The Mystery of What Kind of Mystery Is Lost?

[shipperx]

I fear that those watching for CSI-like concrete answers to Lost are going to be sorely disappointed tonight. I don't think it's going to go down that way. Personally, I was thinking the other night that I don't have any huge, unanswered questions beyond "how will it end?" and "will the characters get a good send-off". Most of the big mysteries that many people want answered seem like mostly superfluous details to me. I don't care about Hurley-birds or Dharma Sharks. I don't have to know about the Hanso foundation, or who shot at the boat way back in season whatever. I tend to think of the world of Lost as far more amorphous than that and things that a mysterious are meant to be so. The miraculous is miraculous because it is mysterious. And, while Lost isn't exactly miraculous, it's built on WTF and wonder and to pull the curtain back and reveal all the tricks would be to ruin what is the essential nature of lost -- the conundrum.

Anyway, nice little EW article on Lost expectations:

THE MYSTERY OF WHICH MYSTERY THIS MYSTERY SHOW REALLY IS
It is customary to call Lost a “mystery.” But what kind of mystery is it? Here at the end, the question is up for debate, and the discussion speaks to the division that exists within the Lost fan community about what constitutes a satisfying finale for this “mystery” series. Other bloggers and critics have tackled the question in their own way.

Yet what has interested me the most about the discussion is the lack of agreement about what kind of mystery story Lost should be. As I see it, there are four different kinds:

The CSI Approach, AKA: The Old Fashioned Detective Story.
In a nutshell: There’s a mystery. The hero chooses to investigate. In the end, he or she follows the clues and comes to a logical and correct conclusion.

The Usual Suspects Approach, AKA: The Long Con
In a nutshell: The entire plot is an intricate conspiracy hatched and executed by a master villain. In the final moments of the story, the hero/heroes will see through the conspiracy (usually too late to save the day), revealing a hidden, intricate knit of sound internal logic to the world and storytelling. (Also see: David Mamet’s trickster crime flicks, House of Games and The Spanish Prisoner.)

The Sixth Sense Approach, AKA: The Big Twist
In a nutshell: A variation of The Usual Suspects Approach. The hero is either deceived or more likely self-deceived about the truth of his world, circumstances, and identity. In the final moments, the hero learns the truth and is faced with a choice: to embrace the truth or continue living in ignorance. (Also see: Memento, Jacob’s Ladder, Angel Heart, Total Recall)

The David Lynch Approach AKA: The Mystical Mystery
In a nutshell: The trickiest to describe and characterize, which is fitting, as these surreal and oblique tales demand interpretation. The story seems to operate according to an internal logic, thought that may be an illusion, and regardless, the author isn’t interested in revealing story’s “rules’ to the audience. Often, these stories blur the lines of the external and internal worlds and may, in fact, be delusions or fantasies of the protagonist. In the end, the audience is supposed to find resolution and closure for ourselves — although, usually, the point of these stories is to stand as a metaphor for how real life often lacks resolution and closure.

So which is kind of mystery is Lost?

I think most fans wish — especially right now — that Lost was a CSI story. But Lost has never been a CSI story. CSI stories require a protagonist that is deeply invested and motivated to investigate the mysteries of his or her world. Indeed, one of the earliest complaints of Lost was how so few of our on screen representatives, the castaways, were interested in exploring The Island with the exception of John Locke. But even then, his quest wasn’t about acquiring knowledge for himself and his community (and us) but about finding his unique “destiny.” Indeed, his bias colored all of his conclusions.

Lost has shown an affection for The Usual Suspects Approach (see: most Sawyer episodes), and given what we’ve learned about Fake Locke, I think many fans will be reviewing all of Lost once its over from the perspective of The Monster’s series-long conspiracy to assassinate Jacob.

Lost has also shown an affection for The Sixth Sense Approach, with stories like “Walkabout” in season 1 and the flash-forward gamechanger at the end of season 3. The show has set a precedent for Big Twists, and in doing so is complicit in encouraging viewers to expect a Big Twist here at the end. If they don’t get one, or a satisfying one, I don’t think they would be wrong to complain. (I also think bloggers such as myself have encouraged this expectation. We’ve spent six years treating Lost like a big, solvable puzzle. Lost has done much to encourage this view, but it always insisted that it is first and foremost a story, not a game. It can sometimes feel like a game — but it really isn’t. I have always seen this distinction, even if my theories have encouraged you to think otherwise.)

When I started watching Lost, I found myself more intrigued by the mysteries than the characters. Over time, though, I have become more moved by the themes and the redemption struggles. In the third season, my engagement with Lost changed completely. I’ve previously shared how my wife’s cancer affected the way I processed the show and expressed myself about the show. I began to see Lost not as a mystery to be solved, but an allegory for living in a state of profound, unsettling ambiguity that dealt with the central concerns of life. Why are we here? Why do we suffer? Is there hope? Do we accept our fate or fight it? What happens to us when we die? Will we see our loved ones again after death? I appreciated that Lost ruminated on these questions. It was like a song –  part Psalm, part Lamentation. Lost spoke for my experience of life. It is a Howl,a geeky, fantastical poem of existential outrage and yearning. 
Which brings us to the David Lynch modality. The truth is, as much as Lost seems to have been written from The Usual Suspects or The Sixth Sense approaches, I think Lost has always possessed the philosophy of the David Lynch approach. I see how this is problematic. I can see how people want all of Lost to be an elaborate, series-long version of “Expose!”, with a razzle-dazzle twist ending. I can see how people might cry “Bait and switch!” if they don’t get it. But I decided long ago that my Lost satisfaction wasn’t contingent on the ending. I have loved wallowing in the mysteries of the series and thinking my way through them. In the end, I’m not unlike JJ Abrams: I dig mystery boxes. My orientation is to shred them open and see what’s inside. But Lost has shown me that there is great value in wondering what’s inside them, and that the wondering may actually be more valuable.

---

Personally, I'm not expecting any huge answers regarding the nature of time travel, where the light came from, what kind of universe is which world, etc. All I know is that at the end of the day I want Sawyer and Juliet making a coffee date, Jin and Sun to be together and to have their baby, and Desmond, Penny, and little Charlie to be together. I want Sayid free to be with Nadia, I want... I don't what I want for Ben but I want the actor to have some scenery to chew on same goes for Locke/UnLocke, etc.

Basically, I just want the characters to have a good end. Other than that? Island mysteries can remain island mysteries for me.

Comments

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

Your bottom line is pretty much the same as mine. At this point, I don't think any explanation they can come up with will answer every question, and I doubt I could follow it even if it did, having forgotten so many details over the years. Whatever they do, we'll find out in a few hours.

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

So much word to this. I really have no other expectations other than the ones you specify - and I think it's the Sideways-verse where we're going to get the most character satisfaction. The Island-verse is a very lonely place right now, and I don't have any real lingering mythology questions bugging me. I found season five to be the most satisfying as we traveled through Island history, not exactly answering questions outright but getting more of a feel for why the mysteries are mysterious.

[rahirah]

The think I'd like to know which is probably not going to be answered is WTF was up with Walt?

[sp23.livejournal.com]

I think as long as they don't pull a Wizard of Oz and have Jack waking up on-board the plane just as the pilot is announcing final approach to LAX and going, OMG! what a weird dream. And you were in it, and you were in it, and you, too, Auntie Em, I'll probably be satisfied with the ending. But I totally agree with you regarding the couples. And I'd like to see Claire and baby Aaron happy together, too. As for Jack and Kate, eh, couldn't care less, really.

[calturner.livejournal.com]

Basically, I just want the characters to have a good end.

Yes, this.

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

I'm just posting my east coast envy right now. You're only an hour away from the finale. Jealous.

Yeah, I know I'm bordering on pathetic.

[unfilthy.livejournal.com]

Pre-finale-watching, I'm thinking that parts of the show are inherently David Lynch-y, and if they take that away by removing all doubts and cleaning everything up (which they won't), then *that* would be very disappointing. I think that a lot of the mysteries surrounding the island are just that - mysteries - and we shouldn't be given an answer to those.
At the same time, I also think that there should be some sort of explanation of the relationship between the two universes (even if it is just "blowing up the thing created an alternate universe blah blah"). Now I'm trying to remember where I heard the Quantum Event Gun explanation of alternate universes and how the person who's being shot with the QEG would always survive, because they're there to experience it, but that doesn't mean an alternate universe in which they die couldn't exist, but I digress.

Anyway, I think that the show has combined several of the mystery types listed over the seasons to one extent or another, and once I got that, and stopped expecting to actually get any answers, I started enjoying the show in a different way. As long as they don't take all the complexity and WTFery out with a single explanation, I'm fine.