written and posted by members of Lancashire Dead Good Poets' Society

Saturday 4 February 2012

4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42

07:34:00 Posted by Ashley Lister , , , , , 3 comments

By Ashley Lister

SPOILER ALERT. DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVE ANY INTENTION OF WATCHING THE TV SERIES LOST. I GIVE MY INTERPRETATION OF THE ENDING HERE AND I DON’T WANT TO SPOIL IT FOR ANYONE. SPOILING THE SERIES WAS THE JOB OF THE WRITERS.

I could do it. I could do the desert island thing. And I wouldn’t need those eight records that everyone else wants to take to a desert island. I would just need the following:

1) Broadband. How the hell am I expected to blog each week without a broadband connection? I don’t mind if I have to lose my mobile. If I’ve got my mobile logic dictates I’d feel obligated to phone the emergency services and say, ‘Help, I’m stranded on a desert island.’ But, if I have a PC with a broadband connection and an active email address I don’t think I’d feel that need to call for assistance.

2) Microsoft Word. I’m a writer. This is one of the essential things a writer needs.

3) Alcohol. I’m a writer. This is one of the essential things a writer needs.

4) Chocolate. I’m a writer. This is one of the essential things a writer needs.

5) The companionship of the writers of the TV series Lost – so I could maybe eat them when the food ran out.

I mention the writers of the TV series Lost because that was one piece of fiction that I thought was brilliant – right up to the crushing disappointment of the final episode.

The episodes were beautifully written and well-acted and the scenery was to die for. The lovely Barbara Thomas (a previous guest blogger here) introduced me to Lost. She and her husband Jim discussed the myriad possibilities of the Lost-universe and encouraged me to venture my own theory as to what was happening.

I said I thought it was a metaphor for purgatory. The characters were waiting to move onto heaven or hell, depending on where they belonged.

I was assured by several knowledgeable people that variations on my theory had been suggested on many online forums, where it had been dismissed as being too clichéd. Particle Physics was more heavily favoured. Multiverse theories were bandied around and strongly supported. Adam McCance (another previous guest blogger here) said it was all Hurley’s dream.

Guess what happened in the final episode. Can you guess? I’ll give you a clue: I was right. I’d been right since the first f***ing episode.

So, because I was lured into watching six seasons of this series to suffer the disappointment of an unsatisfactory ending, I’d want to take the writers of Lost with me. However, in retrospect, I might not eat them. I’d be worried it would leave a nasty taste in my mouth.

3 comments:

Standard said...

I watched the first series and then Rupert bloody Murdoch bought the rights so never saw another episode.

Thanks for saving me the trouble of catching up :)

Me and Sarah also had a good laugh at your Microsoft Word / alcohol comment. My blogging/writing activity generally consists of disappearing into the computer room with a 4 pack of Fosters.

You got a smile on my face on this cold, coffeeless morning.

Lindsay said...

I only watched the first few seasons and guessed it was purgatory too, but I go so irritated at the lack of answers and the more riddlesome it became the more annoyed I got. It was like the writers of coronation street wringing out a storyline for all it was worth and gave me the rage so I laughed when I heard the ending, I felt justified in my strop with Tv then.

Ashley Lister said...

Ste & Lindsay,

There were some good episodes. And, as I said, the cast were gorgeous and the acting was spot on. It was just that final episode that was weak. I think there could have been much better ways to conclude the series.

And I can certainly see Fosters working as a muse for any writing. If I was to try to wean myself away from any of those at the moment I think I'd try to write something without using MS Word. Now that would be a challenge.

Ash