What Does The Title Of The Lost Finale Really Mean?

By Amelie Gillette  |  March 25, 2010 | 6:00pm
TV Features TV

As we all know, Lost is a rich tapestry of allusions, mysteries, clues, references, symbols, and bad wigs all converted into a robust red wine that represents evil and poured into a bottle that is then tightly corked. Nothing can be taken at face value. Everything means several somethings. Probably. Or, maybe.

This is especially true of Lost's episode titles, which are usually so fraught with hidden meanings they are never merely "announced," but "unveiled."

From TV Guide:

The series finale of Lost is eight episodes away and ABC has unveiled its title.

So what title could emulate the entire series and leave us feeling satisfied?

"The End."

Seriously. That's the title of the last episode of Lost we'll ever see.

"We couldn't probably make a more clear statement as to the fact that we are bringing our story to a close," said executive producer Carlton Cuse in ABC's latest Lost podcast.

Sure, Cuse. You "probably" couldn't make a clearer statement that the story is closed. That just means that the story is still open, right? Of course right.

So what does "The End" really mean? Let's overthink!

—The show is over. (But Richard Alpert will get a telenovela spin-off. That's why it's "The End" instead of "Fin.")

—It's a red herring: the show is not over.

—"End" in philosophy is often used interchangeably with "purpose," and Purpose, as we all know, is a brand of face wash which is a type of cleanser, which indicates that there may be a "cleansing" of the island, probably by fire or something.

—Something having to do with a football player

—The Black-Eyed Peas last album was also called "The End"—so the final scene will probably be Wil.i.am waking up backstage somewhere, shaking his head, and saying, "Man, that was the craziest dream. Where's my HP notebook? I gotta over-punctuate something!"

—"The End" is an almost-anagram for "Heed ET," which indicates a possible extra-terrestrial explanation for the island and/or a surprise cameo by ET.

—Definitely a reference to some kind of Icelandic creation myth

—Curiously, the words "The End" are also found on the last page of the  book, The Biggest Sandwich Ever. Make of that what you will.

 
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