LOST Rewatch: The End

Last updated on: April 29, 2015 at 9:28 am by James F. McGrath

LOST Rewatch: The End 2015-04-29T09:28:25-04:00 James F. McGrath

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Rewatching LOST from the beginning has been an interesting experience. We have to go back – to the island, to stories that we knew. They are never the same on a second experience. Reaching the end, part of me wants to find a way to watch the stories in chronological order – to start with “Across the Sea” and see how that would be.

The very last episode of LOST is a two-hour one. It begins with the side of an Oceanic aircraft, and we see cargo being delivered, the coffin of Christian Shephard. For the first time, the show moves back and forth quickly between the characters in the present day and what we will soon learn is the afterlife. The coffin is delivered to a church, where Desmond is waiting. Kate makes a joke about the name “Christian Shephard.” Desmond says he wants to leave, and when Kate asks where, he says, “Let me show you.” Meanwhile, Hugo gets Charlie, using a tranquilizer gun. Dr. Juliette Crossan checks in on Sun and Jin and they look at their baby using an ultrasound. Sun remembers, then so does Jin. We learn that Juliette is Jack’s ex-wife and David’s mother. Hugo brings Sayid to an alley where he witnesses a fight. He rescues Shannon and they remember. It turns out that Boone already remembered and knew Hurley and Sayid would be there. At the benefit concert, Kate and Claire are seated together at table 23. Eloise asks Desmond if he is going to take her son, and he tells her, “Not with me, no.” As Claire goes into labor, Kate assists and Charlie helps too. Kate suddenly remembers, and so does Claire. Then she takes Charlie’s hand and he remembers too. At the hospital, Jack’s neck starts bleeding again. John wakes up and can feel his legs and can move his toes. He remembers. He tells Jack that he hopes that someone does for him what he had done for John. James and Juliette meet at the candy machine. Juliette says that if you unplug the machine and plug it back in again, the candy just drops down, and technically it is legal. They remember, and in the process we hear her say the words that she said just before she died in the first episode of the season. Jack keeps resisting remembering, even when Kate touches him.

In the present day on the island, Jack says he doesn’t feel any different. Sawyer suggests that he come down off the top of the mountain and tell them all what the burning bush had to say. Sawyer says that it doesn’t sound like Jacob explains things, and Hugo says that Jacob is worse than Yoda – adding, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Asked why he took the job, Jack says the island is the only thing he has left, the only thing he hasn’t ruined. Kate tells him that nothing is irreversible. We learn that Bernard, Rose, and Vincent are the ones that rescued Desmond from the well. Smokey comes and threatens Rose and Bernard, and Desmond agrees to go with him as long as he promises he will never touch them. When Smokey and Jack meet, Smokey comments on Jack being the obvious choice to replace Jacob. Jack says that Smokey thinks he is going to destroy the island, but in actual fact, he is going to kill him. Jack explains to Sawyer that Desmond is a weapon – Jacob would not have brought him to the island to help Smokey destroy it.

Miles finds Richard Alpert. He has his first grey hair, and says he just realized that he wants to live. They head towards Hydra island to blow up the plane, and find Lapidus among some debris from the submarine. Frank suggests taking the plane rather than blowing it up. But Claire is there. Richard asks her to come with them, but she says no. Miles fixes hydraulics with duct tape, saying he doesn’t believe in a lot of things, but he believes in duct tape. Kate and Sawyer find Claire, and while Claire says the island has made her crazy and she doesn’t know how to be a mother, Kate emphasizes that no one does. They run to catch the plane. After they take off, Frank says, “Amen.”

LOSE End Jack VINCENT At the cave of light, Desmond tells Jack that this doesn’t matter – Smokey destroying the island, Jack destroying Smokey. He says that there is another place where they are with the people they love. Jack says he tried that once, and there are no shortcuts or do-overs – all of this matters. They lower Desmond down a waterfall inside it. Jack says that John Locke was right about just everything and Smokey dishonors him by wearing his face. He just wishes he could have told him while he was alive. Down in the cave of light, there are skeletons, and a pool that was clearly made by people. He pulls a stopper out of the midst of a pool, and instead of beautifully glowing light, we see what looks like something volcanic, and the island begins to shake. Smokey says it looks like Jack was wrong, but then Jack attacks him and he bleeds, and then Jack tells Smokey that it looks like he was wrong too. Smokey knocks Jack out, but when he comes to, Jack runs after him. They fight on a cliff edge, by the ladder leading down to Jacob’s cave. Smokey stabs Jack, and also cuts his neck a bit, but Kate shoots Smokey and then Jack kills him by throwing him down the cliff. Jack and Kate kiss goodbye, and tell each other that they love one another, and then Jack goes with Ben and Hugo to turn back on what Desmond had turned off. Jack knows he has to go down the cave and will die. He passes the mantle to Hugo. They use a dirty plastic bottle to perform the ceremony. Jack says “Now you’re like me.” Jack rescues Desmond, telling him he will see him in another life, and then goes to turn the light back on. He puts the stone back in the hole, and as water starts pouring in again, the light begins to glow again. Hugo and Ben start to pull the rope, but it is Desmond on the other end. Hugo cries when he realizes that Jack is gone. He does not know what to do. Ben says that Hugo should do what he does best, and help people. He suggests running things a different way than Jacob did. Hugo asks Ben to help him. He says he’d be honored. Jack washes up on rocks on the other side of the cave and climbs into the bamboo jungle.

In the afterlife, at the church, John and Benjamin meet outside the church. Ben says he is sorry for what he did to him – he was selfish, jealous, and wanted everything he had. John asked what he had, and Ben says he was special. John forgives him. Ben says he will stay there a while – he still has some things he needs to work out. Then Hugo comes out and talks to him, and Ben says he isn’t coming in, adding that he was a real good number two, and Ben says Hugo was a great number one. Kate and Jack then reach the church. She sends him around the back way, and says she will be there when he is ready to leave. Jack goes into the church, and there are multifaith symbols, including a painting of Krishna. A coffin is there, and touching it, once again he starts to remember, more than at any point before. He opens the coffin, and it is empty. Then his father shows up and says, “Hey kiddo.” Jack asks how he can be there when he died. His father asks how Jack is there. He realizes that he died too. Christians says it is OK, saying that everything that happened to him is real, and the people in the church are real. Asking why they are there now, Christian says “There is no now here.” He says it is a place they all made together so that they could find one another. “Nobody does it alone.” They need one another to remember, and to let go. Christian says they aren’t leaving, they are moving on. They go into the church, and John says they had been waiting for him. Desmond and Penny are there. They take their seats, and Christian opens the rear doors to light.

On the island, Jack stumbles through the bamboo forest, falls, and dies with Vincent alongside him, the Ajira flight passing overhead, as we see his eye close, the perfect bookend to the series.

The first time I saw the episode, I did not reflect in the significance of the fact that people first channeled the light in the cave. It was humans that first discovered the way to channel the water and the light, even though they seem to have died doing so. Presumably one could say that the island taught them, as it taught Jacob’s brother. Yet even so, it is the combination of that energy and people who are “special” which makes amazing things happen. That is the secret at the heart of the island, which many who’ve written about LOST have neglected.

Watching the finale again, I found myself choked up at the ending, which is emotionally powerful. For those who found it unsatisfying or didn’t get it, I’ll share links to things I wrote after it first aired:

LOST Places in the Heart

The Ending of LOST Explained

What was the ending of LOST?

LOST-the-end1729

Previous Post

April 29, 2015

Meow

Next Post

April 29, 2015 A Right To Be Free

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 1 Corinthians 1 John 1 Peter 1 Samuel 1 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Corinthians 2 Kings 2 Peter 2 Samuel 2 Thessalonians 2 Timothy academia Acts of the Apostles afterlife Akhaten Alcatraz American Academy of Religion Amos Anglican Arabic Aramaic archaeology art artificial intelligence astronomy atheism atonement Babylon 5 Baptists Battlestar Galactica Bible Biblical Studies Carnival biblioblogging Black Mirror Blade Runner Book of Job book review Buddhism Call for Papers China Christianity Christmas Christology Chronicles Coptic creation Daniel Deuteronomy Doctor Who Dune Easter Ecclesiastes economics education Eldad Keynan Enoch Seminar Ephesians eschatology Esther Evangelicals evolution Exodus Expanse Ezekiel Ezra fantasy Fringe fundamentalism Galatians games Ge'ez genealogy Genesis Gnosticism Gospel of Jesus' Wife Gospel of John Gospel of Judas Gospel of Luke Gospel of Mark Gospel of Matthew Gospel of Peter Gospel of Thomas Greek Harry Potter Hebrew Hebrews Hinduism historical Jesus history Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Holidays horror Hosea humor incarnation India inerrancy information literacy inspirational Intelligent Design Ireland Isaiah Islam Israel Italy James Jeremiah John the Baptist Jonah Joshua Judaism Jude Judges Judith Lamentations languages Latin Leviticus libraries literature Lord of the Rings LOST Mandaeans Mandaic memes Methodism Micah monotheism morality Mormons movies music mythicism NASSCAL Nehemiah new perspective New Testament news Numbers Orthodox paganism panentheism pantheism Patheos Paul and his letters Pentecostals Philippians Philippians 2:6-11 philosophy physics Planet of the Apes podcast politics Progressive Christianity Protestantism Proverbs Psalms pseudoscience racism religion Revelation Roman Catholicism Romania Romans Ruth scams science science fiction Secret Gospel of Mark Society of Biblical Literature Song of Songs Star Trek Star Wars Stargate Swahili Syriac Taoism technology Terminator The Handmaid's Tale The Hobbit The Matrix theodicy theology theory Timeless Titus tomb Torchwood travel TRON Uncategorized United Kingdom Westworld X-Files young-earth creationism Zechariah

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 February 2007 January 2001

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz