The End

The End
Season	6
Episode number	17
Airdate(s)	May 23, 2010
Length	105:34
Flash-sideways	Jack Ben Locke Sawyer Kate Desmond Hurley Miles Jin & Sun Claire
Writer	Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse
Director	Jack Bender
Guests	Neil Hopkins - Liam Pace Dylan Minnette - David Shephard John Pyper-Ferguson - Bocklin
Co-stars	Paul Mitri - Roadie Eric Nemoto - Oceanic Rep Alan Seabock - Sub Captain Christina Souza - Nurse
Transcript	The End transcript

"The End" is the 17th and final episode in Season 6 of Lost, the final episode of the series, and produced hours 120 & 121 (the second hour being extended) of the series as a whole. It was broadcast on May 23, 2010.

This episode made television history as the first scripted/non-sports TV show to have an episode be simulcast in multiple countries, other than the US and Canada. Italy, Ireland, Israel, Spain, Portugal, Turkey and the United Kingdom showed the episode at the same time as the West Coast broadcasting in the early hours of May 24, 2010 (5am to 7am, depending on location) in Europe.

Synopsis

Previously on Lost

• Jacob tells Jack of The Light's location. Jacob then tells Jack he has to protect it for as long as he can. Jack replaces Jacob as leader of the island. ("What They Died For")
• Jacob witnesses his brother become the Monster. ("Across the Sea")
• The Man in Black throws Desmond in the well. ("Everybody Loves Hugo")
• The Man in Black and Ben return to the well, finding nothing. MiB says that when he finds Desmond, Desmond is going to help him "destroy the island". ("What They Died For")
• In the flash-sideways timeline, Desmond runs over Locke. ("Everybody Loves Hugo")
• Desmond turns himself in, with Sayid in his cell and Kate's right beside him. ("What They Died For")
• Desmond, Kate and Sayid are let go by Officer Cortez, with Hugo Reyes taking Sayid and Desmond taking Kate. Desmond then tells Kate that they are going to a concert. ("What They Died For")

Flash-sideways timeline (2004)

Christian's coffin arrives at LAX.

Dr. Jack Shepherd studies x-rays in his office as he prepares for surgery.

Ben Linus makes tea.

John Locke is taken on a gurney to theatre as he looks at his wheelchair.

Christian Shepherd's coffin is loaded on an Oceanic delivery truck.

James Ford readies for a day's work and sees the mirror he broke.

Kate waits in Hurley's Camaro as the Oceanic truck arrives at Eloise's church. Desmond signs for the body and Bocklin unloads it and takes it into the church. ♪ Desmond goes to the car and tells Kate that it is Christian Shepherd who died. Kate remarks at the combination of names in "Christian Shepherd". Kate wants to know why Desmond busted her out and is taking her to a concert. Desmond tells her that no one can tell her why she is here. He tells her his name and that although she doesn't realize it, he is her friend and that what he wants is to leave. Kate says: "Leave and go where?" Desmond offers to show her. ♪

Hurley arrives at the Flightline Motel with Sayid. He offers him a tranquilizer gun and when Sayid refuses it and calls him insane, Hurley agrees and asks him to wait. Sayid asks what if he doesn't wait. Hurley replies that it is his choice but if he sticks with him he'll be happy he did. ♪ At Room 102, rock star Charlie is out of it and swigging from the bottle. He rebuffs Hurley saying that he doesn't care about the concert. Hurley tries to persuade him by telling him the concert is the most important thing he will ever do, but on being told to "sod off" Hurley shoots a tranquilizer into Charlie's back and dumps him in the back of the hummer. Sayid is amazed.

Hurley and Sayid arrive at the concert location as Miles arrives. Miles thinks he saw Sayid in the Hummer so he calls Ford and gets him to check that Sun Paik is alright at the Hospital.

At the Hospital Jin is caring for Sun at her bedside. Dr. Juliet Carlson comes in to give Sun an ultrasound. As soon as she starts the procedure Sun flashes back to the last time Juliet gave Sun an ultrasound. ♪ Sun cries as she says to Jin that she remembers and as Juliet tells them that the baby is fine. They tell Juliet it is a girl and her name is Ji Yeon. ♪

Dr. Shephard talks to John Locke before surgery. He tells John jokingly that there is a chance that he could kill him but he is confident and will see him on the "other side." John asks about the coffin, Jack says it has been found. John says that he hopes it will bring him some peace. Jack says "If I can fix you, Mr. Locke, that's all the peace I need."

