LOST season 6

[Maeglin]

I felt the same way. Season 6 was really annoying me, but this finale redeemed it for me.

I fully agree. But even so, Season 6 of LOST was more intriguing and better then most shows I’ve seen on TV especially given how epic the finale was.

I was wondering if anyone had any particular ideas about how to possibly use the finale to minister to others who need more God in their life? In particular I am thinking about the online forums, etc. I have found it interesting to interact with LOST fans with whom I have almost nothing else in common. It is fascinating to read some of the reactions on secular websites, as mentioned here. Of course, you don’t want to get preachy, but at the same time a window has been opened in that a popular show even hinted at such religious themes (with God’s name of course being absent).

Just wondering how other Catholics deal with this. I have ongoing dialogues with secularists, agnostics, atheists, etc. in relation to LOST.

I think it depends on how said agnostics are taking the finale and viewing the show as a whole. A lot of the more Dawkins-esque atheists who are flaming the finale aren’t too liable to have their hearts converted to Christianity by Lost right now

Right now the finale is still being digested by the masses, but eventually I do think LOST will subtly influence some of the more moderate viewers/culturally religious to explore spirituality down the road. It may not necessarily be Christianity though since this isn’t a straight Christian allegory like C.S. Lewis’ Narnia. Still, there are definitely some great themes dealing with sin and redemption that can be used as conversation pieces.

In a way though, this show is a product of its times. One of the writers is a Catholic, and although he drops in a huge amount of Catholic imagery in the show, the writing team definitely pulls a punch in refraining from using God’s name and choosing ecumenical imagery at the final scene in the church. Clearly, the writing team doesn’t want to tick off the majority of their audience. Right now, there is an onus on “preachiness” and it is a Western cultural value to maintain the belief that all religions are a perfectly viable and equivalent means to the truth. This show proved to be much closer to JRR Tokien’s approach to spiritual fiction then C.S. Lewis’ approach.

 

[AnotherChance]

In regards to what happened when the nuclear bomb went off in “The Incident” last season, it seems as if it failed to immediately reset the timeline in the living world, but did serve to set in motion the events that would bring together the Losties in death and preserve the life force in the Island from the Smoke Monster.

I have seen this idea elsewhere, and it baffled me. I was wondering how you connected the Incident to the sideways/Purgatory. I was assuming that the Incident happened as shown and then the Swan was built over it. It threw the LOSTies forward in time. I am not seeing how it set in motion the other two things you mentioned. What am I missing? It seems like they would have gone to this sideways world regardless of the Incident. No?

 

[AnotherChance]

In regards to what happened when the nuclear bomb went off in “The Incident” last season, it seems as if it failed to immediately reset the timeline in the living world, but did serve to set in motion the events that would bring together the Losties in death and preserve the life force in the Island from the Smoke Monster.

I have seen this idea elsewhere, and it baffled me. I was wondering how you connected the Incident to the sideways/Purgatory. I was assuming that the Incident happened as shown and then the Swan was built over it. It threw the LOSTies forward in time. I am not seeing how it set in motion the other two things you mentioned. What am I missing? It seems like they would have gone to this sideways world regardless of the Incident. No?

 

[Mumbles140]

Quick question - throughout Lost, you hear a whole series of famous names, or names that are a play on certain ideas, etc. Like Jeremy Bentham - took me a week and a half to think about who the real life Jeremy Bentham was (not Locke, the utilitarian philosopher). I refused to look it up online, but when it hit me, it just seemed so obvious.

So my question is, am I the only one who never fully realized Christian’s Sheppard’s name as “Christian shepherd” until the comment was made about it in the Finale?

Also, completely unrelated to any topics, but kudos to Target for some great Lost-themed advertisements. My gf preferred the broekn keyboard, but the smoke alarm was by far the best!

 

[DarkNight]

Just my personal reflection …

I believe that both the on-island and off-island (flash-sideways) lives are real. Comparable to our own lives.
We can be “going through hell” & “living a wonderful life” at the same time.
We are both good and evil; can switch from one to the other in a flash.

