Top Ten Lost Characters (excluding Locke)

"You were all alone. You were all looking for something you couldn't find out there. I chose you because you needed this place as much as it needed you." - Jacob

(MUEY SPOILERS!!!)

Lost has some of the most amazing, fun, and fascinating characters I've seen. Which is funny, because they aren't all totally original or anything. The real reason they are so great is probably because the show spends a large portion of its time to let the audience get to know them. You learn of their secrets, their demons, what they've done, what they are capable of doing, and they all felt real (even The Monster). I enjoyed them all in some way or another, but if I had to choose ten favorites this would be it. However, yes, I am excluding my already proclaimed favorite character on the show, man of adventure and utter tragedy himself, John Locke. Let's begin.

10. Hugo "Hurley" Reyes

"I want some freakin' answers!"

I rank Hurley at ten because, well, Hurley is a given too. Not liking Hurley is the equivalent to making a thousand smiling children cry. Though he at first seems like an ordinary, generous, and laid back young man, he has his own secrets, naturally. If the fact that he is a multi-millionaire and businessman isn't surprising enough, the introduction of his infamous Numbers did the trick. Though anyone looking in on the outside would assume he had it all, Hurley was literally stalked by fate. Misfortune plagued his already out of sorts life after he used the Numbers, and it was his quest to find their meaning that led him to board Flight 815 and crash on the Island. On the Island, Hurley did his best to help others and make things easier when he could; he, actually, has an active role in many of the main events. Though terribly afraid, Hurley is also exceptionally brave and capable of leadership in desperate situations. I think a thing that really struck me when it was all over was that Hurley ends up the Protector of the Island. I just think it's cool that the true everyman, the vessel for the audience, in fact, winds up becoming such a powerful force in the world. It kind of exemplifies Lost's theme of starting over and discovering yourself. Hurley was funny, lovable, heroic, flawed, and probably the show's purest character.

9. Boone Carlyle

"Relieved...I felt relieved..."

Though his role was considerably minor in comparison to the others, I still thought Boone was a well done character. Boone was one of the first survivors to take an active role in leadership. Though strong and brave, he usually fell short of heroism and ended up being more troublesome than helpful. His story doesn't really kick off until he befriends Locke and they find the Hatch. It's then when Boone begins seeing things differently. I also liked that he started to let go of Shannon after that psychedelic trip (I need Locke to whip me up some of that!). Of course, if I'm being honest, Boone's true purpose was to influence the actions of Locke, Jack, and Shannon. This was accomplished when he became the first main character to die. And damn, the episode where Jack tries to save him is so very intense and depressing (though beautiful too in a lot of ways). But yeah, it's his death that turns Shannon into a wildcard, and, more importantly, begins the legendary cycle of mistrust between Jack and Locke. This point is echoed repeatedly as Boone makes appearances throughout the series after that, either in flashbacks, dreams, or hallucinations (and the afterlife). I liked Boone for his determination, heart, and common sense. His unrequited love and manipulations from his stepsister Shannon also gained him sympathy. Was glad he was part of the reunion at the end.

8. Jacob

"You've got ink on your forehead."

Next to his brother, Jacob is probably the most mysterious character in the series. Built up by the native Others to be the great, brilliant, magnificent, and even supernatural individual in control of The Island, Jacob was kept hidden for most of the show. His motives were said to include protecting the Island and befriending people seen as special. I never trust The Others though, so I will just go with who he really is. It was at the end of Season 5 and entirety of Season 6 that Jacob revealed himself. He was seen in flashbacks orchestrating events that would bring many of our favorite characters to the Island, before his death is rigged by his nemesis, The Man in Black. Near the end of the show, we discover that Jacob was born on the Island some 2,000 years ago, along with his brother, The Man in Black. In contrast to MIB's cold and pragmatic nature, Jacob primarily thought with his heart and was ruled by his emotions. This leads him to kill his brother in a fit of rage, while also turning him into a force of true destruction. In the present, he is still compassionate but is also more confident and wise. Yes, it is true that his meddling with fate resulted in the hundreds of deaths we see throughout the show, but he really couldn't risk his brother escaping. It's also admirable that he did his best to do the right thing and help others, even after he was dead. I also thought it was interesting that even Jacob, a character who we all thought of as a an all powerful deity for so long, was just another victim of some random fate. All Jacob wanted was peace and I can respect that.

7. Sun Hwa Kwon

"I lose, either way."

I think Sun is a character who had some of the biggest transformations. Her arc in the series mainly involves her growing more self reliant and developing a stronger personality. Sun and Jin episodes were always compelling even if they weren't as exciting as other arcs. Her transformation from the long suffering wife to independent hero was nice to see. I was also surprised that Sun was from a wealthy family (I thought they were both middle class when I first saw them). Even in her world of luxury back then, Sun's destiny was still controlled, this time by her parents. It is her father to be blamed for the gold hearted Jin's initial douchebaggery, as well. Jin was such a bastard during the first season, it made Sun's strength even more satisfying (even though, we are all happy they worked things out). Sun does a lot, actually: she lies to her husband and others, kills an Other, and smacks around several main characters. In the last few seasons though, when she gets her own money, power, and motive for revenge, she owns her corrupt father financially and literally, gaining control of his corporation and even begins a vendetta against Ben Linus. I won't again go into how tragic her and Jin's deaths were. I will just say that starting your revolt by unbuttoning your shirt collar and ending it with corporate espionage and assassination plots is quite something.

6. Mr. Eko

"I did not ask for the life that I was given. But it was given, nonetheless. And with it, I did my best."

Eko is just one of those characters you think of when you think of Lost. One of those stand out characters. Probably because he's a badass. At first appearing to be a chivalrous giant, flashbacks reveal his dark past as a vicious drug lord in Nigeria. His actions eventually end up killing his priest brother and leaving him mistaken for a man of god himself. Eko rolls with it, though, out of respect for his brother. His darkness never seems to leave him, however, no matter how hard he struggles to redeem himself. On the Island, he serves as a defender of his group of survivors but eventually becomes a new man of faith, next to Locke. But while Locke clinged to faith out of desperation, Eko did it more for atonement. Unfortunately, he is another character who was cut short upon making a true discovery about himself and died like the majority of the tail section survivors. I wasn't angry that he died as much as I was angry that his death is almost immediately forgotten by the rest of the characters. His true spiritual relationship with the survivors was intriguing, as were his interactions with The Monster. I think his main purpose in the show was to teach Locke not to turn his back on his faith. More incentive: Eko was known for cutting down his enemies with a machete; he carved himself a club, nicknamed "scripture stick", on which he carved insightful Bible passages; and he's not only the one person not to run away from The Monster, but he freaking stares it down. 'Cause Eko ain't afraid.

5. Jack Shephard

"I'm gonna fix you."

Jack is the first character we meet. His eyes open, he finds himself in some jungle, he is in shock, scared, injured, and confused all at once. Nevertheless, after about a minute of wondering where he is, he rushes to the scene of a plane crash, his plane. And he immediately charges into the fray as explosions, screams, and panic fills the air. He isn't concerned about himself or his wound, he only sees people in danger and he saves them. And amazingly the next scene where his wound is stitched up, he tells a past story that reveals that he is more than a collected, magnificent hero, he's an extremely vulnerable human being. And those two aspects intrigued me about Jack from the beginning. His tragic backstory was not as Shakespearian as Locke's or Ben's or as western as Kate's or Sawyer's, Jack's backstory is a bit more personal and real. Your drunk old man telling you not to be a hero because "you just don't have what it takes" when you're a stubborn kid might have some consequences. Jack's interactions with his father, his wife, and, yeah, even that weird tattoo artist he banged were all compelling and they really showed how this man's doubts and fears and anger constantly lead to his destruction (like most of the characters, I know). I guess it's poetic, a man so obsessed with fixing other people's situations is himself a broken man. His status on the Island did get tedious after about three or four seasons of denial about what was going on. Being a doctor who usually lives in a world of rationality (when it isn't about him personally, that is), Jack was originally a man of science. That's a good excuse, I understand, but there was just too much craziness happening in those few months he spent on the Island for him to keep insisting there wasn't anything strange going on. Yeah, so that became frustrating after awhile. I guess though, not every person can change too drastically in just a few months. Three years and one dead man of faith later, Jack didn't know who he was anymore and in this instance faith in the impossible was the only thing he had. In other words, he got more badass and everything he did became interesting. In fact, the man who once seemed to just be a cosmic rag doll started driving events and setting things in motion himself. Plus, his death was the only one that made me weep; then again, I think the whole last scene was perfectly designed to make you weep. Looking back, Jack's journey was really impressive and inspiring in its own way. The fact that he realized he had what takes all along was reason enough for him to be number five.

4. James Ford aka Sawyer aka Jim LaFluer

"I became the man I was hunting. Became Sawyer."

Every character was emotionally wounded in a profound way as a child, but I don't know if any of them got it as bad as Sawyer. Granted, I did find his backstory particularly badass because I love a good revenge story, but what makes it so good is because of how depressing it is. As a kid his parents are manipulated by a mysterious con artist named Mr. Sawyer, resulting in his father killing his mother and then himself (sitting on the bed little Sawyer is hiding under no less). This prompted him to write a letter promising revenge, but that path leads him to become just as good a confidence man as his nemesis, to the point where he takes on the name Sawyer too. His plight on the Island was very interesting. Mixing his abrasive southern demeanor with his brilliant cunning, he set out to get what he wanted more than redemption: punishment. And for the first half of the series that is the person he tried to be, feeling he should pay for the bad things he did. Thankfully though, the second half shows him embracing his opportunity to change things and be the hero he must have thought he was in the beginning. From a broader perspective, Sawyer is really just a very well done version of the bad boy character. One of the better ones I've seen, at least. He's also a genuine fan service machine (which I don't think anyone minded): he was funny, intriguing, badass, handsome (and very often shirtless), well acted, provided the majority of pop culture references, and was just a well rounded character with a fantastic arc. That's why he's on the list.

3. Sayid Jarrah

"What would be the use of killing you when we're both already dead."

