The Monkey Puzzle: 2010

from one of the writers of Lost (this fixed my brain)..

had to share

First ...
The Island:

It was real. Everything that happened on the island that we saw
throughout the 6 seasons was real. Forget the final image of the plane
crash, it was put in purposely to f*&k with people's heads and show
how far the show had come. They really crashed. They really survived.
They really discovered Dharma and the Others. The Island keeps the
balance of good and evil in the world. It always has and always will
perform that role. And the Island will always need a "Protector".
Jacob wasn't the first, Hurley won't be the last. However, Jacob had
to deal with a malevolent force (MIB) that his mother, nor Hurley had
to deal with. He created the devil and had to find a way to kill him
-- even though the rules prevented him from actually doing so.

Thus began Jacob's plan to bring candidates to the Island to do the
one thing he couldn't do. Kill the MIB. He had a huge list of
candidates that spanned generations. Yet everytime he brought people
there, the MIB corrupted them and caused them to kill one another.
That was until Richard came along and helped Jacob understand that if
he didn't take a more active role, then his plan would never work.

Enter Dharma -- which I'm not sure why John is having such a hard time
grasping. Dharma, like the countless scores of people that were
brought to the island before, were brought there by Jacob as part of
his plan to kill the MIB. However, the MIB was aware of this plan and
interferred by "corrupting" Ben. Making Ben believe he was doing the
work of Jacob when in reality he was doing the work of the MIB. This
carried over into all of Ben's "off-island" activities. He was the
leader. He spoke for Jacob as far as they were concerned. So the
"Others" killed Dharma and later were actively trying to kill Jack,
Kate, Sawyer, Hurley and all the candidates because that's what the
MIB wanted. And what he couldn't do for himself.

Dharma was originally brought in to be good. But was turned bad by
MIB's corruption and eventually destroyed by his pawn Ben. Now, was
Dharma only brought there to help Jack and the other Canditates on
their overall quest to kill Smokey? Or did Jacob have another list of
Canidates from the Dharma group that we were never aware of? That's a
question that is purposley not answered because whatever answer the
writers came up with would be worse than the one you come up with for
yourself. Still ... Dharma's purpose is not "pointless" or even vague.
Hell, it's pretty blantent.

Still, despite his grand plan, Jacob wanted to give his "candidates"
(our Lostaways) the one thing he, nor his brother, were ever afforded:
free will. Hence him bringing a host of "candidates" through the
decades and letting them "choose" which one would actually do the job
in the end. Maybe he knew Jack would be the one to kill Flocke and
that Hurley would be the protector in the end. Maybe he didn't. But
that was always the key question of the show: Fate vs Free-will.
Science vs Faith. Personally I think Jacob knew from the beginning
what was going to happen and that everyone played a part over 6
seasons in helping Jack get to the point where he needed to be to kill
Smokey and make Hurley the protector -- I know that's how a lot of the
writers viewed it. But again, they won't answer that (nor should they)
because that ruins the fun.

In the end, Jack got to do what he always wanted to do from the very
first episode of the show: Save his fellow Lostaways. He got Kate and
Sawyer off the island and he gave Hurley the purpose in life he'd
always been missing. And, in Sideways world (which we'll get to next)
he in fact saved everyone by helping them all move on ...

Now...

Sideways World:

Sideways world is where it gets really cool in terms of theology and
metaphysical discussion (for me at least -- because I love
history/religion theories and loved all the talks in the writer's room
about it). Basically what the show is proposing is that we're all
linked to certain people during our lives. Call them soulmates (though
it's not exactly the best word). But these people we're linked to are
with us duing "the most important moments of our lives" as Christian
said. These are the people we move through the universe with from
lifetime to lifetime. It's loosely based in Hinduisim with large doses
of western religion thrown into the mix.

The conceit that the writers created, basing it off these religious
philosophies, was that as a group, the Lostaways subconsciously
created this "sideways" world where they exist in purgatory until they
are "awakened" and find one another. Once they all find one another,
they can then move on and move forward. In essence, this is the show's
concept of the afterlife. According to the show, everyone creates
their own "Sideways" purgatory with their "soulmates" throughout their
lives and exist there until they all move on together. That's a
beautiful notion. Even if you aren't religious or even spirtual, the
idea that we live AND die together is deeply profound and moving.