Jack and Juliet meet at the hospital. Juliet asks whether he has the tickets and he gives them to her. David asks who will use Jack's ticket and Jack suggests Claire, Juliet says she would love to meet this sister who was never mentioned the entire time they were married. Jack says she will love her because she is "extremely pregnant." ♪ As Juliet and David leave they pass Det. Ford who has arrived to check on Sun.

Hurley and Sayid wait, parked in a street. Hurley says there are rules and he can't tell Sayid what they are doing. He asks Sayid to trust him as he trusts Sayid. He tells Sayid that he trusts him because he thinks he is a good guy despite the fact that Sayid believes what he has been told about who he is. Hurley tells him he has to decide who he is for himself. Sayid sadly says that Hurley knows nothing about him, to which Hurley replies that he knows a lot. They watch two men emerge from a bar fighting. A woman comes out and is pushed to the ground by the aggressive man. Sayid goes straight to her aid and disposes of the man. As soon as he touches the arm of the woman Sayid and Shannon know each other and flash their past on the Island. Boone, the other man, comes to Hurley's car and says it was a real struggle to get Shannon here from Australia. Hurley says the flight was worth it. They watch as Sayid and Shannon embrace.

Guests arrive for the fund raising concert. Juliet is paged by the hospital and leaves David to escort Claire. Charlie has passed out and Charlotte tries to rouse him. He remembers he was shot by a fat man. Also in the band room is Daniel. Charlotte speaks to Daniel. They introduce themselves. Outside David and Claire find their table, table 23. Claire recognizes Kate. Pierre Chang welcomes his guests and introduces Mr Daniel Widmore accompanied by Drive Shaft. Daniel starts with a piano intro and Charlie looks at the audience and sees Claire and stares. Claire has a contraction and excuses herself. Kate follows. Claire goes into labor. At table 23, Eloise joins Desmond and says that she thought she made it clear that Desmond should "stop this". Desmond says he chose to ignore her. She says "and once they know, what then?" She asks whether they will take her son. Desmond touches her hand and says "Not with me, no."

Charlie arrives backstage and Kate sends him for water and blankets. Kate wants her to start pushing but Claire is still not ready and is frightened. Kate is scared too. As Claire pushes they flash to the birth of Aaron on the Island. Aaron is born. Charlie arrives with the blanket and Kate has him give it to Claire. Claire takes Charlie's hand and he flashes their lives on the Island. ♪ Desmond asks Kate whether she understands. Kate gives a body language gesture as if she does and asks Desmond, "So now what?".

Original timeline (2007)

Jack washes in the river and looks at his hands.

Ben loads a magazine and looks up to see Locke packing rope.

Sawyer walks over to Kate to care for her wound. ♪

Kate observes Jack as he stands in the creek taking in the beauty around him. Sawyer joins him and asks if he is O.K. He then asks what is going on. ♪ Jack tells Kate, Hurley and Sawyer about the place, the heart of the Island, near the bamboo forest that Jacob told him they needed to protect. Hurley asks whether Locke, smoke thing, wants to put it out. Jack explains that if he does "that's it for all of us." Sawyer guesses that he hasn't got what he needs which is Desmond. They all accept that they don't know much so Sawyer goes to get Desmond out of the well while the others get ready to go to the heart of the Island. Sawyer banters with Kate about not asking her to come. She says she will have to resist the urge of following him. Hurley has a "bad feeling about this."

