Lost in closure?

It has been almost a month since the last episode of the widely popular series, LOST. I feel kind of lost without the show. Although, apparently, I am not feeling as lost or betrayed as some fans. It appears the ending of the show has left some fans in terrible torment and anguish. A complete explanation of every aspect of the show was needed for some loyal viewers to have full "closure" as they waved good bye to the characters and the journeys they shared. To be honest, I just think they did not connect with the ending or, to be put more bluntly, didn't get the point as it flew over their heads.

Now everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I can perhaps swallow the notion that some fans may argue that they wasted six years of their lives (well, really about 18 hours each year) based on what they perceive as a weak ending. But then I stumbled across one comment where someone compared LOST to Supernatural! Seriously? Not only did they compare it, they continued by stating that Supernatural is a better series! Did I miss something?

Supernatural, in my opinion, is OK viewing, but it never appealed to me. I was excited when it first aired, but that excitement soon died. I found it predictable and, well, too polished. I mean, these supernatural investigators look like they spend more time in a gym or a model agency then chasing evil spirits fighting demons.

So to compare the complexity and character development we see in LOST to a show that hardly is anything but "bubblegum" for the viewing audience, aided me in my understanding of why some people were so upset with the conclusion of LOST.

LOST was not a nice neat package. It was extremely suspenseful (for the most part) with lots of action, great dialogue and all the elements needed to garner it a large viewing audience. But it also held much mystery, and I think if anyone believes that every mystery in LOST can be explained in a two-part conclusion, they need to reexamine how many minutes are in a viewing hour on television.

So the two hour conclusion did not wrap up every mystery, and it left many feeling cheated or betrayed. I am sure some fans were convinced the LOST character Benjamin Linus plotted the entire storyboard from the first episode. Viewers did not get their "closure." In fact, many viewers must have felt as unresolved in their situation with LOST as Ben did at the end of the show.

And what is "closure"? I think it is one of the most useless words in the English language. At least when used in this context. People use it when dealing with death or after a separation or divorce. Somehow an event or experience will provide "closure." Really? Do we actually believe that? We know life is not a nice neat package - as much as we want it to be most of the time. We know feelings of lost and regret may crop up five, ten or even twenty years later - even after we claim we had "closure." That's life and that is human nature.

Frankly, I think the writers and producers of LOST would have done us a disservice if they had explained everything and presented to us a nice neat package. Instead, they attempted to make the show, its characters and their conflicts and struggles as real to us as life really is. Yes, I know we can argue that we do not want to deal with real life issues when we watch TV, but it would appear, ironically, that reality shows have illustrated how real our fictional television shows really are. I mean, I am not sure about you, but I cannot imagine myself acting like most of the characters I have had the displeasure to view on reality television. I think we like real life issues more then we may admit.

We like real life issue in shows like LOST that have enough of that fantasy and suspense to make the story interesting and entertaining. The situations are completely out of this world, but how the characters react is usually about real life; it is about our human nature, from hate to love, to scheming and cooperation. We explore these things in a safe environment while we watch a show we find entertaining. This is why we come back to a show like LOST week after week (well, about 18 weeks in a year) just like we may come back to a show like Supernatural for the bubblegum experience.

Perhaps this is why some people have responded so emotionally in their displeasure with the conclusion of LOST. They have lost a show they have come to love. And I think no matter what conclusion was presented to us, some of us would have been been upset just because it was the conclusion - the end. But to say the show was a waste of a time, or the ending was a disappointment because it failed to explain everything, is short sighted. And to compare the show to Supernatural? Well, enough said. Seriously.

LOST has left us with some unanswered questions and there are lots of sites and discussions online where people are still trying to figure out some of the answers to some of these questions. Like life, there is no "closure." Because when you have closure well, in my opinion, that is when you die. So the show is over, but the mystery lives on, and even though I have viewed pretty well every episode twice, if not more, I plan once again to wind up the DVD player and watch the series from episode one. Because each time I watch the series, I notice or learn something new about the plot or the characters. That is good storytelling, and good storytelling seldom presents everything in a neat package labeled "closure."

And, hey, Vincent showed up in the last episode! That should be enough to make viewing the ending worth two hours of your time!

Some links to reviews, comments and discussions on LOST:
Movieline
TV Fanatic
iVillage Entertainment
Eonline
LOST TALK
LOST Forum