Just because Locke takes home the prize for worst possible life ever doesn't mean the other characters' lives couldn't be routinely destroyed in the most powerful of ways. Next to Hurley, Sayid was an initial favorite character. The fact that he is one of the few survivors immediately trying to help and figure things earned him sympathy, as well as the racism and accusations that immediately befell him because he was Iraqi. Even cooler is the fact that he was a soldier (like I said, the survivors only certified badass), tech whiz, and natural leader. Plus the dark 'greater good' perspective that rested beneath his benevolence was evident early on and is built on very well. Sayid is a man who can never forgive himself for the people he tortured after the war. Ever. That's a compelling backstory right there. The fact that the Island events force that monster out of him is even saddening. Sayid is actually the best example of all of these characters who are constantly trying to be good and do the right thing but are constantly setback by the sins of their pasts. Also the fact that he already considered himself damned meant he was more willing to go to extremes for that greater good. But as much as Sayid tried to be a hero he still ended up believing he was pure evil, ruining many lives, losing everyone he ever loved, dying, being resurrected a hollow shell of himself, and then dying again. Hurley, probably his best friend, telling him he was a good guy in the after life despite of what Sayid himself thought was very touching. Was especially glad he got a happy ending. God knows he deserved it.

2. Benjamin Linus

"How many times do I have to tell you, John? I always have a plan."

Another character like Sawyer who you initially hate, than love to hate, than just love. Ben probably believed for a long time that he and his people were the good guys. It was hard for me to believe when he dedicated his time to abducting, harrassing, killing, and generally making life hell for a group of unfortunate innocents. Especially when he was only concerned with a few of them. But, as usual, as time went on, we started to see some different shades to the Island natives' sinister leader. For as grand and mysterious as he likes to appear, Ben is cut from much of the same cloth as the heroes. He was emotionally scarred as a child by an abusive father, lost his innocence when he killed his father and the island's DHARMA Initiative (which he was a member of in his youth), and became an intelligent manipulator, a trait that led to his becoming leader of The Others. It's especially painful that he was another character whose entire life may have been just another part of The Man in Black's scheme. He had the habit of mixing his sincere ambitions with more personal ones. Ben was even more dedicated to his personal destiny than his rival, Locke, to the point that he sacrificed his daughter when his power was threatened. An interesting aspect of season six was that Ben was no longer a powerful leader, he was just a follower, and as a follower he realized none of the real good guys respected or trusted him. I'm glad that didn't deter him from trying to redeem himself and fight for the right side at last. In the end, I liked Ben because he was freakishly smart and badass to boot, because he realized he was the bad guy and turned good, because Michael Emerson is an awesome actor, and because he made things interesting.

1. Desmond Hume

"God allegedly has bigger plans for me."

Odysseus. Billy Pilgrim. The badass Scotsman, Desmond Hume. All good men who are caught in the most unfortunate of destinies. Though, Desmond is pretty much a combination of the first two. Desmond is a true victim of love. His poor handling of good relationships usually results in him making life altering decisions that he hopes will make him a better person, but ended up leaving him more empty. Namely, participating in a race around the world, hoping to impress his beloved Penny's father, Charles Widmore, and instead gets caught in a storm while lost at sea. He awakens on the Island where he is...initiated into the DHARMA Initiative, and spends the next three years pressing the button in the Hatch. As fate would have it, one day Desmond isn't able to push the button on time, correcting the mistake just as things start to crazy. This, however, results in Oceanic 815 and all of the characters we know and love crashing on the Island. Though introduced as a half-crazed Omega Man in a hell of his own, he turns out to be a bit more once he integrates into the group. His longing to get back to the woman he loves is probably one of the show's most endearing and famous story lines; I think we were all relieved when Des and Penny finally did reunite. But as a survivor, his role is perhaps one of the more interesting. He becomes something of a leader figure along with Sawyer once he begins hunting and protecting the castaways. More significantly though, his attempt to save the world by self destructing the Hatch led to his very bewildering relationship with The Island's power. This includes allowing him to see Charlie's death in the future and trying to prevent it (which he could not), finding himself skipping back and forth between the present and 1996, and even crossing over into the afterlife for a brief second (or was it?) Desmond was a soldier and did time in military prison, so he is not one to screw with. Aside from his tragic love story and emotional vulnerability, I thought Desmond's real part in the whole show was as a variable in the lives of the survivors. He is responsible for crashing their plane, beginning the story, and he is responsible for bringing them together in the afterlife, ending the story. Just thought it was kind of beautiful that Desmond, a man most saw as a coward, who saw himself as living a life without purpose, in the end he got to be an essential part of so many lives, eventually even leading everyone to their own place of serenity. He was great because I felt for him and wanted him to win, because he was the coolest of the Island's super humans, because he introduced us to the Hatch, because he got back to Penny, and because he is just a likable guy. Truly one of my favorite characters.

So those are my favorite characters, but, again, I loved all of the characters, even most of the very minor ones. They are a testament to how good of a show Lost was.

This has been another top ten list from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.

Lost: My theories

Okay, I know. I know I said I was gonna do another one on the anniversary of the show's end. But it was requested, the anniversary of its beginning was only awhile ago, and I'm always up for one. With that here is a new Lost post. This time I will do something that has always been part of the joy of watching the show: theorize. Since so many people could not answer so many questions themselves - even when those questions were clearly answered or you could come up with your own logical explanation if you used your head - I will give you my theories on some of the things that weren't completely spelled out for those less intelligent or easily confused fans... and some that were.

1. The Cabin

This is one that confuses people still, even though I think its simple. In Season 3 we were introduced to what we believed to be Jacob's lair: a small, isolated cabin in the woods. As Locke and Ben went into the cabin, white ash was found to surround it and inside was empty. Once the two started arguing inside over the validity of Jacob's existence, the cabin started shaking, sounds of the Smoke Monster erupted, and a man was briefly seen inside (he also asked Locke for help). After escaping the cabin, Locke and Ben believed it was Jacob.

My theory: it was not Jacob. It was actually his nemesis, The Man in Black. I'm guessing Jacob used the cabin between the 80s and 90s as one of his hideouts (along with the cave on the cove and the Foot Statue). Jacob probably abandoned the cabin when Oceanic 815 crashed, knowing the survivors would be searching through the jungle. With Jacob retreating to the Statue, The Man in Black found an opening inside the cabin and used it as part of his ploy to mislead Locke, Ben, and the rest. Evidence: the man we saw briefly inside both times looked more like MIB than Jacob (and at one point he had Christian Shepherd's corpse in the rocking chair); there were smoke sounds surrounding the cabin when everything went crazy; MIB was of course seen operating out of there for awhile; the ash around the cabin clearly meant Jacob was hiding there originally.

2. The Numbers

No introductions are really needed. Hurley's backstory primarily involved his lottery winning numbers that he believed to be cursed. The numbers were even showing up all over the show before and after that. Eventually the numbers were revealed to be Jacob's six last candidates for a new Protector of the Island, one of whom was Hurley.

My theory: the numbers were a sign. Jacob's sign. They appeared everywhere for a reason. The numbers showed up in the lives of every character, Hurley was just the only one who noticed. them. They were either two things: a) a calling from Jacob that beckoned people to The Island, or b) a mark that set a chain of events that would lead the candidates to The Island, seeing as how bad things usually happened when the numbers were seen, and not just with Hurley. I think it could be both actually. Perhaps Hurley being the only one who knew there was something more behind the numbers was a measure of his candidacy.

3. What was with that talking bird and polar bears

This frustrates me because, like most of the unanswered questions, it is best solved by piecing things together. Yes, a few of the "mysteries" out of the many of mind boggling mysteries of Lost was what were strange animals doing on the Island, including polar bears and a bird believed to have talked.

My theory: I barely registered the so called "talking bird" in either scene it was in. Yes, in a few instances there was a bird thought to have called out the names of characters as it flew by. I think it was the season 1 finale where it was believed to have called out Locke's name, and then in the season 2 finale where it apparently shrieked "Hurley!", even Hurley thought so (because Hurley notices everything of course). I knew what the polar bears were after season 4. I think they were mainly used by the Dharma Initiative as experiments and then eventually messengers to test the power of The Wheel, that teleported people through space and time. If you want a little more elaboration watch the Lost epilogue.

4. Libby

Oh, Libby. What a great character you could have been. Yes after her shocking and unexpected death half way through her first season, and the level of mystery still surrounding her, there was much spectulation about who Libby was before The Island. There was even a long time theory that she was a part of the Dharma Initiative. I had my weird theories but it was probably pretty simple in the end.

My theory: Before season 6 I was getting the feeling that we'd never have closure for Libby, and just randomly theorized that she was Jacob's illegitimate daughter. How's that for major father issues? But Libby probably was only a victim of circumstance. Maybe she was just mentally unstable at one point. Maybe it was because of her husband's death. Maybe she was cured and that inspired her to be a therapist. Maybe she was, like many others killed on Lost, an innocent bystander who got on the wrong plane.

5. The importance of Walt and Aaron

There was much ambiguity around two primary children on the show, Walt Lloyd and Aaron Littleton. Walt had for most of his life been seen as "different" or "special", and many times it was clear he could do things beyond the limits of possibility, i.e. birds falling dead when he's angry, and an overall ability to sort of will things to happen. It was never really touched on but always a big mystery. Then there was Aaron who was an enigma even before birth. A psychic told Claire that she could not let anyone else raise him but her alone and later changed his mind and told her to get on doomed Flight 815 to meet people who would raise him. This left people wondering if the psychic knew what would happen.

My theory: I will get Aaron out of the way first by saying that, even though I think he could be a future candidate along with Ji Yeon, the psychic was probably only lying. He may have known that Claire was giving up the baby and made her hold off on it until he could secure a deal with a couple in America, no doubt for a large check. In one flashback, the psychic told Mr. Eko he was a fake. So, even though I think Jacob had a hand in stalling Claire's adoption process, I ultimately think that evidence shows that whether or not Claire raised Aaron would not have made much difference, except maybe helping her keep her sanity after she was left behind. However, Walt is a bit like Desmond and Hurley, except he has greater potential. Desmond had a unique resistance and almost fluidic nature with the Island's energy which allowed his consciousness to travel through time and in some cases through life itself. Hurley could see and interact with the dead. Walt, in a very miniscule and untrained way, could alter reality. If trained he could do great things, perhaps even be what the Island has needed for so long, instead of worthy but flawed Protectors. In the end, I think out of all of the numerous candidates, Walt is THE candidate.

