No, They Weren’t Dead the Whole Time

This nonfiction was primitively published connected February 25, 2021. We’re recirculating it present that Lost is streaming connected Netflix.

When the Lost finale aired connected May 23, 2010, it was a precise large deal. It was also, rather possibly, the past large woody of its kind.

Born from an thought generated by then–ABC president Lloyd Braun, crafted into aviator signifier by co-creators J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, past fleshed retired implicit six seasons into a character-driven, mythologically rich, Emmy-winning existential adventure, the island-based play had go 1 of the biggest pop-cultural obsessions successful the satellite by the extremity of the aughts. Just 1 testament to what a large woody it was: When the White House signaled that the president mightiness present his State of the Union connected the aforesaid nighttime that the premiere of the sixth and last play was scheduled to air, Lost fans went truthful ballistic online that Barack Obama’s squad made definite to convey they would get retired of Lost’s way.

Because Lindelof and co-showrunner Carlton Cuse, on with ABC, announced their plans to extremity the series successful the mediate of the 3rd season, and due to the fact that the show’s mysteries were avidly dissected online similar nary had been before, the fixation connected the last occurrence was extreme. ABC’s promos for “The End,” Lost’s past chapter, hyped it arsenic “the astir anticipated occurrence successful tv history.” That lone sounded similar a slight exaggeration.

The two-and-a-half-hour finale, which outgo upwards of $15 cardinal to make, wrapped up six seasons of narration and time-jumping communicative improvement by having Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox) conflict John Locke (Terry O’Quinn) — who astatine that constituent had go the quality embodiment of the show’s celebrated Smoke Monster — successful an effort to prevention the land wherever the characters crash-landed, portion revealing that its parallel, non-island timeline, dubbed the flash-sideways, was truly a bardo wherever each the cardinal figures from the amusement met to assistance usher Jack into the adjacent realm. The amusement would culminate successful the flash-sideways with Jack & Co. gathering successful a religion and, connected the island, Jack dying successful the jungle, portion Vincent, the Labrador that belonged to young Walt (Malcolm David Kelley), laic down beside him.

When the finale aired, it sparked divided responses (understatement) from fans. Some loved the affectional mode successful which Jack’s travel and that of his chap survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 came to a close. Others were highly vocally aggravated astir not getting much nonstop answers to the show’s galore questions. Still others came distant from it each convinced that the castaways had been dormant the full time. (They were not dead. They truly weren’t.)

What was semi-clear astatine the clip and is adjacent clearer present is that the broadcast of the Lost finale would people the extremity of thing else: the genuinely communal broadcast tv experience. Subsequent finales would beryllium large events (see HBO’s Game of Thrones) and adjacent gully larger audiences (2019’s final Big Bang Theory attracted 18 cardinal viewers, compared to the 13.5 cardinal who tuned successful for the Lost farewell). But thing other since has felt truthful massively anticipated and truthful wide consumed successful existent clip the mode that the extremity of Lost, the Smoke Monster Super Bowl, did successful 2010.

Vulture did extended interviews with writers, cast, and unit members, who reflected connected the improvement of “The End,” the making of the inactive hotly debated episode, and the taste speech it continues to generate. Because, yes, of course, we had to spell back.

Despite accusations from critics that Lindelof, Cuse, and the remainder of the writers were conscionable “making up” Lost arsenic they went along, the seeds for definite elements and imagery that would look successful the finale started to beryllium planted arsenic aboriginal arsenic play one. In an unprecedented determination astatine the time, Lindelof and Cuse aboriginal laid the groundwork for the show’s decision by determining erstwhile it would extremity successful the mediate of the 3rd season.

Carlton Cuse, co-showrunner, enforcement producer, and co-writer of “The End”: We went to ABC successful play 3 and said, “We privation to extremity the show.” I judge the archetypal counteroffer was 9 seasons. We were like, No, we can’t. But we needed to cognize [when we would end]. It was intolerable to determination guardant without a wide consciousness of what the remainder of the travel was. The champion we could bash was get six seasons. At slightest we were capable to extremity the amusement connected our ain timetable. That was thing that hadn’t been done before.

Liz Sarnoff, writer and enforcement producer: The archetypal 3 seasons, we did truthful galore episodes. I mean, we did similar 22 to 25 a season. There wasn’t a batch of clip to speculate connected the future. It was much like, What are we shooting adjacent week? But determination were definite images I cognize that Damon ever had [in caput for the past episode] successful the beginning. Certainly 1 of them was Jack’s oculus closing.

Damon Lindelof, co-creator, co-showrunner, enforcement producer; co-writer of “The End”: I conscionable privation to marque this precise wide and I privation to marque definite that it’s besides successful print: We’re successful memoir territory. I’m giving you what my honorable recollections are, but due to the fact that we’re talking astir memory, they are not to beryllium trusted.

I judge arsenic aboriginal arsenic midway done the archetypal season, erstwhile I was openly saying “This amusement needs to end” — arsenic portion of my, you know, screed — it was “Show opens with Jack’s oculus opening, ends with Jack’s oculus closing.” Once he’s dead, amusement is over. If it wasn’t play one, it was successful the interruption betwixt seasons 1 and play two. It was early.

Eddy Kitsis, writer and enforcement producer: I consciousness similar we besides had the Vincent component. [In the last sequence, Vincent, the canine that belonged to Walt, lies down adjacent to Jack arsenic he’s dying.] I retrieve reasoning astir that for years.

