The End Part 1

First let me say that I absolutely loved the ending. All the people complaining they didn't like it or not able to understand what happened I don’t think ever understood the show in the first place. Like I said before there’s really nothing to recap but there is plenty to sort out. As it turns out the flash sideways was the ultimate flash forward. Ha ha, jokes on us, they were dead the whole time. Well, not on the island but in the ATL. Sort of a tongue in cheek way for Darlton to get over with the “they are not dead” assurance they gave us after the first season. Also, I don’t exactly think the ATL was “purgatory” at all either, it was, for a lack of a better term, limbo. Or yes, as Cerpts claimed it was like the Elysian Fields in Greek Mythology, and why not. The ATL was the very ending of the show, however, there is so much that could happen between the time when the Ajira plane flies off of the island, Hurley vows to protect the island with Ben’s help, and Jack gives up the ghost. That is exactly what has me both angry for the many things we don’t know about and probably won’t ever know. It also gives me hope that someday, I could see some of these characters again on TV, there is still more story to be told. For now, let’s just talk about what we do know; here is what I wanted to talk about:



The first time through watching the episode certainly was not enough to notice everything or to allow it all to settle in. Watching the scenes through the eyes of Desmond, someone who knows they are all dead and trying to pass over during the end of the season, gives you a different perspective. The guy who delivers Christian's coffin to the church asks Desmond if he is a priest or something. Listen to the way he says “Or… something.”, it is so much a better line and you can really appreciate the way Henry Ian Cusick delivers the line when hearing it a second time. Desmond then tells Kate that he wants to leave. She asks him why she is here. He says that he can’t tell her why she is “here”.


I liked the way they juxtaposed the people on the island with their ATL counterparts. I know I am still calling it the ATL but what should I call it? Ghost-ville? Watching Ben load the bullets into the gun (that would actually later be used to kill Flocke) I knew he was not with Flocke, and seeing Ben in the ATL making himself a cup of tea perfectly transitions the two situations. In both places, he has some big decisions to make.



I felt a lump in my throat when Hurley saw Charlie again (for the first time) in the ATL. Then Sayid had a great reaction when Hurley placed Charlie into the back of the Hummer. “What was that?” “Charlie.”


I’m guessing Juliette’s maiden name was Carlson and her married name was Burke? But how come if she was Jack’s ex wife she didn’t use Shepherd? Whatever.


Jin and Sun having their moment was touching; especially after it had just been a couple episodes since we said goodbye to them on the island.


I guess Richard getting gray hairs means that his eternal life ended after Jacob died. Either way it was good to see him still around. Same goes for Frank. I didn’t think either one of them were dead anyway. OK, maybe for a second. It was good to see the three of them together working on the Ajira plane. Some good stuff!


The “I’m gonna kill you.” scene between Jack and Flocke after their two groups met on the hill (that was the same hill where Alex met Danielle for the first time back in The Beginning of the End) gave me chills and for once I found myself fully in Jack’s corner. I can actually say that for most of the final season I was a full fledged Jack fan.

I almost released in my pants the first time Sawyer and Juliette saw each other outside of the elevator but alas their moment was to come later.


As Jack, Flocke, and Desmond split away and continued on I was a little worried for Desmond who was wearing a red shit. For being a spoiler hound, I have to admit that the only thing I knew about this episode was that Juliette was David’s mother. Other than that I knew nothing that was going to happen. It felt weird but good at the same time.


So let’s think about Desmond telling Jack about the ATL. I don’t think Desmond (on island Desmond) fully understood what he was seeing in the sideways world after-all. The only way Desmond could have taken Jack there would have been to kill him. Either way ATL Desmond knew what the deal was.


I would still like to know more about “the rules” that we always hear about. This time it is Hurley that tells Sayid there are rules in play. I got a little misty eyed watching Sayid and Shannon having their moment. Does this mean that Shannon was Sayid’s true love and not Nadia? Boone’s line about how hard it was to get Shannon there was a little hint from the producers about how difficult it was to get Maggie Grace to Hawaii to film her scenes. She was originally supposed to be in the season premier but they were not able to get their schedules together. Speaking of Boone, when did he have his moment? Was it when he was on the plane talking to Locke?


