# Can we all PLEASE agree that LOST (TV Show) in the end, WAS A LOAD OF TRIPE **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 14, 2012, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-please-agree-that-lost-tv-show-in-the-end-was-a-load-of-tripe/640971 "2012-11-14T11:14:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-please-agree-that-lost-tv-show-in-the-end-was-a-load-of-tripe/640971/21 "2012-11-14T16:04:42Z")
I watched half an episode somewhere around S3 and knew it had nothing to offer me except Dominic Monaghan’s pretty face and that wouldn’t be enough. ---
**Author:** ![Luk3112](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a9adbd/32.png) [@Luk3112](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Luk3112)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-please-agree-that-lost-tv-show-in-the-end-was-a-load-of-tripe/640971/22 "2012-11-14T16:05:59Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Hundreds? There were only 121 episodes. Did you watch it twice? > > I might have discovered the issue. Lost was originally presented for English speakers. Youre really funny on the internet ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-please-agree-that-lost-tv-show-in-the-end-was-a-load-of-tripe/640971/23 "2012-11-14T17:03:52Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > There is nothing useful that can be salvaged from the hours I wasted on Lost. From my perspective the time wasn’t wasted, because the show entertained me while I was watching. That the ending sucked ass and ultimately makes the story as a whole virtually pointless is annoying and probably ( I haven’t tried ) makes the show unwatchable a second time through. But, it still mostly entertained _at the time_. For me the infuriating ending didn’t cancel that out, it just left a bad taste in my mouth when I was done. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-please-agree-that-lost-tv-show-in-the-end-was-a-load-of-tripe/640971/24 "2012-11-14T17:23:34Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > From my perspective the time wasn’t wasted, because the show entertained me while I was watching. That the ending sucked ass and ultimately makes the story as a whole virtually pointless is annoying and probably ( I haven’t tried ) makes the show unwatchable a second time through. > > But, it still mostly entertained _at the time_. For me the infuriating ending didn’t cancel that out, it just left a bad taste in my mouth when I was done. I didn’t watch more than 10 or 15 episodes of Lost, so I can’t comment on it specifically, but this is a perspective I think more people should adopt. If the final chapter of a thing can make the entire work useless, I would question how good the rest of it really was, and if you’re hanging onto a mediocre work in hopes of a great payoff at the end, well, you oughtn’t be surprised if it doesn’t materialize. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-please-agree-that-lost-tv-show-in-the-end-was-a-load-of-tripe/640971/25 "2012-11-14T17:37:11Z")
If you look very carefully in the beginning you can see two pairs of legs sticking out from under that jet engine. One pair of a very short man in white pants and one of a very tall thin man in white pants. Thats what cause the magic to go all apeshit. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-please-agree-that-lost-tv-show-in-the-end-was-a-load-of-tripe/640971/26 "2012-11-14T17:46:58Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I thought the problem was that the original plan was to end the show after only one or two seasons. Once it was renewed for several years beyond that, they had to introduce so many side plots and mysteries that it couldn’t possibly all jell into a coherent storyline, or allow for an ending that explained everything. That’s what Alan Sepinwall says, based on interviews with the writers. He goes into detail about the show in his new book, _The Revolution Was Televised_. But I gotta admit, even after reading his explanation of the ending – the flash forwards/backwards and sideways – I still don’t get it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-please-agree-that-lost-tv-show-in-the-end-was-a-load-of-tripe/640971/27 "2012-11-14T17:52:58Z")