As they walk Jack explains to Kate that he "took the job" because the Island is all he has left, the only thing he hasn't managed to ruin. Kate stops him and reassures him that he hasn't ruined anything because nothing is irreversible. Hurley thinks the tête-à-tête would be sweet if they weren't all about to die. ♪

Sawyer covertly watches Locke at the well. Ben comes up from behind, points a cocked rifle at Sawyer and invites him to join them. He tells Locke he came to get Desmond out of the well but looking down the well notes that they were both beaten to the punch. When Locke asks, Sawyer guesses that Locke is here to get Desmond because Desmond is needed to destroy the Island. Locke confirms that is his plan, but he does not intend go down with the ship. Locke says that Sawyer and the rest of "Jacob's little candidates" absolutely are. Sawyer takes the drop on Ben and punches him, takes his rifle and as he leaves says that they are not candidates anymore. Locke makes no effort to go after him. Ben voices that he thought Locke was speaking figuratively when Locke said he was going to destroy the Island. Locke say he left out the bit about Ben being in charge of an Island that is at the bottom of the sea. Now he offers Ben a place on the boat he is going to take to get off the Island. Locke notices paw prints near the well.

The Man in Black threatens to kill Rose and Bernard.

At Rose and Bernard's cabin, Vincent runs over to Desmond and licks his face. Rose greets him and Bernard goes to check the traps for fish. Rose says they built their camp in '75 and after the sky lit up again she doesn't know "when" they are now. She tells Desmond he must move on because their rule is not to get involved with the Island's dramas. ♪ Vincent and Bernard return but Locke and Ben are with them. Locke draws his Bowie knife and threateningly tells Desmond to come with him and do his bidding or he will kill Rose and Bernard, and "make it hurt". Desmond agrees to this if Locke gives his word that he won't touch them, ever. As they trek Desmond tells Locke he must be taking him to a place where there is a bright light. Locke is again surprised how much the survivors seem to know. Ben quickly turns off his walkie talkie when a call comes in. ♪

Sawyer finds Jack, Kate and Hurley and tells them Locke is going to destroy the island and mentions the importance of them finding Desmond before Locke and Ben do. Jack tells him it doesn't matter who finds Desmond because they are all going to the same place anyway - 'and then it ends.' ♪

Miles is trying to call Ben to tell him he has found Richard. Richard revives and asks Miles, "is he still here?" Miles tells Richard the Man in Black left with Ben. Richard immediately checks that Miles has the C-4 as he wants to go to Hydra Island to blow up the plane. Richard and Miles rush from Dharmaville and ready an outrigger. Miles pauses to pluck a single gray hair from Richard's head. Richard informs Miles of his renewed desire to live. The two begin rowing. ♪

Close to shore the outrigger passes through a debris field where they find a struggling Frank Lapidus in the water, clinging to a floating piece of metal. Frank is hauled onto the outrigger by Miles and Richard as they row on. Miles and Richard inform Frank that they intend to blow up the plane. Frank responds by asking why they would blow up a plane that they use could to escape the island -- especially as Frank is a capable pilot. Miles and Richard smile at their good fortune and abandon their plan to blow up the plane. The three men row the outrigger furiously towards Hydra island.

Locke, Ben, and Desmond meet Jack, Sawyer, Kate and Hugo. ♪ Kate snatches Sawyer's gun and shoots at Locke, to no effect. Locke tells Kate to save her bullets and goes to Jack saying that "It's you." Locke says Jack is sort of the obvious choice, but Jack makes it clear that he wasn't chosen, but he volunteered. Locke says he assumes Jack is going to try and stop him but Jack admits that he can't stop Locke and will go with him. Locke asks "are you confused about what I'm gonna to do?" Jack says they are going to the light, to the place Jack has sworn to protect, the place where Locke thinks he can destroy the island. Jack says that is not going to happen because Locke is wrong. Jack says that he is going to kill Locke. The Man in Black is not happy, when after revealing all of this Jack refuses to tell him how he plans to kill him.

Sawyer asks Jack how he is going to kill Locke. Jack says it has to do with Desmond, that he thinks Jacob brought him back not as bait but as a weapon. They move through the bamboo forest and as they draw close to the Source, all stare in awe at the cave with the waterfall lighted from below. Locke draws his knife and says it should just be him, Jack and Desmond from here on. Hurley steps up to Jack and says "I believe in you, dude." Locke comments on the bad storm approaching.

