Having watched Lost devotedly for five years now, I am disappointed where season six is heading. The first five seasons were all about the 815 passengers, the Others, Dharma, Widmore and whatever connections existed between these groups in the outside world. That was what Lost was about and that is what kept us interested. Exploring these groups and the fascinating and intersecting lives of the various key individuals within them is what kept us interetsed. Throw in a little time travel, a mysterious monster some dead people popping up here and there and it kept a good mystery going.

Season six should have been about wrapping up all these loose ends. Instead of this, we are getting a brand new story about Jacob and MIB. Good vs. evil not to mention a flash sideways that may or may not have relevance to anythign that has happened before. If Lost was going to go a couple more years, fine lets see where this season takes us. However, we are almost at the end of the road and there is so much left unaswered.F rankly I really do not care about Illeana, Dogan, Jaocb, MIb and whatever battle they have going. I have nothing invested in them.I want Widmore, a strong and deceiving Ben, Desmond, walt, heck even Vincent. This should be where the focus is.

Well, - since it seems that the reason our Losties are there in the first place is because of Jacob & MiB - they are part of those answers you are seeking.

Just be patient :)

All those characters have to come back - but no one would be satisfied with the answers we'd be given, unless we know the full history. That's what we're seeing now - they're speeding through the Temple (which we've heard about since what, S3?) Jacob (Whom we've heard about from the beginning) and why all of this is happening.

I agree with the OP. I really think the show's focus should of been on the HUMAN condition, and the results of people's actions, as it seemed to be in the first seasons. Instead it is now about two supernatural powers having a battle over something nobody knows about.

Many people on this forum will tell you this is what the show was about from the very beginning, but we just didn't know it yet. Little hints dropped here and there.
Whether or not that is true, I find it to be a very poor storytelling method. Introducing two major characters in the endgame that previously we had little to no knowledge or care about wreaks of deus ex machina, which frankly is not a device I'm fond of.

I made a thread about this after The Incident aired, and everyone chastised me saying that the MiB and Jacob were there from the start. I defy anyone to truthfully say that they knew, from Season 1, that the entire show was about two warring good vs evil supernatural entities.

Although i really like jacobs character, which doesn't matter anymore as he's dead, i agree with you stuz1. yea it was cool to see jacob's first appearance, but it is so different now from the first few seasons, even last season, that it has made me completely indifferent to the new characters and even some of the old ones (claire, jack bcoz he is such a ****ing ponce for trashing everything, and kate). It makes me sad :(

I understand people have reservations. Everyone does, but not everybody vocalizes them because that would be premature.

Every season needs a mouthpiece. Someone who knows more knowledge about the island and it's history so that the audience, as well as our characters, can garner more information.

Season two, we had Desmond and Henry . That whole season was about the hatch, the Dharma Initiative, and who the Others really are. Desmond explained to us that the button was real, the DI were trying to save the world by using the special properties of the island, and Henry Gale painted the first brushstrokes of the deceiving little bastard he has become.

Season three, we had Ben, Juliet, Naomi and the introduction of Eloise Hawking. Ben and Juliet showed us that the Others were much more domesticated than we thought, gave us a brief history of the hostiles v. the DI, how Ben came to power, and a brief glimpse into the bureaucratic structure and mystical powers of the island. Naomi was the first word from the outside world, bringing the narrative to real time for the first time. Eloise Hawking, and to a lesser extent, Brother Campbell, prepared us for the use of space time quantum physics, something both season four and five deeply focused on to explain a large chunk of the island's "powers".

Season four gave us the freighter folk, in particular Daniel Faraday. I don't have to go into detail how much that character gave us.

Season five gave us a more detailed look at Eloise, Charles, Richard, Dan, Horace, and for the first time, gave our characters a chance to tell what was going on. Sawyer and co. in the DI gave us a massive insight on what that world was, what influence it had on the island, and how it ultimately changed the course of the narrative to come.

Now why should we care about Jacob and MIB? Because, for the first time, our mouth pieces are the two characters who know EVERYTHING. They, like all the other mouth pieces in the past, will provide the situation, problem, and goal for our characters, and our characters will have to react (should I press the button? Should I call the freighter? Is Penny my constant? Should I blow up Jughead?). It is the formula for all our past seasons and it has worked thus far. I expect fireworks from both character stories and mythology. They saved the best for last, people.