Lindelof: There were definite things that we were already guided by and locked successful on. The archetypal conversations astir the quality who ended up being the Man successful Black were each synonymous with “What is the monster?” Those conversations were happening arsenic aboriginal arsenic that mini-camp [for the writers aft play one].

The thought that the land was a cork, similar virtually stopping up hellhole — we were each Buffy fans, peculiarly successful the play erstwhile Goddard and Fury were hanging astir rather a bit. We did notation to the land arsenic being a cork successful the hellmouth. By the clip Jacob explains that to Richard Alpert successful the last season, that was an thought that was determination for a precise agelong time.

Josh Holloway, James “Sawyer” Ford: I retrieve 1 clip successful play one, I told Damon and Carlton, “You cognize what, the land moves. It’s similar the Death Star.” And Damon got each weird with maine and helium was like, “Who’ve you been talking to?” I was like, “I haven’t talked to nobody. Pretend I ne'er said anything.” And I walked away. So I discontinue my theorizing close there.

Lindelof: The thought that the land was moving was 1 of the brainsick ideas that J.J. threw retired portion we were shooting the pilot. Certainly erstwhile we had the [writers] country unneurotic successful play one, I retrieve having those conversations, due to the fact that Carlton was pitching it successful presumption of, like, constellations oregon thing similar that. We each ever loved the thought and wanted to support it arsenic a secret. When Josh mentioned it, I’m like, “Oh, okay. Someone is fundamentally talking to him.”

Jimmy Kimmel, Lost super-fan and big of Jimmy Kimmel Live! Aloha to Lost, the post-finale special: Those motherfuckers, J.J. and Damon and Carlton, tried to bash a unspeakable happening to maine about, I don’t know, possibly determination successful the 2nd season. I was like, How does this end, what’s going on? I was perpetually pestering them to cognize what was happening. They said, “Here’s what we’ll do. We volition archer you however the bid ends. We volition constitute it down, and we’ll enactment it successful an envelope. And past you tin determine whether you privation to unfastened it oregon not.” I said, “I americium not going to autumn for your intelligence torture,” due to the fact that I cognize I’d upwind up getting precocious and opening that happening astatine similar 2 o’clock successful the greeting and past wrong would beryllium a enactment saying, Aha, we knew you couldn’t wait oregon something. To this day, they curse they were going to constitute the ending down, enactment it successful the envelope, and permission it to maine to determine whether I wanted to unfastened it oregon not.

Jack Bender, manager of “The End”: This was going into our finale season, and we were successful London doing press. Damon and I went to the Tate Modern, and we decided to locomotion backmost [to our hotel]. He said, “Let maine archer you the communicative of however we’re going to extremity the show.” So helium proceeds to archer maine the architecture of what’s going to beryllium happening on the way, and helium says, “Okay, present fto maine archer you astir Locke.” We’ve gotten implicit the bridge, and we’re present walking on determination successful London, heading backmost to the hotel. As helium proceeds to archer maine astir Locke, I look up supra maine and I said, “Damon, stop.” And helium said, “Why?” And I said, “Look up.” And we were successful beforehand of a pub called the Walkabout. I look astatine Damon and helium looks astatine maine and helium goes, “Oh my God.” [The season-one occurrence that reveals Locke was successful a wheelchair earlier landing connected the land is called “Walkabout.”] I said, “I person to instrumentality a representation of you successful beforehand of it.” So I bash that. Then helium says, “Let maine instrumentality 1 of you.” He takes the representation of maine and successful the picture, arsenic helium takes the picture, a antheral successful a wheelchair wheels close by.

Lindelof: Yes, that is true.

Over a two-week play successful the outpouring of 2010, the Lost penning unit gathered, arsenic a radical and successful idiosyncratic penning sessions, to trade the last episode.

Cuse: When you marque a amusement that goes connected for six years, there’s benignant of 2 parallel journeys that are occurring. There’s the 1 that’s happening onscreen, and past there’s the 1 happening offscreen arsenic each the radical who marque the amusement get profoundly bonded and connected to each other. It was adjacent much aggravated with Lost due to the fact that everybody realized that it was specified a important happening and would astir apt beryllium a immense demarcation constituent successful each of our careers.

Sarnoff: Our feelings astir the finale were always, always, that it was going to person to beryllium precise affectional and character-based due to the fact that we recovered erstwhile we gave answers to mysteries and worldly similar that, the assemblage would usually cull them. Mystery shows similar that are truthful tricky due to the fact that cipher wants the enigma to end, but they privation answers.

The level of trouble was, I think, the hardest I’ll ever encounter.

Cuse: I retrieve precise intelligibly conscionable trying to instrumentality to the aforesaid process that had gotten america to the 120th and 121st episode. I deliberation it was truly important that we tried to support our absorption connected that process, which was, Let’s marque a amusement that delights us. Let’s not effort to expect this absorption oregon that reaction. Let’s marque the finale that we ourselves privation to see.

Lindelof: I spent a disproportionate magnitude of clip trying to fig retired if determination was a mode to get Walt into the finale, different than being successful the church. And would it beryllium weird for him to beryllium successful the religion due to the fact that he’s grown now? He looks truthful antithetic than helium did successful the pilot, and everybody other successful the religion benignant of looks similar they did successful play one.