Jack telling Flocke that he disrespects the memory of John Locke by wearing his face made me cheer Jack on; yelling at my TV screen “You f*ckin’ tell him!”. Yeah, I’m a dork! I loved the view of them looking down the waterfall after they lowered Desmond down. It did indeed feel the same as when they were looking down into the Swan hatch after they blew it open back at the end of season 1. Both times Desmond was down where they were looking.


Why didn’t we get a Daniel/Charlotte moment? Why didn’t they end up being in the church at the end of the episode? There’s more to their story. They just were not ready to “move on” yet. Desmond tells Eloise that he isn’t taking her son with him when he leaves so I guess they will end up crossing over with other people. Maybe that is when Miles, Frank, Naomi, and some others that were missing will cross over.


Let’s put some other people in their proper places as well. Seeing Pierre Chang there is a good reason we don’t see Miles in the church. It is obvious that people can become “aware” of the state they are in but not have to cross over. I would imagine the Miles, like Ben, will be spending some time with his family before moving on to whatever is next. It was agonizing to wait for Claire and Charlie to have their moment. Did we all notice that Desmond, Kate, Claire and the rest of their group were seated at table 23. Did you notice the gray haired man with the beard sitting at the table behind them? I remember him from one of the Dharma orientation videos. They did get a lot of use out of their extras on this show.


The bright light went out, the water stopped running, and the red light started to glow in the chamber after Desmond pulled out the islands cork. “Oh, f*ck, that’s not good!”. Wasn’t sure what I expected to happen, that wasn’t it though. Let’s make sure we got this right - Desmond had to pull the cork so Jack could kill Flocke. The bright light going out made Flocke vulnerable like any other man, right? But it also made Jack vulnerable. Does that sound right?

So I then had to sit through friggin’ Kate have her minute of clarity. Actually, another great scene and moment, thank you! It was touching and made me realize (six seasons later) just where Kate was coming from. Her big moment was the birth of Aaron. That was the moment that made her remember. That should show everyone that the love triangle was always secondary to her. Really, the love triangle was something some of the viewers made up. What Kate, Jack, and Sawyer actually did was simply human nature so I don’t want to hear anymore shit about Skate or Jate or any other crap about the love triangle and the "shippers". It’s done, it didn’t matter, get over it! Kate's one main purpose was always Aaron. It also made me want to see more of the story that tells us what happens to Kate, Claire, and Aaron after they are reunited off island.


Charlie comes back with a blanket and Kate, who now fully remembers everything, thanks him. Kate wasn’t thanking him for the blanket he was holding, she was thanking him for his sacrifice down in the looking glass station. She tells him to take the blanket to Claire and they have their moment. I did shed some tears watching their reunion and I shed some more when I watched the episode for the fifth time to write this. That’s when you know it’s good folks! The only problem I had with the scene is I think Charlie should have called Aaron “Turnip Head” as he kissed him.


Desmond asks Kate is she understands and she says she does. “Now what?”, she asks. What I thought at this point was that they had to help Jack remember so they could go back to the island. I was only half right.


Ben almost sacrifices himself saving Hurley from the falling tree. This proved to me that Ben was indeed one of the "good guys". To see Kate, Hurley, and Sawyer act so quickly and try so hard to get Ben free made me understand that they had accepted Ben as well.


The scene of Jack and Flocke running towards each other in the rain for their final confrontation was immense. Seeing Jack literally fly through the air to deliver a super-hero like punch made me curse the commercial interruption! We watched these two men clash while bits of the island fell into the ocean all around them. Seeing Flocke nick Jack’s throat with the knife explained where the blood was coming from in the ATL.


And in the end it was beauty that killed the beast as Kate shoots Flocke and tells him that she saved a bullet for him. OK, it wasn’t the bullet that killed him I guess but the fall from the cliff that Jack served up. Almost looked the same as when Flocke kicked Jacob into the fire at the end of last season.


So in order to remember, Locke needed to have the surgery and be able to walk again. He needed Jack to fix him. Jack fights the visions that bring back his memories. The one thing he has to fill in as a buffer is David, his son who he uses as an excuse to leave Locke’s room. A son that doesn’t exist, as Locke is so eager to point out. As Jack leaves, John tells him that he hopes someone does for Jack what Jack just did for him. So which does he mean? Help him remember so he can let go and cross over? In other words: fix him?

Part 2 to follow very soon.