The series “Lost” (Lost) does not lose its popularity even a decade after its completion. This is an example of “otherness” and a non-standard approach to a serial production. Thanks to the rich imagination of the scriptwriters, the skillful embodiment of the story and the famously twisted plot, the series has become a cult for millions of viewers and the winner of more than 100 awards and prizes.
What is the series about
“Lost” tells about the fate of the passengers of a plane that crashed on a mysterious island somewhere between the USA and Australia. 48 Survivors, completely cut off from the outside world, are in a panic and are trying to get used to the new reality. In each series, mysterious and chilling stories happen to them, the explanation of which the viewer cannot comprehend until the end of the series. The screenwriter also floridly reveals the past life of the islanders, and how it brought them to the island.
Heroes are waiting for more and more new dangers and mysteries: polar bears, an invisible monster, unfriendly inhabitants of the island (“Others”), mysterious hatches. The theme of the collision of faith and science is revealed. In each of the series there is a main storyline on the island and a secondary one, belonging to the key character of the series at a different moment in life, revealing their difficult fates and unexpected skeletons in the closet. In the 5th and 6th seasons, events unfold in two timelines.
The meaning of the series to stay alive
The real name of the series “Lost” (lost, missing, dead) reveals its meaning much more, but it is possible to fully realize the idea only closer to the finale. One of the generally accepted interpretations of the plot:
all passengers on flight 815 died in a plane crash; The island is Purgatory, through which the souls of sinners (heroes) must pass before their path to eternity.
Then a natural question arises.
Was there an island?
The island is real. The airliner crashed, but the heroes actually found Dharma and the Others. At the end, one of the heroes of the series gives the exact answer: everything was real.
The island keeps the balance of Light and Darkness, and it needs a Guardian. And it becomes Jacob. The island in the series is not just a setting. This is a character with its own character and biography.
Other times
The survivors created their own alternate reality to find each other after death. The characters who gathered in the church died at different times: long ago or in the future. At the same time, they are both alive and dead: in the series there is no concept of “now” or the usual flow of time. Everyone has their own.
This reality allowed the heroes to get a new life, which is different and similar to the real one. They have new opportunities and new choices. They created an alternate reality to find each other, remember, let go and leave.
About good, evil and one God
There are numerous references to biblical stories throughout the series. There is no division into religions. God is one, but it is difficult for the heroes to understand this and accept the concept of unity. Hence their many conflicts.
Good and evil are not absolute, they can not find unambiguity and constancy. The devil tempts with beauty, God punishes for sins. The balance of Darkness and Light is kept by the Island. “Lost” encourages you to think about life after death, the true nature of good and evil.
“Staying alive” set the spirit of adventure, but towards the end began to introduce the true meaning.
Each of the Survivors fought their own demons before living on the Island. The search for happiness or spiritual harmony brought them together in one place and united. The characters who met in the church found their way and proved themselves worthy to go. The heroes who didn’t make it to the church are still searching, and their main test lies ahead.
The meaning of the final
Island – Purgatory, in which the souls of sinners try to atone for their sins, become better than they were before death. They are preparing for a test that will help them purify themselves. Or leave to suffer in fiery hell. Therefore, for atheists, the Island is a real place on Earth, and almost none of them understand that they are actually dead. Therefore, they were “lost” in their disbelief and misunderstanding.
Some characters decide to escape Purgatory. And returning to the world becomes Hell for them. Their unredeemed deeds torment the heroes. So Jack continues to drink handfuls of pills, Hugo ends up back in the psychiatric hospital, Sayid continues his killer activity, Kate fails in her attempts to be a mother and goes into hiding again, Sun and Jin lose each other. After all these heroes decide to go back.
But upon their return, they decide to destroy their Purgatory, again following the wrong path and suffering again. The Island then gives them the choice to decide where to go next. And Jacob, the personification of the guardian angel who watches over the difficult path of the heroes, brings the characters together after their death for the final test and purification. And the heroes go on the path of Light.
In the final shots, Jack dies on the Island, the same place where he woke up in the first episode. The last thing he sees is a flying plane. Probably, the story went around the second circle so that the heroes passed the test again.
The series is an attempt to tell that people in their lives are connected with other people. These people become part of the most important moments of our lives. Therefore, the heroes of the series created their own world, their own Purgatory, until they “wake up” and find each other to move on. “Lost” vividly illustrates the confrontation between science and faith, leaving the victory to faith.