Sarnoff: Damon would ever say, “There’s questions that marque you go, Ohhhh. And past there’s questions that marque you go, Huh. You don’t privation the Huh.” Particularly successful the last country of the finale, you don’t privation radical going, Who’s that kid?

Cuse: Malcolm [David Kelley] grew up truthful we had to fig retired however to marque that enactment successful the discourse of our story. It was a conundrum trying to fig retired however we could bring that quality back, but it felt similar a missing portion to not bash that fixed what happened to him.

Lindelof: There was a batch of Walt interest and that led to america making this epilogue for the DVD called “The New Man successful Charge,” successful which we resoluteness the Walt of it all.

People don’t see it portion of the canon. I do, but the look connected people’s faces erstwhile they’re like, “What astir Walt?” and I’m like, “Oh, we did this thing, and it’s connected the DVD” — they conscionable look similar they privation to strangle me, truthful I get that.

Cuse: There was nary mode to reply each the unfastened questions that existed crossed the anterior 119 episodes of the show. In fact, an effort to bash that would conscionable beryllium didactic. We benignant of tried a mentation of that with the occurrence that was a mates earlier the end, “Across the Sea,” which was this precise mythological occurrence astir the origins of Jacob and the Man successful Black. That was benignant of what answers look like. And I don’t deliberation it was great.

Lindelof:  I walk a batch of clip truly anxious astir whether oregon not thing was bully oregon whether oregon not radical were going to similar it. But I don’t deliberation that I was truly reasoning astir what different radical were going to deliberation astir the finale. I was reasoning astir what I felt astir it, and I was like, “Oh, this is what I privation to do.” We had been talking astir this for a truly agelong time, truthful it was beauteous bully vibes.

Sarnoff: It was 1 of the much affectional times I tin ever retrieve successful immoderate writers’ room. I besides got crab successful play 4 of the show, and it was an acquisition that brought america each precise close. And that was the twelvemonth of the writers’ onslaught and each this different stuff. So it had been an aggravated clip successful the past mates of seasons, and it was hard not to beryllium alert of however overmuch the amusement meant to america but besides however overmuch it meant to different people. Because the Lost fans were similar nary different fans I’ve ever experienced, and they were pissed the amusement was ending, but astatine the aforesaid time, they were truthful affectional astir it.

Kitsis: At astir 9 o’clock 1 night, Damon’s AIM came connected — it ever had this weird punch dependable — and he’s like, Are you up? I was like, Of course. He was like, I’m sending you and Adam [Horowitz] the last piece. And helium sent america that Christian country [with Jack successful the church], the archetypal draft, similar virtually close aft helium wrote it, conscionable to spot what we thought. There was this feeling of specialness due to the fact that it’s like, we were each successful connected this concealed together.

Adam Horowitz, writer and enforcement producer: I retrieve feeling, Wow, this is it. And it was beautiful.

Throughout the show’s run, the Lost squad took steps to marque definite spoilers didn’t leak. (Note: That did not ever work!) But the details surrounding the finale were successful specified request that they were guarded with other intensity.

Holloway: We were each truthful anxious to get the past publication due to the fact that we were like, How are they going to get retired of it? You know, we didn’t spot however they were going to extremity the show. I was like, “Hey, I got a compartment up successful the mountains of Colorado if you request to fell from radical trying to termination you if you don’t bash the ending right.” You know, we were joking with Damon and Carlton. They’re like, “Okay, we mightiness instrumentality you up connected that.”

Michael Emerson (Benjamin Linus): That past publication was a high-security script. When you got pages, which were usually the time you worked, they were printed connected reddish paper, which is unreproducible. This was particularly precocious stakes. This could not get retired into the world.

Maggie Grace (Shannon Rutherford): They truly enjoyed the spy games of getting radical scripts. It was aboriginal then, earlier Marvel took it to different level of paranoia.

Jorge Garcia (Hugo “Hurley” Reyes): The scripts got much and much secretive arsenic the bid progressed. I had to adjacent acquisition a peculiar mailbox that had a fastener connected it truthful that they would beryllium capable to permission the scripts for me. Otherwise, they wouldn’t beryllium capable to present a publication unless I was home. We conscionable kinda strapped it to a seat successful beforehand of my house. If idiosyncratic truly wanted, they could easy conscionable bargain the full mailbox.

Yunjin Kim (Sun): I got the script, but it was thinner than I expected. A batch of the scenes that I was not progressive successful were missing. But it was similar that the past 5 oregon six episodes. In play six, we had a batch of pages missing. The full speech betwixt Jack and his father, Christian Shepherd, I decidedly did not get those pages.

Emerson: My full gig astatine Lost was benignant of operating successful the dark. I got comfy with that. So the finale, due to the fact that we didn’t get a implicit script, it was a batch of guessing — a batch of wondering however things got enactment together, what they would mean, what they would look like. 

Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond): I had phoned Damon and Carlton earlier astir definite things, but ne'er to say, “What is going on?” And present I said, “I request to cognize what’s going connected with my character.” They said, “We don’t privation to archer you the ending. Are you trying to get the ending retired of us?” I was like, “No, I conscionable request to bash my job. I don’t truly cognize what’s going on.”

I couldn’t recognize what I was doing [in the flash-sideways]. Why did I privation to get everyone backmost to the church? Why was I reawakening everyone, what was my objective? At the extremity I got there. I knew what was happening arsenic we were filming it.

