Going to skip past the majority of the unanswered questions the finale left us with to debate over the next 8 months and go right into the most important part.
We finally saw Jacob, and we finally got a glimpse of how long this war has been going on. And we now know that the answer to the question 'What lies in the shadow of the statue?' is 'He who will save us all'.
So we have these two guys, close in 'age', at least physically, one dressed in white, one dressed in black, playing out their game of humanity on an island separated from time and space. Good versus evil, darkness versus light, free will versus destiny. Lost reveals itself finally as a literal battle over the souls of mankind. They've been there since the dawn of humanity, guiding various groups that find their way to the island and setting the course of history through interactions with countless cultures.
The first scene of the first part of the season 5 finale lays out the entire structure of the 'game':
Man in Black: You're trying to prove me wrong.
JACOB: You are wrong.
Man in Black: They come, they fight, they destroy, they corrupt. It always ends the same.
JACOB: It can only end once. Everything before that is progress.
Jacob is 'good', an undeniable optimist and friendly person that has every hope and confidence that mankind will eventually evolve to the point that they will be able to survive this hostile world and reach a level of civilization that doesn't 'fight, destroy, corrupt'. The other is 'evil', with no faith in mankind, angry at his lot in existence, yearning for the day that he will finally outwit Jacob and kill him, so he can go on and destroy the world.
All of the world's religions throughout time are bound to this one simple doctrine. Light vs. Dark, creation vs. destruction. In Lost, they are and always have been two sides of the same coin. One can not exist without the other. Until...
It can only end once. Everything before that is progress.
We can now look back at the events throughout time and see that these two men, whatever they represent, have influenced every age and forward step of mankind. That's why there are so many religious elements to the show, and why no one religion takes center stage. They've all been started or inspired by interactions both on and off the island by these two figures. The stories, the traditions, the doctrines are different because of the cultures that are brought to the island and subsequently released after their human nature causes them to reject paradise.
I think this is indeed the end because for the first time we have people from all across the world taking part in the game. The crash of 815 and 316 brought people representing nearly all current types of civilizations. It is literally now or never for 'us' to overcome our differences and reach the level that will allow the two sides to depart and trust humanity to govern itself.
Season 6 will be this war. The man in black is now in control, seemingly having cast aside Jacob with a little help from Ben 'Judas' Linus. But Jacob is smarter than that, and knew this day was coming, which is why he spent so much time off the island interacting with the key people in the final 'act' during their lives. I doubt that those were the only times Jacob had visited our losties. Notice that he touched each one in some way, literally. A pat on the shoulder, a tap on the nose, a brushing of the finger while passing a pen or a candy bar to them. He was establishing a protective shield around them, and imparting a bit of his soul to each, so that when the time came (and time being an important concept for an omnipotent being not enslaved by time or space), he could gather them up for his defense.
Yes, I think Jacob is dead. Satan killed God, if you would like to see things that way. But in our heroes (less RIP Locke), he has given humanity the opportunity to kill Satan. To free itself from the need of either good or evil.
It can only end once, and 'they're coming'.
We finally saw Jacob, and we finally got a glimpse of how long this war has been going on. And we now know that the answer to the question 'What lies in the shadow of the statue?' is 'He who will save us all'.
So we have these two guys, close in 'age', at least physically, one dressed in white, one dressed in black, playing out their game of humanity on an island separated from time and space. Good versus evil, darkness versus light, free will versus destiny. Lost reveals itself finally as a literal battle over the souls of mankind. They've been there since the dawn of humanity, guiding various groups that find their way to the island and setting the course of history through interactions with countless cultures.
The first scene of the first part of the season 5 finale lays out the entire structure of the 'game':
Man in Black: You're trying to prove me wrong.
JACOB: You are wrong.
Man in Black: They come, they fight, they destroy, they corrupt. It always ends the same.
JACOB: It can only end once. Everything before that is progress.
Jacob is 'good', an undeniable optimist and friendly person that has every hope and confidence that mankind will eventually evolve to the point that they will be able to survive this hostile world and reach a level of civilization that doesn't 'fight, destroy, corrupt'. The other is 'evil', with no faith in mankind, angry at his lot in existence, yearning for the day that he will finally outwit Jacob and kill him, so he can go on and destroy the world.
All of the world's religions throughout time are bound to this one simple doctrine. Light vs. Dark, creation vs. destruction. In Lost, they are and always have been two sides of the same coin. One can not exist without the other. Until...
It can only end once. Everything before that is progress.
We can now look back at the events throughout time and see that these two men, whatever they represent, have influenced every age and forward step of mankind. That's why there are so many religious elements to the show, and why no one religion takes center stage. They've all been started or inspired by interactions both on and off the island by these two figures. The stories, the traditions, the doctrines are different because of the cultures that are brought to the island and subsequently released after their human nature causes them to reject paradise.
I think this is indeed the end because for the first time we have people from all across the world taking part in the game. The crash of 815 and 316 brought people representing nearly all current types of civilizations. It is literally now or never for 'us' to overcome our differences and reach the level that will allow the two sides to depart and trust humanity to govern itself.
Season 6 will be this war. The man in black is now in control, seemingly having cast aside Jacob with a little help from Ben 'Judas' Linus. But Jacob is smarter than that, and knew this day was coming, which is why he spent so much time off the island interacting with the key people in the final 'act' during their lives. I doubt that those were the only times Jacob had visited our losties. Notice that he touched each one in some way, literally. A pat on the shoulder, a tap on the nose, a brushing of the finger while passing a pen or a candy bar to them. He was establishing a protective shield around them, and imparting a bit of his soul to each, so that when the time came (and time being an important concept for an omnipotent being not enslaved by time or space), he could gather them up for his defense.
Yes, I think Jacob is dead. Satan killed God, if you would like to see things that way. But in our heroes (less RIP Locke), he has given humanity the opportunity to kill Satan. To free itself from the need of either good or evil.
It can only end once, and 'they're coming'.
