swf, gateway to satisfaction by drsp58

I've more than once expressed to be very satisfied with the end of LOST. I'd like to share some of that enthusiasm and that made me write this article, although I've also said to stay away from theorizing. The latter had to do with the debate - and occasionally fight - about the "right" interpretation. I'm not pretending to be "right" nor interested in it, I just hope that if I can make some see things from the angle I have, they may share my satisfaction.

Some of the debate had to do with the meaning - or lack thereof - of the SWF timeline. I'd like to illustrate why I think the SWF is essential to the beauty of season 6. If you look at the character's behaviour in the SWF, you might stipulate that they all behaved in the way they saw themselves at the time of the crash; in their self-image. I'll illustrate this: Jack wanted to be mr. perfect and lo and behold, his life in the SWF looked like that: he had a wife, a child even and was eager on fixing Locke. Locke, for his part, accepted his handicap, just as his failed walkabout suggested him to do. Kate was the fugitive she saw herself as. However, before the crash she also felt that the murder was for a good reason and was committed from the good of her heart. Not seeing herself as only bad, she decided to help Claire in episode 6.02 and ultimately in 6.17/18. Charlie was the addict and drunk he was before the crash, and Sawyer looking for justice, just as before. Jin and Sun still were in a marriage darkened by the influence of Sun's father, Sun pregnant. Sayid thought he was a bad guy, having tortured in the army, and behaved as such in the SWF. Hurley was rich as before, but this time could do something good with it because he had no bad luck. At least in the beginning of the SWF, they had no knowledge at all about their life on the island. It looks like each of them was captured and driven by the flawed life (Jacob's words) led before. They led the lives they thought they would lead and for most, these were not very satisfying. I'm not saying the above is proof for the self-image nature of the SWF, just that it's plausible, at least I think so.

The island gave each a fresh start and allowed them to explore and find other traits of themselves, with the same self-image to begin with of course, but without some of the burden: no cops chasing you, no con to hunt down, no criminal stepfather etc. The island life provided for each an opportunity to find new happiness and satisfaction, with the same personality they had previously, but in new circumstances. However challenging and at times perilous the island life was, it over time provided for each and everyone something to be happy with.

Now try to imagine what will happen if you live your life with a burden of the past, with your own neuroses, and suddenly you're confronted with an image of yourself that showed your dreams fulfilled (yes, I have fixed things, I have shown to care about others, I am loved etc). Second chance succesful, I can do it! It were these sudden confrontations that led to extreme happiness in 6.17/18. Seeiing a happy life for yourself, seeing yourself as good and shedding the burden of the past, letting go. The emotions came from the merging of the timelines, implying that each of them was as necessary as the other. It takes two to tango.

The above suggests two things more: first, that redemption was achieved through behaviour on the island, i.e. the island was purgatory. Second, if the start of the SWF timeline was indeed a continuation of pre-crash self-images as I suggest, they all died at the crash. Those implications however are not what I find important. It's the concept of letting go of burden that does. And through the suddenness the emotion that came with it was extreme, both in the show as with many of the audience.

I've rewatched the episode 5 times since. With the above concept in mind, it's beautiful to watch the expression of those just "enlightened". They wish others to have the same experience and excellent acting shows it all: Locke wishing Jack that someone would do for him what Jack just did for Locke, Kate and Claire "inviting" Charlie for his moment of revelation. Sun and Jin happy with Juliet, who likely thought the happiness had to do with seeing the ultrasound. But maybe, just maybe, there was more of letting go in that (of which Juliet knew nothing). Perfect execution in both image and sound.