Journal of Post-Ralphaelite Thought

As previously noted, I've been re-watching the entire six season run of LOST. My soul-mate has patiently watched along side of me, though I know she'd rather be watching West Wing (or What Not To Wear). In honor of my birthday last weekend we finished off the last season in a burst of weekend-consuming marathon viewing. I have to say it: Blu Ray is worth the money. Sunday we watched the 2+ hour final episode, where the writers wrap up things as much as they are ever going to be wrapped up. By the time it's over, I'm in my weepy mode, from all the emotional twists of fate. The credits roll. I wipe my eyes. "So what did you think?" I ask. Long thoughtful pause on her side. "It was good ," she says, choosing her words carefully. "There certainly was a lot of it to watch." I guess I'll be watching the special features alone.

I've convinced my long-suffering wife to watch all six seasons of LOST (I preordered the gonzo boxed set as soon as it appeared on Amazon). We are now half-way through the final season and are still married. The ABC website has the following little bonus clip they released at Comic Con this year, which will only make sense if you are a total fanboy like me and have seen the entire LOST run: If it makes no sense, go back and review at ABC.com .

Last Sunday was the LOST-o-thon: 2 hours of recap/interviews with cast and producers, followed by the 2 1/2 hour finale.  And if you wanted to hang around long enough, another hour entirely devoted to LOST on Jimmy Kimmel Live. It was exhausting. Reactions have been mixed. Much of Slashdot-dom hated it . They wanted ANSWERS, god-dammit. And while quite a few long time mysteries were addressed, not all were. So freaking what? A lot of how I processed the finale (as well as the show as whole) is based on things I learned and taught as a once and future painter. I've learned to appreciate and celebrate the power of ambiguity. Works of great art (if television can be art) engage the viewer/audience in the creative process. The viewer essentially finishes the work by layering on their personal interpretation or meaning, based on their life and experiences.  Giving people explicit answers shuts off that dialog. In the days that followed, there has been much discussion about ...

For my fellow LOST addicts, an amusing post on the Onion, speculating on a possible spin-off show .