The End (Lost)
"The End" | |
---|---|
Lost episodes | |
Episode nos. | Season 6 Episodes 17 and 18 |
Directed by | Jack Bender |
Written by | Damon Lindelof Carlton Cuse |
Production code | 617 & 618 |
Original air date | May 23, 2010 |
Running time | 104 minutes[1] |
Guest appearances | |
| |
"The End" is the two-part
The finale was written by co-creator/executive producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Carlton Cuse, and directed by executive producer Jack Bender. Unlike the previous season finales, which were two hours long with advertisements, the series finale was expanded by half an hour, running two and a half hours starting at 9 pm ET, with a retrospective of the past six seasons running for two hours, starting at 7 pm.
"The End" was watched by 13.5 million Americans, but received a polarized response from both fans and critics. Reviewers from the Chicago Tribune and IGN called it the best episode of the season and praised its emotion and character. Reviews from the Los Angeles Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer criticized the finale for answering so few of the series' questions. Web site Metacritic gave "The End" a score of 74 out of 100, suggesting "mostly positive reviews", while The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph reported mixed and "lukewarm" reviews. Retrospective reviews have been equally polarized.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
Plot
Flash-sideways
Desmond gathers many of the islanders at the benefit concert of Daniel Widmore (Jeremy Davies) and Drive Shaft. One by one, each protagonist begins to recognize one another based on close contact with a person or object that was important to them throughout their time on the island, receiving flashes of memory. Eventually, most of them remember their past lives and are drawn to the church that was to be the site of Jack's father's funeral.
John Locke (Terry O'Quinn) regains the use of his legs after being successfully operated on by Jack. After remembering his time on the island through the flashes of memory, Locke attempts to convince Jack of the truth, but Jack, although also experiencing flashes of memory, resists the revelation. Locke later meets Ben outside the church where Locke forgives him for murdering him. Ben then meets Hurley, who says everyone is inside, motioning him to join them, but Ben elects to stay outside. As Hurley heads back inside, he says to Ben that he was a "real good number two...", to which Ben replies back that Hurley was a "great number one".
Kate later encounters Jack, and while her presence causes him to experience more flashes, he continues to resist. She takes him to the church and instructs him to enter through the back door, telling him the others will be waiting for him. In the church, he enters a room where there are symbols not just of Christianity, but also of other faiths such as Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, etc. He then encounters his father's coffin. He opens the coffin lid and discovers it to be empty. Christian Shephard (John Terry) then appears behind him. Jack slowly comes to realize that he is dead as well. After an emotional embrace, Christian reassures him that the events leading up to now actually happened and the time he spent with the people on the island was "the most important period" of his life. He explains to Jack that time has no meaning in this place and that they "made" the place to "find each other", independent of the time at which they died. Christian explains that place exists so the Oceanic 815 survivors could "let go" and "move on" together.
Jack and Christian go out into the church to meet the others. Everyone is able to see, recognize, and remember everyone else and their lives together. After an emotional reunion, Christian opens the front doors, revealing another bright light that slowly envelops everyone inside the church.
On the island
At the same time, Desmond, having been rescued by
On the way to the heart of the Island, Jack's group encounters the Man in Black's group. Jack tells the Man in Black that he is going to kill him, and together with Desmond, they travel to the heart of the Island. Jack tells Sawyer that he believes Desmond can kill the Man in Black because he thinks Jacob brought Desmond back not as bait but as a weapon. Desmond tells Jack that destroying the island and killing the Man in Black do not matter because he is going down to the heart of the island and leaving for another place.