And its not like the idea of Jacob and some supernaturalness going on is new. I believe we first heard about Jacob in Season 3. So he has been a presence. And the minute Richard was discovered to not age and it was because of Jacob, the nature of this game had clearly changed. And whether they were those exact seeds or not, the idea of a light character vs a dark character were planted in Season 1 with the discovery of the skeletons, the stones and backgammon.

I understand people have reservations. Everyone does, but not everybody vocalizes them because that would be premature.

Every season needs a mouthpiece. Someone who knows more knowledge about the island and it's history so that the audience, as well as our characters, can garner more information.

Season two, we had Desmond and Henry . That whole season was about the hatch, the Dharma Initiative, and who the Others really are. Desmond explained to us that the button was real, the DI were trying to save the world by using the special properties of the island, and Henry Gale painted the first brushstrokes of the deceiving little model student he has become.

Season three, we had Ben, Juliet, Naomi and the introduction of Eloise Hawking. Ben and Juliet showed us that the Others were much more domesticated than we thought, gave us a brief history of the hostiles v. the DI, how Ben came to power, and a brief glimpse into the bureaucratic structure and mystical powers of the island. Naomi was the first word from the outside world, bringing the narrative to real time for the first time. Eloise Hawking, and to a lesser extent, Brother Campbell, prepared us for the use of space time quantum physics, something both season four and five deeply focused on to explain a large chunk of the island's "powers".

Season four gave us the freighter folk, in particular Daniel Faraday. I don't have to go into detail how much that character gave us.

Season five gave us a more detailed look at Eloise, Charles, Richard, Dan, Horace, and for the first time, gave our characters a chance to tell what was going on. Sawyer and co. in the DI gave us a massive insight on what that world was, what influence it had on the island, and how it ultimately changed the course of the narrative to come.

Now why should we care about Jacob and MIB? Because, for the first time, our mouth pieces are the two characters who know EVERYTHING. They, like all the other mouth pieces in the past, will provide the situation, problem, and goal for our characters, and our characters will have to react (should I press the button? Should I call the freighter? Is Penny my constant? Should I blow up Jughead?). It is the formula for all our past seasons and it has worked thus far. I expect fireworks from both character stories and mythology. They saved the best for last, people.

I like this explanation - different mouthpieces. Nice.

I have been frustrated mainly by the sharpness of the segue into a theme that may not have been different from the beginning of the show, but FEELS different. I agree that the feel of the show at the beginning was more about how these connected people dealt with things they didn't understand, and it felt more like a sci-fi drama. Now I feel like I'm watching a very different show - one that is significantly more theologically based - and I'm a bit thrown by the depth of the shift.

I defy anyone to truthfully say that they knew, from Season 1, that the entire show was about two warring good vs evil supernatural entities.

Maybe not the supernatural part... well - I take that back - if the smoke monster wasn't supernatural, then I don't know what is .... however - we've known pretty much from the start that it was going to end up being "good vs. evil" given the backgammon pieces, the rocks in the cave, et. al.

I agree with alot that's been said by the thread creator, though I don't think I'm all that bothered. Somewhere about halfway through Lost, I went from kind of obsessed with every detail and started watching for the heck of it. Especially when it became clear true answers were extremely slow in revealing themselves. What's kept me going is the Characters and wanting to see what happens to these people I've grown fond of. And in this regard I do think that the Jacob/MIB thing is kind of a convenient way of tying things up. I've never believed the writers knew where they were going from the start, no matter what they've said, so in some way I do think they are doing the best they could have done after throwing all this mystery at us. They are keeping me watching. which is basically them dong their job. I think the day after the finale will be funner than watching the show itself. Reading about what people thought. Half the world will be calling the writers genious, while the other half will be calling for their heads. I'm just gonna watch, then move on with my life.

I made a thread about this after The Incident aired, and everyone chastised me saying that the MiB and Jacob were there from the start. I defy anyone to truthfully say that they knew, from Season 1, that the entire show was about two warring good vs evil supernatural entities.

I think you are oversimplifying if you think the show can be reduced to a story about good vs evil supernatural entities. We knew from at least the first episode of Season two that a big part of the show was about destiny vs. free will, science vs. faith. I think the warring between Jacob and MIB reflects this dichotomy. It is not just about good and evil.

Maybe not the supernatural part... well - I take that back - if the smoke monster wasn't supernatural, then I don't know what is .... however - we've known pretty much from the start that it was going to end up being "good vs. evil" given the backgammon pieces, the rocks in the cave, et. al.

So, the entire first season, nay, the entire show, you were focused on the implications of the backgammon conversation, and not the interactions between the characters?

You're kidding, right?

So, the entire first season, nay, the entire show, you were focused on the implications of the backgammon conversation, and not the interactions between the characters?

You're kidding, right?

Why so snarky? The dude is just tryin to have a conversation - Lighten up

Why so snarky? The dude is just tryin to have a conversation - Lighten up

I'm trying to understand his point of view. If he was really focused on that one tiny thing the entire show, then maybe I can understand why he thinks this season is good.

Frankly, I don't buy that anyone had placed any huge importance on tiny things like that UNTIL this season.

So, the entire first season, nay, the entire show, you were focused on the implications of the backgammon conversation, and not the interactions between the characters?

You're kidding, right?

Not just the backgammon conversation. I think the most telling thing of all was Claire's dream where John Locke had one solid white eye and one solid black eye. But, no, of course the character interactions are what drive the story and make it more than just another show about a magical island with warring gods on it, but I do think that they have more than laid out from the get go that there were two sides at play. It may not be, in the strictest sense, Good vs. Evil as Dogen wants us to think but, as Pov mentioned, Science vs Faith, Destiny vs Free Will, Id vs Super Ego, White vs Black, Purity vs Corruption... You can argue against that I suppose, but even our Losties language in season's one and two was very polarizing. Us vs Them? There have always been two factions at war with one another.

So, the entire first season, nay, the entire show, you were focused on the implications of the backgammon conversation, and not the interactions between the characters?

You're kidding, right?


No - I'm not kidding. It was obvious that good vs. evil was going to play a big part in the story. I wouldn't say that I ONLY focused on that - but you could tell that is where it was going.
100%

Frankly, I don't buy that anyone had placed any huge importance on tiny things like that UNTIL this season.

Now I'm going to throw the "you're kidding". The tiny things have been the important things all along with this show. They've been discussed ad nauseum on these boards from the start.
100%
Not just the backgammon conversation. I think the most telling thing of all was Claire's dream where John Locke had one solid white eye and one solid black eye. But, no, of course the character interactions are what drive the story and make it more than just another show about a magical island with warring gods on it, but I do think that they have more than laid out from the get go that there were two sides at play. It may not be, in the strictest sense, Good vs. Evil as Dogen wants us to think but, as Pov mentioned, Science vs Faith, Destiny vs Free Will, Id vs Super Ego, White vs Black, Purity vs Corruption... You can argue against that I suppose, but even our Losties language in season's one and two was very polarizing. Us vs Them? There have always been two factions at war with one another.

Exactly.

The point for my post was that yes of course we heard about Jacob in the beginning but he was never a focus of the show.So to make him the focus now at the expense of other more beloved characters seems wrong. Probbaly the best character ever introduced on the show in Ben Linus. He saved the show in seasons two and three. Yet he has been reduced to a side character while we are dealing with Dogan, Illeana and Jacob. Again if the show was going to go a few more years fine lets see how it all plays out. But we have ten episodes left. I want more Ben and Widmore less Jacob and MIB.

I agree with the OP. I really think the show's focus should of been on the HUMAN condition, and the results of people's actions, as it seemed to be in the first seasons. Instead it is now about two supernatural powers having a battle over something nobody knows about.

Many people on this forum will tell you this is what the show was about from the very beginning, but we just didn't know it yet. Little hints dropped here and there.
Whether or not that is true, I find it to be a very poor storytelling method. Introducing two major characters in the endgame that previously we had little to no knowledge or care about wreaks of deus ex machina, which frankly is not a device I'm fond of.

I made a thread about this after The Incident aired, and everyone chastised me saying that the MiB and Jacob were there from the start. I defy anyone to truthfully say that they knew, from Season 1, that the entire show was about two warring good vs evil supernatural entities.
lmao
I agree with you.

I want more Ben and Widmore less Jacob and MIB.


So it doesn't matter to you that Jacob & MiB are what the story tellers are saying are important? How do you know that they won't be a big focus of the second half of the season? What about everything else that we thought was important?

Having watched Lost devotedly for five years now, I am disappointed where season six is heading. The first five seasons were all about the 815 passengers, the Others, Dharma, Widmore and whatever connections existed between these groups in the outside world. That was what Lost was about and that is what kept us interested. Exploring these groups and the fascinating and intersecting lives of the various key individuals within them is what kept us interetsed. Throw in a little time travel, a mysterious monster some dead people popping up here and there and it kept a good mystery going.

Season six should have been about wrapping up all these loose ends. Instead of this, we are getting a brand new story about Jacob and MIB. Good vs. evil not to mention a flash sideways that may or may not have relevance to anythign that has happened before. If Lost was going to go a couple more years, fine lets see where this season takes us. However, we are almost at the end of the road and there is so much left unaswered.F rankly I really do not care about Illeana, Dogan, Jaocb, MIb and whatever battle they have going. I have nothing invested in them.I want Widmore, a strong and deceiving Ben, Desmond, walt, heck even Vincent. This should be where the focus is.


I agree 100%

Having watched Lost devotedly for five years now, I am disappointed where season six is heading. The first five seasons were all about the 815 passengers, the Others, Dharma, Widmore and whatever connections existed between these groups in the outside world. That was what Lost was about and that is what kept us interested. Exploring these groups and the fascinating and intersecting lives of the various key individuals within them is what kept us interetsed. Throw in a little time travel, a mysterious monster some dead people popping up here and there and it kept a good mystery going.


MIB is that mysterious monster, introduced to us in the very first episode, letting us know that this wasn't just a fictional version of Survivor. We also learned, slowly, through various reveals that this monster is responsible for most (probably not all) of the apparitions. TPTB have given us a lot of information but there's still more to learn and I'm willing to be patient to learn its/his backstory. I doubt they'll be able to answer the exact "what" aspects but we'll get the "why".

Jacob was a name we learned in Season 3, when Pickett mentioned Jacob's list, an early clue or tease that the survivors of 815 were indeed there for a reason, just like Locke insisted in Season 1. It was another intriguing mystery - is Jacob a real entity or were Ben and Richard using that to keep control over the Others?
Now we know for sure that Jacob brings people to the island and our beloved main characters are still the focus - they're somehow caught up in a mysterious game which has real life and death consequences.
I need to know more of Jacob's backstory too.
I realize that The Incident forced a lot of theories right out the window, and maybe that's why some fans are unhappy. I'm confident that we'll understand more about the purpose of our original Losties as we learn more about Jacob and MIB - and whoever the heck that kid with the bloody hands is.

MIB is that mysterious monster, introduced to us in the very first episode, letting us know that this wasn't just a fictional version of Survivor. We also learned, slowly, through various reveals that this monster is responsible for most (probably not all) of the apparitions. TPTB have given us a lot of information but there's still more to learn and I'm willing to be patient to learn its/his backstory. I doubt they'll be able to answer the exact "what" aspects but we'll get the "why".

Jacob was a name we learned in Season 3, when Pickett mentioned Jacob's list, an early clue or tease that the survivors of 815 were indeed there for a reason, just like Locke insisted in Season 1. It was another intriguing mystery - is Jacob a real entity or were Ben and Richard using that to keep control over the Others?
Now we know for sure that Jacob brings people to the island and our beloved main characters are still the focus - they're somehow caught up in a mysterious game which has real life and death consequences.
I need to know more of Jacob's backstory too.
I realize that The Incident forced a lot of theories right out the window, and maybe that's why some fans are unhappy. I'm confident that we'll understand more about the purpose of our original Losties as we learn more about Jacob and MIB - and whoever the heck that kid with the bloody hands is.

