I totally thought when Jack passed the mantle of protector to Hurley that he was faking it just to get Hurley to let him go down the hole. I mean he just got some very muddy water and had Hurley drink it. He didn't say any words over it like Jacob and CJ Craigg did. That's why I was so glad when Hurley and Ben had the little exchange at the end about Hurley being a great number one (and Ben a great number 2).

I'm torn on this finale. I'm mostly satisfied. The finale made it VERY obvious that the show was about the characters and the island/mysteries were secondary. And I'm can handle that.

But a part of me is frustrated that we still don't know much. What was the deal with the numbers? What was Charles Widmore's part in everything? What was the point of the Others? What IS the island? And a million more questions.

I know the finale wasn't going to answer all the questions, but it didn't really answer any of the questions!

And yet, it's still oddly satisfying.

The only thing that confused the point for me were the shots of the wreckage over the end credits. However, since none of it was smoking, I assumed it was just the leftover wreckage.

Yeah, those shots were weird and confusing, I agree. But it was just the leftover wreckage, still there after nearly everyone had left or died.

I was scared for a minute there (especially with the shot of the shoe stuck to the tree as Jack walked by) that everything was going to turn out to be his dying fantasy after the plane crash (per Occurrence at Owl Creek, Jacob's Ladder, etc.).

I don't remember the significance of the shoe. But, yeah, some people have said that's why they thought it was supposed to be All a Dream. Except Jack died watching the Ajira plane take off, so...they're wrong.

It's just really annoying the crap out of me: if you're going to dislike the finale, dislike it for the right reasons.

I totally thought when Jack passed the mantle of protector to Hurley that he was faking it just to get Hurley to let him go down the hole. I mean he just got some very muddy water and had Hurley drink it. He didn't say any words over it like Jacob and CJ Craigg did.

Oh yeah, I totally thought he magic-feathered him.

And yet, it's still oddly satisfying.

Yeah, that's where I am. I don't want to poke at it too much, really, because I'm pretty happy with it but I don't know that it could take much poking.

What was the deal with the numbers? What was Charles Widmore's part in everything? What was the point of the Others?

I actually can answer these questions. I don't know what the island is though.

Okay, so I just mainlined 6 seasons in, like, a week and a half and hulu'ed the finale half an hour ago.

I liked it. I can understand that folk are frustrated with the lack of certain explanation ("The island's a cork. Also, the ultimate source of goody-goodness. Possibly a pit-stop on the way to Hell/Purgatory/Cincinnati.") but I...I don't know, I guess I was just ready for a happy ending for everyone, even if it meant the Sideways World was just a weird group Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.

What was the deal with the numbers?

I have a happy thought that Hurley planted them through the universe once he was all Jacob-like. I am enjoying this happy thought.

Yeah, the people who didn't understand that the island was real are confusing me a bit. There was absolutely nothing to suggest that. I'm slow on the uptake, but I didn't think anything pointed to it all being in Jack's mind.

Besides, Christian stated it quite clearly: "These people are *real*, everything you went through was *real*, it all *really, really happened*, so, please, irate fen...keep thy flame e-mails to thyself."

Paraphrasing, naturally.

I have a happy thought that Hurley planted them through the universe once he was all Jacob-like.

Bad Wolf! I like that idea too. Hee.

if it meant the Sideways World was just a weird group Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.

All right, now that I have had this century-old short story spoiled for me, I must track it down and read it.

Done. Oh snaaaap.

I seriously do not understand the number of people who think that the finale said that everyone died in the crash and the Island was Purgatory. I thought it was pretty damn clear that the Island story was real; THAT WAS THE POINT.

Once again, you and I are as one.

The recap show from last night is free on iTunes, and we didn't watch it, so I'm DLing it right now. Mostly I want to see the montage of Ben getting beaten up.

All day I've kept flashing on the final shot of Jack and Vincent and tearing up. This is partly because I need my antidepressants adjusted (for realz), but partly because I WAS FINE UNTIL THE DAMN DOG CAME OUT. Pulling the canine card is NOT FAIR.

The only thing that confused the point for me were the shots of the wreckage over the end credits. However, since none of it was smoking, I assumed it was just the leftover wreckage.

I've read elsewhere on the Interpipes that since the show made it fairly explicit that the island stuff was real, that means that the people who survived did *actually* survive, and that that final shot of the wreckage was kind of a "here's what started it all" message from the creators.

Although there are people elseweb who are adamant that the wreckage was the Ajira plane. Which I really don't think so, because I think we're meant to understand from Kate's "I have missed you for so long" to Jack that she got back in one piece and lived a good long life. Which would mean that the Ajira plane didn't crash.

Tangentially related to the Ajira plane, I loved when Frank barked out that someone needed to fix the hydraulics, and did either Richard or Miles have any mechanic skills. All I could think was, "I'm a ghost whisperer!" "I'm from the 1800s!" "FIX THE DAMN PLANE!"

Hence the duct tape.

If that were Ajira, there would have been smoke. I didn't take that to mean anything other than a callback to the pilot episode.