LOST: THE NEGATIVES

Just after LOST ended, the negatives took center stage for those viewers who did not like the finale.

In a global retrospect, what were the big negatives when the show concluded?

1. Some viewers saw a gradual decline in the series as a whole (reflected in the decline in ratings from Season 2 through Season 6). Many viewers thought the first season was what the entire show should be about: the characters' psyches and intelligently developing character-to-character relationships but character-to-island (or setting) relationships. A real negative was that the show regressed from character survival relationships to one about a nebulous power struggle then less about the philosophical and mystical aspects of the characters and the island. In the last seasons, the show relied heavily on plot twists and action, rather than complete development of the subtle mystery and intrigue of the first season.

2. For a show that layered character development and mystery, the finale left more questions than answers. Some viewers were disturbed by the sideways finish as being the Big Reveal. The problem in many fans' minds was that the final 10 minutes and the resolution of the Sideways World ignored all the previous aspects of Lost mythology: the island, Dharma, the smoke monster, the temple, the Others, etc.

3. The final season forced upon the viewers an alleged epic battle between good and evil. However, the Jacob and MIB story line settled nothing. But The End preached only that the individual journey mattered;  there was no resolution of struggle between humanity's light and dark sides, as represented by Jacob and (MIB) in any of the characters in the church. In fact, a moral compass through the afterlife appears to be missing even though the religious overtones were present. Many viewers thought the rush up in Season 6 for an epic final battle was a lost opportunity. It was forced. It did not make any sense to kill an immortal smoke monster in order to awaken in an afterlife dream.

4. Who was special and why? Even in The End, Desmond was called special, but it was Charlie who awoke him. Walt was special, but he was written out of the series due to a natural growth spurt. Locke was special, but he was merely a corpse in the island plot lines. Many viewers thought that all the trials, moments, mysteries and "special' properties of the Island were totally disregarded in the conclusion in the sideways world. It really made little sense of that the most important part of their lives (the Island) did not have any impact in their own fantasy purgatory in the sideways world.

5. How children were treated in the series. So, the investment in Jack's relationship with his son David in the sideways world was nothing; David did not exist. Another problem is the Aaron and Ji Yeon issues; how can one be "born" in the afterlife after being allegedly born in real time on the island?

6. Many fans could not grapple with the increasing factual errors on legal and medical issues as the series wound down. The continuity errors within LOST's own past story lines was bothersome to those who thought that the writers had everything planned out in great detail to make such gross errors. In response to these viewer complaints, TPTB said that community show boards were "toxic" and the show was "just television."

7. There was a sense that the wild ride of the twists, turns and mysteries of the island turned out to be a long, useless con job. In some respects, an emotional ending may be fine for some people who liked the characters as TV friends; but for many the emotional ending was an 180 degree contrivance to avoid community debate on whether the presented answers to the shows deep questions were satisfactory or not. It was a cop out not to address the important matters the show itself presented for weekly to yearly debate.

8. Why did some people wind up in the church, while other characters did not? The excuse, "they were not ready" was meaningless when it was explained that time did not matter in the sideways world. And the open ended white wash of light was considered by some to white wash the story of the characters in the church - - - where were they really going? Were they redeemed or did they fail? And how were their short island relationships "the most important" of their lives? Many viewers thought the Sayid-Shannon reunion a farce compared to the endless pining for Nadia during the series. And where was Helen for Locke? And Boone was also left with no one (no parent? no friend?) So how can one really say everyone got what they wanted in the end?

9. Viewers also thought that the use of flashbacks and flash-forwards and time leaps were editing tricks to confuse the viewer so as to hide the inherent plot pitfalls. And once the writers squeezed all the juice out of the flashback device, they inserted the epic short story tangent of Richard's back story and Jacob & MIB. Those stories did nothing to add or explain the resolution of the series. And that was a major criticism of the final season: too much filler and not enough meat on the story bone.

10. As Charlie said in the pilot, what is The Island?  The first and foremost character in the series continues to be an enigma to this day.