The sixth and final season of the American serial dramatelevision seriesLost commenced airing in the United States and Canada on February 2, 2010.[1] The sixth-season premiere was the first to climb in the ratings year-over-year since the second season, drawing 12.1 million viewers.[2] The season aired Tuesdays at 9:00 pm from February 2 to May 18. The series finale aired on Sunday, May 23, 2010.[3] The finale ran two-and-a-half hours starting at 9:00 pm—pushing the local news back a half—followed by the previously announced post-finale special, Jimmy Kimmel Live: Aloha to Lost, at 12:05 am.[4]
The season continues the stories of the survivors of the fictional September 22, 2004 crash of Oceanic Airlines Flight 815 on a mysterious island in the South Pacific. The survivors must deal with two outcomes of the detonation of a nuclear bomb on the island in the 1970s. While the on-island story continues, "flash sideways"[5] show a second timeline, in which Flight 815 never crashes. The season was released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 24, 2010, alongside a complete series box set.[6] Included in the special features was "The New Man in Charge", a previously unaired shortened episode that serves as an epilogue following the events of the finale.[7]
Production
On May 7, 2007, ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson announced that Lost would end during the 2009–2010 season with a "highly anticipated and shocking finale."[8] "We felt that this was the only way to give Lost a proper creative conclusion," McPherson said.[8] Beginning with the 2007–2008 television season, the final 48 episodes would have been aired as three seasons with 16 episodes each, with Lost concluding in its sixth season. Due to 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, the fourth season featured 14 episodes, and season 5 had 17 episodes. Season six was planned to have 17 episodes, too.[9] However, on June 29, 2009 it was announced that the final season would feature an additional hour, making the number of episodes 18.[10]
Executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse stated that they "always envisioned Lost as a show with a beginning, middle, and end," and that by announcing when the show would end that viewers would "have the security of knowing that the story will play out as we've intended."[8] Lindelof and Cuse stated that securing the 2010 series-end date "was immensely liberating" and helped the series rediscover its focus.[11] Lindelof noted, "We're no longer stalling."[11] The producers planned to wrap up mysteries, such as the reason the Dharma periodic resupply drops continue after the purge,[12]Walt's unusual abilities,[13] and the "bird" from "Exodus" and "Live Together, Die Alone".[14] Although these mysteries, among others, were left unresolved in the season, all three were answered or touched upon in the series epilogue, "The New Man in Charge." Matthew Fox said in an interview that in the final season, the characters of Jack Shephard and John Locke "will come head to head." It was also claimed that a third of the way through the final season, the two timelines would be "solidified into one" and "will be very linear – no more flashbacks, nothing;" however this did not become the case.[15] He also claimed to be the only cast member to know the ending of the series,[16] though Lindelof has clarified that Fox only knew things that were relevant to his character.[17]
During the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, numerous sixth-season reports were made. Carlton Cuse stated both the time travel and flash-forward seasons were over, and they were moving into something different for the sixth season.[18] Josh Holloway stated his character Sawyer would revert to his old self after the loss of Juliet.[18] Cuse and Lindelof stated that the Dharma Initiative would no longer play a large role in the show,[19] but the "Dharma-Michigan connection" would play a significant role in season six. However, this did not happen.[20] Lindelof stated that the producers had a direct hand in the production of the season six promotional poster that was first displayed at Comic-Con, and that everything in it was intentional; he also made a reference to the Abbey Road cover in connection to the poster.[13] Season six was the first and only season of Lost ever to not feature any kind of preview or official promotional material such as sneak peeks and promo pictures for future episodes since the Lost producers considered any single frame from the first episodes to be too revealing. According to Lindelof, "even a single scene from the show would basically tip what it is we're doing this year, and what it is we're doing this year is different than what we've done in other years."[21][22][23] Lindelof has also emphasized that the flashes-sideways are important, stating "People are saying [they] don't need these stories and all we can say is they're absolutely 100 percent necessary to tell the story of Lost, and hopefully by the end of the season it will be more obvious as to why."[24] He also noted that the term "flash-sideways" was deliberately used instead of "alternate reality" because viewers might otherwise "infer that one of them isn't real, or one of them is real and the other is the alternate to being real."[25] When asked to describe the last three episodes, Lindelof said "Water."[14]
