, along the way, we learn things. Because, like all the best SF, LOST is about us. It’s about how we relate to one another, and what we are capable of. From this epic story, you can draw out examples of perfect love and utter evil. You can point to friendship, devotion, betrayal, and sacrifice. These are heavy concepts. In many shows, in the hands of many writers, they come across as cheesy or preachy. In LOST, they seem not only appropriate, but obvious. What else could a show like this be about?
I have had the joy of watching LOST with good friends for pretty much every episode since we started watching four years ago. I started listening to The Transmission around the same time. In my mind, the experience of watching LOST is inseparable from this podcast/blog, and I owe a big “Thank you” to Ryan & Jen and all those who regularly contribute. You have made the experience so much more rewarding for me, and I consider the entire experience one of the most enjoyable things I’ve ever done.
Those are my thoughts for now.
@Embie- Great thought about personal responsibility of the characters. They felt guilty of many things during the six seasons and as you said, althought they did blame other person for their actions, they undertood in the end who’s responsibility it was.
In Juliet’s death case, for example. After blaming Jack, Sawyer thought it was his fautl that Juliet died, yeah but, wasn’t she guilty of her own dead? Wasn’t Daniel guilty too?
When Boone died Locke felt responsible too and Shannon acussed him, but Boone made a decission. Michael did too leaving everyone on the Island and going home with his son, but he did regret that just like Jack did.
The psicology ibn this series is amazing!!
@ Embie : it is fascinating, isn’t it??
I really want to go back and rewatch many episode with this loophole in mind. I certainly don’t think that the writers had knowledge about Locke as MIB when introducing Henry Gale, but certainly, in season 3, during ‘The Brig’ when Locke joins The Others in the valley, and Cindy tells him that they were excited to see him, because they were expecting him…. well, that did blow my mind, when I was putting this all together. Of course they were expecting him, Ethan must have gone back to tell everyone that some guy named John Locke claims to be our leader and says that Ben conceded leadership to him. Ahhh, can you imagine Ben’s face?
@ Luke ~ beautifully stated! These ‘what LOST means to me’ stories are as beautiful as the show (and its end) itself ~ very touching, and there are so many amazing writers on this board who are able to articulate their feelings so well ~ impressive!
@ Embie @ Amaia ~ I also so love the psychology in LOST
@ Coolpeace ~ your thorough posts have taught me so mucb about the show ~ I really see your line of thinking in so many regards
@ Carol ~ That was a beautiful way to start me day… watching those ew clips ~ they had me crying and laughing and back and forth ~~
Apparently the character of Locke made it on the list of 100 influential tv or movie characters in the last 20 years, yet we on this board were way more moved by Ben… interesting ~ I have not seen a lot of ‘Locke is my favorite character’ posts recently ~~ I know I often felt sad with how tragic he seemed, so naive and gullible and used and confused
Another beautiful LOST moment in Season 5 was when Juliet successfully delivered Ethan and she was able to share that joy with Sawyer, who psychologically gave her the courage to go for it. Beaming JOY
I won’t say it is my favorite episode (that was the Constant) but since we are talking about favorite characters too, I’ll take the opportunity to defend the Bai Ling/Jack’s tatoo episode.
OK, so it wasn’t the greatest but at the end of the episode when Jack’s tatoo was translated to mean “He walks among us but he is not one of us.” And Jack defensively said that “is what it says but that’s not what it means.” Something about that really endeared Jack to me. He had been such a dependable hero that he was easy to criticize and take for granted, but that episode made me realize his tragic isolation.
As for what LOST meant to me, I think one truth it cemented in my mind was that the mysteries are almost always more compelling than the answers. And to the extent that the show sought to be an allegory about the conflict between religion and science, the fan reactions it created may have been it most enduring symbol. They demonstrated how those who “believe” can go to incredible lengths to rationalize shortfalls and inconsistencies. And for those who do not believe, no explanation can ever be good enough.
Regardless, I think most will look back on Lost as a highwater mark for t.v.
Ryan and Jenn, I really appreciate all of your fine work. I’ve never met you, but I am going to miss you.
@ Amaia ~ I like your thoughts on CHOICES that our Losties (and we) made/make ~~ Yes, Juliet chose to ‘go back in time’ too ~ she slipped accidentally, and then she chose to smash Jughead once down there (which took the rest of the losties back to 2007?) And Boone chose to go up in that plane with Locke’s encouragement. There will always be consequences or ramifications of our actions and choices, fair or unfair, destined or karmic or random. It is mature to take responsibility for our part in our dealings and circumstances. Or as Embie points out re: Ben, making future choices to help redeem previous bad choices, in life or death.
Father issues, mother issues, sibling rivalry:
Many times, many of you have brought up the family issues faced by the characters. It’s an interesting lens. I thought I’d focus it some more. Please forgive if I missed someone else’s posting on this.
Father and mother issues: no shortage of theseÂ
Jack – wants to be loved for who he is, but his father tells him he doesn’t have what it takes (to work under pressure, to stand up to bullies). Wanting love and approval and feeling he didn’t measure up. It makes my heart ache for Jack.
Sayid – he does have what it takes “to be a man” his father says, because he kills the chicken when his brother is unable to do so. How did this shape Sayid as a killer/torturer and confuse him about whether or not he was a good person?
Charlie – his father wants him to be a butcher and not pursue music – interesting parallels with Daniel whose mother wanted him to choose physics over music (but in the Sideverse indulges that interest of his, as Jack does his son David). Charlie’s mother recognized and nurtured his artistic side.Â
Hurley – his father disappears for 17 years – Hurley doesn’t know why – turns to food. Jokes and good nature hiding his wounded spirit. His mother always there for him but also worrying and criticizing.
Locke – what can you say? He so desperately wanted to connect with his father that he let himself be conned out of a kidney. Naive, maybe, but so understandable. His mother delivered him  into the hands of his scheming father, for cash. Ouch!Â
Ben – blamed by his father for his mother’s death in childbirth. Feeling unwanted, and tainted, and never quite right. So sad to feel that insecurity that Ben must have worn every day. No wonder he wanted to feel special. And not a surprise the sibling rivalry with Locke, in their roles as (Ben believed) Jacob’s children or spiritual successors.
Sun – repressed, oppressed, and objectified by her father – he must have given her some of his own steely spirit though, as she became quite tough after the six went back.Â
Jin – he rejected his father or hid his existence because he was ashamed of his origins (little knowing that his mother was a prostitute with multiple sexual partners)
Sawyer – to lose both parents so young, and through violence that he witnessed – really, it’s no surprise he was a little low on trust
Kate – abused by a stepfather, idealizing her “real” father, and learning (cruel twist) that the abuser is her biological father – trying to make things right with her mother by getting rid of the abuser, and then being rejected by her mother, even as her mother lay dying. Do we wonder why she seemed at times a little passive and indecisive?
Claire – when she was conceived, her father was married to someone else – she was told he had died when she was a child, and it made her very angry to learn the truth, meeting him after the car accident that put her mother in a coma – then her own child’s father decides he can’t deal with her pregnancy – do we wonder that she had trouble trusting men?
Miles – believed his father abandoned him but through time travel was able to witness his father’s love toward his own infant self, and understand better the sacrifice his father made in sending him off the island with his mother.
Shannon and Boone – step siblings as a result of a marriage between their parents – Shannon’s behavior so childish but she seemed to need to show Boone that she could take care of herself.
Juliet – her parents divorced when she was young – her aloofness possibly related to this.
Eko – we don’t know but the evidence suggests he was an orphan and had to parent himself and his brother from young age.
Walt – parents separated when his mother takes a job overseas – has trouble accepting Michael as his dad when his mother dies.
Desmond – well there’s a huge question- who WERE his parents? Part of me wonders if he’s another child of Christian Shepard. With Eloise Hawking?
Last Sunday was Father’s Day (here in the US) and it made me think of my own father, of my struggles with him at a younger age, and of the gift of living long enough and having him live long enough that we could stop struggling and really enjoy each other. He was an engineer, and very comfortable with physics, and I would have enjoyed sharing LOST with him and hearing his reactions to the science and sci-fi aspects. But he died in 2004 before the pilot aired. So that was not to be. He questioned my education and career choices when I was young, tried to push me where I wouldn’t be pushed. He was disappointed with my decisions, and didn’t mind telling me so. Like Jack, I felt the stinging tears that spring up when a young person is seen as not quite good enough. In the end, my dad accepted my life choices and would greet me with great enthusiasm and interest whenever I called or visited. I had the good fortune to be there when he died, and the peace that comes with having resolved those father issues while there was still time.
Why am I telling YAE this? Oh, partly because it reflects on my feelings for LOST, and for YAE as people who can read this without judging. And then also because as parents ourselves (which I am and I know some are, and some plan to be) there are lessons and cautionary tales in LOST for how we speak to our own children. Â May we all make the world a better place, and help our children have the confidence and security of our unconditional love to support them through challenges that we cannot know.
Namaste. Â Â Â
@ Luke – well-said – like you I am completely unashamed in my admiration for LOST – thinking about why it didn’t come across cheesy or preachy, a lot of it is the character development, and some of it the extreme setting and situation – and a lot of restraint on the part of the writers – first class acting and direction – teamwork is my guess, graced by genius.
@ greenberry – agreeing with you about Locke – used, confused, and abused – we see him as strong and capable since he was the guy with the knives, the excellent hunter and provider, the builder of cradles, etc. But the motivation and the back story, heartbreaking.
I have been reading this terrific blog since season 4
when the Lost bug bit me.
What I enjoyed best was to theorize and to watch for clues and links with pop and religious culture
The HD RVP definetely helped then with the super slowmo
Whats great is that we get to rewatch all the episodes in French (Perdus) here during the summer (only 5 episodes left)
I guess, like a lot of you, I am still in the severance period from this addiction.
My favorite moment: I think I lost it when there was Desmond’s call in to Peggy. But there were a lot more.
My regret
I wish we had seen more of Ben’s and Charles’ lives off the Island
What was this plot they were playing ? Where were Ben’s millions $ coming from ?
I enjoyed this blog most for its international flavour and great intellectual quality of its participants, but mostly for the high level of respect granted to any theories put forward
Critics rarely deviated to personal stings
although there were a lot of fine and colourful characters writing here
I will miss you all everybody
@ Embie ~ Thanx for laying that all out! I love the lessons gleaned from any drama I watch, and LOST had some exceptional truths to ponder…
In Shannon’s case (if you or yae could refresh my memory before I start my rewatch), was her father still alive? I know she felt completely abandoned by the stepmom, who totally favored Boone. Did her dad abandon her in life, or only through death?
I love that your father/daughter story had a happy ending. I’m not seeing much hope for mine, but destiny could have other plans… I know when I see father/ daughter stories in dramas (where the child feels rejected) I just LOSE IT and cry like crazy! This is why the Miles story really touched me, that he was able to witness that his dad really did love him (sometimes we’re just not aware of what the truth is).
Good advice about caring for our own families in the most sensitive and supportive ways possible
@greenberry – Shannon’s dad was killed in the same car accident that injured Jack’s first wife.
@Embie- thanks for sharing your personal story with us.
@Mirepoix – I agree I loved “meeting” so many people from around the world.
@YaE – as Greenberry knows, one of my facebook friends has told me to get over Lost and move on. “Never” I said! I have met too many friends through Lost to say good bye to it forever.
i am thrilled that the conversation continues.
this has been a very powerful & personal blog. what a rare gift to have to be reflecting on LOST as a series & as a piece of each of our lives. to be able to share with one another backstories from our own lives, the elements we connected to, and the meanings we take away is such a wonderful opportunity. its great we’ve all had a little time to step away and reflect.
i am glad to have been able to participate a little bit here towards the end. i had always looked at LOST as a journey and not a destination. i never knew what was coming next and liked it that way. i suppose i began to think differently this year. but besides trying to get ahead of the curve this season i spent most of my time relating to the island and our losties with pure wonder.
i never had a lot of expectations for the series. i had heard a bit about it but wasn’t that interested. but my friend kept telling me it was ‘mindblowing’ and kept talking about this ‘desmond’ character. when i finally started the series he said to me, ‘oh, i envy the journey you’re about to take.’
and i know now exactly what he meant.
i’d love to do it all over again!
when i began Lost was already into the 3rd season. at the time i lived on a mountain-top outside seattle pretty much alone, surrounded by wilderness and an hour from civilization. i suppose i related to the Losties being in the middle of nowhere, trying to figure out what was happening. i would always marvel at the final THUD of the episode and the sheer audacity of the writing. i never could guess where they were going to take us and that was what i always loved.
being in the woods i think the 1st seasons creep factor is one of my most enduring memories. i would watch the DVD’s late into the night and when i would hear strange noises i couldn’t help but be a little concerned that the smoke monster was moving about. ‘what creatures lurked in the dark?’, i would wonder looking out my own windows in the middle of the night into the pitch black forest surrounding me.
~gulp~
now that its over, now that i am in the city and smack in the middle of civilization i can say without fear that i loved the blend of genres, characters, and storytelling structures. while i wish the episodes would continue i am glad that what remains beyond the experience of the show is the wider community.
its a unique and marvelous experience to be a part of. and while we all say goodbye to the show & the series its great to know such a wide network of diverse, intelligent, funny, dynamic, and committed creative people are out there.
i’m excited to see what happens next.
@ everyone- i’m sure i just missed when ryan & jen were discussing their profile in NYTIMES before the finale. but i found it the other day and it really made me happy to read.
for anyone else that missed it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/04/arts/television/04lost.html
also @ everyone- thanks for the patience, appetite for sharing, insights, assistance and opinions! and of course, thanks RYAN & JEN!
Just a couple of thoughts on “favorites”:
“Favorite moments” are so hard to narrow down. I do, however, remember certain moments more clearly than others. My wife and I watched Seasons 1 and 2 on DVD, in 5-episode sittings. As a result, those two seasons were, the first time through, a wonderful blur. But, even in that blur, one conversation stood out: the one between Jack, Locke, and Ben in the hatch (when Ben is still Henry Gale). You know, the one where he speculates on what he would do if he really were an Other. It was the first time we got to see Ben’s incredibly creepy side (made possible entirely by Michael Emerson’s wickedly subtle acting). It was also the first time I really felt that wonderful confusion that became so much a part of the story–the confusion over whether people were speaking truth or lies.
“Favorite characters” are even harder to single out, but I’d say the character I most wish the writers had developed more would be Eko. He had such promise. His character was both wise and brutal, righteous and broken. He was mysterious and compelling and utterly cool. I know events in real life prevented his continued presence on the show, but I still wish they had found a way to work him in one last time in Season 6.
@ Chris and Others ~ Have you visited (and commented) on the Discussion Board of The Transmission Page; in the Blog User Name section?? ~ I so hope we can all stay in touch for future discussions! And that means you too, Coolpeace!!! (but no pressure)
I meant “The Transmission” FACEBOOK page
@ green berry – I wish for you a happy next chapter of your father daughter story, truly.
Watching Totally Lost re the finale (thanks, Carol, for posting the link) I got to hear again Ben’s totally awful statement to Keamy who was holding Alex at gunpoint – “she means nothing to me” – no wonder Ben thinks he has works to do!
I’m thinking of organiZing my ideas in defense of why I like Kate. Does anyone else feel the need to justify our character preferences?
@ Embie ~ lol!! I remember being so thrilled when I found this blog, and then within the months that followed (during Season 4, I think), the “Kate bashing” began ~ I was quite taken back and dismayed (It reminded me of when I returned to college at age 44 with all these young pups who would consistently bash the U.S.A. in many class discussions (I am an American who has been living in Canada since 1980, age 25); so I went into defensive mode to protect my country of birth and citizenship. Which brings me back to how I reacted to the ‘Kate’ thing ~ I knew it was important to respect everyone on the board (we’re all entitled to our opinions as long as they don’t hurt anyone, right?), but it did get me off my ‘reading only’ mode to writing blog entries.
So yeah!! ~ I’m with ya!!!
The Juliet thing baffled me too, but I am willing to rewatch and be more open to how she touched people’s hearts, and that Sawyer REALLY WAS into her
@embie – no need to defend your choice. That is what this place is about right? I like Kate too, she’s a fighter.
re: ben’s last statement to his daughter. I can’t imagine the guilt he carried around with that. I know he was trying to save her but she didn’t know that. I would hate that to be the last words to my child.
It does seem to come down to these characters feeling guilty and seeking redemption for their sins. So I guess in that sense the sideways world has a purpose, it lets them work through the guilt.
Okay new thread- favorite character lines
off the top of my head
Sawyer in response to the man in black not being able to travel over water “yeah, because that would be ridiculous”
Miles “I lived here 30 years ago, otherwise known as last week”
Ilana to ben “I’ll have you”
Kate to Jack on the beach after the sub “I thought I lost you”
Ben after Jack asking him how he could read on the plane “my mother taught me”.
Hurley – his whole speech to his mom about the island
Jack “we gotta go back kate”