Locke ties the rope to a tree, Jack ties the other end around Desmond. ♪ Desmond tells Jack that destroying the Island and killing Locke doesn't matter because he is going down into the cave, to the Source, to where the light is brightest, to the other reality, and that Jack is there and that he might find a way to bring Jack there too. ♪ Jack says he has tried that, there are no shortcuts, no do overs. Whatever happened, happened. He says all of this matters. Desmond goes into the cave. ♪

The outrigger has reached shore on Hydra island. Miles calls Ben as he they run across the beach. He tells him they are going to fly off the Island and he should get over to Hydra now. Claire emerges from the bushes aside the runway, her rifle aimed at the group, and shoots into the sand repeatedly in front of Miles, Richard, and Frank. Kate hears that Claire is there. Claire says that Locke has sent them to kill her. Richard tells her they can go home and be free of Locke. He invites Claire to join them. Claire says "no" and leaves.

Jack and Locke enter the cave and begin to lower Desmond into a brilliantly lighted abyss. Locke remembers John Locke's memories of Desmond in the hatch and the button. Jack cuts him short. "You're not John Locke, you dis-respect his memory by wearing his face, but you are nothing like him." Jack insists that John Locke was right about just about everything. Locke says John Locke wasn't right about anything and that when the Island drops into the ocean and Jack drops with it, then Jack will realize. Jack says "we'll just have to see which one of us is right."

Desmond reaches a chamber below after passing a few skeletons. He finds the Source, a glowing pool, filled by a small waterfall, with an elongated stone at its center. He enters the water as electromagnetic energy emanates from the source. ♪ Jack and Locke hear his screams. Desmond reaches the center stone and lifts it, like removing a giant stopper in the center of the pool. The stream from the waterfall stops, the electromagnetic force recedes, the light goes out, the pool dries up. Desmond screams "No!" Locke says to a very worried Jack: "It looks like you were wrong." Locke says goodbye and leaves as numerous earthquakes begin to wrack the Island.

In a fit of fury Jack chases Locke out, sucker punches him in the mouth and jumps on him when he falls. Locke is injured and bleeds. Jack says "It looks like you were wrong too." Jack's fingers move menacingly towards Locke's throat as they struggle. Locke finds a rock and hits Jack over the back of the head with it, then gets up and runs off.

The storm arrives as earthquakes continue. A large tree falls and traps Ben, pinning him against the tree and some rocks. Sawyer, Hurley and Kate can't lift it. Sawyer says Locke was right: the Island is going down. Miles radios Ben. Kate finds Ben's walky in the mud. Miles tells Kate that Frank is fixing the plane and they should get over there quick smart. He also tells Kate that Claire is around but won't come. Ben says he knows how they can get to Hydra Island - that Locke has a boat. Sawyer is seen using a fallen tree branch as a lever.

Locke stands on the cliff above the cave with the names on the walls. The boat is anchored offshore. He smiles. Jack arrives and yells "Locke!". Locke draws the knife and begins running up the down slope of the cliff towards Jack. Jack runs down the rocky approach to the cliffs and having high ground advantage, becomes airborne to strike Locke with his fist. As they fight Locke at first drops his knife, then finds it and runs Jack through under the rib cage with it. He is about to finish Jack off by pushing the knife through his neck, and he tells Jack that he wants him to know that he died for nothing. The point of the blade enters Jack's neck, There is a shot. Locke falls off Jack. Kate stands in the rain and screams "I saved you a bullet." Locke is fatally injured but as the quakes continue he says that they are too late. Jack struggles to his feet and kicks Locke off the edge of the cliff. Locke falls dead on a ledge below.

Frank, Miles and Richard are in the cockpit of the plane. Frank turns on the electronics, to find that everything is working good except for the hydraulics in the front. Frank turns to Miles and Richard and asks if either of them has mechanical experience. Richard looks bewildered; Miles says he worked for a contractor for a couple of summers renovating apartments. The island and the plane continue to shake in a horrible manner. Frank rips a page from his manual, throwing it and a roll of duct tape at Miles and tells him and Richard to get down there and make sure everything is together.

Ben, Kate, Sawyer, Hugo and Jack stand atop the cliffs. Sawyer hears from Jack of Locke's death and verifies the information by looking down the cliff. Locke's lifeless body is laying on the rocks just above the water, fifty feet below. The boat is anchored in the water close by. Ben talks into the radio, inquiring about a time frame. The island continues to shake in short, repetitive, violent quakes.