Jack and the Man in Black lower Desmond down to the heart of the island and Desmond reaches a chamber, leading to a glowing pool with an elongated stone at its center. Immune to the pool's electromagnetic energy, Desmond manages to remove the giant stone stopper in the center of the pool. However, the light goes out and the pool dries up, setting about the destruction of the island which the Man in Black predicted. A result of Desmond's act is an unforeseen side-effect of making the Man in Black mortal again. During a prolonged fight, the Man in Black stabs Jack in the same spot where his appendix was taken out and almost kills Jack when Kate shoots the Man in Black in the back, allowing Jack to kick the Man in Black off the cliff to his death. The island continues to crumble and Jack realizes that he has to restore the light of the heart of the Island. He tells Kate to get Claire Littleton (Emilie de Ravin) on the plane and leave the island in case he fails. The two profess their love for each other and Kate leaves with Sawyer while Hurley and Ben follow Jack back to the pool.
Kate and Sawyer travel to Hydra Island via Desmond's boat Elizabeth, to the site of the Ajira Airlines plane where Lapidus, Richard, and Miles have been quickly trying to make it air-worthy. Kate convinces Claire she can help Claire raise Aaron and they head for the plane. After Kate, Sawyer, and Claire board the plane, Lapidus successfully gets it off the island.
Jack leads Hurley and Ben back to the heart of the Island, where Jack convinces an emotional Hurley to take over as the protector of the island, stating Hurley was always meant to be the leader. Hurley and Ben lower Jack to the dry pool where he rescues a barely conscious Desmond. Jack manages to restore the light by replacing the stone plug and is enveloped in the light that surrounds him. Hurley, in his role as the new protector of the island, does not know what to do. Ben tells him he should help Desmond get home and suggests there may be a better way of protecting the island than how Jacob did. Hurley asks Ben for help, and Ben is honored. Jack reawakens outside by a river and walks toward the bamboo forest. After Jack collapses to the ground, Vincent approaches him and lies next to him. Jack gazes happily at the sky while watching the Ajira plane fly overhead away from the island. Jack slowly closes his eyes as he dies.
Production
Only Fox and O'Quinn's scripts explained the nature of the Sideways world; Lindelof and Cuse explained its meaning to the others while filming the church scene, the last time the cast members were together.[12] They have expressed satisfaction regarding the finale; Daniel Dae Kim stated "If you think about how many pieces the writers had to put together in order to make it fall into place, it’s mind-boggling, and they did such a great job... For me it was very satisfying. After I read it, I had to sit for five or 10 minutes, just reflecting and digesting, because it definitely makes an impact."[13] Emerson said:
I have received the finale by degrees. I read the script without the secret scenes, then I read the secret scenes, then I shot the script and each time I’m thinking about 'what does this mean?' When I first read it, the ending wasn’t clear to me – but since then it’s grown more clear and I have to say, grown more satisfying the more I think about it. I expect a mixture of satisfaction and consternation amongst the viewers when it airs. But once they rewatch it, rethink about it and possibly look at the saga again, gradually they will feel like they have just read a good novel—but you have to chew on it for a while.[9]
Carbonell described the finale as being "all about everyone’s resolutions."[14] Cusick said "There are so many walks of life getting together to talk about the show and so many issues to be brought up and that's exactly what the ending will bring up. People will be talking about it for weeks afterwards and that's what the show has always done."[15]
Instead of being displayed along with ABC promotional material (which in most cases would consist of a preview of the next Lost episode), the finale's closing credits are shown alongside various shots of the Oceanic 815 plane wreckage. However, this footage was not added by the producers of the show and is not considered a part of the actual episode. ABC independently decided to add the footage as a soft, nostalgic transition between the final scene and upcoming local news broadcasts.[16]
After the finale, a post-finale special of
Returning actors
All former series regulars who appear (Jeremy Davies, Maggie Grace, Rebecca Mader, Elizabeth Mitchell, Dominic Monaghan, Ian Somerhalder, Cynthia Watros) are restored to the main cast in this episode. Those who do not return are Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Malcolm David Kelley, Harold Perrineau, Michelle Rodriguez, Kiele Sanchez, and Rodrigo Santoro (Rodriguez appeared in the previous episode). Additionally, long-time recurring guest stars Sam Anderson, L. Scott Caldwell, François Chau (the first time Chau was credited for his appearance), Fionnula Flanagan, John Terry and Sonya Walger are upgraded to the main cast.