6. The Man in Black's role throughout

Now that the show is all over we know what Lost's highly deceptive and lethal antagonist's true goal was throughout the series (or at least what he had planned up until he was able to escape The Island), but really how much deception was there. He was doing plenty of shady things as the Smoke Monster before we even knew what he was. For those who were wondering what he had been doing in all of his appearances before he set his long con into overdrive during Season 5, here's what I came up with.

My theory: After his failure at making Richard, Robert Rousseau, and possibly many others his personal assassins, The Man in Black saw potential in a damaged little boy within The Dharma Initiative named Ben Linus. MIB drew him toward The Others where he would be groomed into a ruthless operative, and an eventual recruit as such. He was no doubt planning his last great scheme soon after Oceanic 815 crashed. Perhaps, he saw the passengers as more potential Jacob followers he could slaughter. That's what I think happened in the cockpit during the first episode. He tried to kill the gang of castaways, only succeeding in offing the pilot, and more than likely would have killed Jack until he saw Jack was Candidate 23, thus realizing that the other candidates had arrived too. His next move came when he encountered John Locke, Candidate 4, hunting for boar a few days later. Upon doing a quick scan of who he was, MIB realized Locke was damaged, curious, gullible, and malleable, and knew he would be come in handy. He nearly got Jack killed when posing as his father Christian, whose body he preserved in the now abandoned cabin. I think this was planned so Locke could gain leadership and influence over the castaways and thus be more useful. After failing to capture and recruit Locke and realizing his fate was faltering upon entering the Hatch, MIB turned his sights to another flawed man of faith, Mr. Eko. Posing as Eko's brother, MIB tried to use him to do either two things: a) further drive Locke to not press the button and destroy The Island, Jacob, and the candidates, or b) become another potential recruit/assassin. Both failed because of Desmond's brave interference and Eko's unwillingness to bend to MIB/his brother's will. Finally he turned all of his focus on Locke and Ben. The chain of events in seasons 3 and 4 allowed MIB to convince Ben and Locke to turn The Wheel, taking them off The Island and setting in motion his plan to kill Jacob. We know where it goes from there. As for what he would do when he left The Island, a big part of me thinks he was planning to recruit or kill everyone. Either way, none of this matters now. He's thankfully very dead.

7. Eloise Hawking

Though she was often presented as a former high ranking Other, there was still clearly a lot more to her than just that. She appeared to have a sort of omniscience, especially when dealing with Desmond. We first met Eloise when Desmond mind jumped back to the 90 where he was gonna marry Penny. Here she seemed to have a knowledge of time travel, course correction, what would eventually happen. She was even completely self aware of the flash-sideways environment. All things that were left unexplained. Yeah, that bugs me too. While people were still wondering what was up with the polar bears in the final season, I was wondering what was up with her.

My theory: During the series, Desmond's union with The Island put him on an extraordinary plane of being only a few other characters could share (in different ways of course). While Desmond's extreme ability fragmented his consciousness and soul through time and space and even through life and death, Eloise may have had the same thing, but instead of fragments she had clarity. Meaning she could not glimpse random future so much as she could see definite courses or destinies. And instead of having a hazy, quick meeting with the place between life and afterlife, she could have as much free range knowledge there as she could have while alive. Did this make any sense?

8. The Rules

Okay, The Rules were always a frustrating concept for me. Mainly because they were the most easily changed rules imaginable. Maybe Island leaders construct The Rules much like a game of Senet (the board game Jacob and The Man in Black played as children) where there are no specifiic rules. Here's how I have classified them.

My theory: Okay, in actuality there were about three different sets of Rules on the show: there were Jacob's Rules, The Others' Rules, and The Sideways Rules.
Jacob: his rules are apparently limited to the power any Protector of the Isalnd is granted. The one thing I've noticed more than anything is that a Protector's word may as well be god. Where basically they can bend the rules of fate that bind people. Essentially you can be like "hey you, you can't kill that person" and you can't; "hey you, you can't kill yourself" and you can't; "hey you, don't age" and you get Richard. Once these things are said they are rules and can't be broken by those that they are specifically given to. Also, a Protector can change the rules to choose who can become a Protector that will have as much freedoms as the previous. Very confusing
The Others: Others' society and politics was very confusing in general; I mean you got the neighborly, proper Barracks section, the isolated and ruthless Temple section, and the random cold calculating operatives section. Their rules are most likely ones that began as Jacob's but were very likely manipulated by any of the coldblooded leaders of the society. They are not allowed to kill each other and family is especially off limits during personal quarrels between each other. A big part of Jacob's philosophy was proving that people can be just as good as they can be evil, but every new era of The Others doesn't abide by that. They label their enemies as bad and their allies or assets as good, even if it is the other way around, and most I've seen are highly amoral. The Others' Rules are often changed but the larger ones are still passed down from Jacob and, even though they are very loose, the principal Others still obey and try to appease Jacob. Still very confusing.
Sideways Rules: these were probably the most simple, even if not completely explained. The Sideways Universe, or Afterlife or Purgatory or whatever, is pretty much a construct that allows people to face who they were in life, all of the good and bad, hopes and dreams and cruel realities presented in a literally timeless scenario. Judging how they handle this situation determines whether or not they realize that their life ended and they have to move on. Some within are aware of what is going on and wish to preserve whatever happiness they've found. I think The Rules here basically boil down to free will. If those who are content with this reality, whether or not they know it is false, they can remain oblivious and just run with it, but prove that they can't let go of their past. For those who accept who they were and the lives they led, they can let go and move on to be one with The Heart of the Island, what I call the source of human essence (I'll get to that in a moment). Either way all of these Rules are confusing as hell and are really just there for plot convenience a lot of times.

9. What was The Island

Oh this has been the big question for, like, the entire series. I honestly didn't think there was anything up with The Island itself for a long time, just that there were some crazy things on it. But huge pockets of electromagnetism underneath can get the mind working just a little bit. So essentially this was, along with the Afterlife, explained well enough for me. My problem was that it was explained a bit too late. A part of me thinks that 'Across the Sea' should have been midway through the last season like 'Ab Aeterno' instead of just two episodes before the finale. I don't think the whole explanation for what is so important about the Island had enough time to sink in, but it still worked for me mostly. I mean it was a bit too simple and really meaningful at the same time.

My theory: not really a theory as much as it is me building on what Jacob's Mother said. While Jacob looked at the Island during his time as a prison for his evil twin (wow this sounds really cheesy when reading out loud), Mother explains it is a place that holds a Source of energy that the keeps stability in the whole world. Within this source is what I call life's essence. The Source's light shines in every person, a little slice of heaven it would seem. If close enough, like on The Island, it's energy resonates with some. It can heal, enlighten, influence, and even change people. But when people find it they want more, which leads to either total corruption or destruction. It's kind of like the apple tree in the Garden of Eden; the light can only be given, but if you try to take it you ruin everything. If the Source is interrupted and the light put out the essence is gone from all life and The Island goes down, no doubt followed by everything else. So, to sum it up, The Island holds everything together. Don't screw with it. Keep the light on!

10. What did it all mean

The most important question is what was the true meaning of Lost, the show in all of its aspects. There really can't be a mythology as big as this and not have a spectulated meaning. The truth is there are many and it is ultimately left to the sole viewer to decide.

My theory: I'm not telling you... yet. This post is already way too long and taken up a lot of my worthless time. I'd rather end it now. Don't worry I will get to what I thought it meant in due time, along with a few other Lost articles of course. So in the meantime, if you watched the show, what do you think it meant? Comment or tell me elsewhere, you little fan girl. That's all I got for now though.

This is Your Modest Guru fully illustrating his nerdiness, or Lostness, again. Thanks for reading and Namaste.

Lost: The New Man in Charge

"We deserve answers!" - Hector of the Dharma Initiative

As I've said before, fans who saw the ending to Lost were, like with many endings to many popular shows, heavily divided in their thoughts. Many loved it to tears, many hated it with a passion, many were still confused. I was the first one. I would have to say that the show's true climax does the right thing by resolving the arcs of the many characters we've cared about over the course of the series. They were the ones that were really important essentially. And by focusing on them and the end of their journey, Lost ended with a breathtaking, emotional ride that concluded a multilayered adventure and reminded us of how much history we've had with it. That being said, answering mind boggling questions was not a major factor. But it's not as if the minds behind Lost were totally oblivious to fans lust for mystery solving or were just copping out. To those who were unsatisfied with the one side, a DVD featurette for Season 6 gives us an epilogue: The New Man in Charge, that answers some of the things you didn't find the time to just interpret for yourself.

(Spoilers)

The plot of The New Man in Charge centers around the missions of the newly appointed representative to the Protector of The Island, Benjamin Linus. His first task leads him to Guam (destination of Ajira 316) where he goes in to shut down a Dharma Initiative warehouse whose primary function was supplying the food drops that we saw in Season 2. The two sole DI employees there are baffled at all that's happened in the past 20 years (they apparently thought the Initiative was still around). Ben pays them but is persuaded to provide them both with an answer to each single questions they have. This leads him to mention the moving Island as well as play DI Orientation tape that explains a few things: the odd selection of animals on The Island and their purposes, the purpose of Room 23, and the infamous "Island pregnancy disorder." Ben soon departs and heads to his next and infinitely more important location. Arriving at Santa Rosa Hospital in Los Angeles, he arrives to meet "Keith Johnson" who we soon learn is Walt Lloyd, the "special" former castaway. Walt was apparently institutionalized when no one believed his story about The Island (I'm assuming because he discovered Michael died). Ben convinces Walt that The Island needs him, and more importantly his father needs him. "Just because he's dead doesn't mean you can't help him." says Ben. Hmm... Anyway, Ben leads Walt out and to the Dharma Bus, where Hurley awaits in the back seat. Walt is overjoyed that one of his old friends came back for him and Hurley assures Walt that The Island is exactly where he is supposed to be, now more than ever because Walt has "work to do." With this, the three drive off into the night, on their way back to The Island where Walt is to take up "a job." Even though I'd say I've had my fill of Lost with the series finale, this was a delight.