ABC charged advertisers $900,000 USD for a 30-second commercial during the series finale, in contrast to the standard 2010 season price of $214,000.[26]
Cast
The cast features 15 major roles with star billing: 11 return from the fifth season,[1] one returns from the fourth season after a year's absence, and three are new regular cast members. Unlike the latter half of the previous season, in which the cast was divided into two groups following two separate storylines, Season Six features an alternate universe scenario which the producers call "flash-sideways," and almost all the main characters participate in both storylines. Returning from the fifth season are the survivors' leader Dr. Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox); former fugitive Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly); millionaire Hugo "Hurley" Reyes (Jorge Garcia); former torturer Sayid Jarrah (Naveen Andrews); con artist James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh Holloway); mediumMiles Straume (Ken Leung); former mob-enforcer Jin-Soo Kwon (Daniel Dae Kim) and his privileged wife Sun Kwon (Yunjin Kim); leader of the island's native population, known as the "Others," Ben Linus (Michael Emerson); deceased crash survivor John Locke, who lives on in the sideways timeline but has been impersonated in the original timeline by the mysterious Man In Black[27] (Terry O'Quinn); and former islander Desmond Hume (Henry Ian Cusick), who starts the season off the island. Emilie de Ravin reprises her role as Claire Littleton, a new mother who was absent for one season after disappearing on the Island.[28][29] The new main cast roles are pilot Frank Lapidus (Jeff Fahey), Richard Alpert (Nestor Carbonell), an ageless advisor to the Others, and mysterious Flight 316 leader Ilana Verdansky (Zuleikha Robinson). Carbonell was named a main cast member by the executive producers at Comic-Con 2009, after guest starring in the previous three seasons,[30] and Fahey and Robinson were confirmed after appearing in recurring roles in the fourth and fifth seasons.
Several new recurring characters were introduced in the sixth season. Deadwood actor John Hawkes was cast to portray a character named Lennon[54] and Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada obtained the role of Dogen (道厳, dōgen);[55] both men are Others stationed at the temple.[56] Also, William Atherton was cast in a guest role as the principal of the school where Ben works.[57]Sheila Kelley was cast in a recurring role that was initially described as "Kendall" and later confirmed to be "Zoe".[58][59][60] Kelley appeared in five episodes, starting with "Recon".[61]
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 68% with an average score of 8.7 out of 10 based on 34 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Lost's shift in central mythology won't satisfy all viewers, but persistent fans will find solace in the show's strong performances and continued dedication to its themes."[62]
The season premiere was watched by 12 million American viewers[63] and the series finale was watched by 13.5 million American viewers.[64] The entire season averaged 10 million viewers.
The sixth and final season was nominated for twelve Emmy Awards at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof for the series finale, "The End", Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for Jack Bender for "The End", Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Matthew Fox, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn, Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for Elizabeth Mitchell, Outstanding Art Direction for a Single Camera Series for "Ab Aeterno", Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) for Michael Giacchino for "The End", Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series for "The End", and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour) for "The End". It won only one Emmy, for Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series for "The End".[65]
The season premiered on February 2, 2010, with a double-length episode (two hours including commercials) preceded by a one-hour clip show, titled "Lost: Final Chapter".[1] The show continued from February 9 in its new timeslot of Tuesdays at 9:00 pm, with a total of 18 episodes airing in 16 broadcasts, ending with a two-and-a-half-hour series finale, which aired Sunday, May 23, 2010,[3][66] preceded by a one-hour clip show, titled "Lost: The Final Journey". Additionally, the first hour of the premiere episode was screened to an estimated 15,000 fans on Waikiki Beach on January 30.[67] In the following table, the number in the "No. in series" column refers to the episode's number within the overall series, whereas the number in the "No. in season" column refers to the episode's number within this particular season. "U.S. viewers (million)" refers to the number of Americans in millions who watched the episode as it was aired.
Two outcomes of the detonation of the hydrogen bomb are presented. In the first, Flight 815 lands safely at LAX, where Kate escapes from the marshal and Jack learns that his father's body was lost in transit. In the second, the survivors return to the present day after Jacob's death; Juliet dies and Sayid is resurrected after being brought to the Others' temple. Also, the Man in Black, who is impersonating Locke, is revealed to be the Smoke Monster and kills several of Ilana's team from Flight 316.
