Is it me or is anyone else worried about Lost?

We've committed several years of time to this show, assuming that it would all tie up into a plausible, complete story. As the last season winds down, I'm becoming more and more worried that one of two things will happen:
1. They answer many of the questions, but afterward we are all saying, "Yeah, but they never really explained XYZ"
2. They come up with an ending that is just so far-fetched it is silly.

Anyone else have this fear?

Praying I'm wrong...

I'm slightly worried, but I still think it's going to be a great ending. I'm positive that many questions won't be answered, but I don't care about too many at this point. One of my biggest questions about Lost was why were there so many coincidences - why them? And we found out this season - they're candidates to replace Jacob. Such a satisfying answer. As long as the other big mysteries are answered in the same vein I will be a very happy fan!

To your number two 236, though I have my doubts....It only ends once, these last hours are just....well you get where I'm going.

Is it me or is anyone else worried about Lost?

We've committed several years of time to this show, assuming that it would all tie up into a plausible, complete story. As the last season winds down, I'm becoming more and more worried that one of two things will happen:
1. They answer many of the questions, but afterward we are all saying, "Yeah, but they never really explained XYZ"
2. They come up with an ending that is just so far-fetched it is silly.

Anyone else have this fear?

Praying I'm wrong...

Even if the ending sucks I will have thoroughly enjoyed the ride! :)

-ik

Why worry? If it's a good ending, it's good and you rejoice in it and wonder what hasn't been answered, go back and watch old episodes, things like that. If it sucks, it sucks, you vent about it here, to friends, to yourself in the shower or on your way to work, things like that.

There will be a time when you are past the rejoicing or the regretting. Life goes on. Other shows, books, movies, people will come and go. Some you will like, some you won't. There is today, that becomes yesterday when tomorrow comes, which becomes today when it arrives.

To answer the question-- no, I'm not worried. I'm not worried, at all.

Whatever happens, happens. It is what it is.

Frankly, I'm already feeling the letdown. With only a few hours to go, it's obvious that most of the plotlines, clues and mysteries were red herrings that will never be answered. At this point it all sort of seems like a big silly mess with preposterous "rules" that TPTB made up as they went along. And I'm not sure how I'll feel rewatching episodes, now that I know what was answered, what was never answered, what plotlines went nowhere, what happened to a particular character, etc. I'm not sure how much of my enjoyment was the mystery itself. So far I have enjoyed watching past season episodes, but will I after it's ALL over?

WTH, I'm along for the ride to the end, and I'm sure I'll be discussing and reading fanfiction for years thereafter.

More should have wrapped up in season 5. If that was the case you wouldn't be worrying now.

Also have a problem with 17-episode seasons. It's not enough for what is needed for the writers to deliver the remaining mysteries and mythology of the show at a pace the viewers are comfortable with. It's caught up on the writers with this final season, and yeah it feels rushed. We have 4 and half hours of Lost to go, and yes I'm worried about how it plays out.

Feels rushed and a little haphazard. Certainly agree more should have been addressed in season 5, at least as far as older, less important questions and tie-ins to mysteries from earlier seasons that would have been fun on rewatch, as well as setup for this season. They're still spinning new questions at this late an hour... They didnt need to do that. A lot of drama and excitement could have come from rolling out answers. Now seems as though we'll be lucky to get the flash sideways and MiB and Jacob sorted out in time for the finale's conclusion, but little else, so yes, I am worried a bit.

I am sure, though, I'll enjoy the finale. Its just -enjoy the finale- and -love it- in the context of all six seasons are two entirely different things.

As an aside, what's with paragraph breaks and quotes etc not working? I was too lazy to look up the code for quotes so used hyphens. :p

Also have a problem with 17-episode seasons. It's not enough for what is needed for the writers to deliver the remaining mysteries and mythology of the show at a pace the viewers are comfortable with.
Considering how slow the pace has been for most of the season, I wouldn't say that's where the problem lies...

Considering how slow the pace has been for most of the season, I wouldn't say that's where the problem lies...

Funny, I agree with you that the pace has been very slow, but at the same time I feel writing has been rushed and haphazard. Wheels spinning I suppose is the best way to put it. There's been some great things this season, but also a lot of things happening taking us not really anywhere in retrospect, in terms of answers or something befitting a run up to a climactic conclusion. Its been more spotty. Then there's been episodes like this one that just seemed rushed and lacked buildup and thought that might have made the scenes in it better. So I suppose: rushed planning and writing leads to lack of dramatic buildup and a resulting slow-seeming pace, with the occasional flashes of brilliance we know too well.

