Last night, many of you might of noticed my twitter feed. My initial thoughts on the finale of LOST after it aired here on the west coast and so… what does it all mean?

For those not following, this is about the LOST series finale, and further more, I suggest you click MORE to read the rest. Obviously, there are spoilers in ‘dem there hills below. Also, beware: It’s a DOOOOOZY. (aka. it’s LONG and I may ramble.)

My twitter feed last night proclaimed:

When I woke up this morning, it was much like Jack’s eye, I opened it for the first time but unlike Jack, a clear understanding of what was going on. The island as purgatory is not exactly ‘correct’.

You see, it comes down to a general understanding of the show’s basic premise. At first it’s black vs. white, as we learn to theorize as the Man in Black vs. Jacob, and ultimately in that sense, good vs. evil. (Note: evil vs. good does not sound good, so I switched it, despite MiB being evil and Jacob being good.)

But I also missed probably the most important step that the entire show takes. And last night upon watching it, I was like Jack was in the finale. I wasn’t remembering.

It all comes down to if you are a man of science or a man of faith. For my female readers, please note that when I say man, it includes all women, children, whatever. (For you hardcore feminists, I gladly await your comments or letters.)

Now, let me explain, and I apologize but I will borrow some glimpses of other people’s vocal points as they point it out more eloquently than I could, but I think they miss a beat here or there. So apologizes in advance.

The show starts off, we are confused. Like the castaways, we are mostly men of science, just like 98% of society is currently/seemingly. In today’s youtube/internet-based world, everything has reasoning, everything has explications or ways to back it up. But then crazy shit starts happening. Walt seems special. Locke definitely is special, he can walk. The island has healing powers and has whispers all around. There is a polar bear- wait, WHAT?!

I know. Tons of questions. We need answers for them all. We are men of science. Point a leads to b and then c. But what if someone approaches you and tells you, that point C or even G doesn’t matter. Just point Z. You’d look at this person and go “Poppycock!” (because you’re like, from the early 1900′s and sheet.) it is impossible to go from point B to Z. You need 24 more letters to get through. That is technically what the characters faced on an episodic basis.

In the normal world, off-island, reality like it is for everyone, is tough. Sometimes things work out, other times, they do not. Humanity, at it’s core, can be the worst thing to grace this earth. But at other times, it is the most unique, loving, touching, and satisfying species to grace the planet. And there in lies the ultimate argument between the good side, (Jacob) and the evil side (the Man in Black/Smoke Monster) and that is, one is a man of faith, he believes that humanity rests within it a gray part where even the worst people can find redemption, while the Smoke Monster/Man In Black) believed that all evidence to the contrary that has come before, will repeat itself. Humanity is a vile and vicious, greedy and manipulative bunch and there is nothing redemptive.

But, Jacob is working with something that the survivors of the oceanic flight 815 have and that is he too, is LOST. Or at least, was lost. By creating the Smoke Monster, and then realizing what he has done and the job he has taken on, only then, does Jacob truly find his own redemption, and makes the island a place where you either have progress, or become forever trapped on the island as a ghost, unable to move on. (** Remember This when you try to place logic on why Michael was NOT in the Church**)

So we continue thru, the castaways make it off the island, return to their broken lives, only to realize that it’s still broken. On the island, they learned how to redeem themselves and live in peace. But it seemed that the smoke monster was going to get his way, by not only killing Jacob but by leaving the island.

By this point in the show though, Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof (sp?) are trying something very drastic. They are trying to make us have FAITH. In a higher power? Not necessarily, but the show is now leaning more towards a man of faith viewpoint. The question is, are the viewers converting over?

Hopefully, the question was “Yes” and resoundingly so. Because that is what it all came down to last night in the finale.

You see, Man in Black’s opinion is, when you die, nothing happens. When I pull the plug on the light of the island? Nothing happens. Everything is for naught. You just live and die. Jack, now the protector of the island, always was hefty in his claim it’s either, we “Live Together, or Die Alone” and after his brave and noble sacrifice, Jack goes off to die alone. But really?

In the opening throes of Season 6, we were introduced to the Flash Sideways, what most fans believed to be a tangent universe from the atom bomb where we will see a happy ending for our heroes. After despite our valiant attempts of being man of faith, we possibly still believe that if you die, you die. And then in the flash-sideways, you lived happily there because it’s a new time line.

