Mon, 09 Dec: Now that we’ve finished Lost, I can write my unwavering thoughts about the show.

I was very adamant when babi pitched in to rewatch (for him) this show because, at the back of my head, it didn’t make sense to me how I would watch a 6-season drama of people stuck on an island. Like, what? What are they going to do for 6 years? Are they all just going to be on the island for the entirety of the show? Well, well, to my surprise, I indeed got hooked on the show. The cast spent 90% of the show on the island, and I wasn’t even as mad as I thought I would be.

A lot has happened in the show. I wanted to create a mind map of what happened, including all of the characters, their backgrounds, and their flaws. There is so much to unpack, but there is no time to dig deeper into each, so I wanted to focus on one topic: Who are the bad guys?

I will not be including a summary in this entry, so know that I wrote this thinking the reader has watched the show, too.

Who Are The Bad Guys?

For most of the shows I’ve watched, there’s always a clear line of who’s bad and who’s not. Who needs to be killed or who needs to vanish? This wasn’t something I was certain in Lost. Everyone has their reasons, and I often find myself sympathizing with them, regardless if they seem despicable at first.

Three specific storylines got me thinking while watching.

The Others vs. Dharma Initiative

At first glance, it may be easy to say that the Dharma Initiative is the “bad guy.” They are a community of non-islanders who settled there to literally open the island and learn about its power. I always thought they were exploiting the island, but then it got me thinking. Everything that I can do easily now, I thank science for that. And if I can say what my most important learning is for my 3 decades on earth, it’s the fact that nothing is inherently evil. Yes, some people may choose to use science to inflict pain on others, but it is also true that we use science to save people.

The intentions of The Others of keeping outsiders away from the island are justified. As someone who lives in an archipelago filled with fantastic islands and hospitable culture, I can first-hand see how some of them have been tainted by tourists. It’s heartbreaking to see. It is nice to know that people appreciate our home but it doesn’t give someone a right to abuse it, so I understand why the Others are protective of it.

With that being said, I strongly side with the Others on this one. Being treated like a stranger and a “dangerous person” in your homeland is heartbreaking. While I don’t condone the massacre that happened with the Dharma Initiative, I understand the frustration of the natives. Let me repeat that I do not condone violence.

Ben vs. Widmore

This one is a bit difficult as I hate them both.

We’re first introduced to Ben in Season 2 when he introduced himself as “Henry.” We then find out he lied about being Henry to infiltrate the survivors’ camp. From then on until the last minute of the show, I hate him with all my guts.

This is what my thought process was during the entire ordeal with the survivors and the Others who are now led by Ben. First, they have a problem with fertilization so they kidnap kids and women to get samples from them. Why is there a need to do that? Why not just talk to the women directly? It’s in the best interest of the mothers to make sure their unborn children are healthy inside their wombs. Why not just discuss with directly with the survivors? It should have been more peaceful!

Then the Others become furious because the Survivors are killing their members. Um, I mean? Whose fault is that? Who started kidnapping and hurting people? Do you think if people feel safe they would pull a trigger?

Ben also needed Jack for his operation, yet, he held him hostage. Why? If you need someone’s help to save your life, why put them in a position to have a reason to cut it short?

On the other side, Widmore used to be the leader of the Others until he was kicked out by Ben after ordering the murder of innocent people. Widmore has been trying to get back to the island since then. He became a huge businessman in the UK and became rich enough to build a team to follow his orders and find the island for him.

Widmore is just evil. I understand how heartbroken he must have been to be kicked out of his own home but he is unhinged. He orders the death of people who came to the island accidentally. His victims didn’t even want to be on the island in the first place, they wanted to get out, but he kills them to prevent the death of their own.

Again, I get it – you must protect your home, but is violence the first solution? People can live harmoniously together. You can believe in different things and yet coexist.

Kindness probably means differently with the leaders of the Others on the island. Even with their communities, they still strive to survive each of their people the only way they know how. Being remote for a long time, they are probably wired to think that everything is a threat.