I'm not worried. I still like the show, but my expectations are way down. I think they made the scope of the show way to big. They seem to be throwing a lot of stuff at the viewers like the alternate reality and god like figures, but story wise not a lot is actually happening. Should have kept things simpler and focused more on the story.

Whatever the ending may be, it can't possibly match up to fan expectations after all this time. There are too many different theories afloat for everyone to be happy. But I do feel like the writers are going to give us a real conclusion to the main plot (even if that conclusion is a Dark Tower style loop ending where it began) which
1) explains why the events we've been watching occurred,
2) will allow us to make reasonable guesses as to what will happen to the surviving characters after The End
3) will leave some minor things open to fan interpretation, because that's just how LOST rolls.

I'd like to know why that damn thing makes those sounds. And what it's made of.

I already know I'm not going to like it based on their interviews where they say they do not feel they need to answer anything besides the flash sideways.

I know many people on here will be happy with whatever they get because they are able to convince themselves that major plot points in past seasons are now somehow minor. How about why Ben didn't kill Widmore after Widmore killed his daughter. There was some conversation about the rules and that Ben couldn't kill him. This is murderous Ben Linus we are talking about, the guy that killed John Locke simply because he thought Jacob favored him more. But Ben had gone through the trouble of getting into Widmores penthouse and could've so easily killed the old man, but he didn't. Well the writers just said that will never be addressed. I am betting that some fans will accept that and even say it's minor, but to me things like this make the show unrewatchable if it's not explained. We'll be lucky if Ben's next interaction with Widmore even reflects that old rivalry.

I was worried at the start of this season when they began to introduce the temple, Dogen Ilana etc. At that point I knew there was no way that there would be enough time to wrap up the major plot lines in the previous seasons.

The majority of this season has been below par and I'm at the point where I'm not worried because I know I won't be satisfied with the ending. I'm expecting the worst. With the things Darlton have said about the ending and how people won't be satisfied, I just have this feeling that it's going to be bad in epic proportions.

I'm slightly worried, but I still think it's going to be a great ending. I'm positive that many questions won't be answered, but I don't care about too many at this point. One of my biggest questions about Lost was why were there so many coincidences - why them? And we found out this season - they're candidates to replace Jacob. Such a satisfying answer. As long as the other big mysteries are answered in the same vein I will be a very happy fan!They are candidates so that means they need to randomly bump into each other :confused: And you call that satisfying? No, just no.

I was worried at the start of this season when they began to introduce the temple, Dogen Ilana etc. At that point I knew there was no way that there would be enough time to wrap up the major plot lines in the previous seasons.

The majority of this season has been below par and I'm at the point where I'm not worried because I know I won't be satisfied with the ending. I'm expecting the worst. With the things Darlton have said about the ending and how people won't be satisfied, I just have this feeling that it's going to be bad in epic proportions.
I went through my grieving period after The Last Recruit. Now I will just be shocked if LOST redeems itself in any meaningful way. So I am not worried, because my expectations have already been lowered drastically.

The temple storyline earlier this season was totally unnecessary and confusing. What did we learn during the temple episodes that is relevant to the story now? "Zombie" Sayid amazingly came back to life right before he was really killed.

The temple storyline earlier this season was totally unnecessary and confusing. What did we learn during the temple episodes that is relevant to the story now? "Zombie" Sayid amazingly came back to life right before he was really killed.

The temple was a glorified S3 cage setting. Unfortunately they mentioned it enough in the past seasons that it had to be shown. It didn't live up to expectations and just seemed like a trap. At least it was destroyed relatively quickly.

For me, the turning point came when we got Rousseau's backstory, because I was so interested in it. Once that was "revealed," it became clear to me that many of the things we consider "major mysteries" are just interesting little story decorations that we tend to fixate on, and would be more fun left unanswered. (As the Rousseau story would have best been left alone...) Just as in real Life, some questions will get explained, and some not. What we need is a satisfying ending that answers the major ones.

I sure hope that they'll give us a good ending. They've shown they have the skills to pull it off. We'll see if they manage it or not. But Darlton have said almost from the very start that this story was about the characters, (and most really good stories are.) If we expect the ending to be about anything else, we probably set ourselves up for disappointment...
100%
The temple storyline earlier this season was totally unnecessary and confusing. What did we learn during the temple episodes that is relevant to the story now? "Zombie" Sayid amazingly came back to life right before he was really killed.

I would claim that the temple played a significant role in setting the mood for the conclusion. The writers wanted to show Our Heroes in an utterly hopeless situation, which they'll hopefully overcome at the story's outcome.