Richard and Miles stand beneath the front wheels of the plane. Miles has wrapped a wad of duct tape around a metal hydraulic hose. Richard is helping and asks if it is going to work. Miles says that he doesn't have faith in a lot of things but that he believes in duct tape and thinks they will have things together correctly soon. Frank is trying to get things squared away in the cockpit. He hears Ben's voice on the radio. Frank tells Ben to leave him alone and throws the radio onto the cockpit floor to continue working. The island shakes almost

The final image of Lost

continuously.

Jack dies with Vincent by his side.

Ben tells the group that Frank and the rest are leaving and if they are going to catch up they had better climb down the ladders on the cliff face, get to the boat, sail to Hydra island, get on the plane, and fast. Jack says that he believes the island is sinking and he wants to stop it. Ben decides that if the island is going to sink he is going down with it and tosses the radio to Sawyer. Hugo refuses to climb the rickety wooden ladders and tells Jack that he is with him. Kate and Jack share a tearful goodbye - having a final kiss and declaring their love for each other. As the island shakes uncontrollably, Sawyer follows Kate in jumping off the cliff into the water, in order to make it to the airplane in time.

Trivia

• The box Christian Shephard's coffin was transported in has stickers displaying the following airport codes: BMN (Bamerny Airport, Iraq), GUM (A.B. Won Pat International Airport, Guam), HKG (Hong Kong International Airport, China), and LAX (Los Angeles International Airport).
• In the scene where Jack opens the empty coffin, then meets his father, the stained window in the back collects six symbols of various faiths: the star and crescent of Islam, the Star of David (Judaism), the Aum (widely used as a symbol of Hinduism, but also present in Buddhism and Jainism), the Christian cross, the Dharmacakra (Buddhism) and the Yin/Yang (Taoism).
• "You" is the last word ever uttered in the series. It is John Locke who says it, when he tells Jack: "We've been waiting for you", after Jack and Christian enter the chapel.
• Miles is the only character among the survivors who did not come into contact with MIB.
• Kate is the only original cast member to leave the island, come back, and leave again. Thus she is the only one of the Oceanic Six who gets to enjoy her large financial settlement for more than a year or two.

Production notes

• Zuleikha Robinson (Ilana) does not appear.
  • Because she was blown to bits.
• Most of the episode's guest stars are credited alongside the main cast instead of in the usual guest portion of the credits for the final episode. This meant that twenty-eight actors were credited as starring, the most of any episode. The guest stars credited with the principal cast included:
  • All former main cast members who appear -- Jeremy Davies, Maggie Grace, Rebecca Mader, Elizabeth Mitchell, Dominic Monaghan, Ian Somerhalder, and Cynthia Watros.
  • The majority of long running recurring guest actors -- Sam Anderson, L. Scott Caldwell, Francois Chau, Fionnula Flanagan, John Terry, and Sonya Walger.
    • This is the first time Chau has been credited for his performances.
  • Cynthia Watros and Sonya Walger appear without lines.
• The final shot is the opposite of the opening shot of the entire series.
• Eko, Ilana, Michael, Nikki, Paulo, and Walt are the only main characters of the series to not appear in the finale. This episode also makes Eko, Nikki, Paulo, and Walt the only main characters not to appear in season 6, though Walt was shown in archive footage.
  • Eko, Nikki and Paulo are the only main characters never to make an appearance after departing the series, all in season 3.
  • Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje was offered a guest spot in this episode, but this was cut after he demanded five times the amount of money he was offered. [1]
  • Jack, Kate, Hurley, Locke, Sun, Jin, Boone, Shannon, Claire, Charlie, Sayid, Sawyer, Rose, Vincent, and Walt are the only characters who appear in the first and last episode of the series. Michael is the only main character of the first episode who doesn't appear.
  • Rose and Vincent are the only recurring characters who appeared in the first and last episode of the series.
• Desmond, Penny, and Juliet are the only characters in the church scene who were not on Oceanic Flight 815 in real life.
• The end credits of the episode ran alongside images of what appears to be the wreckage of Oceanic Flight 815, but with no living people present (it is unclear whether there were bodies on the beach).
• Matthew Fox claims that he knew from the start of the show that the final shot would be Jack dying and closing his eyes.
• Rose, Bernard, and Vincent appear on the island for the first time since "The Incident, Part 1", an absence of 17 episodes.
• "The End" aired just five days after the previous episode, "What They Died For". This is the second-shortest time between airings of original episodes in the US, after "Because You Left" and "The Lie", which appeared back-to-back on the same night.
• "The End" is the longest running episode of LOST at 103 minutes.
• "The End" was followed by JKL! Aloha to Lost, a special wrap-up retrospective of the show featuring many of the cast.
• ABC estimates that 20.5 million unique viewers watched the series finale of Lost during its 2-1/2 hour broadcast. The final half-hour was watched by 15.31 million viewers and a 6.4/19 (rating/share) with adults 18-49.
• As the Ajira Flight 316 plane flies over the Island, it is the same sound that was used as the transition to the "Flash-sideways timeline".

