“Lost” Finale – What Is The Black Smoke?

It’s that time of year, again. America’s chosen their “Idol”, Tom the fireman won “Survivor”, and we finally got to see what really happened to Mary-Alice (BTW – just read that the actor who plays George is being bumped to a series regular next season – I’m super-psyched about that one!) It really pains me to know that last night’s finale of "Lost" marked the end of any good TV until September. That’s four months of nothing to watch but Big Brother six nights a week and some achingly horrendous version of “The Simple Life”. Well I suppose we can spend the summer being productive, reading more books, spending time outside, take a vacation – but we all know that every night we’re going to be watching repeats of a mediocre season of “The O.C.” and flying through Netflix.

Well, at least "Lost" gave us a lot to think about over the summer months. Here are some random thoughts on the finale and questions I have for next season:

The images below are frames from the pilot episode of "Lost". You can distinctly see the black smoke flying past the engine of the plane right before it explodes.





You can see the whole sequence here.

These images are from last night's finale.

• Black smoke, the Black Rock, the Dark Territory – is this show racist or what?



• I really like the conversation that Hurley had with expendable Science teacher, especially when they started taking about Steve/Scott. You know that the writers are just dying to put in a Steve/Scott reference whenever they can. I also like how science teacher was bitching about the “popular” members of the crash, and how there’s 40 other people on the island, too. One good thing that came out of science teacher blowing up was he took Kate’s shirt with him, leaving her in a tank top for the rest of the time there – nice move, science guy.



• The Monster/Island Security System: So, what the hell is this thing? First we can see the black smoke apparently causing the plane engine to explode in the pilot. Then there's the poor pilot who was “eaten” by something. Let’s not forget the polar bears. And now we can see that the “security system” is partly invisible, can shatter trees, may come out of holes in the ground, and sounds mechanical. Maybe I’m siding with the non-believer-Jack side of things, but I really hope there’s an explanation for the monster that’s not “the island made it” or “it’s the essence of the island”. And I hope they show us a part of it next season – maybe a tentacle or some glowing red eyes or something. The CGI already looks pretty crappy, so let get cracking on that stuff now.



• Walt – Well, it seems like the island people finally got it right when they took Walt. Which makes me think, did they think that Claire’s baby was supposed to be they boy they were looking for? I mean, the kid was an unborn fetus, and there’s a ten-year-old boy running around causing polar bears to pop up. Do “the Others” (as Rousseau calls them) just need any kid, or is Walt the key to everything. Remember in Walt’s episode when his adopted father told Michael that there’s something “special” about him. And didn’t a bird die or something? Anyway, I know it’s easy for viewers to say, “Walt’s psychic, it’s so obvious” – especially after he told Locke not to open the hatch, but I have faith that the writers wouldn’t have something so obvious be the answer.
  
  Also, if Rousseau wanted the baby, and she was scratched by Claire, then what was Ethan’s relationship to her? Was Ethan with Rousseau, or the Others – or both? Did Rousseau take Claire from Ethan, and she escaped from her? Did Rousseau or The Others recognize Charlie from Driveshaft, and that's why Ethan hung him?



• The Others – It’s good to see some fresh faces on “Lost”. Especially M.C. Gainey as the apparent leader of the Others. You may remember M.C. Gainey from such roles as the pilot in “Con Air”, or more recently as the naked guy running down the street in “Sideways”. Anyway, he kicks ass, so I’m hoping we see more of him next season.



• There’s been talk of another group of “others”, but not bad guys. It’s the people that were in the tail of the plane, Michelle Rodriguez and company. Rumor has it that Michael, Jin, and Sawyer may wash up on another side of the island where the tail people have been surviving. This isn’t such a bad idea, but I spent a season really getting into these characters, it’d be better if they spent more time dealing with adversaries rather than more survivors. Plus, Michelle Rodriguez isn’t as hot as Shannon (when she’s not brooding and miserable) or a non-pregnant Claire. Also, Kate’s hotter than all of them put together.



• You All Everybody! - It’s good to see Charlie almost back on the black tar. I honestly doubt Jack has the kind of medication that eases the pain of having gunpowder blown up in an open gash on your face.



• “The numbers are bad!” – Damn right they are. I really liked when Hurley discovered them on the Hatch. So the hatch is just a long tunnel, but where does it lead? I kinda thought that aspect of the Finale was a little anti-climactic. Is that tunnel what Locke saw when the light went on after Boone died? Did Locke see anything when the light went on? Can Hurley fit down the tunnel?

Well, any show that has this many open-ended questions at the end of season 1 is a winner in my book. Let me know if I’m missing anything. Until September…..