Cuse: We were truly acrophobic astir anybody figuring retired what was going to beryllium happening successful the large religion scene. So [during production] we hired 2 extras that looked similar Sun and Jin and we enactment them successful wedding apparel and we enactment them extracurricular the church. And we were taking them successful and retired successful a mode that immoderate paparazzi oregon radical that were trying to fig retired what’s going connected would deliberation that we were staging Sun and Jin’s wedding.

Kim: What? No, no, no. There was nary treble maine successful a wedding dress. No way.

Garcia: I judge they had a pistillate who was similar a Sun treble formal up successful a wedding formal and they would shuttle her periodically [to set]. I ne'er met her. I retrieve seeing a pistillate successful her wedding formal and them often referring to that country arsenic Sun’s wedding, adjacent though we knew that wasn’t thing that was going to spell connected successful it.

Kim: Wow. I had nary thought that was happening. They didn’t archer america thing we didn’t request to know.

Production of the Lost finale, which took spot successful March and April 2010, was an affectional acquisition for members of the formed and crew, who knew it would beryllium their past clip shooting successful Hawaii. The enactment could beryllium physically taxing, daunting, and occasionally a small scary. (There was a spot of a mix-up involving a knife.)

Holloway: I retrieve the [first] time we came to work, we were moving connected the beach, each the chairs around, and we each looked astatine each other, smiling. “Well, they did it, they frickin’ did it. It’s beauteous good. What bash you think?” Some loved it. Some didn’t emotion it, but we each thought it was a bully publication and we were excited to bash it.

Cusick: I deliberation radical were blessed that it was ending. I was 1 of the fewer that was like, We could bash different season. There’s a batch much communicative to beryllium told here.

Terry O’Quinn (John Locke): It was physically stressful due to the fact that you know, I’m not a kid. I deliberation astatine that clip I was 58. I retrieve Matthew [Fox] moving down the elevation and diving astatine maine and I thought, This is going to permission a mark.

Holloway: Didn’t maine and Evy [Evangeline Lily] leap disconnected a cliff?

[Note: Yes. Yes, they did.]

Holloway: I retrieve however brainsick our stunt feline was. I loved him. He was my stunt feline each those years and the stunt coordinator astatine that point: Mike Trisler, ex-fricking Special Forces guy. So he’s like, “Okay, let’s bash this. I’m going to die.” I’m like, “Don’t die, bro. It’s similar 70 feet high. Just jump, you know?” He’s like, “No, it’s cool. It’s chill if I die.” You’re fucking crazy! And helium went ahead, 70 feet disconnected that cliff. They person plaques connected that cliff of the radical who person died. So it’s beauteous major. I retrieve being connected apical of that happening and doing the fake run-up, similar you’re going to bash it. You’ve got to get beauteous adjacent to the edge. Oh, shit. That was scary.

Bender: We were truly up determination [on that cliff]. The actors were truly up there. On immoderate acceptable of mine, it’s ever information first. It conscionable is. I deliberation our enactment shaper was truly reluctant to person a sprout up determination and for each the close reasons. Because it was coming disconnected of the water and the waves were breaking, the spray was up determination astatine times, which made it visually fabulous, but besides each the much dangerous. So we mapped retired the action, wholly harmless and broke down each the shots.

But determination was 1 infinitesimal successful that series which I volition ne'er hide arsenic an enforcement producer, arsenic a director, and arsenic a quality being.

O’Quinn: There was a large combat [between Locke and Jack] with knives and each that benignant of stuff.

Bender: We had a fake weapon and a existent knife. The existent knife, similar whenever you’re doing a movie, is dulled down. But it is simply a existent leaf truthful it won’t wobble, due to the fact that each rubber blades bash that a small bit. Terry was moving with a existent weapon and the fake knife. We had changeable a fig of shots successful the series and were astir apt getting toward the extremity of the shoot. Terry was good rehearsed successful erstwhile helium would person the existent weapon successful his hand, adjacent though it was dull, and erstwhile helium would driblet it and close adjacent to him, an inch distant was the fake knife.

O’Quinn: We were wrestling and wrestling and the occurrence hoses were going and determination was h2o and astatine 1 point, I had the existent weapon out. [Matthew] saw maine propulsion it retired and past we wrestled with it.

Bender: We were doing this power with the leaf and Terry picked up the incorrect one.

O’Quinn: I plunged it into Matthew’s side. Well, Matthew had a pad [under his shirt] that was astir apt astir the size of your extended palm, wherever I’m expected to stab him. It was conscionable to support him from wherever I was expected to stab him.  I don’t deliberation I held my manus retired to hold for the speech due to the fact that we were caught up successful the action. So I stabbed him with a existent knife.

Bender: The country ended with Matt rolling disconnected and adjacent happening I cognize these guys are fucking laughing. I’m going, what’s going on? Terry goes, “I fucked up.” I went, “Oh my God.”

O’Quinn: Fortunately, I stabbed him wherever I was expected to, truthful it didn’t pierce his pad. I don’t deliberation immoderate harm was done. I realized erstwhile I tried to stab him and [the leaf didn’t retract], I said, “Oh, this is not the close one.” But mostly speaking, erstwhile you usage a weapon successful a combat similar that, the existent knife, you would person trouble cutting food with it. They won’t springiness you a unsafe weapon to wrestle with.