It's a really cool and spirtual concept that fits the whole tone and
subtext the show has had from the beginning. These people were
SUPPOSED to be together on that plane. They were supposed to live
through these events -- not JUST because of Jacob. But because that's
what the universe or God (depending on how religious you wish to get)
wanted to happen. The show was always about science vs faith -- and it
ultimately came down on the side of faith. It answered THE core
question of the series. The one question that has been at the root of
every island mystery, every character backstory, every plot twist.
That, by itself, is quite an accomplishment.

How much you want to extrapolate from that is up to you as the viewer.
Think about season 1 when we first found the Hatch. Everyone thought
that's THE answer! Whatever is down there is the answer! Then, as we
discovered it was just one station of many. One link in a very long
chain that kept revealing more, and more of a larger mosiac.

But the writer's took it even further this season by contrasting this
Sideways "purgatory" with the Island itself. Remember when Michael
appeared to Hurley, he said he was not allowed to leave the Island.
Just like the MIB. He wasn't allowed into this sideways world and
thus, was not afforded the opportunity to move on. Why? Because he had
proven himself to be unworthy with his actions on the Island. He
failed the test. The others, passed. They made it into Sideways world
when they died -- some before Jack, some years later. In Hurley's
case, maybe centuries later. They exist in this sideways world until
they are "awakened" and they can only move on TOGETHER because they
are linked. They are destined to be together for eternity. That was
their destiny.

They were NOT linked to Anna Lucia, Daniel, Roussou, Alex, Miles,
Lupidis, (and all the rest who weren't in the chuch -- basically
everyone who wasn't in season 1). Yet those people exist in Sideways
world. Why? Well again, here's where they leave it up to you to
decide. The way I like to think about it, is that those people who
were left behind in Sideways world have to find their own soulmates
before they can wake up. It's possible that those links aren't people
from the island but from their other life (Anna's parnter, the guy she
shot --- Roussou's husband, etc etc).

A lot of people have been talking about Ben and why he didn't go into
the Church. And if you think of Sideways world in this way, then it
gives you the answer to that very question. Ben can't move on yet
because he hasn't connected with the people he needs to. It's going to
be his job to awaken Roussou, Alex, Anna Lucia (maybe), Ethan,
Goodspeed, his father and the rest. He has to attone for his sins more
than he did by being Hurley's number two. He has to do what Hurley and
Desmond did for our Lostaways with his own people. He has to help them
connect. And he can only move on when all the links in his chain are
ready to. Same can be said for Faraday, Charlotte, Whidmore, Hawkins
etc. It's really a neat, and cool concept. At least to me.

But, from a more "behind the scenes" note: the reason Ben's not in the
church, and the reason no one is in the church but for Season 1 people
is because they wrote the ending to the show after writing the pilot.
And never changed it. The writers always said (and many didn't believe
them) that they knew their ending from the very first episode. I
applaud them for that. It's pretty fantastic. Originally Ben was
supposed to have a 3 episode arc and be done. But he became a big part
of the show. They could have easily changed their ending and put him
in the church -- but instead they problem solved it. Gave him a
BRILLIANT moment with Locke outside the church ... and then that was
it. I loved that. For those that wonder -- the original ending started
the moment Jack walked into the church and touches the casket to Jack
closing his eyes as the other plane flies away. That was always JJ's
ending. And they kept it.

For me the ending of this show means a lot. Not only because I worked
on it, but because as a writer it inspired me in a way the medium had
never done before. I've been inspired to write by great films. Maybe
too many to count. And there have been amazing TV shows that I've
loved (X-Files, 24, Sopranos, countless 1/2 hour shows). But none did
what LOST did for me. None showed me that you could take huge risks
(writing a show about faith for network TV) and stick to your creative
guns and STILL please the audience. I learned a lot from the show as a
writer. I learned even more from being around the incredible writers,
producers, PAs, interns and everyone else who slaved on the show for 6
years.

In the end, for me, LOST was a touchstone show that dealt with faith,
the afterlife, and all these big, spirtual questions that most shows
don't touch. And to me, they never once waivered from their core story
-- even with all the sci-fi elements they mixed in. To walk that long
and daunting of a creative tightrope and survive is simply astounding.

And awesome stuff, as always, from everyone on here over the past few
years! You guys rock!