Sunday, May 17, 2009

Why The Bomb Going Off Does Not Negate Five Years Of My Viewing Pleasure

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken


This is the normal story. At every point in our lives we make choices and based on those choices we end up with one continuous timeline. We're born, to these parents, with these siblings, we go to this school, then this college, then marry this person, and have these children. We live here and then here and eventually we die.

But most of us have wondered what if? What if I'd gone to a different college? Chosen a different major? Gotten that other job? And those are the choices we control. What about the ones we don't like what if I'd been born on a different continent? Had different parents?

But what's the point in playing the what it game? We don't get do-overs. We make the best of what we have and press onward, perhaps with regrets and the capacity to make up for them or move past them, but not the ability to undo time.

But that's the beauty of fiction. I think we're going to get to see what happened had we chosen the road not taken. Well, not us, but Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, etc. But it's not going to take 5 years to tell that story because most of the choices they've made, and we've watched, aren't the ones they want to do over. Most of the choices will be the same. 


But there's one thing or a few things that might make all the difference in the world and I think those are the things we'll get to see a second time in Season 6. We may even get to see them the exact same way we did in Season 1 with a crash on the Island and flashbacks to show us who these people are. I don't think it'll go quite that way. I think the more likely way is to show us the new choices and then crash to end it all. But either way, it won't result in unrecognizable versions of Jack and the rest of the 815ers, but they will be altered or at least have the opportunity to be altered. The question will be do they always do the same thing or will they take the road less traveled and chose as Jacob encouraged them.

4 comments:

lost2010 said...

Actually, to me the book has closed. And it was a fantastic ride! But if they cancel it before next season. I'm okay, because to me, they gave me closure on all the storylines I cared about. Excellent story - heartwrenching ending. And I'm ready to give them a hearty standing ovation and take up watching comedies again. :)

It was tragic, but seemed complete. Jacob was killed because the deceiver used Ben's heartbreak against him - the manipulator was manipulated. Sawyer learned to love and had 3 blissful years and while Juliet died, both of them had finally loved and been loved. Jack led them to their "destiny".

I'm good with ending here. Really.

:)

Amused2bHere said...

oh no no no they can't end here! I neeeed to see where they were taking us all along. Sure, if they end here we have a complete story. But I won't be satisfied with it. I mean, really, why go through all of this if only to kill Jacob, let Sawyer find joy only to blow his world up, and make Ben the ultimate patsy? That's not a good story!

I want to see the results of Juliet's final act of defiance. I want to see what happens next.

Memphish, I just love your color coded answers. Great job, and honey I agree with your choices!

beer said...

not sure what would make anyone think that this story is even remotely concluded. ending lost at season 5 would basically be equivalent to ending the wheel of time series on 'knife of dreams' - but in actual fact it'd be fairly worse, since we're pretty much assured of the ending of wot, whereas lost has the propensity to be much more varied as far as a happy ending...

as for this post: cop-outs aren't very likely in lost's case, fortunately. they'd as soon do this as pull a truman show.

Capcom said...

Oh now there's a twist on the bloody snow globe theory! :-D