Nice recap.

It could also be argued that we knew of Jacob's existence in season 2 when Ben, known then as Henry, then Benry, clued us in to HIM, a "great man". There was quite a bit of speculation as to whether or not this HIM really existed or was Ben just a big liar. Turns out both were true. :biggrin:

And I recall plenty of discussion in S1 about the possibility of two powers, leaders, forces, calling the shots. I think as the seasons progressed and we learned of Widmore more people focused on Widmore and Ben being the two leaders calling the shots. But there's always been discussion and speculation of forces greater than those two, most of it spurred in S1 when all we knew was there was some "smoke monster" terrorizing the Losties, polar bears on a tropical island and days that turned to night and back to day within hours. I can remember debates about the smoke monster - if it was good or evil, was it there to protect the island against something more evil, was it really going to hurt all the Losties or were some of them special and thereby "saved". So yes, we've been discussing and speculating a greater idea of "good vs evil" since the first season, maybe even more so than later epis just because so much was unknown, allowing our imaginations to run amuck. ;)

So, the entire first season, nay, the entire show, you were focused on the implications of the backgammon conversation, and not the interactions between the characters?

You're kidding, right?
I can honestly say, yes, the show is shaping up almost exactly like I thought it was going to in season one. In season one, it appeared to me that Locke was recruiting people to his side by winning them over. Boone, Charlie, Claire, Walt, Michael. The backgammon scene fed this idea, as did Locke's general obsession with games and Claire's dream. Sayid, Jack, Sawyer, Shannon, and Kate were more wary of Locke and would have eventually made up the opposing side. Hurley was a wildcard above the fray, and Walt probably would have eventually been one also. Not sure where Jin and Sun fell.

Locke always struck me as sinister. Somewhere around here, I've posted the final scene of "Tabula Rasa". Watch that again if you don't think Locke was originally bad news. Or the end of "Walkabout", as the flames consume him in the final shot. Remember at the end of season one, "We're going to have a Locke problem"?

What we're getting now is different than this only due to the supernatural aspect -- Jacob, Smokey, and infections controlling things -- and that's actually kind of a letdown, seeing as a nearly identical conflict was already being set up. A few of the initial sides have switched. But now the Locke we were always meant to get has arrived, albeit by a much longer route than necessary, and yes, we're finally getting what I thought we were getting from the start.

It's so close, in fact, that I sometimes wonder if Smokey didn't imprint itself directly on Locke the first time he saw it. I'll even go so far as to say, if I had stopped watching after season one, and then saw "Sundown", I would think I hadn't missed a whole lot. Smokey-as-Locke is that close to what I expected of Locke in season one.

MIB and Jacob are playing some eternal backgammon match, oh how boring!!!!

Jacob was built up for 3 or 4 reasons. MIB was built up for 5 seasons. I find both of them to be very interesting especially since they've influenced our beloved losties so much.

Beema, I really don't understand your problem. Dogen and Lennon? Yeah, sure, they were lame.
I can't complain about cool characters. Sorry (no sarcasm meant)
100%
I can honestly say, yes, the show is shaping up almost exactly like I thought it was going to in season one. In season one, it appeared to me that Locke was recruiting people to his side by winning them over. Boone, Charlie, Claire, Walt, Michael. The backgammon scene fed this idea, as did Locke's general obsession with games and Claire's dream. Sayid, Jack, Sawyer, Shannon, and Kate were more wary of Locke and would have eventually made up the opposing side. Hurley was a wildcard above the fray, and Walt probably would have eventually been one also. Not sure where Jin and Sun fell.

Locke always struck me as sinister. Somewhere around here, I've posted the final scene of "Tabula Rasa". Watch that again if you don't think Locke was originally bad news. Or the end of "Walkabout", as the flames consume him in the final shot. Remember at the end of season one, "We're going to have a Locke problem"?

What we're getting now is different than this only due to the supernatural aspect -- Jacob, Smokey, and infections controlling things -- and that's actually kind of a letdown, seeing as a nearly identical conflict was already being set up. A few of the initial sides have switched. But now the Locke we were always meant to get has arrived, albeit by a much longer route than necessary, and yes, we're finally getting what I thought we were getting from the start.