Emerson: I chiefly retrieve being injured [during accumulation of the finale]. I had torn the meniscus successful my near genu on-set. We were shooting a scene, it indispensable person been possibly 3 oregon 4 episodes earlier the finale. I was conscionable sitting, waiting for the adjacent camera shot, and idiosyncratic said, “Okay, camera’s up, let’s get going.” And I was sitting cross-legged, and I just, similar a young antheral would, heaved myself up retired of that position, but it was much than my genu could instrumentality and I heard thing snap.

There’s a country [in the finale] wherever Hurley and I conscionable astatine a rocky stream, and I thought “Oh my God, however americium I going to negociate walking connected these slippery rocks with a atrocious limb and what happens if I spell down” and each of that. That was a spot of a preoccupation with me, truthful I whitethorn not person been arsenic spiritually contiguous arsenic I would person wished.

While erstwhile seasons of Lost included regular flashbacks and, later, flash-forwards, the sixth play featured what were called flash-sideways: glimpses of the characters successful a parallel beingness wherever Oceanic 815 had ne'er crashed. In “The End,” the flash-sideways realm was revealed to be, successful Lindelof’s words, a bardo wherever respective characters’ memories of their lives connected the land were triggered by interaction oregon moments that echoed things that happened post-crash. One of the much affectional trigger moments progressive Lost power mates Sawyer and Juliet realizing that they had known each different successful different beingness connected the island.

Lindelof: From a writerly standpoint, it’s intolerable for maine to convey to you successful words what the rules of the sideways were, different than to accidental we called it a bardo successful the writers’ room, which was mostly based connected a conception successful the Tibetan Book of the Dead, which is this thought that erstwhile you die, you acquisition an afterlife wherever you bash not cognize that you are dead, and the full intent of that afterlife is for you to travel to the consciousness that you person died.

I was capable to springiness the amusement truthful overmuch enactment successful the sideways due to the fact that it was virtually the spot that they made unneurotic truthful that they could find each other. Contrivance and Dickensian coincidence, which is the worldly that we loved truthful overmuch successful the show, was truly capable to let its freak emblem to alert successful that material.

Holloway: I retrieve going, “Man, is this going to beryllium cheesy?” Like, I’m getting a Coca-Cola and I interaction her manus and I person to bash this happening wherever I person this flash of memory. We were each thinking, Oh man, I wonderment if it’s going to work. And erstwhile they did it, it was awesome, I thought.

Lindelof: We made definite that radical understood that successful the ever-after Sawyer and Juliet were going to beryllium together. Those things were musts, they needed to beryllium serviced. And hopefully the bully broadside of instrumentality service, wherever the fans truly privation you to perceive to them.

Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet Burke): I retrieve [while shooting that scene] the aerial conditioning was rattling similar brainsick and it was driving dependable brainsick and past we were each talking astir it. Then I conscionable looked astatine Josh and the characters were conscionable determination and it was — I conscionable retrieve thinking, Oh yeah, present we are.

Holloway: Elizabeth was truthful sweet, is truthful sweet, arsenic a person. Like, you can’t shingle her. I tried to get her mad. I’d conscionable beryllium an asshole sometimes, similar being Sawyer-ish connected set. She would conscionable beryllium like, “Oh, Josh.”

Mitchell: Jack was filming that country and I ended up truthful grateful helium understood that we needed it to conscionable spell until [the close emotion] was determination and I deliberation that’s what we did.

The astir affectional country successful the occurrence comes toward the end, erstwhile Jack arrives astatine the religion and is told by his begetter that he’s dead. He past enters the sanctuary of the religion and finds everyone helium knew connected the island, precisely arsenic helium remembers past seeing them. This reunion intercuts betwixt shots of Jack, having saved the island, stumbling to his last resting spot successful the jungle.

Barry Jossen, erstwhile caput of ABC Studios: I woke up the adjacent greeting [after speechmaking the script] and determination were a fewer thoughts astir what they had that really concerned maine truthful overmuch that I couldn’t fto it go.

So I called them [in Hawaii]. I deliberation archetypal I called Carlton. It was a bully dialogue, it was a bully backmost and forth. Carlton is an intelligence processor, truthful helium benignant of worked his mode through, helium asked questions. “Let maine speech to Damon,” helium said. Thirty minutes later, Damon called maine back.

We had our backmost and forth, and my recollection is immoderate was bugging maine was the last infinitesimal successful the speech betwixt Jack and his father. Probably what I was looking for successful that infinitesimal was possibly much answers and possibly much clarity. I deliberation that was what mightiness person been playing out. I bash retrieve what Damon said to me: “I’m going to commencement crying. You’re truly upsetting me.” “What bash you mean?” “Because I’m trying to figure retired what you request oregon what you’re wanting oregon what you’re saying, and I deliberation it makes sense. I’m conscionable so” — I don’t retrieve what his nonstop look was — “I americium conscionable truthful acceptable for it to determination forward.”

They’re virtually astatine their hotels getting acceptable to spell to this acceptable and sprout the last moments of the show. And I’m connected the telephone saying immoderate mentation of, “Yeah, but.”

Lindelof: Barry’s recollection seems to beryllium accordant with my own. The 1 happening I cannot retrieve is what dialog was added, if any, to fulfill his note.  I cognize that “This was the spot you made unneurotic to find each other” was already there. It’s imaginable that the added dialog was Jack asking for clarity connected what was existent and Christian saying, “It was each real,  it each happened,” but arsenic I nary longer person entree to the aggregate drafts and their respective dates, I honestly couldn’t archer you.

I retrieve being precise affectional and wanting it to beryllium over.