This is done in several steps:


Show two somewhat-supernatural powers; one supposedly good; the other supposedly evil. Even match, so far.
Kill off the "good" one. Now the "good guys" are hopelessly outmatched. But it can be made worse...
Join-up the "good guys" with a ragtag opposition force (temple folks) that's clearly the "losing side," but at least they're something...
Destroy even the ragtag opposition. Now Our Heroes drop in stature from "hopelessly outnumbered" to fighting barefoot and barehanded against an unspeakable opposition.

IOW, it moves them from being in deep $h&% to even deeper $h&%. The old out-of-the-frying-pan,-into-the-fire scenario...

IMHO, they could have made it feel far more threatening if they only rarely showed Smokey/Flocke, and then from a distance. When the character is too familiar, we forget how truly threatening he really is. Granted, the producers are paying TOQ good money, and want to get their use out of him, but this is a case where The Law Of Diminishing Returns kicks-in in a big way...

The destination is near. I want more journey.

I just need satisfying character conclusions. I like scifi, in general, in that it gives a setting for characters to examine broader sociological and personal issues. I don't need the explanations for the "science" to be particularly credible when closely examined as long as they're not stupidly INcredible. In fact, I find it often does a disservice to the piece to work out the science too much because you get mired in the details. I don't need to know how a transporter works - I just need to know enough so that it makes sense that Kirk appears to have died because his atoms are sprayed all over the universe.

Even if the character stories don't end satisfactorily for me, if I examine how much I've personally "invested" in this show, I calculate: at least all the hours I spent watching it, the money I spent on DVDs, and the time I spent online (when I should have been working) hanging out with my friends and trying to figure it all out. That investment has already paid off in hours of entertainment, friendship, and intellectual engagement. So the show may not "pay off" but the community around the show definitely already has.

In fact, I kind of feel like I owe LOST (they'll have to find me to collect though....:hide:)

no, just the opposite... im loving how they are tying things up!!!!!!!!!

Even if the character stories don't end satisfactorily for me, if I examine how much I've personally "invested" in this show, I calculate: at least all the hours I spent watching it, the money I spent on DVDs, and the time I spent online (when I should have been working) hanging out with my friends and trying to figure it all out. That investment has already paid off in hours of entertainment, friendship, and intellectual engagement. So the show may not "pay off" but the community around the show definitely already has.

Ding ding ding we have a winner!

I feel the same.

But I do feel it will end satisfactorily for me because I have no dog in this fight. I have enjoyed all the theories on this board over the years but I have never hung my hat on any of them. This is paying off now as I enjoy the last weeks of a show like none other in my 52 years of roaming this planet.

One thing I know for a fact (for me at least) the ending will be very sad.

I agree that no matter how they end it, some people will be upset. The Sopranos was kind of the same way... you either hated the ending or thought it was cool.

My only problem with Lost is the fact that it has kind of been a game between the show and the viewers - they give us clues and we keep trying to figure out the answer. I guess I'll just be a little disappointed if their final answers don't pay off. Kind of like spending several years trying to solve a sudoku puzzle, only to find out there is no way to actually fit all the numbers in.

Either way, I've enjoyed the ride - so I'm trying really hard to just enjoy the last few episodes... but I'm still worried :)

4.5 hours of Lost, minus 81 minutes of commercials, equals 189 minutes, or 3 hours and 9 minutes of storytelling. I thoroughly expect many answers to be revealed tonight and throughout the remainder of the show. If they can't use this time to satisfy most viewers, including us, the ones who have faithfully combed through the episodes with a fine-tooth comb... well, then they FAIL. Because, Lost is and always has been a mystery. Would anyone have watched "Murder, She Wrote" if Angela Lansbury never unvelied the murderer at the end? Please. And would anyone really invest their time and thought into a show like Lost if they KNEW from the beginning that many of the mysteries would be left unexplained?

I have enjoyed this show from the beginning. Although I have been more and more disappointed in some of the episodes in the second half of the series, I am still a very big fan. However, if they choose to ignore mysteries from earlier episodes, each one of those episodes becomes tainted. If they ignore enough mysteries, it will ruin the integrity of the series as a whole.

Lost, like it's characters, needs to use its last remaining moments and find redemption.

BillToons, I'm hoping for a CanCan ending. All the characters side by side high kicking. I don't want sadness. Maybe a Scooby Doo ending.

"Jacob is really...." *pulls rubber mask of Jacob's head* "Bernard, the dentist!"

"I would've gotten away with it too, except for you lousy Losties, and that dumb dog."