It's so close, in fact, that I sometimes wonder if Smokey didn't imprint itself directly on Locke the first time he saw it. I'll even go so far as to say, if I had stopped watching after season one, and then saw "Sundown", I would think I hadn't missed a whole lot. Smokey-as-Locke is that close to what I expected of Locke in season one.

I NEVER assumed any of that from the beginning. And I sure as hell wouldve rather watched the whole thing than skip from the pilot to Sundown.
Wouldn't be surprised if maybe Smokey sorta claimed Locke in Walkabout, but doubt it.

I NEVER assumed any of that from the beginning. And I sure as hell wouldve rather watched the whole thing than skip from the pilot to Sundown.
Wouldn't be surprised if maybe Smokey sorta claimed Locke in Walkabout, but doubt it.
I'm not saying I'd rather have not watched. I'm saying what we're seeing now is what I expected from the beginning. Without watching seasons 2-5, and the beginning of this season, my thoughts would have been "Oh, I see Locke finally split the sides. I wonder how he gained control of the monster. Wait, Sayid caught up with Nadia before they crashed? I wonder how these other people got to the island."

I'm also not saying that's a bad thing. I'm quite happy about it. I can fully believe this split and conflict was always the planned endgame. The Jacob/MiB stuff -- probably added later. They could have arrived at this point without supernatural stuff.

Jacob and MiB ARE the reason why the losties are on the island in the first place. It all comes down to them and their stories.

They kept all that hidden from us because in their relationship and origins lie ALL the answers to the main mysteries of the show.

I think that, in the end, the final answers will be pretty simple and easy to follow. And no doubt a huge part of the fan base are gonna get pissed off. That is why they are going into radio silence after the show is over. Not everybody is gonna be pleased with Lost's ending.

Has anyone noticed that LOST has been, for six seasons, a giant zooming out starting from Jack's open eye in S1E1? Every season broadened the point of view, putting the previous in context. First there were survivors, their stories, their interactions; then we learnt they weren't the only ones there; then we learnt more about those Other people; then we learnt that other people (The Dharma Initiative) came before and we learnt about their part in the story of the island; then we learnt that there's something going on outside the island and the Widmore/Linus rivalry; then we're learning that it's not only that, that characters we thought powerful and to be the ultimate masterminds behind many things are not that powerful and may be just pawns in an even higher rivalry -- the eternal war between good and evil on a supernatural level.

In this regard, I'm not dissatisfied at all with the direction of the narrative: I think it makes sense. Like every allegory, you can have multiple ways of reading the story. For some, LOST is all about the Flight 815 survivors; for others it's about the mysterious happenings and nature of the island; for others it's just another way of recounting the perennial Good vs Evil tale, etc. I'm tempted to point to a parallel with Dante's Divine Comedy. You can read it literally, as a bizarre journey made by a man who once discovered the true entrance to Hell and the people he met during his journey, all with their (sometimes) intertwining stories; or you can read the whole experience on a symbolic level with all its implications. Different levels, all valid and enjoyable.

Cheers,
Rick

Jacob and MiB ARE the reason why the losties are on the island in the first place. It all comes down to them and their stories.

They kept all that hidden from us because in their relationship and origins lie ALL the answers to the main mysteries of the show.

I think that, in the end, the final answers will be pretty simple and easy to follow. And no doubt a huge part of the fan base are gonna get pissed off. That is why they are going into radio silence after the show is over. Not everybody is gonna be pleased with Lost's ending.
Amen.

I empathize with the feeling of the OP regarding the Flash-sideway, that if there were even 2 more seasons. Hell, if there was what was a full season of 22-24 episodes like in S1-3. That it wouldn't feel so wasteful. I know there's nothing I can do about them, so I've been enjoying them for what they are but I'm hoping that when it finally ties in, it'll actually be cool.

As for Jacob and MiB, all along we've wondered why everyone was there, is it fate, free will, or a bit of both? What is the Smoke Monster?
Smokey is MiB; who is the focus of this season.
Who are the Others and why are they there?
Jacob is the Island's protector and they work for him.

