I'm rewatching Lost knowing the disappointing ending. The pipe laid in the first season is still great lore building. The world was grounded in their initial characters...

Unfortunately, the television format didn't allow them to progress. Developments get stalled because of some production realities.

They move up the beach because of location contracts. Walt's growth spurt complicates their day-an-episode pattern so he has to be written off for a season (as opposed to say, Jake Sisko's). Locke....

Oh Locke. Such an interesting grounding for a character. Sad sack becomes big fish in a small pond, heavily motivated irrationally by faith, responsible for injuring one Lostie, the death of another

After accepting responsibility at Boone's funeral, undermined directly in the subsequent first season finale with "Boone was a sacrifice the island demanded..."

It's as if as soon as they try to solidify the mythology of the show, the characters settled *more* into their archetypes rather than expanding.

This is how Michael became a meme, after all.

Then the scene in the first season finale where Sawyer finally tells Jack about his father. Showing that potential for humanity and change. Why? Because Jack truste him with a gun. They have a moment, that is the thesis of the show right there...

But it devolves into the Man of Science, Man of Faith stuff. Locke vs. Jack are not that compelling to me. Of course, that is in hindsight.

Locke has to literally become someone else for their narrative to work. Not evolve into, become someone else.

Because they have to answer questions.

Except - they really don't. Sometimes mysteries could remain mysteries. One major reason for the downer of a finale is that it answered all of the what ifs and fan theories, but every fan theory is the best theory in their own imagination.

It spawned an entire industry of podcasts and YouTube videos that thrives in the age of Marvel

Because all theories can be true at once

Schroedinger's show. All endings are true until you answer them.

JJ Abrams's famous Mystery Box TED talk had one lesson that should have been heeded - JJ never opened that box. Until he does, all of the potential and possibility is true. Lost should never have opened the box.