We live both on-island & off-island lives - have great joy and great sorrow - can do right and wrong (good and evil).

We, like Jack, know when we have taken the wrong path.
We, like Jack, can always find our way back to the right path.
We can experience joy and despair and one hell of a tough decision.
But if we, like Jack, choose to walk that step, we will know how very right it was.

That knowing will come “in the end” - whenever “the end” is.
Because “there is no Now here” we will be with those we have touched and who have touched us.
Whether they died before us or after us.

And then, when we are able, will walk through the door into the light.

 

[FromTheAshes777]

Just wanted to say I really enjoyed the whole series and the finale.

Did anyone notice Rose and Bernard? Did they simply live out the rest of their days on the island? Looked like that was what happened to me. Would be interesting to know what happened between Hurley, Ben, Rose, Bernard, and Desmond after the plane left and Jack died.

 

[Maeglin]

I have seen this idea elsewhere, and it baffled me. I was wondering how you connected the Incident to the sideways/Purgatory. I was assuming that the Incident happened as shown and then the Swan was built over it. It threw the LOSTies forward in time. I am not seeing how it set in motion the other two things you mentioned. What am I missing? It seems like they would have gone to this sideways world regardless of the Incident. No?

I agree with your interpretation. The incident was a red herring in regard to the afterlife universe. At Juliet’s moment of death, it probably caused her to become aware of the afterlife and explains her final words. The incident did serve one real purpose though: to bring the Losties stranded in Dharma times back to the present. I explained my opinion badly in the previous post.

I do wonder about Faraday’s theories in S5 though. He really seemed to believe he could reset the timeline by causing the nuclear explosion. Could he have been that outrageously wrong?

 

[Maeglin]

Just wanted to say I really enjoyed the whole series and the finale.

Did anyone notice Rose and Bernard? Did they simply live out the rest of their days on the island? Looked like that was what happened to me. Would be interesting to know what happened between Hurley, Ben, Rose, Bernard, and Desmond after the plane left and Jack died.

I hope so. It certainly looked like they survived and melted back into the jungle after Desmond unplugs the drain. Given their philosophy of non-interference, I bet they went back to their camp and lived the rest of their lives together with Vincent.

 

[FromTheAshes777]

Yep I think you’re right.

I think a big part of why they wanted to stay was because the island was keeping away Rose’s cancer and I think they had decided for sure that they wanted to stay much earlier on, I can’t remember what season it was though.

I hope so. It certainly looked like they survived and melted back into the jungle after Desmond unplugs the drain. Given their philosophy of non-interference, I bet they went back to their camp and lived the rest of their lives together with Vincent.

 

[Sierrah]

I found it interesting that they ended the series in a church…with crosses. I thought that was outlawed on tv these days. I thought the only thing spiritual allowed on tv was any other religion then Christianity. It was kind of nice even though religion was never mentioned and the acting was a little hoky.

 

[_L]

i also loved the fact that they left the off island situations for hurley/ben and the plane crew up to interpretation. I think the island adventures of hurley and ben would make for a great sitcom hahahah

id like to think kate became a mother to ji yeon who is now parentless,

and

Richard finally gets to make his confession to a good priest, imagine the look on the priests face when Richard says “bless me father for I have sinned its been 140 years since my last confession”

and lets not forget…miles is now a millionaire, in the episode “Dr Linus” he dug up the diamonds that were buried with nikki in paulo from season 3. lets hope he shares some of that sawyer and with frank who really needs to retire since he has achieved sully sullenberger status as a hero pilot xD

 

[Maeglin]

i also loved the fact that they left the off island situations for hurley/ben and the plane crew up to interpretation. I think the island adventures of hurley and ben would make for a great sitcom hahahah

id like to think kate became a mother to ji yeon who is now parentless,

and

Richard finally gets to make his confession to a good priest, imagine the look on the priests face when Richard says “bless me father for I have sinned its been 140 years since my last confession”

and lets not forget…miles is now a millionaire, in the episode “Dr Linus” he dug up the diamonds that were buried with nikki in paulo from season 3. lets hope he shares some of that sawyer and with frank who really needs to retire since he has achieved sully sullenberger status as a hero pilot xD

hahaha!.. awesome predictions.

