Yes, I watched the LOST season finale on Sunday night, and yes, I cried. A lot. Most of the time, I am the robot, but something about emotionally investing SIX years of your life in a TV show really gets the "Danish waterworks" flowing, as my grandma would say.
But for me, it wasn't just about the show ending itself, but about the many memories I have of watching the show over the years. Most, if not all of those memories involve the wonderful people I watched it with. Here are ten of my most memorable LOST-watching moments: (warning: spoilers--please read at your own risk!)
1) The pilot. We lived in Orem. Mila was four and Ethan was one and a half. I watched it by myself and I remember sitting there on my couch in my living room thinking that I had never seen anything as awesome as this on TV and I just loved everything about it. The premise alone dazzled me. If you know me , you know that I have an almost unhealthy obsession with post-apocalyptic settings where large masses of people are wiped out and then the survivors have to learn how to continue a normal society together (Stephen King's "The Stand," anyone?) Well, this fit right into that category for me and so I was in love from minute one. Lisa and I began talking about it and asked each other, "What role would I play on the island?" Certainly not hunter, maybe gatherer. Nurturer? Entertainer? Annoying person who asked incessant questions about peoples' pasts? We talked about that a lot over the years. About how people never asked each other enough questions and what we wouldn't give for just one day on the island to be a super Nosy Nora.
2) Arzt exploding. At some point early on, I began to to go to the Clarks to watch LOST. At that time, we'd watch Alias and then LOST (or vice versa), and at that time, Lisa, Brett, Chris, sometimes Eric, and myself would watch together. Chris would sometimes sing words to the creepy jungle music, like, "Keep running, go faster, they'll kill you!" It was great. Then, this one time, Arzt picked up unstable dynamite and exploded and we all laughed and then rewound it and watched again and again. It was awesome.
3) Season one finale. I'm almost positive that Brett, Lisa, and I watched in shock and horror as Mr. Friendly calmly demanded, "Now give me the boy." And we all went, "Holy crap! It wasn't Aaron, it was Walt!" It was an awesome episode to end an awesome season.
4) The first time we saw inside the hatch. Season 2, episode 1. Not sure who was there, but I know it was at least Lisa and I. We were like, "What? What is this 70's music and furniture? Who is that dude?" Then there was the long camera pan up the hatch and we gasped. This was also in 2005, during the Dark Ages when I lived in Highland and had to drive 30 minutes to get to the Clarks. That period lasted a whole two years.
5) The creepy cabin. During one season, maybe 3, Ben goes to visit Jacob in this creepy cabin and I almost wet my pants, I was so freaked out. Lisa gave me a blanket to hide under and I think Jenny hid under it with me. I couldn't stop thinking about how scared I was for weeks.
6) The first episode with a flash forward. I believe it was the season finale of Season 3 and I remember thinking, "These people just changed TV forever." It was mind-blowing, and we never saw it coming.
7) The golden age of LOST watching. I moved back to Provo in June 2007, a mere two minutes from the Clarks. Our LOST nights increased, and it was good.
8) Kate and Aaron. There was an episode in season 5 in which Kate had to say good-bye to three-year old sleeping Aaron. I watched it by myself, and I was so glad I did, because I started bawling. Like loud, ugly, uncontrollable sobbing. I might just have to skip that episode next time I watch the series.
9) LOST lunches. During season 6, Lisa, Kacy and I have frequently met to discuss all things LOST. We developed a lot of predictions, some of which came true, and ate a lot of cheeseburgers. It has definitely been a highlight of 2010 and the final season of LOST. Last Thursday, the three of us went to LOST Live at the theater to watch the producers talk about the show. We laughed and clapped (and I took notes) and felt a real kinship with the other ten people in the theater. Hey, if loving LOST makes me a first-class nerd, then seriously, NERDS 4 EVA!
10) The series finale. Lisa came over to our house. I made Dharma "beer" and Dharma chocolate bars. We watched and cried and witnessed the end of an era. I might even be crying a little as I write this. I loved the finale. I loved how happy it made me feel, and how I was happy for all of my LOST "friends" on the show. I also felt happy for all of my real friends and how much I love them. I truly believe that the friends that I have made in the last ten years are life-long friends and that is perhaps the only thought that will sustain me during my move to New York in August. And yes, I am a big sentimental sap, but I'm owning it.
So, a summary: I love LOST. I love my friends. I love cheeseburgers.
What are your favorite LOST-watching memories?
15 comments:
Reading this just brought back all of those awesome memories! I forgot when Topher watched Lost (one million years ago--such a fair weather watcher) and would sing to the creepy violin music! I loved it when Jacob and the cabin creeped you out and so we rewound it for you again and again! Good, good times! I will always remember you taking notes during the interview. That was classic and memorable! And maybe I cried a little at the end because it was great, and maybe it was a little because I love my friends, especially you, and I love the idea (HOPE) of separated friends becoming reunited. . .
You're totally going to be in my church at the end of my life when I die and go into the light with Topher. We'll laugh and maybe make up a little song to sing while we go. There are CONSEQUENCES AND COSTS TO FAITH, Hailey!!!
