Macrodata Refinement

Here's the thing I don't get about post-finale annoyance at Lost -- how does the lack of plot resolution impact all of your enjoyment previous to the finale?

You still enjoyed thinking of all the plot points after the second to last episode, no?

And after the end of the first season?

Those moments existed independent of how it ended.

Sure, people having an issue with the ending and plot threads is maybe a reason not to start watching it now (I'd say it's still worth it...), but behaving as though somehow the ending invalidated all the realtime enjoyment is weird.

I went into Lost thinking it was sci-fi, but in the end, it was all fantasy. So for me, Lost never really answered its core mysteries and that was before it threw in the whole purgatory flash-sideways stuff. I did actually start to lose interest because it felt like the show was stringing us along, but hung in there for answers. Instead I felt like all I got were narrative dead ends and then a conclusion where most of them die. It was immensely unsatisfying.

(I'm reflecting back now on 15 year old memories. I'm actually surprised to learn it aired from 2004-2010. Gosh, I remember this as being a show from the 90s.)

It's also not like there were a lot of options for other shows to watch at the time. I'd never stay with a show like Lost today. I punted on Yellowjackets as soon as it started bringing fantasy into the story.

You have to know that how a series wraps up is important to its viewers. A great or terrible finale can make or break how a show is later perceived. The Lost finale was the most disappointing of any show I've seen.

Great finales I recall are The Americans and Justified.

A terrible last book chapter or poor movie ending can ruin all that has come before for me. When deciding whether to read a book, I'll read the last chapter first. Spoilers don't ruin good stories for me. But bad conclusions do. And Lost's conclusion was just terrible. I'd rather it have been canceled.

It's not like I need literal answers for everything. I love Mulholland Drive. But I felt like Lost spent six seasons just jerking me around.

$0.02.

It's a reason not to re-watch or even talk much about or recommend the show. Compare to something like Babylon 5 (plotted out well in advance) where a rewatch is rewarding because now you see extra significance of so many more early things. It's the complete opposite - everything interesting is now LESS interesting.

The enjoyment is capped at the initial run; a better-plotted show rewards you much more over time.

I think this is a Type A enjoyer vs Type B enjoyer thing.

To me, if I enjoy every episode but dislike an ending... I still enjoyed 99% of the series.

Because, as I was watching each of those episodes, I was having fun.

It seems super unhealthy to retroactively go back in time and say 'That expression of glee on my face at the time wasn't actually happiness, because I just didn't know the ending was going to suck.'

Let's not pretend Lost didn't explain anything. There were certainly plot holes, but there's also a ton of concrete explanations and information you get but don't have at the beginning of the show.

I mean, two of the biggest: smoke monster and hatch.

Both get definitive answers.

> It seems super unhealthy to retroactively go back in time and say 'That expression of glee on my face at the time wasn't actually happiness, because I just didn't know the ending was going to suck.'

That's reading a lot into my words. There were no expressions of glee on my face as I watched Lost. I was hanging in there for answers because the mysteries were the only part of the show I found interesting. Conversely, I'm really enjoying Severance as it comes. I'll likely be happy however its finale turns out to be. I really enjoyed the bizarro world of Scavengers Reign and am sad it was canceled after one season. Lost didn't float my boat, and then ended terribly on top of that. Again, $0.02, and I won't make any judgements about your mental health. :-)

p.s. I'm glad you enjoyed Lost and hope I haven't yucked your yum.