 

[tomarin]

I found it interesting that they ended the series in a church…with crosses. I thought that was outlawed on tv these days. I thought the only thing spiritual allowed on tv was any other religion then Christianity.

Well it was a church but it was one that endorsed (through its imagery) all religions as equally true.

 

[AmberDale]

Not for me, I’m angry at the producers that denied that the ending was going to have a purgatory theme when people started to guess the ending a few seasons ago. Then again, I probably should have stopped listening to them when one of the producers claimed they would never kill off Charlie and then they turned around and did exactly that.

the island wasn’t purgatory, it was real So they didn’t lie.
I also refuse to believe they were in Purgatory in the afterlife. I think they were just waiting there, before moving on (probably to Purgatory first).

 

[turtle18]

I found it interesting that they ended the series in a church…with crosses. I thought that was outlawed on tv these days. I thought the only thing spiritual allowed on tv was any other religion then Christianity. It was kind of nice even though religion was never mentioned and the acting was a little hoky.

It was a Catholic Church. When they panned the altar there was a tabernacle. And Stations of Cross on the Wall. And in Season 4, Ben brought Jack to the Church and they “meditated” on a painting of St. Thomas feeling the wounds of Jesus.

It must be one of those loony Catholic Churches that have replaces the crucifix with a cross and only bring in a crucifix at Mass.

Wonder if they used an actual Catholic Church to film that?

 

[_L]

It was a Catholic Church. When they panned the altar there was a tabernacle. And Stations of Cross on the Wall. And in Season 4, Ben brought Jack to the Church and they “meditated” on a painting of St. Thomas feeling the wounds of Jesus.

It must be one of those loony Catholic Churches that have replaces the crucifix with a cross and only bring in a crucifix at Mass.

Wonder if they used an actual Catholic Church to film that?

Im not so sure it was the same church as they met in last season with the doubting thomas painting, but i think that scene in the sideroom with coffin and the different religions represented on the window was filmed in a separate place.

 

[turtle18]

Im not so sure it was the same church as they met in last season with the doubting thomas painting, but i think that scene in the sideroom with coffin and the different religions represented on the window was filmed in a separate place.

Positive it was the same church. I remember the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

 

[LittleOne1]

So wild guess here: it is “The Great Divorce” meets “Lord of the Flies” .
Discuss!

 

[TheBoldCatholic]

I thought throughout the show the Catholic church was portrayed in a postive light unlike many shows we see on tv today. It truly was one of the things that pulled me into the show more and more. The finale (like it or not)…I thought was very pro-Catholic. I’m not sure if the writers planned on this but the final scenes highlighted the church teaching that salvation is through the Catholic Church and no other. The stained glass window in the backroom during the scene when Jack was talking to his father showed the symbols of the main faiths of this world but none were saved thru those faiths. It was through the doors of the Catholic church that salvation was found.

 

[Super_Grover]

I thought throughout the show the Catholic church was portrayed in a postive light unlike many shows we see on tv today. It truly was one of the things that pulled me into the show more and more. The finale (like it or not)…I thought was very pro-Catholic. I’m not sure if the writers planned on this but the final scenes highlighted the church teaching that salvation is through the Catholic Church and no other. The stained glass window in the backroom during the scene when Jack was talking to his father showed the symbols of the main faiths of this world but none were saved thru those faiths. It was through the doors of the Catholic church that salvation was found.

You’re perhaps seeing what you want to see. It had themes and imagery that were decidedly Catholic. And if you are going to make a show interesting, why not use Catholicism, a mind-blowingly interesting Faith. But it is just a show, and a show that wanted to appeal to their entire demographic, as demonstrated by imagery that was Budhist, Jewish, Hindu, Islamic, etc. They were smart business people to not to go over the top and offend Catholics with the typical anti-Catholic stuff. But remember, there was also a villainous priest who refused to take Richard’s confession and sold him into slavery. That did not bother me, it’s just a show and that was just one character.