Thoughts on Lost - Season 6, Episode 16 - "What They Died For"

Like before everyone on the island died?

No, let me be positive about things first.

The good things about this episode:

Zoe is finally dead. She has been the breakout annoyance of the season and its great to see her go.

Miles is still alive! Against all odds, Miles has officially made it to the final episode!

Desmond almost has the band together in the Sidewaysverse. He also gets a little retribution on Ben, beating him to a pulp - which is payback for Ben shooting him two seasons ago.

The not-so-good things about this episode:

Richard's unceremonious death. It would seem since an entire episode was devoted to his backstory, Richard might have at least provided a step or served up some useful clue for the finale's outcome. Instead, he's swooped up by the Smoke Monster in an instant. Not so important of an end to such a long life.

Whidmore's death, too, seemed a little small. He's been such a powerful string-puller since early in the series, I thought his demise might be more grandiose. But I have no problems with Ben being the one who killed him. That did seem fitting.

And Jacob. Again, why not tell the Losties these things a little sooner?

General Thoughts:

Perhaps in order to get someone to accept being the Island's protector, they had to experience the nature of the island, observe what it meant and who fought over it in order to recognize its importance and bring them to this point of making the decision to protect it.

Jack steps up, and by the end of the episode, he is seemingly made immortal like Jacob. I suppose some of the others could be coerced into killing him, like Ben killed Jacob, but there just aren't that many characters left on the island now.

Jacob explained a lot, but I still don't think he answered this episode's title question - What They Died For. If there was a rhyme or reason, a linking theme or point to the many deaths of all-so-many characters on the Island, then Jacob did not give up that information.

He did explain why Kate's name was crossed out. She had become a mother. So, by that logic, I'm assuming it was Jin who was also a candidate and not Sun, because she was also a mother.

If we are to be satisfied as an audience, DarkLocke has to die in the final episode. So does Ben. Desmond seems destined to die in some way, being used as a tool by both sides. But I'm afraid we are going to have to witness the death of at least one of the last three non-immortal heroes - Kate, Sawyer or Hurley. Perhaps all three of them.

I believe our ace-in-the-hole is the Sidewaysverse. At the moment, it seems to be playing the part of the calvary. Whatever Desmond is planning to do will tip the scales in Jack's favor by the end of the final episode.

The last episode, titled "The End", airs Sunday May 23rd at 9pm. There is also a retrospective special presentation at 7pm titled "Lost: The Final Journey".

Should be television history in the making.