Though I would have been more impressed with my original vision of this epilogue: Hurley and Ben just shortly after their inaugerations, burying Jack, with Hurley asking his questions and Ben sort of tutoring him in all things Island; maybe even discovering some new things together, this was still satisfactory for the answer starved part of me. The answers weren't even my favorite part (although I'm glad they finally addressed the pregnancy issue). My favorite parts were the little character moments: Pierre Chang in his omniscient orientation zone; Hurley totally Jacob-in-the-back-of-a-cab esque ; Walt and Ben reminiscing their rather flawed past; the Lost-liners like "we're gonna have to watch that again," "you have work to do," "What happened, happened." Callbacks are always nice when a show has this great of a mythology.

Still this has its flaws. I'm actually less thrilled about answers than I let on. For the most part, when big, drawn out questions were answered on the show they felt pretty anti-climatic. The ones that rarely were were ones regarding the characters (again, characters were more important). Although after awhile the lack of subtlety with question answering was worked in a way that made the show hilariously metafictional (just more props to the writers). There are many times the fans of the show seep into the dialogue of the characters in the later seasons (kinda like Supernatural too). It even happens in here, the two Dharma workers are really just two fanboys confused and looking for resolution to things that puzzled them, and when they got answers to their questions they were even more bewildered. I also felt as if this short was way too short for what it was packing. The answers section in the beginning is clever and interesting but more time was devoted to that section than the Walt section, which I felt was more significant.

This gave more of a sense that the story of Lost continued on even after the point at which the day is saved and everyone goes home in literal or figurative ways in the last episode. There is gonna be, dare I say, even more speculation about the show after this thing. I liked the fact that after five seasons and the shows end, Walt's arc is still present and notoriously undiscovered. He is now a young man whose hasn't found what the others found before or later in their lives: himself. My theory on what his job will be is to hone his gifts to form some kind of powerful Locke-esque communion to The Island. Ben uses Michael as incentive for Walt to return. Michael's spirit told Hurley midway through the final season that "the whispers" on The Island were that of lost spirits who couldn't move on from life, probably due to the terrible choices they made. The whispers parallels the sideways spirits of our characters in the final season who were able to move on due to the fact they were able to find each other again even after death. Walt's primary job: help the lost souls find their own great LAX in the sky, where I'm sure in time the eventual spirits of Walt, Michael, Ana Lucia, Eko, Miles, Richard, Frank, Daniel, Charlotte, Ilana, Eloise, and Widmore will arrive at that church and find Ben waiting so they can find out what comes next. Of course that's just me.

In closing, the epilogue provoked some fun thoughts, but it really is kind of soon for this, like Oliver Stone making W. before Bush was even out of office. I really don't think it will provide the answer seekers any real satisfaction. The twelve minutes of answers that lead to more questions doesn't compare to the two and a half hour epic that was the last and apparently answerless episode, or the entire series for that matter. But being a lover of Lost, just seeing a couple of the characters again and getting excited at speculating their mysterious futures was still enjoyable in its own right. Watching The New Man in Charge isn't by any means necessary, but I wouldn't say it isn't worth seeing. In the end, the only question I'm actually thinking about is how many times have I said "this Lost post will be my last." In truth their will probably be more to come for future anniversaries in tribute for a show that was my first true television addiction. Okay, I'm ending this right now.

This has been more Lostiness from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading and Namaste.

Lost Review

"Everything happens for a reason."

POSSIBLE SPOILERS (Though I'll try to keep it to a minimum, being it is a review)

Okay, I've finally decided to settle down and try to write the review, instead of stalling with more analysis' and theories. Once this is finished, there will be no more Lost related posts (though you can almost guarentee I will continue referencing it a lot). I hope this flies by rather quickly, seeing as how I'm combining two things I love writing about: Lost and reviews. Now I'm going in depth on the saga I dedicated three years of my television experience for. I will tell you all what I loved about it and why I think it is so great, and at the same time I will try not to gush too much and make this as standard a review as possible. So, without further introduction, let's get lost.

The story of Lost begins in 2004, when Oceanic Flight 815 crashes on what appears to be a deserted island while flying from Sydney to Los Angeles. Around fifty passengers survive the crash and soon realize that rescue is not coming. While a battle against nature is inevitable, it quickly becomes apparent to the castaways that there are other forces at work on The Island. Tensions rise as the castaways begin to reluctantly unlock the mystery of The Island, ponder who they are at heart, discover what dangers lie in their surroundings, and face trials they could never even imagine. In the middle of this story, the haunted pasts of the primary castaways are explored through flashbacks, revealing hidden natures and flaws in their personalities that could reflect or influence their present troubles. All of this makes for an engrossing, intense, and amazing story.

While the concept was not unfamiliar to television audiences, filmmaker J.J. Abrams (who had great success with the Alias series beforehand) brought Lost (originally titled Nowhere) to its eventual starting point. Shortly after, writer-producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse took over as the show's primary creative team. And this team took the original idea for the story -- "Cast Away" meets "Survivor" meets "Gilligan's Island" -- and took it to levels beyond all three. Many people think that the creators had no idea where the story was heading and were just making it up as they go along, but cryptic scenes in the beginning suggest there was plan from the beginning. As the mystery is uncovered, the show is allowed to evolve more and more and thus so are the characters. I really love how Lost is a show that doesn't have one particular genre. It can be just as hilarious as it can be dramatic. Season 1 is more than anything a drama, which is what I basically categorize the series as, even moreso than mystery. Season 2 was more of a psychological drama. Season 3 a bit of a conspiracy thriller. Season 4 was like an action adventure. Season 5 total science fiction adventure. Season 6 was undoubtedly a supernatural drama. And it maintains all of these genres throughout the entire series with an almost always balanced level of suspense. So really I am not lying when I say Lost has everything to keep a person interested. The show's primary themes are classic: redemption, destiny, coexistence, self discovery, love. The storytellers can also be thanked for making a story that contains a crazy Island, polar bears, a Monster, long lost scientific experiments, hostile natives, gunbattles, fistfights, explosions, and love triangles and have it be so character driven. If the gallery of strange plot points on this show don't keep people watching, the unique, multi-dimensional, and extremely well developed characters will. So yes, the writing aspect is beloved by me more than anything because it is always brilliant (yes, even the pointless Nikki and Paulo episode, it did have Billy Dee Williams...as himself).

Many shows have a big story that a group of main characters revolve around. Lost is a show that has a group of main characters the big story revolves around, and that is why it is so good. With all of the mysteries that are thrown at us, the real mysteries are the characters, their pasts and their futures. While every episode focuses on one character in particular, there is still time to peak in and out of the lives of everyone else. So we get a lot of development along side warm ups for even more development. That must have been an attractive idea for the cast, having really compelling and fleshed out roles. The acting is one of the shows most extraordinary aspects. It goes without saying that Lost probably would have sucked had it not had such great acting. When I started watching Lost the only actors I knew right off were Harold Perrineau who played Michael and Dominic Monaghan who played Charlie, but as I kept watching I realized that I'd seen just about every one of them somewhere before, and even more recognizable people show up later on in guest roles or otherwise. I'd be writing all day if I went through every one of the great performances on the show. I can say that no matter what incredible things happen, the cast always bring out moments of true heart and sincerity in their characters. As far as ensemble acting goes, Lost is some of the best I've ever seen.

Now for the technical detail. I will get the CGI area out of the way. For the instances CGI has appeared on Lost, it has been pretty hit and miss. In some areas such as the Monster and The Wheel, the effects are pretty simple but very convincing at the same time. Other moments look a little cartoonish, but don't take anything away from the moments. As far as any other special effects go, the rest are great. I love how makeup was always consistant: Ben was beaten to a pulp around the middle of season 5 and remained bruised until the end of season 6, which seemed like a two week period in the show's time. Lost is pretty consistant in regards to most things. The set designs are always interesting. I loved The Swan Hatch interior of season 2 and The Temple of season 6. All of the sets capture the feel they are supposed to and are convincing due to that, especially the castaways' camp. The main and most pivotal location is the Island, which is actually the Hawaiian island of Oahu, which is utilized amazingly to make up the very intricate world of Lost. Even more impressive than that is how Honolulu and other locations in Hawaii is used to place characters in locations all around the world, including Los Angeles, London, Iraq, Miami, Nigeria, South Korea, and of course Austrailia. With the number of locations, the Island being the most beautiful of all, a door is opened for great cinematography. I don't think I'm alone when I say Lost is a show that is breathtaking to look at; some visuals could belong in National Geographic. Aside from a few CG hiccups, Lost's technical detail is just as top notch as the others.

In my closing words, I will say this review does not do the show any justice. Even though it may sound like I think so, I will have to admit that this show won't be for everyone. I know some people who just can't follow it, or find it too confusing (yeah right, try watching The Wire). Others claim to want to watch the show just to figure out the mind bending mysteries. Telling as little as possible about the ending, I will only say what I always say. When it comes to the ending, you are gonna have to decide for yourself why you are watching Lost: for the mysteries or the characters. Some people may feel it is a cheat, others may feel it is very moving. Or both. I don't know. All I know is I loved every minute of it. It is a show I highly recommend, if you couldn't already tell.

Farewell Lost. At least until I rewatch the series after awhile. Which I absolutely will.

This has been a mission accomplished from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.

Lost: Mother what have you done

"Every question I answer will simply lead to another question." - 'Mother', basically summing up Lost

SPOILERS (In fact everything on my blog Lost related needs a spoiler warning; so for you readers who start reading Lost stuff and don't watch Lost, just keep the Spoiler warning in mind)

A recurring element on Lost is that the majority of the characters have bad fathers. Jack's/Claire's dad: a cold alcoholic/adulterer; Kate's dad: an abusive drunk; Sawyer's dad: suicide case; Hurley's dad: ran out on his family (but made amends); Sun's dad: crime lord; Sayid's dad: proud, agressive and unsymapthetic; Ben's dad: abusive drunk; Penny and Daniel's dad: Charles Widmore, nuff said; Locke's dad: yeah, that's pretty much all you need to say. I think the only ones who had good dads were Charlie and Jin. But no one really ever looks at the mothers. Plenty of characters had mother issues. Jack's mom: estranged and blames Jack for what happened to dad; Kate's mom: betrays her for murdering her abusive husband; Sawyer's mom: adulterer; Jin's mom: blackmails her own son's wife; Locke's mom: insane; Ben's mom: dead; Daniel's mom: led Daniel to his death by her own hand; Boone's mom/Shannon's stepmom: selfish bitch. So there are a helluva lot of mother issues too. Almost enough to match the number of father issues. I'm surprised mother issues aren't referenced as much, considering the most important actions of the show's two most enigmatic characters are inspired by their own mother issues. Issues that shaped them into the men that would cause all of things that happen on the show to happen. I am of course talking about Jacob and The Man in Black's Mother.

