Unanswered Questions

Obviously, the finale hasn't provided the answers that most of us were hoping for. The alt-universe turned out to be fictional and irrelevant to the main plot, and in the end, we were left hanging in the middle of nowhere, unable to shake the uncomfortable feeling that the writers have pulled our leg all along, suggesting that they HAD any answers to begin with.

Now, in some cases, it was perfectly okay not to provide explanations, just to keep the mystique of the whole setting intact. For example, I don't mind that they didn't explain the exact nature of the light, or the mechanics of the donkey wheel. That's the kind of mystery that is best left untouched, creating an aura of the numinous.
Likewise, I don't mind dropping tangential sub-plots that were relinquished due to, say, actors dropping out or the authors going on strike: let's face it, the identity of the true Henry Gale doesn't really matter that much, and if Walt's supernatural abilities were left somewhat unexplored, that's also not of such quintessential importance to the Big Picture.

The Big Picture does matter, however, and I feel that it has been left glaringly incomplete and full of inconsistencies.

For example, the Others always signaled a sense of unwavering, fanatical conviction - to the point where they were willing to kill without a moment's hesitation. All of that conviction seemed to be based on something they knew, something that changed their perspective profoundly, some secret that made them who they were. Remember Cindy Chandler, the stewardess? She was a terrified survivor harassed by the Others, just like the rest, and abducted in the middle of a rainstorm. Some time later, she stood in front of the bear cages with some of the abducted children, every inch an Other. She even told Jack that it was "not that simple", indicating that she knew something that made her change her whole outlook on things, to the point where she could just watch fellow survivors being kept in cages. She also told Locke that they had all been "waiting for him for a long time", indicating once more that there were answers to be had, answers that would make the nature of the Others clear to us, and probably make us see why they acted so strangely to begin with.
Well, as per season six, she didn't know anything. Neither did anybody else. Not Ben, not Richard, not Ethan Rom, not Eloise, not Charles Widmore, not Dogen, heck, not even JACOB as per "Across the Sea"! They were all just following Jacob's orders for no discernible reason, knowing nothing.

And THAT's where I feel cheated by the writers. Even in this season, they were still pulling tricks on us, suggesting answers that weren't there to begin with.

That aspect doesn't sit well with me either. One thing I've considered though is that the Others didn't know whether they were following Jacob or MiB for the most part. The could have had a real mix of info, and assumed it was all from Jacob because they didn't know who MiB was.

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That would be good if on the season 6 dvd they could have 6 alternate endings and depending on which outcome you like that could be your own personal finale!

The DVDs will have two extras to help answer a couple of questions at least. One will show Walt as an adult. It didn't sound like a very substantial scene, but I don't know.

The other is the one I'm most looking forward to. It will be about 15 minutes long and will show Hurley and Ben as the island's #1 and #2. I'm excited to see that.

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Originally Posted by snoochface

The other is the one I'm most looking forward to. It will be about 15 minutes long and will show Hurley and Ben as the island's #1 and #2. I'm excited to see that.

Wow, that'll certainly be interesting to see! Somehow, I can't imagine those two working together that well, but I could be wrong.

It was reported on an online article that Illana was supposed to be Jacob's daughter.

Then what was she doing in the hospital when Jacob went to visit her? How did she get hurt? When did Jacob get married?

This is another unanswered question. I don't think they cared about the questions. No matter what happened they would still end up in the flash sideways.

If the show only lasted 2 seasons the hatch could have still imploded when they failed to enter the numbers. They all could have perished and ended up in the afterlife,

BOOM

L O S T

The movie director Alfred Hitchcock in an interview said that movies and stories sometimes have a plot device to get people to watch to the end.

It's called the big mcguffin I think. You can look it up on google and wikipedia. The island and its mysteries were the big mcguffin. Just a device too get you to watch.

Maybe they never intended to answer most of the questions.

"And THAT's where I feel cheated by the writers. Even in this season, they were still pulling tricks on us, suggesting answers that weren't there to begin with."

I think you are right. Look what I found. A theory about the island being a macguffin way back in 2008.

A MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin) is a plot device that motivates the characters or advances the story, but the details of which are of little or no importance otherwise.

The element that distinguishes a MacGuffin from other types of plot devices is that it is not important what the object specifically is. Anything that serves as a motivation will do. The MacGuffin might even be ambiguous. Its importance is accepted by the story’s characters, but it does not actually have any effect on the story. It can be generic or left open to interpretation.

The MacGuffin is common in films, especially thrillers. Commonly, though not always, the MacGuffin is the central focus of the film in the first act, and later declines in importance as the struggles and motivations of characters play out. Sometimes the MacGuffin is all but forgotten by the end of the film.



The island never mattered really. It was just a plot device to get us to the church afterlife in the end. We have been duped!


Lost, Found: The MacGuffin Theory | Potluck

Other thoughts from another poster:

"After a lot of reflection, I’m finally able to articulate the wherefores of my disappointment. You see, the Lost ending decided that the island was a MacGuffin at the last minute, when it had already become much more significant to the audience. And the reason it did was the creators’ fault: they made us care about the island and its mysteries by constantly reminding us that they existed. They even went so far as to imply that the island had motives (quote Benjamin Linus upon Ilana’s explosive death: “I guess the island was done with her”), with the omnipresence of a fickle god.

Even the head writers admit that not everything was thought through. When asked what his least favourite Lost episode was, executive producer Carlton Cuse said, “’Strangers in a Strange Land’ (Season 3, Episode 9)… We didn’t yet have an end date for the series, and we were stalling, hoarding our mythology. So the big question/revelation in that episode is how did Jack get his tattoos? And he’s flying a kite with Bai Ling. That really didn’t cut it.”

In the end, the intrigue drew in millions of viewers, which, as creator Damon Lindelof explains, was the point. “Would it be easier if [Jacob] stopped bringing people to the island? Sure. But then our characters never would’ve crashed…and who wants to see a show about a guy weaving?”

Yeah, and no one can tell me that the protagonist were supposed to be "Chosen ones" associated with the magic numbers from the very beginning. Otherwise, it would make *no* sense whatsoever to have the "Others" antagonize the survivors. Likewise, the concept of who and what the "Others" were supposed to be changed throughout the show, and never really played out.
It was always implied that they knew something the survivors didn't, from Ethan Rom in Season 1 over Cincy the Stewardess in Season 3 to Dojen in Season 6. And yet, when it came push to shove, it always seemed that nobody knew anything. Even Jacob was just stumbling along, as per "Across the Sea" and "What they died for".