Are there a lot of seeming inconsistencies?
Yes, but there is more than half the season to go.
I find it strange that the Others seemed to kill off a lot people, with no regard of whether or not they could've been candidates. Though if the Island, is itself an entity, then maybe they figure it will protect who it needs to.

Somehow, it was able to stop Michael from shooting himself, dying in a car wreck, etc., Yet, it allows Ben to Kill Locke, which begins the endgame of Smokey, who seems to have little regard for the Island. Maybe a candidate or Island leader has some Loophole we don't know of yet, when it comes to killing another one.

I'm hoping that when/if we get a Richard and/or MiB centric episode that we'll tie it all together.

So, I feel caring about Jacob and MiB are a natural extension of the show. That if you've loved the weird aspects of this show all along, and are into it for more than the superfluous love triangles and relationships that you can see on any other non-Other show, the question is: Why should we care about the flash-sideways? Damon asked the same question on our behalf, during this season's first podcast. He said we will find out, but inferred not until the end of the season.

Could be that they want us to have to re-watch this season just like all the others.
The FS making no sense all along, gives us a reason to, if once revealed, it has the impact other past revelations have had.( Widmore & Hawking being Other-leaders, Ben being an Other leader, not just an Other, not Henry Gale). Otherwise once all the mysteries are solved as of the Finale, the Idea of going back is more for nostalgia than investigation. The FS tie in could negate that effect.
Just a thought.

I guess my biggest fear is a 'Cloverfield' ending. It (personally) left me hanging and unsatisfied... not that LOST = Cloverfield in ANY way... but... I really need quite a few answers here. I understand and accept that they can't please everyone/answer everything...I'm a big kid, can handle that... but some major details need to be addressed regardless...

I do care about Jacob and MIB, I think them relevant, and I trust our minds will be blown several times before it's all said and done... I am sure it IS some kind of game... but that's not the whole story... so it should be interesting. However, I am getting VERY frustruated with the sideways flashes... it feels a tiny bit like filler and we have so much ground to cover that I just can't handle filler...

Sigh. It's been a long, fun, frustruating, bumpy road... and I am DEVOTED to this show...will be sad to see it go. I just beg and plead to be fulfilled... Jacob and MIB, tie this thing together... bring it full circle, please!! Go big or go home!

Oh, and more Desmond please...

I find it funny that people complain about not enough answers than the writers give us the two characters that could probably tell us the most information and people are rejecting them.

I see where you guys are coming from, i miss the season 1 feeling to but the show has to expand. It couldn't stay like season 1 forever. Jacob and MiB are extremely important because they know the history of the island. I personally like them more than Widmore, but that's my opinion. The only character i really miss is Desmond.

But i will say i am running out of patience for the flash sideways. They're so dull. Even if it ends up that they merge the time lines i still don't care.

I find it funny that people complain about not enough answers than the writers give us the two characters that could probably tell us the most information and people are rejecting them.

exactly! Like I posted before Jacob and MiB are the ones who are gonna give us ALL the answers!
Actually, let's not forget Richard!

this doc artz blog (http://www.docarzt.com/lost/lost-recaps/the-dark-side-6-06-sundown/) is a good evaluation of Sundown, imo, of course.

exactly! Like I posted before Jacob and MiB are the ones who are gonna give us ALL the answers!
Actually, let's not forget Richard!
Well, I doubt by the end whether TPTB will spoonfeed the viewers ALL the answers, and many "answers" will need to be interpreted/pieced together by those viewers with the care and time to spend time on such endeavors. And while certain details will be mouthed by Jacob/MIB, I don't think ALL will be. And what fun would there be in that, being summarized all the "answers" at the end?
Does anyone have ANY real emotional involvement/investment with Jacob or MIB? They seem more like archetypes than anything real, good vs evil in the abstract etc. I find that especially in the case of Jacob it is hard to have much empathy or concern at all really, at least "MIB" (I think this is really just "Locke" after all, but that's a long story) shows vestiges of a human weakness now and then, remnants of his Lockean body perhaps. But Jack, Locke, Sawyer and comapny, the characters we've followed for the last 5 seasons we have PLENTY of emotional investment in.
I agree with the OP in the end that we need to see a renewed emphasis on the original characters' struggles, as a late in the game battle between abstract archetypes of good and evil strikes this fan as sort of lame. Ws it there from the beginning (e.g. backgammon etc.)? Perhaps, but a lot of other possibilities were as well, and I'm starting to think TPTB started with a LIST of possible directions they MIGHT head with Lost since the beginning, and I fear their choice ain't the one I would have made, oh well ...

