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.
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.
, with the omnipresence of a fickle god.