Bloopers and continuity errors

• In the scene where the Man in Black asks Desmond if he knows where they are going, the same shot of MiB turning around in surprise is used twice. First when he is surprised to hear Desmond guess correctly that they are going to a "very bright light", then again when he hears Ben's walkie-talkie.
• Right before lowering Desmond into the Heart of the Island, the Man in Black mistakenly calls Desmond by his real name, "Henry."
• When Jack and the Man in Black are standing over the Heart of the Island, the rope hangs slack, suggesting Desmond's weight is supported by a harness, the wires for which can be seen down the left side of the screen.
• In the scene with Jack and the Man in Black fighting in the rain on the cliffs, the aerial shots indicate that the cliffs are not actually wet.
  • After the rain stops and Kate, Hurley and Sawyer appear, the area around them changes from wet to dry repeatedly.
  • During the fight in the rain, several nearby cliff faces apparently collapse. Once the sun comes out, however, the cliffs look no different than they did previously.
• When Locke stands up out of his chair for the first time in the FST, his calves show signs of atrophy (as they should). When Locke is fully standing up though, all signs of atrophy are gone.
• Kate's breath briefly fogs the camera while she talks to Jack after his fight with the Man in Black.
• When Kate and Sawyer arrive to the Hydra Island to catch up with the rest of the people at the airplane, the footprints on the sand keep stable, despite the constant earthquakes.
• Sun's family name (Paik) was pronounced incorrectly throughout the entire episode. This may be because others don't know how to pronounce it.
• The number on the vending machine for the Apollo bar was G23, but Sawyer only presses two buttons.
• When Jack gives Hurley protectorship of the island, the water in the bottle is crystal clear despite that the water inside came from a muddy stream.
  • It seems that Jack fills the bottle from a small spring feeding into the stream.
• While Jack is walking through the bamboo, the blood from his nose appears and disappears throughout.
• In "The Candidate", Sawyer's group sails the Elizabeth to Hydra Island. The Man in Black follows them there in an outrigger. In "What They Died For", the Man in Black is seen by Zoe returning to the main Island in the outrigger. During this episode, however, the Elizabeth has magically moved from Hydra Island to the main island with no practical way for that to have happened.
  • Potentially the yacht was too large, too noticeable, or too important as a fallback escape to sail single handedly into the dock. MiB may have sailed the Elizabeth back to the main Island, then taken on outrigger to get to the dock.
• Rose tells Desmond she and Bernard built their camp in 1975, living there for two years before a time flash. In the past, camps/structures didn't flash along with the characters, so at the time of the flash to the present, their camp should have disappeared or at least deteriorated considerably.

