Happily Ever After

Not all of our castaways made it inside the church at episode’s end; not all of them will be moving on. Seeing as this is the last time we’ll get to see our friends, let’s give them each their due.

Kate
Her arc largely wrapped up earlier this season; all we really had left to reconcile with her was who she’d choose between: Sawyer or Jack, and she ends up with the latter.

Along with Jack, Kate’s character had become something of an annoyance; her constant running and teary-eyed outbursts became cliched and tired at certain points. But, as with many of the other seemingly “tired” acts our characters have exhibited, the finale had me sympathetic to her and all she’d been through. There’s a scene where you can see the tangible weariness in her face, the product of such struggle and hardship, beaten down over and over again; just wishing it were all over. When we last see Kate alive, she, Sawyer and Claire make it off the Island aboard Ajira 316.

If I had to guess, she probably spent the rest of her life alone romantically but as aunt to Aaron.

Sayid & Shannon
The unlikely couple is reunited in the hereafter; finally together again after having been torn apart so suddenly. Sayid had an interesting arc this season that I didn’t feel they quite capitalized on enough. I would’ve liked to see some of the inner demon the Iraqi struggled with prior to his encounter with Desmond at the well.

In the end, though, Desmond’s speech struck Sayid right where it needed to be. When I first saw Desmond urging Sayid to think about what he’d tell whoever he wanted to get back to about how he was able to do it, my first thought was Nadia. As it turns out, Nadia was the one thing he had to learn to let go of the in the flash-afters before he could move on. He was destined to be with Shannon.

Boone
Shannon was “awoken” in the flash-afters after Boone facilitated a fight with a fellow barfly, taking a beating so that Sayid would come to her rescue in the alley. Boone was one of Lost’s more noble characters, and his death in season 1 also served notice that no character was truly safe from the writer’s axe.

I’m a little surprised we didn’t see a bit with he and Locke hugging it out in the church; after all, the latter was largely responsible for Boone’s death after sending the kid up the cliff face and into the heroin smuggler’s Beechcraft.

Charlie, Claire & Aaron
Much to the assured delight of the Australian psychic who mysteriously told her she must be the one to raise Aaron, Claire got to raise Aaron after all. It’s true that three years of Rousseau-like isolation drove her a little batty (how I’ll miss you, Squirrel Baby), there was no permanent taint on her soul. Turns out she didn’t perish in that Dharmaville house explosion a few seasons back either.

Both pieces of the couple gave great performances in their limited time onscreen in the finale, particularly Dominic Monaghan as Charlie, whose death in season 3 reaffirmed the writer’s message that no one was truly safe on the show (then again, death doesn’t mean much on the Island either).

Ricardo
Richard’s backstory-driven “Ab Aeterno” was one of season 6’s finest hours, finally revealing the origins of the enigmatic and seemingly ageless guyliner-wearing advisor.

As evidenced by his first gray hair, Richard became mortal upon Jacob’s death, finally free of his obligations to the man and the Island, but never more conscious and grateful for life. He wasn’t in the church at the end because he’d already come to terms with his life’s decisions, and I’m sure he was eager to join his beloved Isabella in the afterlife.

Frank Lapidus
I told you all he was still alive! Never question me again!

No puny submarine door can kill Frank Lapidus.

Desmond & Penny
The quintessential Lost couple, their stuggle to reunite after years apart was among the series’ strongest arcs. More on Desmond in a little bit.

Daniel Faraday/Widmore, Charlotte Lewis & Miles Straume
The physicist-archeologist power couple and their ghost whispering mate Miles have some things they still need to reconcile (Faraday has to “wake up” Charlotte and Miles has to wake up, er, some ghosts?) and thus remained in the flash-after world.

Daniel’s mother, Eloise, despite her apparent “awakened” state, isn’t quite ready to move on either, wanting to stay with her son and try to atone for killing him in her youth on the Island.

Charles Widmore
While he didn’t appear in the finale, he’s always cast a shadow over the precedings with his ruthless machinations in apparent service to the Island. My belief is that Jacob did indeed send him to the Island with Desmond in tow, meaning Charles was one of the “good guys” all along.

