**WARNING!**
**SPOILERS AHEAD!**
On Monday, I woke up around 04:20. Naturally, it's a crazy time, but also proved to be an exciting one also.
What's the reason for such a dedicated rise? At five am, the last two episodes of Lost premiered; wrapping up six years of mind bending intrigue. I know what you're thinking - why the hell did they air a prime time show at this hour?
On Friday night, I did a double take after watching the penultimate episode. When 'Monday 5am Last' flashed onto the screen, I was filled with both shock and excitement. I assumed the final eps would be at the regular 9pm slot. I'm not really a morning person in general, but definitely loyal (read mad) enough to witness televisual history. Basically, a live feed from the U.S went global in a bid to curb internet spoilers.
After years of polar bears in the jungle, a crazy French lady, time travel, hatches, Dharma Initiative, cables leading into the ocean, whispering voices, dead people, electromagnetism, weird giant statue feet, a one eyed Russian, submarines, Widmore's freighter, a pirate ship, dynamite, nukes and creepy black smoke, I wanted to find out what really happened.
Anywho... An early Lost marathon proved more enjoyable than anticipated. There's something oddly intriguing and emotional about high drama at the crack of dawn. Admittedly, a lump formed in my throat towards the end. Whether it was the product of over caffeinated thoughts, tiredness, or my senses being bombarded by violence and romance, I'm not going to forget the experience either.
Moving onto the finale itself, I'm still trying to digest the two and half hour ordeal. Am I happy or sad? Did the writers satisfy my viewership? Did it all make perfect sense in the end? The answers weren't all clean cut, but the end hasn't really quite sunk in for me either.
Overall, I thought some loose ends were tied up nicely. Everyone important left the island. Jack and John Lotte (black smoke) squared off in an epic battle. (Loved the proceeding line from Kate.) :D In fact, there were a lot of memorable lines in the finale. Luckily, I never managed to figure it all out too quickly. Early on, I knew about the alt time line, and how Desmond played matchmaker for a perfect future with Penny. The whys and hows of getting there just lingered in the background, waiting to be unleashed.
Good twists came via the alt time line. Discovering its true nature - a created reality, designed to bring all of the survivors together in death, caught me off guard. I liked the notion of the 'real world' being a chance to find everyone again, before passing over to the afterlife. It wrapped up the 'are they all dead' theory. I mean, how could they survive the nuke blast at the end of season five?
As a Jack/Kate shipper, I was pleased to see them get together at last. I loved the moment Sawyer and Juliet reunite at the vending machine. Old, familiar faces in the shape of Boone and Shannon elicited a smile. Bizarrely, I fixated on the whereabouts of Walt's damned golden retriever. Thankfully, the writers didn't forget either. My eyes lit up when he ran into shot again. :D In the end, he managed to play an endearing role.
In terms of niggles, a couple of parts didn't sit well in my mind. Richard's fate wasn't properly handled. I mean, what happened to him? Why would he attempt to leave the island, coming from eighteen sixty seven? He'd be a big ol' pile of dust by now. In hindsight, I wanted him to go down with the island in a poetical, self sacrificing way.
I'll always remember the opening in a fond/comical way. A momentary loss of signal, right out of the gate, kinda broke the tempo. No doubt, hearts were flopping inside the mouths of Losties nationwide, hehehe. :D
I'll miss the thrill of new episodes, and continue to embrace the nostalgia. In terms of cast members,I'd really love to see Evangeline Lilly move onto a new project. Her acting skills have matured, and I've had a small crush on her from day one too. Fingers are crossed for a leading role in the future.
So yeah.. Monday morning was a weird swirl of emotion. How I managed to settle into the rest of the day, without the island consuming my thoughts too much, deserves a gold star. :) Although, it's one of the most memorable finales I've seen in a long while too.