Lost, in translation

The argument could be made that by setting my expectations so high there was an incredible likelihood of disappointment.

And that very well might be the case.

Nevertheless, the last 10 minutes of the series finale of Lost simply did not work for me. And because of those last 10 minutes there is a certain stink coming from the entire season.

This final season has had the characters in the Sideways World meeting, touching and eventually realizing that they have all shared an adventure that, for some reason, they've forgotten. As the season progressed, the characters are made aware of their ignorance and they begin not only to recognize one another but also remember everything they've done.

It was if someone had forced them to forget and they are slowly awakening. But what forced them to forget? Who has created these alternate lives? And for what reason?

And in the end, that final answer, that looked liked it was going to explode in excitement, instead just fizzled like a firecracker that had incredible potential but turned out just to be a dud.

I like Jack, but I simply do not accept that the the ending had to focus on him. Is his redemption the only one that mattered? -- Or am I to assume that the Sideways World was a series of interlocking redemptive rings that were all connected to one another and that everyone has now left their old lives and is ready to move to the next step? Really, am I supposed to make that assumption? Because the show certainly seems to expects me to fill in a bunch of blank spots that it seemed too lazy or too hurried to resolve itself.

The only scene that worked for me in the last 10 minutes was between Hurley and Ben, when Ben admitted that, even though he would be welcomed by the people in the church, he still had some work to do. And in that scene Hurley acknowledged Ben's contribution and the work they did together. It was only in that scene that I got a true sense that the Sideways World existed outside of linear time and was in fact *all time*.

But for the concluding minutes to be all Jack-Jack-Jack was the biggest disappointment. I had invested too much time with all of the characters to give the final moments only to Jack.

Speaking of Jack, his son, David, served no purpose this season other than to be a teenage red herring. I had expected there would be some sort of decision by Jack to choose between the Sideways World and his son or to leave it behind for the greater good of his friends. Instead, David's character was conveniently forgotten and shuffled away. There was no need for David to be in the season. He served no purpose except to distract the audience.

And Desmond, who is so important in both worlds, is also pushed aside in the final minutes of the show. I can't even remember what happened to him after he was pulled out of the glowing cave. And in the Sideways World he just becomes one of the gang in the church wishing farewell to Jack. He deserved more than that.

Oh, and while I didn't expect answers to all of the big questions, I didn't expect the show to just disregard them. Why were the children so important? Why couldn't the women on the island get pregnant? Why could Hurley see dead people? And what was the big deal behind those numbers? The finale addressed none of those questions. It was as if the time for answers was behind them and the creators were saying: You are all so hooked on the show, we can ignore those questions and just get to the important part, which is obviously all about Jack.

For the first 2 hours and 20 minutes I found the episode to be beautifully emotional: Sawyer and Juliet's reunion, the birth of Claire's baby, Sun and Jin remembering their life and death. Scene upon scene stacked upon one another to the point that I found myself caring less and less about the Island and just wanting the mystery of the Sideways World to be revealed.

And then to find out that it wasn't a Sideways World at all but instead it was a Jack-centric universe with everyone there to get a little bit of enlightenment and to give Jack a lot of hugs and smiles. To paraphrase The Beatles and the final minutes of The Prisoner, "All You Need is Jack".

Those final minutes made me feel like I had been manipulated throughout the whole episode, suckered into believing that it would be something more than purgatory and cheated because it became all about Jack.

I have to ignore those last 10 minutes in order to appreciate everything that came before it.

And that's why the finale failed for me.