Jossen: We had our speech and helium said, “Okay, fto maine deliberation astir it. I get it. I cognize what to do.” There’s truthful overmuch brilliance successful Carlton, there’s truthful overmuch brilliance successful Damon. They went and did their work. And I mean, I loved it.

Lindelof: There’s worldly that makes maine grimace a bit. Like it’s not rather a regret, but I deliberation that if we didn’t person that damn stained-glass window, we would’ve gotten a afloat missive people higher connected the finale. The literalness of the model — that’s a portion that made maine grit my teeth a small spot and spell like, God, you know, why? We truly thought that was a bully thought astatine the time, truthful we person to forgive ourselves. But it’s conscionable a span excessively far.

Bender: My thought was to support each the actors benignant of distant from each different until we got successful the country successful the religion connected the set. Because it would beryllium truthful large not to person them spot each different until they’re there, and yet I knew that couldn’t hap fixed wardrobe and hairsbreadth and radical moving into each different and you know, the information that radical are people.

Garcia: I retrieve determination being truthful galore formed chairs of fundamentally everyone who’s ever been [on the show] almost, conscionable each lined up successful 2 rows with everybody’s sanction connected their backs.

Lindelof: Hanging retired astatine trade services, I truly retrieve regretting that Harold [Perrineau] was not determination successful the church. And I retrieve wherefore we made that decision, due to the fact that for Michael to beryllium there, it would besides mean that Walt would person to beryllium there. And past Cynthia Watros was getting an iced beverage astatine trade services. And I was like, Libby is successful the church? That’s nary excavation connected Cynthia. We wanted Libby determination due to the fact that Hurley wanted Libby there. I conscionable retrieve it being precise weird successful summation to being precise emotional.

O’Quinn: That was wonderful. It was benignant of similar a people reunion and graduation and a household reunion, benignant of each astatine the aforesaid time.

Bender: I got 4 cameras, and I told the camera operators, who are brilliant, “I conscionable privation you to seizure these moments, and I privation you to travel the characters around, wider shots, tighter shots, and unreal we’re doing a documentary connected each of these actors coming backmost unneurotic again and conscionable sprout it all.” A batch of it was conscionable spontaneous. Then I’d accidental to Jorge, “Go implicit and prime up Matt and springiness him a carnivore hug.” And it was fabulous. It’s everybody’s phantasy of what happens erstwhile we die. That you’re with the radical you’ve lived with and you emotion and person argued with and it’s a country afloat of forgiveness.

Emilie De Ravin, Claire Littleton: It was truly creation imitating beingness oregon beingness imitating creation successful a consciousness due to the fact that we’d conscionable beryllium disconnected wandering astir astatine night, chatting, laughing, catching up, hanging retired astir the trailers, and past spell into the religion and benignant of bash the aforesaid thing. Not exactly, but it was a truly peculiar evening

Grace: I deliberation we had a benignant of unusual fake babe for Emilie de Ravin’s baby. So we were goofing astir with whose babe that was and taking a batch of pictures of the baby. It was a benignant of creepy doll.  I deliberation we each mightiness person had a solid of vino aboriginal that night.

Live Together, Party Together

Holloway: We besides got drunk, I think, portion we did it. A small bit, you know, due to the fact that we’re each celebrating. That was the past country that we each did together. So we were slipping implicit to each other’s trailer and having a solid of wine, going  backmost successful and doing immoderate much scene. It was great.

Cusick: I brought my household — my woman and my children were there. I retrieve radical playing the guitar and singing. Somebody was singing “Hallelujah.” I don’t cognize who it was. It could person been Terry.

O’Quinn: “Hallelujah” was successful my repertoire close astir that time. I ever took the guitar to the acceptable determination due to the fact that you could ever spell disconnected to the side, and Naveen [Andrews, who played Sayid] ever liked to play it.

De Ravin: Daniel [Dae Kim] really posted a video recently, I deliberation it was connected his Instagram and I reposted it. It brought backmost truthful galore memories. I’m sitting adjacent to Maggie and swaying backmost and forth. Oh, it’s truthful sweet. That wasn’t just, “Oh, it’s the finale and the past scene.” The full tally of the show, that’s benignant of the vibe. It was sitting successful camping chairs connected the formation astatine 3 successful the greeting with fires — due to the fact that we had them for acceptable — sitting by the “fake but real” fire, singing. Just that camaraderie of sun-burnt, mosquito-bitten friends connected the formation conscionable singing and chilling retired and truly trying to clasp however fortunate we were to beryllium capable to movie successful specified a beauteous place. This was our job, and we each felt precise lucky.

Lost episodes usually came unneurotic connected choky deadlines, and “The End” was nary exception. Editors began to enactment overtime connected the episode, some portion accumulation was inactive successful advancement and aft it was completed, and Michael Giacchino composed and oversaw the signaling of its score.

Cuse: I deliberation we had 8 days successful full to edit a two-hour bid finale. And past the amusement had to march done each of the assorted different bits of postproduction, which were elaborate, including dependable mixing, ocular effects, music. I mean everything was crazy.

Ra’uf Glasgow, shaper who supervised postproduction: The past 2 months of the amusement was truly 7 days a week, either starting connected editorial oregon past moving into mixing and the different aspects of postproduction.

Michael Giacchino, people composer: I would mostly person 3 days [to compose] and orchestrate [the music] and past we’d grounds it connected the 4th day. It was not a batch of time, and it was a two-part finale, truthful determination was a batch to do. And they were extra-long episodes, truthful determination was much euphony than normal.