I felt cheated at the end, sure. I bought the DVDs after each season and rewatched each season prior to the start of the next season. I spent too much time on just one of many LOST-centric message boards, along with thousands of other folks. I Googled _Fibonacci_ and _Ancient Egyptian deities_ and countless other inanities. But I was gripped, as many of us were, and though I felt cheated by the way everything ended (I will NEVER watch those DVDs again :mad:), the journey truly made the shitty destination worth it. Anything that introduces the world to **Evangeline Lilly** can’t be\* all\* bad, can it? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-please-agree-that-lost-tv-show-in-the-end-was-a-load-of-tripe/640971/28 "2012-11-14T18:16:59Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > If you look very carefully in the beginning you can see two pairs of legs sticking out from under that jet engine. One pair of a very short man in white pants and one of a very tall thin man in white pants. > > Thats what cause the magic to go all apeshit. +1 😃 [QUOTE=Hampshire] Before the final season started I remember thinking I couldn’t wait till the whole think wrapped up so I could happily go back and watch the entire series again to see how all the pieces and parts as well as character motivations that seemed so meticulously and crytically presented would all fall neatly in place. Ha! ROFLCopter! [/QUOTE] That is exactly how I felt. I started the final season looking forward to buying and watching the previous seasons over the coming summer. Curious to see what tells there were, and how well crafted or not the early episodes were with regard to the overall story arc. HA! After the letdown of the finale I had zero interest in ever watching an episode again. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-please-agree-that-lost-tv-show-in-the-end-was-a-load-of-tripe/640971/29 "2012-11-14T18:24:25Z")
“You broke my donkey wheel!” ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-please-agree-that-lost-tv-show-in-the-end-was-a-load-of-tripe/640971/30 "2012-11-14T19:14:43Z")
> [@storyteller0910](#): > > Yeah, you’ll get a lot of support for your opinion, here and elsewhere, but we can’t _all_ agree. Specifically, _I_ don’t agree. I thought the end of _Lost_ was nearly perfect (with a few minor quibbles, like why is that major character going off into the Great Beyond with the spoiled brat with whom he shared about ten minutes instead of his One Perfect Love?). > > I got all the answers I needed and didn’t need answers to the questions that were left open. > > Thematically, and in terms of the characters, everything connected for me extremely well. > > I know mine is a minority opinion, but there it is. > > I am curious, though, to know how well reactions to the ending of Lost correlate with the ending of the _Dark Tower_ series by Stephen King. I liked both - in many of the same ways - and know that many disliked both. I’m with the minority decision on this. I was okay with the ending. Sure lots of stuff was left unanswered, so what? It’s a story made up for TV that entertained me. I knew it wasn’t real, and I didn’t invest myself emotionally in it I also like The Walking Dead, but I really using expect them to come back before the end and wrap up all the tangents and story lines. Realistic expectations go a long way. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-please-agree-that-lost-tv-show-in-the-end-was-a-load-of-tripe/640971/31 "2012-11-14T19:16:59Z")
that showed jumped the shark with the polar bear. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-please-agree-that-lost-tv-show-in-the-end-was-a-load-of-tripe/640971/32 "2012-11-14T19:19:43Z")
I may be one of the few people in the developed world who has never seen a single episode of _Lost_. Am I to take it that I shouldn’t bother? ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-please-agree-that-lost-tv-show-in-the-end-was-a-load-of-tripe/640971/33 "2012-11-14T19:54:35Z")
Oh you should definitely watch it. It’s the best show there ever was. If your definition of best is several seasons of, “Pay attention to this! This is very very important! Pay attention to this!” and then later, “Hey what was so important about that thing?” “What? What thing? Forget about that. Now pay attention to this thing! This thing is very important!” Rinse. Repeat. The show was fun to watch at the time even when it had its stupid moments but the way they would just abandon a thing that they spent the entire last season hyping and taking the new season in a different direction was maddening. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-please-agree-that-lost-tv-show-in-the-end-was-a-load-of-tripe/640971/34 "2012-11-14T19:57:50Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > I’m with the minority decision on this. I was okay with the ending. Sure lots of stuff was left unanswered, so what? It’s a story made up for TV that entertained me. I knew it wasn’t real, and I didn’t invest myself emotionally in it > > . I agree. But the show jumped the shark with the time-traveling. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-please-agree-that-lost-tv-show-in-the-end-was-a-load-of-tripe/640971/35 "2012-11-14T19:59:14Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > I didn’t watch more than 10 or 15 episodes of Lost, so I can’t comment on it specifically, but this is a perspective I think more people should adopt. If the final chapter of a thing can make the entire work useless, I would question how good the rest of it really was, and if you’re hanging onto a mediocre work in hopes of a great payoff at the end, well, you oughtn’t be surprised if it doesn’t materialize. It depends on the nature of the work. Look at _The Sopranos_ for example. A lot of people thought the ending of the series was bad. But that doesn’t take away from the quality of earlier episodes because those earlier episodes weren’t dependent on the ending. But compare that to a murder mystery. The whole story is tied to the ending and finding out “who done it”. If the ending is bad (it was the butler) it retroactively ruins the whole story that led up to it. So you can’t judge a work like this until you see the ending. A great ending would have made _Lost_ a great series. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-please-agree-that-lost-tv-show-in-the-end-was-a-load-of-tripe/640971/36 "2012-11-14T20:00:05Z")
I only hung on about a season and a half. Then read about it here and there and read about the ending. If you like some good acting, interesting personal back stories, and plenty of WTF? is going on moments its a fun watch as far as I could tell. If you want anything actually answered then don’t watch. Imagine a good Sherlock Holmes mystery cranked up to 11. But the crime is never solved and Sherlock retires to Belize or decides to start a Deli or something at the end. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-please-agree-that-lost-tv-show-in-the-end-was-a-load-of-tripe/640971/37 "2012-11-14T20:00:06Z")
\*\*Can we all PLEASE agree that LOST (TV Show) in the end, WAS A LOAD OF TRIPE? \*\* In the end? I thought that after about the 4th or 5th episode. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-please-agree-that-lost-tv-show-in-the-end-was-a-load-of-tripe/640971/38 "2012-11-14T20:40:23Z")
I remember the threads we had on the show here, when the show was first run. By the time an episode finished on the East Coast, some of those threads were well over 100 replies, and a bunch more followed as the show aired in the Western time zones. And there were whole websites devoted to obsessively noting every reference on the show to the Dharma Initiative, to the numbers, and so forth. So it was fun while it lasted even if the ending was less than satisfying. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-please-agree-that-lost-tv-show-in-the-end-was-a-load-of-tripe/640971/39 "2012-11-14T21:59:05Z")
There were a lot of things that LOST did really well. There were good characters, very well constructed episodes, and they wrote some amazing cliffhangers. They did some interesting things with narrative formats. The dialog and acting were consistently above average. Where they totally failed were the story arcs. While the writers knew exactly how to plot a 42 minute story, they didn’t have the foggiest clue how to plot out a 20-something episode season, much less a 121 episode series. So there were episodes that were good in a vacuum, but in the context of the series didn’t forward the plot at the right pace for that point of the story. At first, they blamed it on not knowing how much time they would ultimately need to fill - but even after that problem was solved, they still couldn’t figure out the long view and never really understood why the audience cared about it. It wasn’t their focus, they couldn’t figure out why it was anyone else’s or how they were (according to them, inadvertently) feeding it. Still, the show was very good to great in many ways, it just handled one aspect badly. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-please-agree-that-lost-tv-show-in-the-end-was-a-load-of-tripe/640971/40 "2012-11-14T22:03:05Z")
For those of us who became involved in the Experience, the ending was just an embarrassment. It was truly awful. But my niece just watched the entire series not long ago and had no problem with the ending. I wonder if we weren’t so disappointed because the writers claimed early on that our ideas were all wrong, and this had nothing to do with the afterlife or purgatory. The show made no sense because we kept saying, “Yes but the writers said it wasn’t purgatory…!” and there at the end, that’s what it really was. I mean, they tried to say it wasn’t, but clearly that’s what it was. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-please-agree-that-lost-tv-show-in-the-end-was-a-load-of-tripe/640971.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-please-agree-that-lost-tv-show-in-the-end-was-a-load-of-tripe/640971.md?page=3)