Here’s the thing though: The light of the island itself, much more, THE WHOLE DAMNED ISLAND is a macguffin. As per wikipedia:

The defining aspect of a MacGuffin is that the major players in the story are (at least initially) willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to obtain it, regardless of what the MacGuffin actually is. In fact, the specific nature of the MacGuffin may be ambiguous, undefined, generic, left open to interpretation or otherwise completely unimportant to the plot. (Examples might include money, victory/glory, survival, a source of power, a potential threat, etc….or something entirely unexplained.)

The Man In Black constantly seeks answers. He is a man of science. He constantly saw facts around him and they never added up. Jacob always saw the people around him and had faith and believed in them. Jacob knew that men of faith needed to take his place and govern the island and stop the man in black.

Alot of people see the Dharma Initiative as a footnote into LOST and I disagree. Dharma was a step in the right direction and if not the final set of candidates would lead Jacob closer to finding someone who would be, and also stop his brother/Smoke Monster.

“What does it all MEAN!!!!” You’re going. Well, have faith. You see, Jack made a great significance to those on Oceanic 815, and so did the others on him. So much so, that Jacob’s gift, I feel, is that, by touching Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, Sayid, Sun and Jin, that he made them the real structure and creators of the flash-sideways universe. Those would would help everyone they touched and love, and I mean everyone in the core basic cast, find each other.

The flash sideways was a world that the ‘survivors of 815 created’ so they’d have something when they die, and then, an even greater purpose. There are some religions where when you die, even if in normal human time, it lasts a nanosecond or years, we reside in flux, before ‘seeing the light’ or turning it away to one day possibly meet it again. This is all very confusing in theory but… really… it’s beautiful. For those who had faith in Jack, and everyone else, we get glimpses of the great things they have ultimately done.

When Jack asks his dad upon this realization that he is dead, he questions “are you real?”

Christian responds: “Everything that’s ever happened to you is real.” And then the best thing ever is that simply. “Nobody ever does it alone, Jack.” And even saying that, I tear up. Why? Because it’s true.

While the message and theme of “it takes a village” is correct, the faith that the people we meet, the people we love, that they MAKE US. Just as much as WE MAKE THEM. Sometimes upon dying, he all stay behind, because we can’t let go, we can’t move on. And there, you see that, as per Mo Ryan’s review states, it’s like Amazing Grace.

“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

They once were lost, but now they’re found. They got to leave on their own terms. They got to “let go” surrounded by the people they loved.

It comes down to a matter of faith. No one can be bad and not be a man of faith. Ben Linus is a perfect example of a man who has done so many wrongs, and yet, is desperately seeking forgiveness. His ultimate sin was that he wanted to feel like he was loved, he belonged and was special. But, he was never shown such kindness. But yet, despite many attempts at making progress, he is asked “Would you help me, Ben?” by Hurley.

In the flash-sideways, the group is getting together, and Ben sits, alone, deep in thought, now also, fully aware. And Locke asks him about coming inside,and he says no, he is staying here. Note: Locke does not invite him in. But finally, Hurley opens the door and for once, after years and years (depending on how long Hurley and Ben lasted as protectors) Hurley invites him in, asking Ben, “Please, come with us, be with our group, Ben. I think you belong, I think you’re ready.” Ben though, knowing truly he has still much to grief and need forgiveness for, turns down the offer to be accepted, to be loved and to be special with this group. Instead, he yearns for something more that only more retrospect can provide and in a way, it was Ben’s heroic sacrifice. Hurley nodded and as a comforting thought to Ben to remind him of his care for him, “You were a really good Number 1″. And Ben returns the compliment.

It’s a matter of faith that Ben has that he can one day repent and see the light. It was a matter of faith that Hurley asked Ben for help, it was faith that Jack would not die alone, on the physical plane, or on another plane.

And in the end, he did not die alone.
While I do think she does still care too much about the MacGuffin of the show itself, Ms. Ryan says it better than I ever could:

And that was really the theme of the finale and of the show — how putting faith in other people can create miracles.

I took away from that closing sequence the idea that religions help us try to see that we can be redeemed, that there can be a better way, that we can choose a path that involves kindness, caring and community. You don’t have to a put a particular name on the faith — it’s faith itself that matters.

So as I said. If you watched last night and saw too many unanswered questions, then I believe you are a man of science. Me? Well, I am a man of faith. See you on the other side, brother.

–Jason