Well, I doubt by the end whether TPTB will spoonfeed the viewers ALL the answers, and many "answers" will need to be interpreted/pieced together by those viewers with the care and time to spend time on such endeavors. And while certain details will be mouthed by Jacob/MIB, I don't think ALL will be. And what fun would there be in that, being summarized all the "answers" at the end?
Does anyone have ANY real emotional involvement/investment with Jacob or MIB? They seem more like archetypes than anything real, good vs evil in the abstract etc. I find that especially in the case of Jacob it is hard to have much empathy or concern at all really, at least "MIB" (I think this is really just "Locke" after all, but that's a long story) shows vestiges of a human weakness now and then, remnants of his Lockean body perhaps. But Jack, Locke, Sawyer and comapny, the characters we've followed for the last 5 seasons we have PLENTY of emotional investment in.
I agree with the OP in the end that we need to see a renewed emphasis on the original characters' struggles, as a late in the game battle between abstract archetypes of good and evil strikes this fan as sort of lame. Ws it there from the beginning (e.g. backgammon etc.)? Perhaps, but a lot of other possibilities were as well, and I'm starting to think TPTB started with a LIST of possible directions they MIGHT head with Lost since the beginning, and I fear their choice ain't the one I would have made, oh well ...

by ALL I mean the ones that matter....;)

I am very interested in MIB and Jacob considering Smokey was one of the original mysteries of the show and Jacob seems to be the reason the Losties are on the island. In a nutshell they are a important part of what of the overall mythology of the show is and so I care about their stories. I do think introducing more others and focusing so much on Dogen and not enough on Sun,Ben,etc has hurt this season a bit but I can deal. For me it's gonna come down to answreing the major questions and are the flash sideways important?

No - I'm not kidding. It was obvious that good vs. evil was going to play a big part in the story. I wouldn't say that I ONLY focused on that - but you could tell that is where it was going.
100%


Now I'm going to throw the "you're kidding". The tiny things have been the important things all along with this show. They've been discussed ad nauseum on these boards from the start.
100%


Exactly.

From the very beginning there were strange things happening wrt good vs. bad. Our characters include murderers and torturers who we were made to believe were good while group after group first got protrayed as evil against OUR good and then became part of the "good" group with a new group viewed as evil, etc. The fascinating thing from day one is how our perceptions were being played with and how easily we fell into the good bad dichotomy lining up with those we are familiar with vs. those who are not yet known. We fell into it time and time again. This manipulation is absolutely central. It is only one theme, but one that has been masterfully carried out and if actual good and evil turns out not to be a part of the show our perception of it absolutely is.

I understand people have reservations. Everyone does, but not everybody vocalizes them because that would be premature.



Premature? Who decides when it's time to have a criticism?

You don't have to wait for the series to be over to share your frustrations and criticisms. Just as you shouldn't expect anyone to have to wait until the series is over to share what they like and enjoy.

Fortunately, the forum is for fans to share positive and negative views throughout the series.

I know why we should care about Jacob and Smocke, but I don't have anything invested in Jacob. We've only seen him in a handful of scenes, and he ins't all that good, IMO.
I like Smocke because he is Terry O'Quinn, and I like the way Smocke is starting to show more of John as we move along, and he isn't all that bad.
But as far as having much invested in the two, I just really can't care about two guys we met just at the end of last season.

I am enjoying the season so far, but only because of what these two have planned for our losties.

I understand the lack of investment in Jacob/MiB. I would point out, though, that we fell in love with Desmond and Penny in essentially just one two-hour episode at the end of two seasons.

Please kill Jacob and Smokey.