REBOOT FINAL 4 PART THREE

What They Died For was the last episode before the finale. Viewers thought that the title referred to the final season theme of characters meeting their demise in vague quests to stop MIB from leaving the island; getting blown up by dynamite, mortar rockets, Smokey's wrath, etc. The survivors kept asking to make those deaths, those "sacrifices" to have some meaning. But we all thought the title meant recent episode fatalities and not the big picture.

As another recap of what the LOST community was saying after this second to last episode, I culled the comment boards I viewed back at the original airing to get a sense of what fans were thinking:

WHAT THEY DIED FOR


1. The Island's Protector

The pitch has been that the character driven series would wind up in heroic fashion, but I found no compassion or heroic qualities in the characters last night. The four around Jacob's camp fire reminded me of four kids in the principal's office, and Jack standing up to take the blame for something he does not know about. Who in their right mind would take an island guardian job, with the duty to kill a monster, without any instructions or plan?

If only the protector can find the light, why does it need a protector????????????Guesses included that fact that only the protector can find (and lead the chosen) to the actual light cave. But MIB found a "loophole" and started digging. He was able to find the source of the light underground. MIBs people, Dharma and others have tried to find the light in the exact same way. The failures to actually get to the light by so many is clearly a result of the protector's actions directly or indirectly.

With Jack now the new guardian didn't MIB just run out of options? I mean, he was trying to kill all of the candidates after spending centuries finding a loophole to kill Jacob specifically to keep them from becoming the next guardian. Isn't it completely back to the drawing board for MIB? 

Jacob tells Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley that they're all like him -- "all alone, all looking for something you couldn't find out there" --  loneliness has been a sneaky theme lurking about the entire series. Almost all of the major characters were dreadfully lonely in their pre-island lives, and they're brought to the island by a guy who's been alone for centuries. And as part of this "kidnapping" touch by Jacob, the 815 characters made new friends in their island adventures.

2. The Sideways Story Arc

I never liked the sideways story arc, but I think the writers will use it in this bold fashion: sideways Jack will intentionally screw up Locke's surgery, killing him on the table (just like his father did to a patient) which would then "kill" Flocke on the island world. I have no explanation how or why that would happen, but I think that is the purpose.

While Desmond is my favorite character, his actions in the alt timeline seem like they could be interpreted as a 'failsafe' for the writers, running around and tying up loose ends whatever they may be. Many viewers thought that the sideways story was feeling like the trap door for the show's creators to get out of answering the island mysteries in some alternative, less fulfilling fashion.

A few thought the sideways world was mirroring the island stories too closely. Anyone else notice how Desmond is 'touching' everyone like Jacob did?

A few observed that the sideways arc was getting much too much traction. The episode reviews were so-so I mean by Lost standards. Whether the episode supports the idea that the writers had this planned all along or whether they were making it up as they went was still are tense debate.
There were too many things What They Died For that felt a little contrived. Kate's name being crossed off because she was a mom struck me as backtracking on the writer's part rather than anything planned. The Ben and Rousseau match, while some found it touching, was cheesy to some.

Then in an off-tangent discussion, who was Jack's ex in the sideways world? The "candidates" for that were quite varied.  Someone suggested Juliette. Did we not see sideways Juliette already? I thought we did but can't remember where or who she was connected with. Whoever it is it has to be someone of importance. Who else hasn't put in an appearance? Another remarked that Juliet is"too obvious,"  and she needs to have coffee.  Others suggested Sarah, Cindy, Nikki or even Kate. I even threw out Penny as a weird option. But most of us thought it did not matter.

One poster commented "For some reason the sideways story had the feel of The Usual Suspects movie. The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist."

3. Who Needs to Die?

Many fans posted that they thought that EVERYONE left on the island will killed in the finale, except Cindy, Emma and Zach, who replace CrazyMom, Jacob and MIB.

But the biggest question was left unanswered by Jacob's talk to the remaining candidates. WHAT DID THEY DIE FOR? was never answered. It goes back to the beginning episodes, where we are stumbling around like the plane crash survivors - - - "where are we," and in the sense after this episode continued to be what is the big premise of the show?

4. The Open Questions

Each individual fan has his or her own list of burning, unanswered questions or plot points which were once deemed important clues but now seem gnawing after thoughts in the big picture.