I really liked the last few episodes leading up to the finale and the first part of the finale as well. I am still kinda mad that the tabloids were right all along. That it was a "purgatory". And it wasn't a purgatory per se but a preparatory to entering the after life, but still. Wasn't it you at Christmas that said that you were going to be pissed if in the end you find out they were all dead? Or maybe it was someone else.
I am glad you have other memories to warm your memories about Lost, as for me, I am kinda feeling disappointed and ticked about the end. Mainly that the most predictable thing to happen, happened. I still generally loved the series as a whole but I told Aaron when it ended that Lily could write a better ending than that. No offense Lindelof and Cuse...
I, too, cried when the flash backs started happening...I also felt very sentimental when Edmund asked Kate..."now do you remember?" I feel like I have those moments with people all the time....Like I remember being friends before we came here on earth and that we are put here for a purpose and for each other. I felt like this show has had this weird parallel to our "mormon" life for awhile but didn't really want to admit that it was so close to what I really believe...that is why I struggled at the beg. of this season. It really was a beautiful ending to such a strong stated show.
Kristen, to me, the most UNpredictable thing happened, which is the fact that Darlton totally faked us out! Everyone thought that the island was purgatory and they promised it wasn't (and indeed it was NOT), so then they made a brilliant move by having the sideways world be the purgatory. I never saw it coming and I loved it.
Amen.
Also, if the fact that "they were dead the whole time" ruined Lost for anyone--take heart, because they weren't dead the whole time.
I get that their sideways world was their purgatory/preparatory, but I still don't get what the island was. Why did it matter if Jacob's twin "man in black" was able to get off the island? And why was Jacob's character so pure and his mom's character so wily and evil? If what they were protecting was "godly" then why was she not? How come Claire had a baby in the after world? And you can also murder people? (Sayid) Weird. And what's his name's mom didn't want Desmond to get everyone together. She said that they weren't ready and she was upset that they were going to take her son with them--why would she want to stay in purgatory. I don't know, I guess I am mad that the fact was that "purgatory" and death were even a factor. The story isn't a story about the island at all. It's just a life story and the plots were secondary, but I wasn't looking for a profound afterlife blah blah blah, I was under the assumption that the show was a drama/fantasy/suspense, etc. There were so many things that were irrelevant I thought, and didn't add up in that case. Maybe I am too literal, but to me a lot of things didn't add up. Maybe I need to watch the interview to get the bigger picture??...
I still enjoy it as a whole as entertaining but I don't think it was always a carefully crafted plot. You could have missed a couple of season and not skipped a beat. In fact Aaron did; and he didn't
This was a lovely post, Hailey.
I've never felt more emotionally connected to any group of characters from anything I've ever read or seen than the cast of "Lost." It's crazy that the journey has finally come to an end.
When Hurley finally made his own luck and broke the curse, starting up the DHARMA van as Three Dog Night's "Shamballa" suddenly played, I felt like cheering.
Penny and Desmond's tearful reunion in "The Constant" is just about the most beautiful and romantic scene I've ever seen-- and the fact that you could feel their emotion so strong, even though they were both on the phone with one another was awe-inspiring.
I'll also never forget my jaw hitting the floor when Hurley ran, panting, to Jack in season one with the flight manifest explaining that "One of them wasn't on the plane!" as we cut to a evil-eyed Ethan staring down Claire and Charlie. Even now, that was the most stunning plot twist of the series for me (And Lost certainly had some GREAT ones).
And the final episode had me in tears about every 30 seconds. Jack saying "See you in another life, brother," and "It has to be you, Hugo;" Hurley's asking Ben for help, and their subsequent conversation in the afterlife ("You were a good number two, Ben," followed by "And you were a great number one, Hugo."); Kate's "I've missed you so much," to Jack; and every frikkin moment when the characters regained their memories had me losing it. Just Charlie saying "Claire" with tears in his eyes as dramatic music swelled was all I needed.
And then Vincent laying down with Jack... It couldn't have been more perfect.
I think I'm about to tear up some more, so I'd better stop. Thanks for the retrospective, Hailey. :)
I would have watched Lost if someone fed me beer and chocolate.
Trevor, thank you so much for reminding me of those awesome moments! Penny and Des were always a fav couple of mine, as their relationship seemed so tried and true. I'm so glad you love them all like I do!
Kristen, I think, in the end, I let my heart govern over my intellect and so none of those questions bothered me at all. I just really wanted to see all those characters achieve their potential. Are there plot holes? Certainly. But I honestly thought they explained a LOT more than most shows would/could. The main point is that all of these lonely, flawed people were summoned to the island to work their stuff out. And hey, none of us are perfect, but we have each other! No one has to "do it alone." And THAT was what I got out of the finale. Cheesy? Yes. True? Yes.
You crack me up. I love TV but just never got into Lost. Too much thinking got me to go after 8pm! Haha.
Whoops...I meant to say too much thinking for me to do after 8pm!!!
The funniest part about the typo in your comment, Jenni, is that you wrote it at 8:02 PM. Stop trying to think or write or function after 8! ;) (Truth be told, a lot of times I have to watch my shows the next day during quiet time...)
How fun! Reading this makes me want to rent all the series and try it again. I just couldn't get into it those first couple of seasons!
I love LOST too. My favorite was Claire though, and I hate how she got all crazy at the end.
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