Back to the Island: Looking at Lost

I denied it for a long time, but now admit it here, publicly, for the first time: I am a Lostie.

The ABC television show about a group of survivors stranded on an unknown island somewhere in the world (or beyond it) aired its final episode last March. But it still generates a great deal of debate, discussion, speculation and dispute among those who faithfully slogged through the jungle of mysteries, action, time travel, and relationship intrigue with the castaways for six fulfilling years. Books, websites, and Internet forums still thrive with its topics: Who exactly are the Others and what is their mission and reason for existence?' When were the temple and the statue built, and are they related to the fertility issues on the island?; Who was taking potshots at the time travelers from the other outrigger?; Was anyone able to sneak off into the bush to relieve themselves without Kate tracking them down and bringing them back?

And what about the ending?

Maybe I'm not Lostie enough to have gotten really upset about the ending, unlike the guy who (I kid you not) wrote and published his own book about his unhappiness with it. And I won't give it away for the one or two of you out there who will eventually take up the task of watching the entire series on DVD. I didn't dislike it or think it was bad - in fact, I found it endearing. It was 'sweet,' in a way. No matter how popular or engrossing, Lost was, after all, just a television show.

For my two cents: the conclusion was satisfying emotionally, but somewhat unrelated to the stuff that was at the heart of the show. Not totally unrelated, but largely unrelated.

Look, if the writers and producers of Lost were making any claims at all about life on Island Earth though their use of back-story and non-linear time, it was that we live in a web of amazing, intricate interconnections that escape our notice. We participate daily in sublime mysteries of spirit and existence we mistakenly think of as mundane. The things we do, the decisions we make, the courses of action we take are all knitted together in ways that matter, and matter a great deal, extending even into what we might call 'eternity.'

Next time you get snowed in, warm up the DVD player and check it out for yourself.