Goodbye, Old Friends

In the space of two nights, two of my favorite T.V. shows came to an end. Lost and 24 have both had their ups and downs, but I have to say that I'm pretty satisfied with the way both of them ended.

Lost has always been about the mystery. For every answer the show ever gave, the brought up two more questions. For the most part, this was true of the finale also. Sure, they answered some of the questions that we've been asking since the beginning of the series but for the most part, there are still a lot left that will never be answered. You know what? That's fine with me. It was time for Lost to come to an end. It had been straining under its own weight for a while now and if it had lasted past this year, it probably would have completely collapsed. Like I said though, I'm pretty satisfied with the ending. My only real problem with it is that they emphasized an "all leads to one" world view of religion. In the end, all the characters were shown dead in a kind of purgatory that they were all able to reach on their own. This is just flat out wrong. If you try to ignore that part of the show though, then it's about something that is true. Relationships. Each of the characters were flawed at the beginning. Some were able to build relationships with one another and either find respect or love for each other. Forgiveness and redemption are ideas that I can agree with and for me, that's what I choose for Lost to have been about.

24 is much more simple but in a way, it carries the same themes as Lost. Flawed characters doing everything they can to protect their family, their friends and their country. They're not always right and they don't always go about things the best way, but they try and in the effort they usually found the right path. Jack didn't necessarily get a "happy" ending, but I think that they gave him one that was appropriate, especially in light of his actions over the course of the last couple of hours. They sent him to the darkest place he's ever been and in the end, with the help of his truest friend, he was able to step back from the brink and trust those around him to set things right.

They also wrote the perfect setup for the movie. Hopefully it won't be long before we see Jack on the big screen.

See you on Thursday.

--Paul