When Sawyer escapes from the temple, Kate and Jin are sent to bring him back. Meanwhile, the Others determine Sayid is infected and attempt to poison him. In the flash sideways, Kate, still on the run, takes Claire to a hospital when she goes into labor.
On the island, the Man in Black attempts to recruit Sawyer in his attempt to leave the island, while an impromptu funeral is held for the real Locke. In the flash sideways, Locke is fired from his job and becomes a substitute teacher.
On Jacob's orders, Hurley leads Jack to a lighthouse. Meanwhile, Claire questions an Other she has captured while tending to an injured Jin. In the flash sideways, Jack is a single father trying to bond with his son.
After recruiting Sayid to his cause, the Man in Black issues an ultimatum to the Others: either join him or die. Meanwhile, Kate is reunited with Claire. In the flash sideways, Sayid helps his brother, who is in debt to a loan shark.
Ilana discovers Ben killed Jacob, so she plans to kill him. Meanwhile, Jack, Hurley and a suicidal Richard visit the Black Rock. In the flash sideways, Ben, a high school teacher, tries to blackmail the school's principal.
The Man in Black sends Sawyer on a reconnaissance mission to Hydra Island, where he discovers that Charles Widmore has returned to the island with a team of scientists. In the flash sideways, Sawyer is a lonely cop who is still searching for the original Sawyer.
Richard Alpert's back story is shown: In 1867, he is brought to the island on the Black Rock as a slave. He makes a deal with Jacob to be his representative in exchange for immortality. In the present day, Hurley convinces him to help the candidates replace Jacob and stop the Man in Black from leaving the Island.
After Jin is kidnapped and taken to Hydra Island by Widmore's team, the Man in Black confronts Widmore. On the main island, Sun loses her ability to speak English. In the flash sideways, Sun and Jin are abducted after failing to complete a transaction for Sun's father.
On the island, Widmore subjects Desmond to a large amount of electromagnetic energy as an experiment. In the flash sideways, Desmond, with the aid of Charlie, starts to have visions of his life in the original timeline.
In order to prevent more loss of life, Hurley leads the other survivors to speak with the Man in Black. In the flash sideways, Hurley meets Libby, while Desmond continues his mission to let the Oceanic 815 passengers know of their lives on the island.
The survivors split into two groups; one led by Sawyer, the other by the Man in Black. Sawyer's group travels to Hydra Island, where they are captured by Widmore's crew after Sun and Jin are reunited. In the flash sideways, the passengers of Oceanic 815 continue to cross paths with each other.
After the remaining survivors are reunited, Sawyer and Jack hatch a plan to divert the Man in Black's attention and leave the island without him on Widmore's submarine, but disastrous consequences await them. In the flash sideways, Jack investigates the cause of Locke's paralysis and offers treatment.
Jacob and the Man in Black are revealed to be twin brothers. They are raised by a mysterious woman who is charged with protecting the island. As revenge for the murder of their adoptive mother (who killed their real mother), Jacob throws his brother into the source of electromagnetism after being made the island's guardian, which transforms the Man in Black into the smoke monster.
Ben finally takes his revenge on Widmore after accepting the Man in Black's request for assistance. Jacob explains the purpose of the candidates, and Jack volunteers to take his place. The search for Desmond reveals that he has been rescued and the Man in Black plans to use him to destroy the island. In the flash sideways, each person ends up on their way to a concert.
For different reasons, Jack and the Man in Black both use Desmond to extinguish the light at the heart of the island. The island starts disintegrating, but The Man in Black is also made mortal. Still desperate to escape, The Man in Black fights Jack and mortally wounds him, but with help from Kate, Jack kills him. Realizing his destiny, Jack sacrifices himself to relight the heart of the island, so his friends can escape on the Ajira plane. Hurley takes Jack's place as protector of the island and makes Ben the new advisor. The flash sideways is revealed to be a type of limbo, or holding pattern, for the main characters, where they reside until accepting their life and death, and are then able to "let go" and "move on" together.
Home media release
Lost: The Complete Sixth and Final Season
Set details
Special features
18 episodes
5-disc set
1.78:1 aspect ratio
Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
English (Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround) – DVD
English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround) – Blu-ray
Audio commentaries
"LA X (Part 1)" by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse
"Dr. Linus" by Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz, Michael Emerson
"Ab Aeterno" by Melinda Hsu Taylor, Gregg Nations, Nestor Carbonell
"Across the Sea" by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse