Culture

The Season Finale of “Lost”

There was a lull in the storyline of “Lost” this season, and I was about to give up on the show altogether. But my relationship to the “Lost” series can be compared to Michael Corleone’s relationship to the mafia: “Just when I think I’m out, they pull me back in!” All I can say now is that after the season finale, my attention to this story has been totally reinvigorated.

“Lost” is a fascinating show with a host of religious and philosophical undertones. Characters are named after famous philosophers (e.g., John Locke, Desmond David Hume), storylines are mistaken for religious narratives (e.g., the theory that the island is purgatory), and classic metaphysical dilemmas appear throughout (e.g., fate versus free-will in Desmond’s prognostications).

Yet the real meaning of the story, the point of it all remains a mystery. It’s no wonder that “Lost” still retains a cult following. There are myriads of viewers just waiting to find out the key to understanding that hidden thing just below the surface. When you combine the intrigue with great acting and hidden messages disseminated in each episode, it’s easy to see how people get hooked.

I’m not going to rehash what happened in the season finale, you can watch it for yourself here or read about it here. But the finale did throw a couple of curveballs, and the internet is ablaze with speculation as to what they mean (Warning: spoilers to follow). The big question is this: Who was in the casket?

We do know that as Jack was entering the funeral home, there were clues that the scene was not a flashback but a flashfoward. The name of the funeral home was “Hoffs-Drawlar,” which is an anagram for “Flash Forward.” Everything that happens to Jack in these scenes happens after he gets off the island. This is confirmed by his meeting with Kate at the end.

Some industrious fans of “Lost” have enlarged the newspaper obituary that Jack used to find the funeral home, and some have attempted to read the name of the deceased printed in it. Take a look at it for yourself (see below), and you will see that whoever was in the coffin was a man from New York who had committed suicide by hanging himself from a beam in his loft. Some of the letters of his name are legible: “J—- —-antham.”

So who is it? Everyone will be speculating and debating that very point until next season (8 months away!). And therein is the genius of “Lost.”

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