Though 'Across the Sea' was not an overly compelling answer episode, or Lost episode for that matter, I was still very intrigued by the lives of the two boys who would become the two men behind everything that happens. But even more interesting was the woman who raised them, the woman who claimed to be their 'Mother.' Over (what most estimate as) two thousand years ago, Mother was the current Protector of The Island. She found a pregnant woman stranded on The Island. After helping the woman deliver her two sons, Mother killed her and raised the boys as her own. Then of course as a kid, the very curious Man in Black (The Boy in Black, if you will) was guided by the spirit of his real mother to mistrust Mother and try to side with the other stranded people on The Island. Eventually The Man in Black was able to figure out how to get off of the Island, but when he did Mother destroyed his means of escape and killed his entire castaway camp. This led him to kill Mother in a fit of rage. All of this could have flown easily together if it hadn't been for Mother's last words to her prodigal son: "Thank you..."

That last line made me wonder if everything that happened to Jacob and The Man in Black since childhood was according to plan. Mother's plan. When Jacob was born, Mother was happy mainly because she has found a successor to protect The Island. She looked a little unsettled though when the second baby came. I think after that she had a different plan for him. I think maybe her plan for The Man in Black was to drive him to kill her. Why? Because I think she was the first Smoke Monster. Whenever Mother talked about The Heart of The Island, she had a bittersweet way about her. When she said what happens to those who go into the Heart is "worse than death" it seemed like she was speaking from experience. Also, I agree with others when I say that it does strike me as a little odd that one middle age stuck woman could sink in an entire well, destroy a village, and kill dozens of able bodied men singlehandedly. Compare the aftermath of The Man in Black's massacre at The Temple in "Sundown" with Mother's village massacre and it looks exactly the same. Also, being Protector of The Island can make you immortal and powerful but certainly not invincible, both Jacob and Jack were skilled fighters but they were both killed very easily. After Mother slaughtered the villagers, she didn't look like she had even been scratched, or even broken a sweat. She was a Smoke Monster. Of course my theory is kind of nullified by the fact that a Smoke Monster cannot be killed by a simple knife through the heart. Maybe there were different rules back then.

Anyway, yes I think Mother's plan for The Man in Black all along was to manipulate his feelings until he eventually ended her life. She knew Jacob was too good natured to ever do it, and plus he was the obvious choice to be Protector. It started out with little things like using the Senet game box to peak his interest about places beyond the sea and encouraging questionable behavior such as lying. Phase two, Mother appeared in the form of MIB's real mother to make him completely mistrust and even hate her. Finally the opportunity arose to send MIB over the deep end when he found a way off the Island and she totally ruined it. After that, she quickly gave Jacob his Protector inaugeration just before the other son came back to get revenge. I do believe she wouldn't let The Man in Black leave because she loved him, but she was also tired and I imagine being an immortal monster would become a heavy burden after awhile. I think she loved Jacob and The Man in Black very much, but as it has been proven before, by Jacob and then in the future with Ben, that when it comes to the Island some people are willing to sacrifice everything, even love. Oh to be a Protector of The Island. Although I don't think Hurley will stand for things like that to happen. Not in a million years. He had a good mother.

This has been another of and one of my last Lost analysis' from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.

Lost: Black Smoke = Demon?

"It's very unseemly, making deals with devils." - Azazel (The Yellow Eyed Demon)

Okay this is far off and I'm sure I'm not the only one who has noticed, that is if you are a fan of both shows, but did anyone else catch the fact that the foot soldiers of hell in the show Supernatural bare a striking resemblence to the mystical form of Lost's main antagonist. I mean both the demons' and The Man in Black's true form is a cloud of black smoke (with the occasional flare of light from within. Coincidence? Maybe not.

There has for a long time been spectulation that a show like Lost could exist in the universe of other shows. Some have thought it was Heroes, but I think given Lost's very spiritual and mystical traits Supernatural would be more likely. Going back to the black smoke connection, I started to wonder if all The Man in Black really was was a powerful demon, some kind of anomaly who could function not by possessing a human host but by shaping himself in the appearance of the dead. I mean he really does fit the profile. He was manipulative, sadistic, organized, and very evil. And with his level of power he was practically up to par with The Yellow Eyed Demon. And sure the castaways didn't have Ruby's demon slaying dagger or The Colt, but remember The Man in Black's main problem was that he was unable to leave The Island. I don't think all Jacob had to do to make that so was just say "it's the rules, brother" and that would be that. Think about it, Hunters commonly use what is called a "devil's trap" to keep demons locked in or out of a certain area (an area that could range between the trunk of Dean's Impala or half a freaking state). Maybe Jacob set in place a devil's trap around The Island, insuring his brother would never escape. And remember no one ever said what would happen if The Man in Black left, neither Jacob or MIB himself. The most we got were really omnious but vague responses: "If he escapes it's over, everything is over", "If he escapes then this all ends very badly." And given that we know how much he absolutely despised humanity even before his possible demonizing, it's not wrong to theorize that maybe The Man in Black was going to try to help Azazel and Lilith bring about The Apocalypse. Maybe? Maybe not.

Come to think of it, a lot of things on Supernatural can be related back to Lost. Walt being special: maybe he's like Sam, mixed with a little demon blood as an infant (we really don't know what was happening to him while his mom took him all over the world). Let's not forget the spirits and "Jacob's" cabin. Hurley and Miles are both spirit mediums for some reason. The light at the center of the Island is the source of human essence but turned The Man in Black into a monster/demon: could be some kind of strange Door to Hell, like a gateway that is both the source of Lucifer's corruption and God's energy? Maybe the entire Island is the link between heaven and hell? Maybe if Lost is the mystery, then Supernatural is the explanation? Maybe I think way too much about this stuff? Yeah, that's probably it.

Still thinking about it now, these are some cool possibilities. Still if all of these explanations are possible, I don't think I'd wanna know. Once again, I am one of those weird people who didn't care that they didn't answer the important questions in the end. I loved Lost because it was mysterious and secretive. And really the most important question for me was what was going to happen to the characters on the show. Persons Unknown has a pretty mind boggling mystery, but it is also a pretty lame show because the characters are mostly bland, unconvincing, or uninteresting. Lost is over now, I still feel the same way about it and I don't imagine those feelings are gonna change any time soon. But Supernatural is still on so I'm gonna see that adventure through to the end as well. I don't think I'll be disappointed. And for readers who have not seen either of these shows, I urge you to watch them.

This has been a very late Lost analysis from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.

Lost: Ten Favorite Duos

Okay, again I am kind of stealing another's idea, but oh well. I read on Entertainment Weekly some time ago a top ten list, because they've got a bunch, of the best Lost duos. It seemed to be a list of the pairings of two specific characters whose chemistry just really clicked. Some of their choices worked for me. Some did not. Some of the reasons for the choices worked for me. Some reasons did not. I will give you my favorite duos and my reasons, which pairs really clicked with me. So we begin.

10. Sayid and Danielle

Though they didn't meet on the best of terms (then again we met all of the original characters as they escaped the exploding wreckage of a plane crash), Sayid and Danielle became pretty well working allies. Their first meeting was chockful of irony, as the expert military interrogator is captured and interrogated by an insane French chick. However, Danielle began to trust Sayid to some degree and was especially pleased with him when he used his whiz kid skills to fix her music box. In that one episode these two torture, threaten, accuse, help, open their hearts to, and eventually make peace with one another, and from there on out I liked it when these two worked together. They had good chemistry I thought. Most of Sayid's family was killed by the very army he aligned with; Danielle was betrayed by and forced to kill her "infected" partners and husband. Sayid was looking for his long lost love Nadia; Danielle was looking for her abducted daughter Alex. They were both battle hardened survivors who had softer, vulnerable sides. It was nice seeing these two work as partners in their mutual battles on the Island. It ended sadly when Danielle was abruptly killed by Martin Keamy...along with Karl.

9. Jack and Juliet

A lot of people responded very well to the unexpected love between Sawyer and Juliet in season 5, I did too eventually. But still I felt they didn't make enough time for it, they show the relationship beginning and then cut to three years later where they are madly in love. It was cute and touching, and in the S5 finale and from that point on it was really emotional. But somehow I was fooled into thinking the Jack and Juliet relationship that had a full season and half of the next season to develop would have worked. I liked that Jack started out as hating Juliet, his captor. He even tried to kill her a few times; and she didn't exactly scream trustworthy either. But Jack slowly learned that Juliet was a prisoner like him. When it seemed as if she was abandoned by her people, Jack brought Juliet with him, watched out for her and stood up for her. I liked how they acted as partners in their war against Ben. Jack kissed Juliet on two occasions. The first was a somewhat quick, "if we don't see each other again" kiss that caught me off guard. The second was when Juliet was made very vulnerable by how dangerous and manipulative Ben could be toward her. She expressed her worry for Jack. Jack then kissed her more passionately, assuring that he won't let anything happen to her. She later remarks to Kate that it was nice, but she knew Jack was only trying to deny his feelings for Kate. That was sad. I thought that they had a pretty good bond and I always thought that Jack's will they-won't they romance with Kate, while good, was a bit too obvious. Oh well, Suliet was still satisfying.

8. Locke and Eko

The two men of faith together at last. Will they solve the mysteries of the Island? Will Eko see visceral apparitions of his long dead brother? Will he later be smited by Smokie? Will Locke be turned off of faith? Will he have himself a near apocalyptic poutfest? Yes to all. The two men of faith weren't as similar in ideology as they first appeared to be. Though Locke was in the position of bringing Eko up to speed on all things important, Eko was also unfortunate to catch Locke at a point where his faith is being tested. Eko has the same problem but shows more determination to fix it than Locke. When Locke's faith is jeopardized, he becomes angry and destructive. When Eko's faith is jeopardized, he seeks to reclaim it with servitude to the Hatch. These two men needed each other not to join forces to fulfill a journey, but to find out who they are supposed to be. Eko realized by following Locke that he is meant to instill meaning and continue what Locke didn't finish. Locke realized that he was supposed to keep his faith and continue his search for destiny. Had it not been for Eko's sacrifices, Locke would never have continued his Island adventures. It was intense and exciting to see these two men very similar in a relationship that very much like Locke's relationship to Jack. Locke learned though, like Jack would one day learn, that when you are at your worst someone needs to step in to help you find your way.

7. Jacob and The Man in Black

We get a Cain and Abel brotherhood story that morphs itself into a God and Devil type conflict. I really enjoyed seeing the scenes between Jacob and his dark brother. When they were both shrouded in the mystic and the mysterious, they behaved a lot like I thought God and Lucifer may act. They are bound to participate in a seemingly endless battle, where they can occasionally get together and hint at their shadowy plans. It was fun. Than we saw their origin, where they were loving and loyal siblings. They were soon divided by different ideas about their "mother" as well as their ideas about people and the world. Eventually The Man in Black committed a grave and impulsive betrayal/retribution that Jacob impulsively reacted by tossing his brother into the one place no one should be tossed into. The Source of the world and humanity's essesence. It turned The Man in Black into a Monster, a supernatural entity that haunts the Island and has the same goal as his human self: escaping the Island. I liked the epic quarrel between these two. I really loved how they were both introduced like they were just two guys sitting on a beach talking to each other. Than all of a sudden MIB states his intention to kill Jacob. It was a brotherhood that turned into a rivalry that turned into an epic game in which the fate of the world rested in the hands of the winner. Fortunately, Jacob made this game so damn complicated that before his evil brother could figure it out a spinal surgeon and a fugitive turned mom managed to kill him. Their duo was especially dynamic.

6. Rose and Bernard

Rose has always been the biggest voice of reason among the castaways, but she really opened up when she got her husband Bernard back. Rose is bound to the Island due to the Island having healed her of cancer, which also binds Bernard, who had been trying to do that himself. They make for the show's second best couple in my opinion. And surprisingly they are only recently married when we first meet them. You'd figure they'd been together for ages (though it seems as if they have been). They really shine after the Island starts jumping through time and they are seperated from everyone else. They live out in the jungle for three years and remain in peace. I liked the fact that someone was just enjoying what they had and not trying to get mixed up in all of the Island nonsense. These two provided the most genuine and wise reaction to the exploits of our heroes: "It's always something with you people." Indeed it is, Rose. Rose and Bernard are just great.

5. Desmond and Penny

If I had to rank the show's best romance, Desmond and Penny would be #1. They still get props as being characters who work well together. For the most part we are with Desmond as he tries to get back to Penny, and in flashbacks we see how he screwed up his relationship to her. But this was a couple we wanted more than anything to be together so they could really be A couple. While their relationship went from sweet to tumultuous in the flashbacks, they were extremely touching and beautiful in the present. That feeling doesn't fade at all once they reunite after three years, spend another three years together, marry and have a son. As parents and fugitives from Penny's father, they make an excellant and effective couple that work together as a team, no each other like the back of their own hands, and love each other more than anything. Who doesn't adore Desmond and Penny?

4. Kate and Sawyer

Once again, Jack and Kate have always had good chemistry and I've always liked seeing them together (you know when Jack isn't bossing her around so she can just defy him later), but I never thought that their chemistry was better than the electricity she had with Sawyer. They do have a lot in common: they both have tragic memories of their parents, they are both intelligent and dangerous criminals, and they both found the perfect hiding place in the Island. Throughout season 1, the love-hate relationship between the two was very witty and fun. When their feelings ran deeper for each other, they became even better. Not only were they sly rogues but they were friends who looked out for each other. Of course it was also fun when they got serious too. Gotta say, even though it was probably the worst time or place to do it, the steamy bear cage love making was very sexy, along with just about every time they kiss. Speaking of which, Sawyer kissing Kate before he jumped out of the helicopter was probably one of the best ever. It seemed like one a man would reserve only for the time when he is about to die. It was very sad. Maybe this passionate duo couldn't hold their own in the blindsiding world of Lost, but it was still one of my favorites. Just goes to show that what we want to be isn't always what is supposed to be.

3. Locke and Ben

Again these two are so similar: Both born premature to a mother named Emily, both repressed and beaten down by the world practically since birth, both chosen for great things at early ages, both drawn to the Island where they believe their destinies wait, both inevitably fooled by the show's most malevolent villain. But more importantly, these two are just awesome to see duking it out. It's a great game of wits and oneupsmanship (word?). Whether it's Ben toying with Locke's head while also fearing his link to the Island, or Locke calling out Ben's transparency and powerlessness while also needing his knowledge, it makes for a great war. They are two anti-heroes who have battled each other, fought together, and discovered new things about themselves in the middle of it all. It all came to a head when Ben manipulated a very vulnerable Locke for the last time and then killed him. Very sad that Locke, a man no one really cared about despite his importance, was only truly respected after his death. And also sad that Ben, a man who lost everything in pursuit of one purpose, realized too late that everything he did only made him bad and despised.

2. Hurley and anyone

Everybody loves Hurley is the main theory. Who couldn't? Even if they don't like him at first, they lighten up to him. The laidback lug can find a way to connect with anyone through his friendliness. He became best friends with Charlie, who seemed to be using him at first, over time and were both deeply saddened when they realized at different points that they'd never see each other again. When people like Ana Lucia or Juliet are immediately outcast by his friends, Hurley usually sits down and talks to them. People like Sawyer and Miles first look on him as easy prey, but after awhile take on a certain responsibility to him once they see him as an ally and friend. I liked that he and Sayid were the first to be friends; he continued protecting Hurley throughout the series. And who could forget Libby, that was always sweet. Hurley was even able to almost instantly forgive her killer, Michael, another former friend. Then there are the two crowning relationships: Jack and Ben. Jack and Hurley were loyal friends since they first met, they began the show as loyal partners and ended the show as loyal partners. Though Hurley didn't trust Ben like everyone else, he still showed enough compassion to share a candy bar with the diabolical mastermind. I guess Hurley later saw Ben's redemptive side when the former villain risked his life to save Hurley from a falling tree. The scene where the newly appointed Island Protector Hurley appoints Ben as his right hand man and we are led to believe they were friends who probably kept the Island safe for centuries after that. So yeah, if anyone needs a best friend, look no further than Hurley.

1. Jack and Locke

I know I stole this from EW, but they kind of have it right. I don't think any other two had an even greater dynamic that resonated with the entire show and was always exciting to see. It's man of science vs. man of faith and it is always awesome. The quarrel between these two was a powder keg for each season that would explode eventually. The very polarized actions of these two would often direct philosophies, plot threads, and sometimes even the entire show. On one hand we have the mostly sensible Jack, who tries to deal with things logically, though it's frustrating when he does that with the things that have no chance of being logical. And then there's Locke, who tries to discover the very obvious mystery of the Island, while really not considering the lives and destinies that he jeopardizes with his quest. They resented each other, pitied each other, often hated each other, and Jack even tried to kill Locke once. But Jack also saw my point in that he only learned to appreciate Locke after the man had died (it is although a little surprising to me that Locke's death prompted Jack to nearly kill himself). The real sadness, which I think Locke shared, was that these two never teamed up. If they could just agree and stop bitching at each other, they probably could have worked together taken control of the Others, found out what The Monster was, kill it, and save the Island. It would have been a partnership for the ages, Jack and Locke side by side. Jack might make a better Island Protector, and I think Locke would be a badass advisor and leader of The Others. But these are two of the most tragic and flawed men the show has presented and there really was no realistic way they could have ended things well between these two. Too bad. But the time in which these two were fighting for leadership or just plain being right, was some of the best moments of Lost.

So those were favorite duos. Hope you've enjoyed. More Lost to come from Your Modest Guru.

My Favorite Lost Season 6 Moments

The final season has come and gone, and we are left with quite a few thoughts as to what transpired. The curtain has closed for Lost, but not for my fascination with it. So before I get around to doing some much needed analysis on the show as a complete saga, I will have to complete my listing of the ten favorite moments from each season. The Final Season of Lost, where after the detonation of the Jughead bomb in 1977 we find ourselves faced with what seem to be divided realities: One in which Oceanic Flight 815 never crashes in 2004 and we see what would become of our heroes in this slightly different world. The other, where the bomb shifted our time traveling characters back to the present of 2007 where they face the Island's most destructive villain yet, The Man in Black, the infamous Smoke Monster who is disguised as deceased castaway leader John Locke.

10. Making a Monster

"Don't worry brother, I'm not going to kill you." - Jacob

In the long awaited Jacob/Man in Black flashback episode, we see Jacob and MIB were brothers raised by an unstable Island Guardian who posed as their Mother, though she really murdered the real one. As a boy, The Man in Black grew distrustful of his "Mother" and leaves to join some stranded people hoping they will help him leave the Island. Some thirty years later when MIB does find a way through some complex scheme of using the energy at the Island's core with the water to turn the Donkey Wheel that will someday be under The Flame station, Mother takes it upon herself to bludgeon her nameless stolen son, break his magic well, and kill everyone in his camp (which leads me to believe there may have been a smokie before Smokie). The Man in Black isn't too happy about this, so he kills Mother, who was too happy about that, who is then avenged by her newly Island Guardian appointed son Jacob. Since Jacob can't kill his brother, he opts instead to toss him down the cave where the Island's source of energy lies. Unfortunately when a regular person touches this energy they experience something "worst than death." I can only translate that into meaning that once a normie touches the energy their soul is stripped from their body, resulting in a dark ghost that is just as emotionlessly empty as the shell it once inhabited. That's my theory, but what we see is that lovable pillar of black smoke jetting out of the cave and into the jungle. It leaves The Man in Black's true body behind where it becomes "Adam" of the Adam and Eve (Mother) skeletons the castaways found in the cave in season 1. Interesting, if not really confusing.