The whole name on the wall thing bothered some. Jacob answered Kate's question as if he was the occupant of the ocean side cave. Why would he need TWO places to write down candidates' names (the cave and the lighthouse)? It makes no sense. In response, a theory would be that  "Jacob" does not really exist. Suppose, when Smokey was created, it immediately killed Jacob. That would leave Smokey totally "alone" on the island. He would have to re-create Jacob (ghost kids) in a schizophrenic way to have conversations, to interact with his lost humanity, to cope with its inherited memories and its loneliness. But that would not explain why people were brought to the island.

Many thought the "concert" was going to be the epicenter of the resolution of the story. Questions were asked about who are going to be present. Not sure how Jin and Sun will get there. Someone mentioned Charlie but isn't sideways Charlie dead? He didn't seem to have any interest in getting out of that car when he tried to kill himself and Des.

Some were bothered by the growing show reel of character death scenes. For example, Richard's end (if it was an end) may have seemed swift and out of left field, but I think it is telling in that he thought he was much more important than he actually was. He was saying how the monster just wanted Richard on his side. So much for that.

Ben did nothing "wrong" in this episode. His cooperation with Flocke seemed to be only a matter of survival. He didn't seem too convincing in his acceptance of Flocke's deal that he could have the island, and he killed Widmore at a very opportune moment, though Flocke claimed he had already heard what he wanted to know,  but Widmore had not finished speaking!



Why would Widmore fear for his daughter's life should MIB leave The Island if he had already stated that the world would end if he ever got off? That's either 'end of series sloppiness' or Widmore knew he was dead either way and was giving MIB a false lead.

One speculation was that  either Claire or Ben might kill Jack in the finale if MIB cannot "kill" the island guardian because of "the rules."

People questioned why now MIB wants to destroy The Island when at first he just wanted to leave it? What happened to just getting off of it? Did that plan change with Jack becoming the next guardian? Will he use Jack's friends against him? I think that's a likely scenario But Jack makes the rules now, why can't he just undo the 'mistake' Jacob made, declare MIB can go free, and remove his smokiness?


Jacob forgot to tell Jack to never go into the cave or what the cave is, other than it being the 'heart' of The Island.
- Given everything The Island has done, maybe it's better to kill it at this point? I mean, what good has it ever really done? Kill it and disperse the light so no one person could ever harness it again and problem solved, no?

A large call for the where are Rose, Bernard and Vincent, who have not seen seen in ages on the island. The greater question hanging in mid-air is what characters will be important in the end resolution and why.

Some fans felt anger and angst about their unanswered keys to the story plots.
"If the writers don't close the loop on the whole "Walt is special" drama from the beginning of the show I am going to be pissed."

Also, once the Oceanic 6 got back to real life, why were Ben and Sayid killing all those people to protect the six? Who was trying to harm them and why? Does this have anything to do with the visit Jacob paid Widmore after the freighter explosion?

Who built that statue that Jacob was living in?

People still thought the Numbers answer needed to be addressed. They never fully explained, the Numbers (4 8 15 16 23 42),  right? like how they where basically EVERYWHERE!! and even over that radio transmission and how they followed Hurley everywhere? "Where the hell did these numbers come from?"

Even if the numbers were candidate markers, why were some "living" candidates still alive but no longer candidates? Something not to many people are aware of but either BEN LINUS or his father Roger LINUS WERE CANDIDATES!!! If you look closely at Jacobs long list of candidates at the lighthouse LINUS is a name on that list and his number is 117! Other names on that list that we are familiar with are:
 20 - Rousseau
 32 - Rutherford (Boone or Shannon)
 51 - Austen
 58 - Burke (Juliet)
 101 - Faraday
104 - Lewis (Charlotte )
109 - Friendly
 117 - Linus
 124 - Dawson (Michael or Walt).

Then again, some viewers did not care about answers to tangential questions. Why is the supply drop a mystery? Kelvin Inman (and in theory Radzinski) were known to still be in the hatch after the purge. Dharma wasn't going to let them starve to death (especially since no one would be able to push the button if they did). Do we really need someone to come on screen and explain it?

Why/how Jacob took on corporeal form? Was it the ashes? Or, did he have that ability all along but chose to remain ethereal? And what are the island guardian's true powers?