Mark Goldman, editor: All the editors, arsenic I remember, had antithetic times wherever astatine immoderate constituent we cried watching it. I was moving connected the country with Jack and his dada successful the sideways wherever Jack finds retired that he’s died. We had a screening of the amusement and Damon and I went backmost to my country to reappraisal that scene. We started conscionable talking astir the taxable of fathers and dying and things similar that. Then I was like, “All right, well, fto maine bash these notes for you. Give maine similar a half-hour.” He’s like, “Okay.” And helium hops out. I crook astir and I commencement cutting and astir 30 seconds later, I abruptly burst into tears. One of the different editors was screening for web execs and astatine the extremity of it everybody, including the editor, was sitting determination crying.

Giacchino: I ne'er work immoderate of the scripts and past coming to the finale, I surely didn’t work that. They were besides precise protective of everything successful wide anyway. Not that I couldn’t person gotten them if I wanted to, but it conscionable worked better.

Jossen: There were a batch of tears successful the editing country that time erstwhile we each watched it for the archetypal clip together. A batch of tears. I mean, Stephen Stemel [one of the different editors] — virtually two-thirds of the mode in, the astir important dependable successful the country was either him reaching to his Kleenex container for different Kleenex oregon conscionable the dependable of him sniffling.

Giacchino: What I would bash is commencement astatine the opening of the occurrence and enactment my mode done it. That mode I was reacting to watching it and immoderate I was experiencing arsenic I watched it, that was past enactment into the music. I felt similar that was a amended acquisition for the audience, to consciousness that it’s much spontaneous. You’re virtually getting my reaction, my emotion, that I had astatine the infinitesimal of seeing that for the archetypal time.

Goldman: The lone clip [Ra’uf] near [the premix stage] was erstwhile his woman gave commencement to a babe boy. That is virtually true. In the mediate of the finale, Ra’uf’s wife’s h2o burst.

Glasgow: I drove location and got location successful clip for him to beryllium born. He was calved astatine home. I slept a fewer hours and came a mates hours precocious to the premix stage, but went consecutive backmost to the premix signifier the adjacent morning.

Goldman: What’s chill is that babe supplied the crying for erstwhile Claire gives commencement successful the sideways.

Glasgow: It wasn’t my son. It was my daughter. She was, I privation to accidental 2 oregon 3. Those are the tricks you extremity up doing. You go, “Oh, we request this happening and we don’t person it.” Then it’s benignant of like, “Oh, travel implicit present and outcry into my iPhone.”

When the finale aired, immoderate viewers came distant reasoning that, from the precise opening of the series, the survivors of Oceanic 815 had really been dead. A post-credits series whitethorn person inadvertently contributed to that impression, but the dispersed of this disinformation ends now.

Cuse: I lone truly person 1 regret astir the full travel of Lost and that was astatine the very, precise end. Barry Jossen, helium called Damon and maine and helium said, “You know, I’m disquieted that we’re going to travel retired of this incredibly affectional ending of this amusement and past slam into a Proctor & Gamble commercialized and that isn’t going to beryllium good. Is determination immoderate mode to soften that oregon ameliorate that? Is determination immoderate footage that exists that we could enactment astatine the extremity to conscionable benignant of easiness the assemblage retired of the amusement and into commercials?”

Jossen: He calls maine backmost astatine immoderate point: “I talked to Damon. We deliberation it’s a truly chill idea. It’s the wreckage of the level and the antithetic props and the formation and the h2o and it’s each beautiful. And we’ve ever loved the photos and I’ve ever thought like, Wow, wouldn’t it beryllium chill to find thing to bash with that? So what we find is possibly what we’ll bash is we’ll chopped a montage of these photos and enactment them astatine the extremity of the episode.”

Cuse: The lone happening that we had oregon we could find was, sometime during the archetypal season, the wintertime was coming and each of the pieces of the airplane had to get moved disconnected the formation due to the fact that successful Hawaii, successful the winter, the North Shore of Oahu, the full geography changes. Huge waves travel successful and the beaches erode away. It was an biology hazard. So earlier each the pieces of the Oceanic level were moved disconnected the beach, a portion went retired and filmed them.

So we enactment that footage astatine the extremity of the amusement and I deliberation that the occupation was that the assemblage was truthful accustomed connected Lost to the thought that everything had meaning and intent and intentionality. So they work into that footage astatine the extremity that, you know, they were dead. That was not the intention. The volition was conscionable to make a communicative pause. But it was excessively portentous. It took connected different meaning. And that meaning I think, distorted our intentions and helped make that misperception.

Garcia: I thought that was a bully spot to decompress astatine the extremity of it. Then I recovered retired the adjacent time however radical started interpreting it arsenic a happening and I was like, Oh, okay. And radical inactive accidental it. People inactive speech astir it the aforesaid way.

Lindelof: It ne'er adjacent occurred to america that looking astatine the wreckage of the level connected the formation implicit the extremity titles would beryllium perceived arsenic immoderate benignant of monolithic uncover successful the mode that the precise French cinema, similar successful Caché, erstwhile the extremity titles are rolling, that’s erstwhile they springiness you the large “Oh my God” moment.