Analysis

Recurring themes

• The episode ends with a shot of Jack's eyes. (eyes)
• Jack and the Man in Black die. (Life and death)
• Jack killed the Man in Black in the same manner that the latter killed Jacob, whom Jack succeeded. (irony)
• Richard and Frank are revealed to be still alive. (Life and death)
• Jacob, then Jack, then Hurley take it on faith that the world will be destroyed if they stop protecting the light. This parallels Desmond's reason for pressing the button. (Faith)
• Sun and Jin reunite. (Relationships)
• Jack tells the Man in Black he chose to be the island's protector, later Jack tells Hurley he has to be the protector even though he doesn't want to. (Fate versus free will)
• Sawyer calls the Man in Black "Smokey", Miles "Enos", Hurley "Bigfoot", Frank "Chesty" and refers to Jacob as "the burning bush" and Desmond as a "magic leprechaun". (Nicknames)
• Desmond discovers a skeleton at the Heart of the Island. (Life and death)
• At the concert the main guests sit at table 23. (The Numbers)
• The number of the candy in the vending machine Sawyer wants is G23. (The Numbers)
• The Man in Black tells Benjamin he would leave him in charge of the island only to later tell him he's going to bury the island at the bottom of the ocean. (Deceptions and cons)
• Sayid and Shannon reunite. (Relationships)
• It rains when the stone in the source is pulled out. (Rain)
• Claire gives birth to her son Aaron in the alternate timeline. (Life and Death) (Rebirth)
• Sawyer and Juliet reunite. (Relationships)
• Kate tries to shoot the Man in Black for killing their friends on the sub. (Revenge)
• Desmond successfully pulls out the stone in the source because of his resistance to electromagnetism. (Electromagnetism)
• After all the survivors reunite in the church, they proceed to "move on". (Religion) (Redemption)

Storyline analysis

• Jack passes his protectorship onto Hurley after he decides to revive the Source. (Leadership)

Cultural references

• Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back: Hurley thinks that Jacob is worse than Yoda, the enigmatic Jedi master introduced in this 1980 film. (Movies and TV)
  • Later in the same scene he says "I have a bad feeling about this" a recurring phrase in the Star Wars movies. (Movies and TV)
• The Dukes of Hazzard: Sawyer refers to Miles as "Enos," the deputy on this 1970s television show. (Movies and TV)
• Bigfoot: Sawyer refers to Hurley as "Bigfoot", after the the large hairy creature that supposedly inhabits forests in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. (Pop culture references).
• Burning bush: Sawyer says to Jack "Why don't you come down from the mountain and tell us what the burnin' bush said." In the Old Testament, the burning bush is the location at which Moses was appointed by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and into Canaan. (Religion and Ideologies)

Literary techniques

• The series finale ends with a visual effect opposite to how the show began, with the closing of Jack's eye and a pan over the wreckage. (Symbolism)
• Jack goes to the same spot and dies where he originally regained consciousness right after the crash of Flight 815. On his way there, he passes the same single white sneaker he passed running to the crash site. It is now very dirty and worn after more than three years of hanging on the branches in the elements. (Symbolism)
• As Kate empties her gun pointlessly on the Man in Black, he jokingly tells her to save her bullets. Later on, Kate would use the remaining bullet in the decisive moment of the fight. (Irony)  (Foreshadowing)
• The Man in Black takes the form of John Locke, a man who fell eight stories and broke his back, to manipulate the other characters. He dies after being kicked off a cliff and landing on his back, presumably breaking it. (Irony)
• After Desmond is lowered into the Heart of the Island, Jack and Locke peer from above in the same way they once did, down on the Swan's hatch. (Juxtaposition)
• When Juliet tells Sawyer the secret to get the candy bar out of the vending machine, she says you can unplug it and plug it back in again and its technically legal. This is what Desmond and Jack do with the Heart of the Island. (Foreshadowing)  (Symbolism)