9. Jacob's list

"This is why you are here. This is why all of you are here." - The Man in Black

Promising a morose Sawyer the answer for his Island blues, The Man in Black brings him to the cliffs on the edge of the Island. After climbing down a treacherous ladder, MIB and Sawyer find a cave down below. Inside is a desk, ontop of which are scales: on one side lies a white stone, on antoher side lies a black stone. The Man in Black tosses the white stone into the ocean. He leads Sawyer further into the cave until they reach a place where Jacob, a man with a fondness for secret lists, made his largest and most important list. The Candidate list, the list of those who he found eligable to replace him. The numbered surnames are written in chalk all over the walls, the majority of which are scratched off. The remaining candidates: 4. Locke, 8. Reyes, 15. Ford, 16. Jarrah, 23. Shepherd, 42. Kwon. MIB scratches off Locke's name of course. He tells Sawyer, again cynically that if he is a candidate he has three choices: 1, do nothing and possibly get crossed off the list. 2, stay behind and protect the Island, though he claims "it's just a damn Island!" and there is nothing to protect it from = Jack? 3, everyone just leaves the Island with him. Sawyer, seeing clearly this Man in Black is not as saintly as he would like himself to appear, agrees only with the hidden agenda that he will leave MIB in the dust once they have a way off the Island. Little did he know, his conman wisdom mixed with heroic selflessness is what plays him and his friends right into The Man in Black's own sinister long con.

8. Man in Black, Man of Faith

"You should know, he was very confused when you killed him." - The Man in Black

After revealing to Ben his true nature, The Man in Black proceeds to creep him out even further by revealing some unsettling insight into the man Ben killed, the man this Monster now looks like: John Locke. MIB apparently knows exactly what Locke was thinking when Ben killed him: "I don't understand..." and mocks him for his flaws. MIB further explains his hatred for Locke, and thus humanity, by classifying Locke as simply an angry, pathetic weakling and the only thing that set him apart from everyone else was that he was the only one who chose a life on the Island instead of the "pitiful life he left behind." In this we gain knowledge of what kind of person, or creature, The Man in Black is. He is clearly angry, frustrated, and cynical. We also know that if there was one person he hated more than Jacob, it was Locke. And finally we get his motive. Ben fearfully asks him what he wants, and he says he wants to go home aka Smokie's coming to town. Even more frightening than the thought of The Man in Black unleashed upon the world is the fact that all of these lines are coming out of the mouth of John Locke, or at least his form. It is very spooky and a complete 180 idealogically speaking.

7. The Man in Black's army unites

This is the incredibly creepy scene at the end of the Sayid centric episode "Sundown." After Sayid kills head honcho Temple Other Dogen, The Man in Black is allowed to wave right through The Temple and kill anyone who doesn't join him. Most of the heroes escape through a secret door. Ben tries to get Sayid to leave with him, but MIB's zombie-like foot soldier stays behind. After everyone who stayed to fight is dead, and when "Catch a Falling Star" plays in the background, Sayid, Claire, and Kate make their way through the ruins of The Temple. Outside they meet The Man in Black and his group of Others who were scared enough to leave. He is satisfied to see his two heroes turned zealots Sayid and Claire arrive, but has to do a slasher villain head tilt upon noticing the "unclaimed" Kate joining him. After this, The Man in Black takes the lead and moves out with his army, ominously trekking into the night. Seeing MIB's terribly content face heading toward us at the end, leaving total single-handed destruction behind him, I only had one thing going through my head: he is just getting started.

6. Sideways Jack and Locke discuss "letting go"

"What makes you think letting go is so easy." - Locke

The Sideways World gave us many satisfying and beautiful character moments with the un-Island experienced heroes, who now try to live out their lives in Los Angeles (could be interpreted as "Lost Angels"...no, okay.) But a particularly great scene was one where Jack and Locke come face to face in a world where their relationship cannot be ruined by leadership disagreements, pushing a button, a dead Boone, a dead Naomi, or whether or not 40 people leave an Island. They'd probably be good friends. Locke is struck by a car driven by a highly enigmatic Sideways Desmond and he is rushed to St. Sebastian Hospital with history teacher Ben Linus at his side, ironically. Miracle surgeon Jack manages to save Locke's life, and offers a surgery on his spine that could allow him to walk again. But Locke strangely declines. Jack tries to figure out why. This leads him to Locke's father, a man "he loves more than anything" (LOL), only to find Mr. Anthony Cooper is in a vegetative state so he won't be handing out answers any time soon. So Jack decides to try Locke once more. Increasingly frustrated and emotional, Locke relents and tells Jack that he had gotten a private pilot's license and was taking his dad out in his plane as a passenger, but the plane crashed after a malfunction. The accident left Cooper in his current state and Locke a paraplegic who regrets destroying he and his father's lives. Jack has a harsh but honest response: Locke's father is, for lack of a better word, "gone" just like Jack's and that Locke should not punish himself by staying paralyzed. Jack tells him he "can let it go", even though he himself doesn't know how to. Locke doesn't want to listen and starts to leave. He is stopped briefly when Jack tells him the last thing he told Jack in the other world: "I wish you had believed me." This scene while filled with tear jerking emotion, was also hilariously ironic: Locke destroys his father's life; Locke loves his father deeply; a plane crash is what caused Locke's paralysis; Jack tells someone to "let it go"; basically a reverse of Jack and Locke's "IT'S NEVER BEEN EASY" speech from the Hatch occurs. I just throught this was great.

5. Ben's confession

"I'm sorry, and I know there is no way you will ever forgive me because...I can never forgive myself." - Ben

In season 6, after the revelation that the despised anti-hero had murdered both John Locke and Jacob, Ben was scorned by everyone else now more than ever and left in a powerless position. He became a quiet follower who may as well have been happy to have a group who didn't care enough to tell him not to tag along. Here we see what Ben, formerly the smooth, cold, and manipulative mastermind, truly is. He is a weak man wanting acceptance and purpose. After his recent and important murders are revealed, he finds himself going from one hero like a lost puppy to the next wondering if there is anything they would like him to do. Ben Linus actually asks politely for an order. When Jacob disciple and castaway de facto leader Ilana makes him dig his own grave with his own death following, Ben is offered his position of power over the Island again by The Man in Black. Ben makes a mad dash for a gun MIB left him and gets the drop on Ilana. But instead of killing her as old Ben would have done, he wants to explain himself. After four seasons of lying and remaining aloof, an emotional Ben opens up to a person he doesn't even know. He confesses to Ilana his responsibility for his daughter's death, an unnecessary sacrifice he made for Jacob and The Island. He reveals that he has devoted his entire life to The Island, and for his power, but that no one cared and he has ended up destroyed and outcast. He admits his vulnerable state when he killed Jacob and apologizes. All Ben wants is to join The Man in Black, someone he believes will give him purpose. But, where he would expect others to have no pity for him, Ilana tearfully allows him to join her. Almost in a daze, he walks back to the beach camp with her, lays down his gun, and helps Sun set up her tent. Benjamin Linus, a killer and bad man in every sense of the word, begins to walk the path of redemption for the first time.

4. Why they were lost

"I'm not really sure where to begin." - Jacob

After terrible tragedy has left many of the people who've been on the show since the beginning dead and their mystical killer is on his way to wreack further havoc, the fading spirit of Jacob gathers the final four castaways: Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Hurley and tells them why they were supposed to be on The Island. They are there to correct his grave mistake. To kill the unnatural, uncontrollable force of evil Jacob was responsible for creating. The Man in Black, the Monster that has plagued the Island for what has probably been thousands of years. A great thing happens when Sawyer questions Jacob for meddling with their lives because of something he did. Jacob, always intolerant toward ignorance, tells him that he "didn't pluck them out of some happy little existence." He tells them that they were lost in the world and that the Island was where they could find themselves. They needed it as much as it needed them. That's a great answer, in my opinion. Finally it comes time to decide who will be the Candidate to replace him. But where it was primarily an act of fate that brought them to The Island, Jacob suggested that one would have to choose to become The Protector of The Island out of their own free will. Jack, the man of science turned man of faith, volunteers and is given the strange ritual by Jacob that he himself was given so long ago. It was good to see someone explain to these very confused people why the hell everything that happened after that plane crash happened, and even better to look at how far Jack has come in his journey.

3. Richard's origin

"Get up, we need to talk?" - Jacob

After three seasons of wondering who the hell this ageless guy is, we get our very refreshing Richard Alpert flashback story. We see Richard was once Ricardo, a poor farmer living on The Canary Islands of Spain. Was it just me or was Richard the Spanish, 1800s version of John Locke. I mean, his wife is dying, he accidentally kills a douchebag doctor to get medicine for her, is captured right after finding out wifey did die, is denied absolution from an even douchier priest before execution, is saved from execution by becoming Magnus Hanso's (Dharma Initiative creator Alvar's granddad) slave, slave ship/Black Rock plows into Egyptian statue and onto Island via tsunami, trapped and starved for days while being harrassed by Smoke Monster and boar, sees apparition of dead wife who tells him they are in hell, she gets "caught" it would seem, a Man in Black rescues him and tells him to kill "the devil" = Jacob if he wants to save his wife and escape hell. After this things start to look up somewhat for Richard. On the beach, Jacob beats Richard down and, frustrated at how senseless he is about the situation, convinces him everything MIB said were lies. He then tells him the importance of the Island: It is the only thing that keeps pure evil (MIB) from seeping into the world and that he brings people to the Island to prove that not everyone is as bad as The Man in Black. I really loved how Jacob presents this God complex mindset to Richard: I will bring people here where the right path is, but I expect them to know the difference between right and wrong, I won't tell them anything for that matter. And Richard kind of shows how flawed that idea is, because if Jacob doesn't help the people he brings to the Island The Man in Black is allowed to step in and manipulate them for his own gain. Jacob pauses: "...Huh...Never really thought of that." Knowing a bright man when he sees one, Jacob offers Richard the job of intermediary to the people to the Island. He will help them get on the right track. When Jacob can't bring his wife back or absolve him of his sins, Richard wants to live forever possibly so he won't go to hell or to serve penance so he can find redemption. Jacob can do that. And so begins Richard Alpert's own little saga. It was very poignant and bittersweet. After a few seasons of flashforwards, time travel, and ultimately flash sideways, it was refreshing to see a classic old flashback tale of tragedy having to do with one of the few mysterious characters left.