Cuse: I deliberation we could person done immoderate things to marque it wide that that wasn’t what you were expected to instrumentality away. But 1 of the large intentions of the amusement was intentional ambiguity and giving radical the accidental to digest and construe Lost arsenic they privation to if they wanted to. And astatine immoderate level, you know, you can’t person it some ways.

Holloway: I’m inactive confused. I’ll beryllium honorable with you. I deliberation that’s 1 theory. We could person each been dead. Or we could person been successful similar this purgatory thing. I ever thought that, and inactive bash benignant of truly deliberation it was much that. To me, that’s what makes much sense. Then they benignant of sidestepped it with the parallel beingness astatine the end. But I don’t know, due to the fact that they ever said, “No, it’s not purgatory.”

Emerson: I don’t deliberation I could person explained the ending to idiosyncratic astatine the infinitesimal [when I watched it]. But I indispensable person watched it again later. And past it began to autumn into spot for me, and I began to beryllium capable to picture what I thought it was oregon what it meant successful a much effectual way. And past I grew happier and happier with the ending implicit time.

Sarnoff: That [coda] didn’t assistance things. Also I deliberation a batch of radical had been saying that each on and they wanted to beryllium right. You cognize what I mean? It’s similar if you person a mentation and you tin marque it enactment based connected the grounds of ABC doing that and the mode we told the story, I deliberation you’re going to spell for it.

Jossen: There were ever Easter eggs. So present erstwhile we’re giving them the imagery successful a mode that they’ve ne'er seen it before, it would marque consciousness that the super-fans would present privation to springiness it meaning and they thought it was intended for them to bash so. This is of people position due to the fact that we were wrong the making of the amusement and each the super-fans were wrong the acquisition of watching it.

Lindelof: Whether you similar the finale oregon whether you don’t similar the finale, that doesn’t truly bug maine excessively much. But that thought — they were dormant the full time — it negates the full show, it negates the full constituent of the show. I’ve travel to judge implicit clip — whether I’m close oregon I’m wrong, this is wherever I find solace — that the radical who truly deliberation they were dormant the full clip did not ticker the last play of the show, they conscionable watched the finale. And galore of them checked retired connected the amusement astir play three. I recovered that if idiosyncratic said to me, “Were they dormant the full time?” and I asked them, “Do you cognize who Lapidus oregon Faraday are?” they could not reply those questions. Lapidus and Faraday are not characters who conscionable popular successful in play six; they were large characters who featured precise prominently successful what I would telephone the 3rd enactment of the show. Again, this is not provable data. There are astir apt radical retired determination who volition accidental “I’ve watched each azygous episode, and I judge they were dormant the full time.” I conjecture I would say, “Let’s debate. You beryllium Phyllis Schlafly and I’ll beryllium Bella [Abzug] and let’s dance.”

Braun: When you person a amusement that has exploded the mode Lost did and gets into the Zeitgeist the mode Lost did and is beloved the mode Lost was, it’s astir intolerable to extremity a amusement similar that and delight everybody. I’m telling you, it’s an intolerable task.

Bender: The happening that I loved astir the finale and we were crucified for and inactive occasionally are is that yet the amusement Lost was not immoderate Marvel-esque, super-sci-fi ending. What I’m astir arrogant of, among the galore things astir the show, is it was yet astir however we unrecorded our lives, who we unrecorded them with and however we die.

O’Quinn: All you heard was the negative. I heard plentifulness of that, but I didn’t instrumentality it personally. I often thought successful the people of the making of the show, if you don’t get it, you’re conscionable not paying attraction oregon it’s conscionable not your cupful of tea. It was written good capable that the full thing, if you’d simply watched and paid attention, you would recognize what they were trying to say. Or astatine slightest travel to immoderate conclusions yourself.

I cognize that the dissatisfaction with the extremity of a amusement is common. Even I was dissatisfied with Game of Thrones. I thought that seemed similar they benignant of hurried retired the door, they threw their apparel connected and they were gone. But I wanted to constitute them a missive and say, “Welcome to the club.”

Cusick: The amusement is not astir the ending. The amusement is the entirety of the six seasons that you had and trying to retrieve each the emotions that you had erstwhile you couldn’t hold to find retired what was successful the hatch. That was the show. It was a clip erstwhile determination was nary binge-watching, truthful you had to hold until adjacent week, which is infuriating, you know? And yet truthful delicious.

Kimmel: The thought that radical would enactment truthful overmuch value connected what happened astatine the extremity is missing the point. The constituent of that amusement was the amusive and the enigma and trying to fig retired what was going on. And possibly that’s inactive portion of the fun, that we inactive haven’t precisely figured retired what was going on.

It truly was the astir interactive show, I think, ever. Not since the Bible person truthful galore scholars worked truthful hard to construe what was written.

Holloway:  I can’t hold until my girl gets to the close property truthful I tin ticker it with her. She keeps trying to ticker it with me, but my woman is specified a stickler with that. Like, “No, it’s not appropriate.” So I’m going to sneak successful and ticker it with her.

Garcia: I ran into Damon astatine an airdrome [last] … March? I was connected my mode to Atlanta to spell bash an occurrence of MacGyver. It was close erstwhile we started getting connection that this apocalypse was starting. I was talking to him and his woman and past helium waved his lad over, who is truthful grown now. [Damon’s] like, “He conscionable started watching it.” His lad was great, truthful enthusiastic. He recognized maine and helium got existent excited to travel and conscionable me. I was like, Oh, that’s cool. His son’s going to beryllium a fan. That’s awesome.