Despite being killed off in the
Broadcasting
The episode was broadcast on ABC in the eastern United States
Its broadcast on Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS-TV was almost completely interrupted and rendered unwatchable by a number of technical difficulties with the station's digital signal. This caused numerous viewer complaints, leading the station to issue numerous apologies both on-air and on WEWS's website.[29]
Ratings and viewership
In its original American broadcast, "The End" was viewed by 13.5 million households with a 5.8 rating/15% share in the 18–49 demographic, coming first in every time slot and boosting ABC to the highest rated network on Sunday. The best rated half-hour (the last one) was viewed by 15.31 million viewers and earned a 6.4 rating/19% share in the 18–49 demographic.[30] At least 20.5 million viewers watched at least six minutes of the episode according to ABC.[31] After its first broadcast, the series finale became the 55th highest viewed series finale ever in the United States. Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello called the ratings "Solid, not spectacular". According to Ausiello, even though it was the show's highest rated episode in two years, it was still "far from a record-breaking performance".[32]
In the UK, 584,000 viewers tuned in to see the episode on
Critical reception
Contemporary reviews
"The End" provoked an immediate response, and received a strongly polarized reaction from both fans and TV critics alike. Response to the episode was positive and negative in equal measures, both in the United States and internationally. According to the web site
Not all critics were satisfied with the episode: the British newspapers
Outside the US, the episode also prompted a polarized response. The BBC's Entertainment reporter Kev Geoghegan felt that the episode was "emotionally satisfying" and that "the show was wrapped up rather nicely".[55] Michael Deacon in The Daily Telegraph was "beatifically surprised" at the "great" ending.[56] Shane Hegarty in The Irish Times felt that the final scene was "somewhat of a letdown", comparing it to the recent similar ending of Ashes to Ashes and contrasting it with the final episode of The Sopranos. He remarked: "[The Sopranos] was not about mystery, but its final scene was so inscrutable that fans are still squinting in an effort to figure it out. Lost's finale, though, was not too obtuse."[57] Some reviewers ended puzzled about the meaning of Lost. Tim Teeman in The Times referred to "a global scratching of heads" in his review but concluded "The questions are ceaseless: it may be healthier, as one online fan put it, 'to just accept it and move on'".[58] Steve Busfield and Richard Vine of The Guardian spoke positively about the episode, saying that the series would "continue to baffle, infuriate and delight fans for an eternity".[44] Conversely, the TV critic Charlie Brooker, also writing for The Guardian, remarked that "The End"'s plot "made less sense than a milk hammock",[59] while the comedian Danny Baker called the episode "an outrage".[5]
Retrospective reviews
Reception of the episode, as well as later seasons of Lost on a whole, remained polarized.
The resolution of the flash-sideways storyline as being a form of purgatory received considerable criticism: writing for
Praise for the series finale often focuses on emotional gravitas and character development. Writing in September 2014, Tom Eames of Digital Spy defended the finale, explaining that, although "divisive and controversial", it was "a beautiful piece of television". He stated: "It had returning characters, tears, action, romance and as happy an ending as possible for a show like Lost."[65] Cory Barker of TV.com also retrospectively reviewed the episode positively, naming it one of his all-time favorite series finales, and describing it as "emotionally satisfying" and "jam-packed with amazing moments".[66] Entertainment Weekly listed "The End" as the seventh best series finale ever, describing it as "a high-energy epic romp".[67] A decade after the series wrapped, Justin Kirkland of Esquire praised the finale, describing it as "on par, and expected from some of the greatest television of today".[68]
Reception from audiences continues to be mixed: as of April 2014[update], an ongoing poll for E! states that 53.87% of the audience disliked the finale, while the remaining 46.13% liked it.[69] In 2021, 11 years after the episode was broadcast, respondents to a survey conducted by the website OnBuy.com name "The End" as the most disappointing series finale ever, with its receiving 27.3% of the vote.[70]
Awards
The episode was nominated in eight categories for the
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External links