Damon Lindelof, co-creator of the hit television series Lost, confirmed that the show’s controversial series finale had been in the works since season 3. The series premiered in 2004 on ABC. It immediately gained critical praise, becoming a pop culture sensation overnight and gaining a reputation as a “water cooler” show. Lost‘s mysteries were intriguing and addicting, and the series was a ratings monster over its first few seasons. However, as time went on, there was a lingering feeling there might not be answers to some of Lost‘s greatest questions. As a result, though it remained popular throughout its entire run, the show gradually lost favor with fans and critics as the plot seemed to lose focus.
Lost ended with the death of Jack Shephard, the series lead, revealing the season 6 “Flash Sideways” portion of the show was actually some type of purgatory. The initial reaction to Lost‘s series finale was met with criticism and confusion from the show’s fans. Complaints were leveled at the show’s writers, particularly Lindelof, for, from their point of view, not properly setting up and building toward the ending. However, in recent years, there has been a reevaluation of Lost‘s series’ finale, with some arguing it had been foreshadowed for some time.
In an interview with Collider, Lindelof confirmed the series finale had actually been in the works since season 3. At that point, ABC agreed to let the creators end the show with season 6, and then they started planing out their ending from there. Lindelof and the writers came up with the idea for the “Flash Sideways” portion of the show around this time. Starting from season 3 they began planting the seeds for that plot point. They introduced certain elements to throw viewers off their scent and keep them from figuring out the “Flash Sideways” parts were actually taking place in purgatory. Lindelof explained in part:
That’s why Season 4 needed to setup time travel into the Dharma times, etc.—all in service of that grander idea. How we were gonna do all those stories and the fact that Jack had a son or that John Locke was a substitute teacher, all of that stuff came in the organic storybreaking process of Season 6. But the big ideas were generated in these mini-camps that we would have with the writers in between seasons, primarily between Season 3 and 4 and then in the post-strike period between 4 and 5.
This news comes as Lindelof’s entire career has taken a turn. The initial negative reaction to Lost‘s finale had many questioning his abilities as a storyteller. However, in recent years, things have begun to change. Lindelof saw a resurgence with his critically acclaimed HBO dramas The Leftovers and Watchmen. Lost’s finale had already begun to receive some more positive reevaluations at that point, but the newly regained faith in Lindelof’s storytelling abilities forced a lot of fans to take a look at the ABC series and notice the breadcrumbs that led to the series finale. Considering the strength of Lindelof’s entire body of work, it makes sense he and other Lost creatives had the purgatory plan set up so far in advance.
This revelation is also interesting because it serves as a reminder of just how much work goes into crafting a series finale, especially on a show as mythology-based as Lost. What was once thought of as an under-baked finale by some was actually planned for a long time. The recent information about the role ABC played in all of it helps too, with Lindelof and co. also dealing with what the network wanted vs. what the smart storytelling choice was. Ultimately, this reveal makes the Lost series finale a little easier to understand and more enjoyable as a result.
Source: Collider
About The Author
