Lost: After The End

I was totally impressed by “The End”. I sat riveted throughout the episode, and when it was over, I went outside and sat by the pool in the dark for a while, listening to it gurgle and splash, and mulled it all over.

I had spent the better part of the weekend getting the pool opened, and I was bone tired. I was also emotionally drained from the finale, with it’s unbelievably heart wrenching twists and turns, and as I sat there listening to the pump working overtime, filtering out all the algae and crud that had built up over the winter and returning pure clean water into the pool, I couldn’t help thinking that it was the perfect way to sum up Lost, and the perfect way to wrap up the evening.

The finale, and the final season on the whole, was just what we needed in these uncertain times, a reminder about what’s really important in life. Redemption, brotherhood, love, and above all else, doing the right thing no matter what the cost. Whether you loved or hated the finale, you have to give it that.

Personally, I loved it. Sure, it left us with questions, but what good story doesn’t? I still wonder what became of Randall Flag in “The Stand”, what became of the whole world, for that matter. Did it get rebuilt, and if so, was it a better place for all that happened? I’d like to think so, but I don’t know. Was Flag the Devil? Was Mother Abigail a minion of God? So many questions. What I do know is that it’s one of my favorite stories by far, because like Lost, it was well written and had a message.

In the coming days, I plan to share my thoughts about the plot, the characters, and the many solved and unsolved mysteries of the island, as well as posting some of the key screen caps over on the Lost pages at www.berryjooks.com. For now, you should read Jeff “Doc” Jensen’s Lost Finale Recaps, Part 1 and Part 2. He does a much better job than I ever could.

Namasté.

The End

Can you believe Lost is almost over? By the time you hit the rack tonight, you'll know everything. Well, maybe not everything, but most things. Actually, probably just some things.

Two and a half hours isn't nearly enough time to answer all of the questions I've got, but I'm sure they're going to answer the most important ones, and I'm also sure they're going to leave us with a few things to think on. This show has a propensity for answering questions with more questions, and I'm sure it will be no different tonight.

The only other thing I'm sure of about tonight's finale is that Ben is going to play a huge part in the episode, and in The Monster's demise, should the story play out that way. I've seen enough of Ben's machinations to know when he's playing someone, and he's playing Flocke, I'm just surprised that Flocke doesn't realize it yet.

Has The Monster lost a step? Flocke was looking pretty tired and raggedy in the last episode, especially when he was sitting on the porch in New Otherton with Ben. The sun on his face emphasized huge crows feet, and Ben's question about why he didn't just fly to where he was going was interesting. I didn't believe Flocke's answer for a second. I think Ben is on to something.

We've heard similar questions recently from people in his camp; "Why doesn't he just fly over to the Hydra?" and "Why doesn't he just fly off the island?". I think that like Jacob, his time is almost up, and his powers and judgement are faltering, and that just might give our heroes a fighting chance to defeat him.

Whatever Ben does, I'm sure he's going to pay for it with his life.

I've also got a feeling that Jack's reign as island protector is going to be short lived. Other than that, I think anything goes in this episode. In a nutshell, I'm prepared to be surprised tonight, and I'm looking forward to it.

Be sure to check out Doc Jensen's 3 Burning Questions You Need Answered on EW. He did a poll of his readers and the results are pretty interesting. He's also promised another post today before the finale, as well as his usual after episode "Instant Reaction".

See you on the other side.

Lost – The Final Hours

After 6 seasons of Lost, we’re down to the last 3 hours and 32 minutes, all to be consumed in two sittings book ending a week jam packed with Lost programming.

If you’re a fan like me, you’ve probably been cooking up a stew of emotions this weekend. Equal parts excitement, anticipation and trepidation, all coming to a slow roiling boil, spiced with just a hint of both sadness and relief.

It’s the same feeling I get when I’m nearing the end of a good book. You want to know what happens, that closed book pulls at you to open it up and finish it off, but at the same time you’re wishing there was more, and perhaps worrying that the ending will leave you flat. In the end though, you always pick it up and finish it, and the ending usually has little to do with whether or not it’s a great story. The real measure is; did it move you, and did it leave an indelible mark on your psyche and color the way you think?

Lost has had its highs and lows, but through it all it’s remained constant to one thing, the characters and their struggle between good and evil. It’s always been about doing the right thing. The mythology of the island, as interesting as it is, has merely been a plot vehicle; a series of situations that constantly put the characters into moral dilemmas. The real story has been about how they deal with these situations, and how the results change them, and the world around them.

Their actions, whether good or bad, have changed us the viewers, also. The show has gotten us thinking and entering into dialogue with each other. Although a lot of the discussions have been about the island and its many mysteries, I’ve noticed that they always end up coming around to the right and wrong of things, and that’s the indelible mark it’s going to leave on us; that what we do influences not only things we see, but can influence the bigger picture, creating ripples that change people and events we’re not even aware of.

All right, enough of the deep thoughts. Here’s the rundown for the week ahead, with the new material marked in red:

Tuesday May 18th – What They Died For 9pm to 10:02pm
Saturday May 22nd – Repeat of the Pilot 8pm to 10pm
Sunday May 23rd – Lost Retrospective 7pm to 9pm
Sunday May 23rd – The End 9pm to 11:30pm
After a break for the local news there will be a special Jimmy Kimmel Live Lost Wrap Up from 12:05am to 1:05am

In preparation for finale week, you should read Doc Jensen’s latest column, and also this interview with the producers. Both are very enlightening. Doc has seen What They Died For, and has some great thoughts, as always. The interview with Carlton and Damon on the other hand, may cause you a little discomfort. They expound on what they’ve been saying for a while; all the mysteries won’t be solved. They’re going to concentrate on what they feel is important, and that’s the struggles and fates of our main characters, and let the episodes speak for themselves. No follow up Q & A’s, no explaining their intentions. It is what it is.

I don’t think we could ask for anything more.

Be sure to check out berryjooks.com, for reviews, views, screen caps and links following each episode.

The nurses at Winchester Hospital are the best!

Same goes for my wife, who has been carrying the load on the home front. Working, running back and forth to the hospital, shoveling, shopping and shipping packages, she's truly tireless and amazing. Thank you!

Thanks also need to go out to all our friends and relatives who've pitched in with their help and support.

Not a week after I did a blog entry on my adventures at Snake River Canyon, some of that old baling wire that was holding me together snapped. How spooky is that?

The good thing is that it's really helped me to put the holidays into perspective. What's really important is the health and well-being of our friends and family, and how we cultivate it.

My favorite line from my favorite album sums it up best:

"And, in the end, the love you take/ Is equal to the love you make."

Truer words have never been spoken.