Episode connections

Revelatory montages

• During Sun's ultrasound, we see clips from her previous ultrasound, Sun revealing she speaks English, the launching of the raft, their reunion after the raft sank, Sun announcing her pregnancy to Jin, Jin massaging Sun, Sun presenting her baby at Jin's grave, the Kahana explosion, their reunion after three years and their death. ("D.O.C.")  ("...In Translation")  ("Exodus, Part 1") ("Collision")  ("The Whole Truth")  ("Ji Yeon") ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 3")  ("The Last Recruit")  ("The Candidate")
• As Claire gives birth, we see a clip of her earlier delivery. ("Do No Harm")
• When Charlie and Claire touch, we see clips of their first meeting, Charlie's imaginary peanut butter, Claire cutting his hair, Charlie's bjorn and their kiss. ("Greatest Hits")  ("Confidence Man")  ("Born to Run") ("Exodus, Part 2")  ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 2")
• When Locke's feet move, we see clips of his regaining the power to walk, smiling with a mango, throwing knives with Walt, embracing the rain and seeing the source through the monster. ("Walkabout")  ("Pilot, Part 2")  ("Special") ("All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues") Right after, we see Locke and Jack look down the hatch. ("Exodus, Part 2")
• When Sawyer and Juliet touch, we see clips from their kiss in the Barracks, Sawyer at the docks convincing her to stay on the island, Juliet's last words, their realizing the Dharmaville time was over and Juliet falling down the Swan shaft. ("LaFleur")  ("LA X, Part 1")  ("Follow the Leader") ("The Incident, Part 2")
• After Jack touches Christian's coffin, we see clips of he first sight of the island, his helping survivors among the wreckage, reviving Charlie, operating on Boone. Locke pulling him up a cliff, hearing of Sawyer's meeting Christian, calling the freighter, flying away in the helicopter, passing Kate on the way to the lighthouse, talking to Kate while imprisoned and meeting Kate for the first time. ("Pilot, Part 1")  ("All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues")  ("Do No Harm") ("White Rabbit")  ("Exodus, Part 1")  ("Through the Looking Glass, Part 2") ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 3")  ("Lighthouse")  ("Every Man for Himself")

Episode references

• Jack tells Desmond that he had once tried to change their destiny, but failed and their are no "do overs", and that whatever happened, happened. ("The Incident, Part 2")
• Jack gets wounded in the neck by the Man in Black, which bleeds through on a few occasions into the flash-sideways. ("LA X, Part 1")("What They Died For")
• The Man in Black asks Jack if he is reminded of their hatch entrance while lowering Desmond inside, followed by mentioning their argument over pushing the button. ("Man of Science, Man of Faith")  ("Orientation")

Episode allusions

• The first episode of the series, Pilot, Part 1, begins with Jack opening his eyes, near Vincent, in the bamboo grove with Christian Shephard's white tennis shoe nearby. The final episode of the series ends with Jack returning to the same location and closing them. ("Pilot, Part 1")
• Claire gives birth to Aaron assisted by Kate ("Do No Harm")
• The scene of MiB and Jack looking down the cave is similar to Locke and Jack looking down the blown up hatch. ("Exodus, Part 2")
• When Sawyer hears of Jack's plan, he says, "That's one hell of a long con." ("The Long Con")
• Juliet gives Sun an ultrasound ("D.O.C.")
• Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sawyer meet the Man in Black, Ben and Desmond on the very same ridge where the survivors met Ben and Alex in the Season 3 finale. ("Through the Looking Glass, Part 1")
• The title of this episode hearkens back to the title of the first episode of Season 4. ("The Beginning of the End")
• The opening of the coffin is similar to its opening in the Season 4 finale. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 3")
• The circular pool at the bottom of the cave of light, with a removable plug in the center, appears to be a larger version of the sink hidden in Ben's house which Ben drained to summon the Smoke Monster. ("Dead Is Dead")
• The hospital vending machine again sticks delivering an Apollo bar. ("The Incident, Part 2")
• Juliet's last words (both before and after her death) are repeated. ("LA X, Part 1")  ("LA X, Part 2")
• Jack announces the ending to Sawyer, as foretold by Jacob. ("Across the Sea")
• Jack kicks the Man in Black down from the cliffs the exact same way the Man in Black kicked Jacob into the fire. ("The Incident, Part 2")
• As the Man in Black observes to Jack, the act of lowering Desmond into the cave of light has certain similarities their trying to enter the Hatch. ("Man of Science, Man of Faith")
• Hurley shoots Charlie with a tranquilizer dart and brings him into his car with Sayid. ("Because You Left")
• Locke regaining feeling in his legs after the operation is similar to Jack's ex-wife realizing she still has sensation in her legs after her operation. ("Man of Science, Man of Faith")
• The cork theme we see in the light cavern is reminiscent of the corked wine jar Jacob shows Richard. ("Ab Aeterno")

External links

• ABC Press Release
• 20.5 Million Watch At Least 6 Minutes Of Lost Finale