Since I've been thrilled, overall, with this final season of Lost, I'll say that I'm pretty optimistic. With the exception of season five, which was my least favorite and the writing was not as tight as I usually expect, Damon and Carlton have given me six very good years of Lost. I am not going to raise my level of expectation through the stratosphere because it cannot be met. I think the ending is going to be very good. If it turns out to be excellent and/or outstanding, even better.

Even if the character stories don't end satisfactorily for me, if I examine how much I've personally "invested" in this show, I calculate: at least all the hours I spent watching it, the money I spent on DVDs, and the time I spent online (when I should have been working) hanging out with my friends and trying to figure it all out. That investment has already paid off in hours of entertainment, friendship, and intellectual engagement. So the show may not "pay off" but the community around the show definitely already has.

That's how I feel!

-ik

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/04/ff_lost/all/1

read it and weep.

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/04/ff_lost/all/1

read it and weep.
I read it weeks ago and enjoyed it. I know people are all up in arms about the Chuck E Cheese analogy, but I'd been saying the same thing for weeks before this was published. It doesn't mean "Look a shiny new plot device", as some have masochistically chosen to interpret it. It means at some point, you have to cut off the line of questioning, because even in real life, you can always ask another "Why?"

Sad. What I read here is the equivalent of: "Even if they give me food poisoning, I'll still be happy because I enjoyed all the chewing." Face it folks, Darlton had no idea where this was going until recently, abandoned a perfectly successful plot line to play weekly gotcha games so the audience would stick around, and will serve up a nice warm and fuzzy, touchie feelie ending that will pave over an island full of inconsistencies and needless red herrings, and then Darlton will smugly slap themselves on the back and go on vacation.

Of course I'm worried. I have been all season. i did like they way things went last night. If that pace was kept through most of this season, we'd be so stoked for the finale in a few days. Right now I think some of us are thinking about how much we should drink during the 2-hour recap to dull our senses to the inevitable, all of us, in some way are going to be let down.

It's odd that it's been both slow and rushed. When they should take time with things they just push past it and when it gets slow it lingers. It's odd. It's a terrible season and I've pretty much already come to terms that Lost was a great show that didn't pan out in the end. At least maybe the finale may be entertaining. So if their goal was to use the whole season to get my expectations down to 0 IT WORKED!

That Wired article was great! Nice to see Darlton waxing philosophical a bit. Look, fundamentally you have to wonder: were the Losties brought to the island for a purpose or not? If the plot had just been random Dharma time travel sci-fi junk, there would be no purpose. The Losties would just be victims of very hairy Rube Goldberg experimentation. And that would be UNSATISFYING.

The whole purpose of the show is for the characters to overcome their demons. To become better versions of themselves. The ending HAS to come down on the side of spiritual purpose, and Jacob and MIB were necessary for that.

There's no point in a show going on for six seasons if it's just going to be one big slightly clever time travel loop. That would be cheap. I, for one, have loved season 6 and I'm excited by the prospect of a "controversial" resolution to the sideways.

The weird thing is that the show did get better after the end-date, but only temporarily. I enjoyed the second half of Season 3 and Season 4, because the characters still felt like themselves, and none of the characters felt like extras standing on the side.

You would think the closer they got to the end, the easier it would be to write, since with all the mysteries, they can solve one big one in each episode of Season 6, and there would be some left over. The "shocking" deaths that started with Season 3 and 4, continued in Season 5 and 6, but without the heart. Characters did things with no believable motivation behind them, while other main characters received no emotional story arcs. The show became moving sets of characters like extras from one place to another and then death ensues.

So I'm definitely worried for the finale... I am really disappointed that "Lost" has turned into one of those shows where the last season is practically unwatchable, when it sustained itself and was still interesting and intriguing for much longer than other series.

... Darlton ... abandoned a perfectly successful plot line to play weekly gotcha games so the audience would stick around, and will serve up a nice warm and fuzzy, touchie feelie ending that will pave over an island full of inconsistencies and needless red herrings, and then Darlton will smugly slap themselves on the back and go on vacation.

"weekly gotcha games" I like that. I'm gonna start using that around the house.

"Darlton will go on vacation" Wouldn't it be ironic if they boarded a plane and it crashed on an Island and they became characters in a story exactly like the one they wrote for Lost?

And they discover that their names are now Steve and that other guy everyone confused for Steve and then they regret that they killed off Steve and that other guy because they know how everything is going to turn out?

Serves them right.

Wait for it, wait for it. Oh yeah, I can see that happening.

P. S. MamaThor says, "It would be fitting if they became Nikki and Paulo. Of course, Damon would be Nikki."

1. They answer many of the questions, but afterward we are all saying, "Yeah, but they never really explained XYZ"


100% chance. Every question will lead you to another question.