Ana Lucia
Last episode, Desmond indicated Ana Lucia wasn’t ready to leave the flash-after world quite yet, and I’m guessing that’s because she’ll need to come to terms with shooting Shannon, accidental or not.

Michael
Michael’s misdeeds cost him even a shot at coming to terms with his life’s decisions, and will forever be chained to the Island, whispering to whoever might listen. Maybe not forever, but the blood he’s responsible for spilling on Island ground is a debt he’ll need to spend a long time paying. I’d like to think Walt can still communicate with him, perhaps giving Michael some ray of light in what must be an altogether agonizing experience in limbo.

Benjamin Linus
Ben’s arc this season was just about the most powerful and affecting after Jack & Locke’s. His redemption was in some doubt over the course of the last two episodes, after he seemingly joined up with Esau, but it turns out he really was one of the good guys after all. Ben, though, isn’t ready to move on.

Coming to terms with all the pain, suffering and anguish he caused over the course of his Island pseudo-rule will be a long road; despite the apparent forgiveness of the castaways, the burden upon his soul is still too great. Locke’s forgiveness at episode’s end should give him a nudge in the right direction. Once he makes peace with Danielle and Alex, I think the three of them can move on together.

Rose & Bernard
Good to see the pair together again. Having built their hut in Dharma times (1975) during the time-flashes, they’ve also been taking care of the Island’s resident canine population in Vincent while staying “uninvolved” in weightier Island affairs.

One regretful aspect of the show’s terminal duration is that we never got to see a hilarious, one-off Vincent backstory episode, during which he scratches himself and licks his butt in an attempt to ward off the Smoke Monster. Seriously, though, you don’t have a soul if you didn’t mist up a bit at episode’s end when Vincent lay down next to Jack; there to be with him as he passed on.

Sawyer & Juliet
Their relationship didn’t get much screentime but it’s never felt anything less than authentic. Among the series’ best moments was the performances Josh Holloway and Elizabeth Mitchell in last season’s finale, with Sawyer screaming in agony as Juliet falls to her apparent death at the bottom of the Swan Station shaft.

Sun & Jin
They did indeed die in the submarine; if you haven’t quite wrapped your head around the flash-afters, just know that their appearance tonight doesn’t mean they’re alive and well in another dimension. They’re dead.

Ji Yeon was likely raised by Mrs. Paik; one can only hope we don’t have a spinoff featuring an ill-tempered Ji Yeon trying to find out just who the hell his parents were.

Hurley (& Libby)
Hurley, of all people, ends up becoming the Protector of the Light after all is said and done. With Ben as his #2, Hurley likely lived on the Island for a long time after Jack’s death. Whether decades or millennia, Hurley was likely the most appropriate candidate to succeed Jacob and Jack and find a way to end the cycle of conflict and death that had stained the Island for eons.

“They come, fight, they destroy, they corrupt. It always ends the same.” Not so with Hugo Reyes in charge, methinks; there’s “another way; a better way.” In the end, Hurley ends up with his once-institutionalized love, Libby, a worthy reward for whatever service Mr. Reyes provided while Island-bound.

John Locke (& Esau)
The real John Locke did not come back to life and take over his body and thereby force Esau out, as I’d guessed, because, well, he’s dead. You don’t come back from death (unless you’re thrown into a magical Temple Spring within minutes of it).

Terry O’Quinn’s been the real highlight of the past two seasons, portraying John and Esau with amazing ability. While it was good to see John happy with Helen, it wasn’t real–he and Helen split apart long ago, and Locke never got a chance to reunite with her while he was still living.

Similarly, Jack never truly had a son; David was merely a self-created attachment preventing Jack from “letting go.” So, last but not least, the character most had probably grown weary of but came around in a big way this year.

Jack
At long last, he can rest. He’s fixed himself. Lost, at its core, has largely been about Jack’s journey to discover himself and come to terms with his flaws and realize it truly is okay to let go of your past. Your past decisions and relationships don’t have to govern where you end up; you have a choice.

He could never find it easy to believe, and when he finally did, Jack could truly let go and find exactly what he’d been looking for: peace.

His death was a powerful moment, especially when punctuated by the events in the church. Jack and his father are finally together again. And I found Christian’s dialogue a beautiful way to articulate exactly where they were.

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