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Warning: This article contains spoilers forLost,season 6, episode 17, “The End.”
ButABCs sci-fi stunner, created by Jeffrey Lieber,J.
J. Abrams, and Damon Lindelof, wasnt always so hotly contested…
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But whenThe Endaired on May 23, 2010, many viewers had more questions than answers.
Whats the deal with the split timelines?
Why is everybody in a church all of a sudden?
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And were the characters really dead the whole time?
Entertainment Weeklyis taking a hard look at the finale to answer all of these burning questions and more.
Here is the ending ofLost, explained.
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Do we ever find out what the island is?
The answer is a resounding sort of.
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The show provides several abstract theories but never concretely explains what the islandis.
John Lockes paralysis) and manipulate time and space (the time-jumping in season 5).
the Smoke Monster, played by Titus Welliver).
Jacob is the island’s protector, while the Man in Black represents chaos and destruction.
Protecting this energy is Jacobs primary role.
What happened on the island?
In the end, Jack takes the role and agrees to protect the island from the Man in Black.
He brings Desmond to the Heart of the Island so he can turn off its source of power.
Desmond successfully uncorks a stone plug at the island’s core and extinguishes the light.
Jack and the Man in Black have an epic battle, and Jack prevails.
However, the uncorking makes the Man in Black mortal, and he dies.
Jack, knowing that the island must be saved, takes it upon himself to restore the light.
As a result, Jack fulfills his role as the protector, but it costs him his life.
Jack then realizes he is dying from his injuries.
He passes the torch of island protector to Hurley (Jorge Garcia), who reluctantly accepts this role.
Whats up with the flash sideways timeline?
In a controversial move, the final season is split into two timelines.
After his death, Jack arrives at a church in the flash sideways featuring symbols from multiple religions.
Now that theyre reunited, they can move on to the afterlife together.
Which characters moved on to the afterlife (and with whom)?
However, not everyone moved on.
Ben chose to stay behind, feeling unworthy of doing so just yet.
This decision was a point of growth for his character, hinting at his ongoing need for redemption.
Were they dead the whole time?
In fact, since the finale aired,Lostcreators have clarified thatthe events on the island were real.
So where did the confusion come from?
Mostly the flash sideways timeline introduced in the final season.
What does the last shot mean?
The final moments ofLostmirror the opening sequence in the pilot.
The dogs presence suggests that the relationships and bonds formed on the island endure beyond death.
