'Lost' ends with Catholic twist

Madrid, Spain, May 27, 2010 / 18:05 pm

Spanish daily, La Razon, published an analysis following the finale of the television series, “Lost,” which told the story of survivors of an airline crash on a mysterious island.  The newspaper remarked that the series, which captivated millions of viewers for seven years, ended with a Catholic storyline.

In their article, reporters Mar Velasco and Pablo Gines pointed out that, “There are two kinds of fans of Lost: Those who believe its value lies in its plot, and those who believe it resides in its characters.  For the former, the series finale was in a certain sense disappointing.  Yes, the script writers could have resolved many questions that remained (and will remain) unanswered.  However, for the latter, the series ended on a high note.” 

The finale, they said, resolved “what was essential, what has to do with the human heart, with the meaning and value of life and the capacity to be ‘saved’.”

“At the critical moments of life, the ‘man of faith’ overcame the ‘man of science.’  The way was opened to the transcendental and, despite a certain … homage to all creeds (the stained-glass window with the symbols of all the religions), it did so in a Christian manner.  It was not in vain that the Risen One awaited the ‘lost’ when they were about to reach the fullness found on the other side of a specifically Catholic chapel,” the reporters asserted.

In the last episode, the mysterious island was revealed as a real physical place “where the characters ‘were rescued’ from their frustrations and their past, although the price some paid would be their very lives (Locke, Jack).  In Christianity, this ‘island’ is the physical world in which mankind journeys and Jesus Christ ‘redeems’ in the act of giving himself up on the cross,” the writers explained.

The last season of Lost was characterized “by the creation of what was thought to be a ‘parallel reality’ and that was, in the end, revealed to be a sort of ‘purgatory’ in which each person ‘re-created’ the life he or she would have liked to have lived in the world: Jack became a good son and father; Kate was innocent; Sawyer, a decent police officer; Benjamin became an affectionate professor … When they all ‘recognized’ and discovered that they were in this ‘purgatory,' for some, the door to resurrection and eternity (the ‘light’ at the other end of the chapel) was opened, while for others the purgatory continued because they still had issues to resolve (Ben, Eloise, Ana Lucia…).

Likewise, “Love was not only understood as ‘eros,’ possessive love, but as ‘agape,’ the love that seeks the good of the other: ‘Jack, I hope someone does for you what you’ve done for me'," Locke told him.

Another key element in this finale was forgiveness, which was featured in one of the most powerful scenes of the entire series: Locke, who has been murdered by Ben, encountered him shortly before entering eternity. ‘John, I’m really sorry for what I did to you. I was selfish and jealous, I wanted everything that you had.’ Locke responded, ‘If it’s of any help to you, Ben, I forgive you.’  ‘Thanks, John. That helps me. It means more to me than you can imagine’.”

The series ended with the sacrifice of the main character. “Jack offered his life to save the others. Never believing in the peculiarities of the island, he ends up understanding through another friend, Locke, who had to die in order to show him the way. It’s a sacrifice that, in the end, acquires all of its value and meaning.”