In the sideways arc, the island is underwater. What is the significance of that screen shot?

Desmond tells Hurley Anna Lucia won't be participating in their island reunion because "she's not ready yet." Ready for what? Why are some characters ready and other characters not ready? And why does Desmond get to decide?

Who was  Crazy Mom protecting the light from? Humans who wanted more light, right? This would be before a smoke monster existed.

But if Jacob created the smoke monster, then the light now needs to be protected against the smoke monster?  So are humans no longer a threat to the light? If the smoke monster was never created by Jacob's childish tantrum, his job would be protect from humans only?

Can there be more than one smoke monster if more humans were to get into the light? Does any one of these smoke monsters getting back to the light end humanity? Or is it like, once a smoke monster is born, that's the only one you really gotta watch out for?

That being said...If the Losties kill Smokey, does that mean that everyone automatically shifts to the alternate timeline as their reality? Is there a way to ensure that no other humans will ever find the island in the future (sink it?) so that Jack's job as island protector is finished as quickly as it began and that he can live his wonderful alt life with his family? No Smokey...No island...No need to protect the island...Jack's energy can go to the alt timeline?

Wouldn't it be great if the show ends with Jacob alive and well in the alt timeline, which is now the real timeline; present when all the characters reunite?

5. How Things Would End

It was unanimous that no one knew how the show would end. Many just suspended their own personal likes, dislikes and opinions to let the story unfold on its own terms. Others decided that they once had hope things would be pulled together in a coherent and brilliant fashion by the writers. And more than a few housed doubts whether the ending will satisfy the diehard viewers. A few thought of horrible scenerios:

Example, instead of a plane crash, the sideways world is hit with an earthquake and the concert hall traps the characters:

Desmond = new Jacob

David = new Walt

ack = new Michael . . . "Daaaaaaaaviddd!!!"

Or, Jacks's bleeding neck cut/scratch was caused by Juliet's bullet from the outrigger shootout causing him to die in sideways world.

One fan posted that Eloise was helping Smokey. Smokey (as Christian) was the one who tells Locke to find Eloise Hawking because she'll know how to get back to the island. And she is the one who orchestrates the return of the Losties to the island which Smokey desperately wants so he can kill them all.

Another postulated the following:
My final "candidates" for the premise of the Island's mystery:
1) simulated reality
2) aliens
3) magic
The overall premise could actually be a combination of these points. Premise 1) would probably provide most degrees of freedom for the writers, since everything that happened on the Island could quite consistently be explained this way. Premise 2) would probably be some kind of alien space ship underneath the Island which uses an advanced energy source. In case the final answer is really just premise 3) without a more "scientific" explanation, I wish FMom and Jacob would at least have said "ABRACADABRA" at their wine/water scenes!

My final speculation for the ending regarding the time lines is that the Island timeline will cease to exist and the characters in the ALT-timeline become aware of their ALT life on the Island via sideways flashes. Maybe the existence of the ALT-timeline is Jack's way of "fixing" things in his role as Jacob's successor. I'm sure we will see a lot of reunions/couples and happy ends at the concert:
- Juliet is probably Jack's ex wife and she will finally meet Sawyer at the concert (they are in love since they "remember"...)
- Jack and Kate could also become a couple there
.  Charlie doesn't die in the ALT-timeline and he meets Claire
- I also bet on Faraday and Charlotte; Bernard and Rose; and  Desmond and Penny.


6. The Light at the End of the Tunnel



The overall mood in the Lost community was one of the sense of anticipation being palpable. With next week's finale,  fans have never before been faced with possible disappointment with almost certainty that many mysteries will remain unanswered which some fans will dislike. Lost was an individual experience incorporated into a community discussion. Some viewers would watch the conclusion with no preconceptions, hopes or expectations. Others would watch the finale with the view of a mind-blowing finale that no one saw coming to explain everything.


There would be more sacrifices, it seems.


With so many unanswered questions, and Season 6 piling on big mysteries like the Jacob-MIB and the sideways story line, people were apprehensive about the finale. There were too many open story lines to be completed in one final episode (even an extended one). The conclusion was that each person's list of questions would be answered, theories would be resolved and the show ending in a meaningful, compelling finish were going to be sacrificed for a "show biz" type ending.