2. The Man with The Plan

"We did exactly what he wanted." - Jack

Throughout the season, the very unnerving Man in Black has claimed that he wants nothing more than for he and everyone who ever came to the Island to be free of it forever and go home. But that Jacob's candidates were crucial to leaving, he could not do it without them he said. Despite being separated again and again, MIB and the castaways/candidates ended up together once more. After killing most of Charles Widmore's forces, whom he claimed were trying to kill them, The Man in Black reveals that Frank Lapidus' Ajira plane is too dangerous to risk flying in and that they will have to escape using Widmore's submarine. Sawyer, sticking with his long con idea, tells Jack that since he's staying behind anyway, to keep The Man in Black off of the submarine so everyone else can escape. They arrive at the submarine, and go in in groups to get onboard. While half of the group gets inside and takes over the sub, Jack and MIB are the last to head for it. As MIB tries to persuade Jack to leave with them, Jack knocks him into the water. Immediately after, Widmore's men arrive and a shootout ensues. Kate is shot, forcing Jack to get on the sub to treat her wound. As MIB and Claire kill Widmore's men, Sawyer has the submarine take off. While looking through his bag for medical supplies, Jack finds MIB has planted a ticking time bomb of C4 inside with them. Through a Mulder-esque conclusion, Jack determines everything The Man in Black has done has been so that they would try to leave him behind to escape in a place they would not be able to get out of so he could kill them then. And also that since there is a timer on the bomb, he wants them to inadvertantly set off the bomb and kill themselves, since he can't do it himself due to Jacob's Rules. Sawyer, obviously, doesn't believe Jack and tries to disarm the bomb but instead makes the timer tick faster. Jack was right. Sayid tells Jack to find Desmond because he could help stop MIB, and then bum rushes the bomb to the other side of the sub where it explodes in his hands, killing him. As the submarine sinks, Sawyer and Frank are knocked unconscious, Hurley has to carry Kate to safety, and Jack and Jin try to free Sun from fallen debris. Jin convinces Jack to save Sawyer's life, and tries his hardest to save Sun, his wife who he has been reunited with all too recently. Sun tries to get him leave but he doesn't want to ever leave her again. They kiss tearfully and then drown together. Jack carries Sawyer to the beach where he finds Kate and Hurley. He breaks the news that Sun and Jin are dead too, with this and the deaths of Sayid and Frank (seemingly), the group breaks down in tears. Grief stricken, Jack walks to the waters, as if he thinks he can go back, and then comes to terms. Realizing they are all gone, he painfully begins sobbing. Meanwhile, the villain who caused it all looks out at the ocean unsatisfied, grabs a gun and walks off to "finish what he started." This whole scenario tore me up inside and I'm sure many other Lost fans to pieces. I would have cried had I not been so angry. After this we all had the same idea the survivors had: "We have to kill him."

1. All of the final episode/What it all meant

"We've been waiting for you." - John Locke, last line of the series

I'd be writing for days if I had to describe why I loved this entire episode, one of the best Lost has ever had thankfully, so I will include my favorite parts.

JACK VS. THE MAN IN BLACK: The plans of the players of light and dark worked when Desmond pulled the stone cork from the Island's heart: The Island was crumbling slowly as MIB wanted, and MIB is mortal as Jack wanted, but so is Jack. The Man in Black stood at the cliffs where he planned to climb down and board Desmond's boat the Elizabeth (Libby!) to escape the sinking Island to freedom. He smiled triumphantly, than was startled when his latest enemy, Jack Shepherd showed up and shouted out the name of the man MIB looked like. They both stood on opposite ends of the cliff, staring each other down in the heavy rain. Jack had the prepared, bloodthirsty smile he has when about to fight. The Man in Black, enraged, draws his knife. They take off after each other. What ensues is another, and arguably the most epic, fist fight Lost has given us. It ends when Jack tries to strangle the life out of MIB, who manages to get a hold of his knife and shank Jack in the gut. As our villain tries to ram the blade in our heroe's throat, he goes on telling him how his death is meaningless. But Kate shows up and puts a bullet in this nameless bastard's spine = irony? Jack gets to his feet, and the defeated villain looks on at the Island's impending destruction and tells them: "You're too late." Jack, having enough of this thing, literally boots him off the Island and down the cliff where he meets his death on the rocks below, a killing very reminiscent to Jacob's. And thank god, I must say. No, thank you Jack! The man with fixing in his blood just fixed the Island's biggest mistake. And that was for Sayid, Sun, Jin, Eko, The Oceanic Pilot, Montand, your murdering mother. Good riddance, Smokie.

THE KISS TO END ALL KISSES: After their combined efforts in killing The Island bogieman, Jack and Kate are at a point of separation once again. Frank is about to pilot the Ajira plane off of the Island, Kate wants desparately to leave, Jack feels destined to stay and save the Island. Realizing they will never see each other again, they kiss there on the cliffs just as the sun has come from out of the clouds and blanketed them in a serene light. They part ways, sadly telling each other they love one another. After this scene alone, I never thought I'd say this, Jack and Kate are one of my favorite couples on this show.

JACK AND HURLEY'S GOODBYE: Once they get to The Source, Hurley wonders how Jack will survive if no one goes down to help him bring back the light, to which Jack says nothing, submitting to his own death. Hurley's reaction broke my heart: "No...", he goes on to say that the Island needs Jack, but really you can see Hurley doesn't want to lose another friend. Jack finally tells him the one the Island has always needed was Hurley, which does seem like the most logical choice if you look back on the whole series. Hurley tearfully and reluctantly agrees, telling him it is only until Jack comes back. This was really sad. Jack and Hurley were the first true partners when the show began. But yeah Hurley, who was my choice for candidate, has always been the best of a collection of flawed people: who else was collection and passing out airline food packs in bulk right after the crash. It was a good choice, but a sad goodbye. One of many sad goodbyes in this episode.

BEN AND HURLEY'S PARTNERSHIP: After saving Desmond and the Island, Jack has died. The newly appointed Protector of the Island Hurley lets out how scared he is to the one person who stayed behind. The very redemptive Ben Linus. Hurley doesn't know what to do, but Ben assures him he will end up taking care of people in the end. He also tells him that seeing as how he's in charge, he can have his own Rules instead of living in Jacob's shadow. This helps, but it's not enough. Hurley is a good person, but he doesn't work so well alone (remember Dave?). So Hurley asks Ben if he will help him. Ben accepts. This was such a sweet scene. It really brought back that old hero and villain sharing an Apollo bar in silence memory where I knew Hurley and Ben would end up having an interesting relationship. It was good seeing Hurley pretty much be forgive and forget regarding Ben's past. It was great seeing Ben's humble expression at finally being invited in the loop, unlike Jacob. I think with Hurley's loving and easy going personality and Ben's intellect and experience, they could make the best Island Protector/Island Advisor team yet. A lot better than the cold and very complex sneaking around thing Jacob and Richard were fond of. It certainly seemed that way later. Great moment, giving way to great expectations.

EVERY ENLIGHTENMENT SCENE: Every time a character in the sideways world was enlightened to their past lives I choked up. They were all so beautiful. The birth of Aaron was once again powerful, but that was moreso because of Kate and Claire's reaction to the real birth. Icing on the cake to that was the tearjerking moment where Charlie and Claire remember and embrace. Jin and Sun remembering through a Juliet operated sonogram, and their spark of perfect english. It was just great seeing them in an upper scene after the tragic submarine sinking. Also loved Jin and Sun's impressed reactions when meeting "Detective Ford." The Sawyer and Juliet awakening was multidimensional, it went from funny to funnier to touching. Sayid meeting Shannon and their awakening was a breath of fresh air; I didn't realize how much I missed their little romance. I'm also glad she was his constant, seeing as how he hadn't mentioned her since season 2. And hey Boone, I always liked him and I was glad he was in on Desmond and Hurley's plan. Then finally John Locke's powerful enlightenment. He sees his toes wiggle after Jack performs the miracle spinal surgery and remembers everything. I especially loved the overjoyed smile at seeing his one-time friend and full-time rival Jack. It was wonderful having the great and mystical and seemingly flawless John Locke back. All of these were beautiful moments with great performances all around. If only we got Desmond enlightening Penny, or Ben's full enlightenment.

CHRISTIAN'S REVELATION: Jack is brought to a Los Angeles church (a church that he was going to have his father's funeral at, and the church where The Lamp Post was located). He goes into a back room, while everyone else who had been enlightened would be waiting in the chapel. In the backroom, a minister's office I guess, is the coffin of Jack's father, Christian Shepherd, surrounded by a variety of symbols from different religions. Jack touches the coffin and is flooded with memories of his past life on the Island, the enlightenment he had been rejecting. Once it is over, he opens the coffin and, like in season 1 on the Island, it is once again empty. He closes it, saddened deeply. A voice startles him. It is his father, Christian Shepherd, right in front of him. Jack asks how he is there, to which Christian asks the same question of him. Jack realizes that he had died, and tearfully embraces his father. Christian reassures him (and all the pissed off fans) that they are real and everything that happened was real. Everyone who was enlightened were not enlightened to a life in an alternate reality but a life before their deaths. Christian tells Jack they are in a place where time doesn't exist, a place where they could find each other. Some died before Jack, some after. It is a place where they can remember what they did and to let go now that it's all over. All that's left is moving on into the unknown. This seemed like a fitting end, the lives after and for the rest of the Island days were left a mystery and we were instead graced with our heroes' final journey. A journey into peace.

THE END OF IT ALL: In the afterlife we get the satisfying reunion scene where Christian escorts Jack into the church chapel where the people he lived with, fought with, and died with are there waiting. It was good because on the Island characters are very frequently split apart, but in this scene they are all together and happy. He shakes hands with Locke (finally), hugs Boone (a man he failed to save), Desmond (a friend even long before the Island), Sawyer (a rival turned ally), and Hurley (a trusted partner and friend). Finally he is led to his seat by Kate, the woman he loved. Everyone else take their seats as well, as Christian in his white tennis shoes strolls to the door and opens it. A light envelopes the room, a light not unlike the one at the Heart of the Island, and they all look about in wonder at what comes next.

Intertwined with this scene, is that of Jack's last moments on the Island. He wakes up near a stream after restoring the light. Dying, he makes his way into the jungle until he arrives back in the bamboo forest where his journey first began. Losing strength, he collapses and lies down looking into the sky. Vincent wanders over and lies down next to him. Looking up, Jack sees his friends fly away home on their plane and he smiles happily. As the light goes out of his eyes, and the light fills the room of the church in the afterlife, Jack closes his eyes in a reversal of the show's first image.

After all of this, the only Your Modest Guru as a Lost fan can say is this...

Perfect