So, Ben or Widmore? By the thin line of killing innocent people, I vote for Widmore as worse. But I still hate Ben.

MIB vs. Jacob

All the leaders of the Others get their orders from an unseen character called “Jacob.” Like most members of the Others, Jacob and his brother (the poor kid wasn’t even given a name but fans call him Man-in-Black or MIB) are born on the island. Their real mother was killed by the protector of the island after the kids were born for the same reason the new leaders have for killing survivors on the island to protect it.

When MIB learned that the protector was not their real mother and that he could explore outside the island, he got furious. He wanted to take Jacob with him to leave the island using the portal the protector showed them. MIB explained to Jacob that she was not their real mother and they should be someplace else, but Jacob loved the protector so much that he got angry, too. They start drifting away after Jacob chooses to stay with the protector.

MIB looks for a way to get out of the island despite the protector’s warning. When he finally came close, the protector attacked him and all his companions. Killing most of them. All the years of their hard work gone in a snap. MIB in turn killed the protector and Jacob killed MIB and forced him into the portal. His spirit takes the form of black smoke that still wanders on the island after centuries have gone.

Jacob, on the other hand, says the island is preserving the evil. What evil might that be? Is it his brother? Is it the unknown forces on the island? I genuinely am not sure. But, as the new protector of the island, Jacob had to summon people from the outside (at least one of them got out) to go to the island and choose a new protector.

Jacob did what he thought he needed to protect the island. The Others made questionable choices at the hands of Jacob, and I feel deeply heartbroken for MIB. He just wanted to see what was on the other side of the island. He only wanted to learn more about the world, but he was imprisoned and was seen to be the worst half.

I might be in contrast with a lot of fans, but I side with MIB. He didn’t mean harm to anyone, he just wanted to see what it was outside of the island. If there were risks of going out, I wish the protector could have explained that to him to ease his mind, but they all directly went to desperate measures.

Conclusion

After writing this article, I’ve come to conclude the following:

1. Kindness goes a long way – If the Others had been kind to the survivors from the beginning, offered them a safe space, medical equipment, and check-ups, and invited them to the community, the deaths would have been avoided. Even if we say some people would still go berserk and might go on a killing rampage, I still firmly believe that if you show people kindness, kindness will find its way to you. If you feel safe, you’ll be in a space to offers safety too.
2. Knowing is strength – While in these recent years, a lot of people have advocated to “go in blind” or in the newer generations’ terms “go with the flow” in life, it could always help to learn more about anything. Why does my dad wake me up at 5 despite my protests? Because school starts at 7, and I move slowly. Why do we go to the airport 3 hours early? Because the immigration line might be long. Why do I need to protect the island? Probably because some people are bound to abuse it. If we know why we’re doing what we’re doing, it’s easier for us to push through. We know the stakes and we know the great thing that would come out of it.
3. Harmonious living – With all the wars going on in the world, I think this is the perfect time to write about this more than ever. What do you get with killing an entire group of people? People who could have just stayed out of your way and let you do your things, but you’ve chosen to ignite a fire and now, you’re fighting a war of killing the most innocent people. People are different, and all of us have our flaws. While some can argue that some people deserve violence more than others, it’s never justified to end someone who’s just getting on with their life. As I mentioned, I came from an archipelago with a diverse set of people with different languages and cultures. It used to be rough in some places, but most of us have chosen to live peacefully with each other. I’m from a Tagalog region where a lot of Bisayas live, and I’ve also lived in an Ilocano region where I’m the only Tagalog. Everyone only has love for each other despite our differences, and that’s the way I think it should be. If you’re not harming anyone, why should you be murdered in cold blood?

Should you watch it?

If you’re interested in sci-fi and island survival dramas, then I highly recommend watching the show. There are a lot of elements in the show that are easy to miss on the first watch, so I think rewatching my open your eyes to new facts and connections, too, and it’s definitely worth it!