Damon Lindelof on Lost - On The Verge

Damon Lindelof talks about his time writing and producing Lost, the polarizing ending, and the show's legacy.
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[@Mattazy]

7 years on from this interview and I want to say after rewatching through it again, I still absolutely love and understand the ending. If you followed the story and completely understood it’s ambiguity, it’s so so good.

[@HobbyGhandi]

12 years later for me .....

[@akikomartin3518]

For the life of me, and I'm not trying to sound pretentious, but I just genuinely don't understand how people who watched the ENTIRE show start to finish possibly misunderstood the ending and, instead, wrongfully thought they were dead "the entire time." Love how this is completely cleared up in 6:08-9:45.

[@doxholiday1372]

I'm not to 6 minutes yet, but my understanding is that: Everything happened. Everyone eventually died. They all met in the Flash Sideways, regardless of when they died.

[@benjamindurand8254]

When the show ended and I was just in awe, my brother and father jolted me out of it when yelling, LOOK! They were dead the whole time. Looking at the shot of the plane still crashed on the island. I was shocked. I just said, y'all, did you not just hear 10 minutes ago, Christian said everything that happened happened. They were so confused and ruined that whole moment for me.

[@brandonpetruska5520]

Like seriously....even the interviewer didn't get the ending. Christian Shephard flat out explained it all. Everything on the island happened. The flash sideways in season six was a sort of "purgatory" where all of the characters met after their deaths. They all died at different times. Jack died on the island, Charlie died, and we're left to assume that Kate and Sawyer die sometime later off the island. The "flash sideways" was just the meeting point where they all found each other after they died, and the sideways world transcended time. So it didn't matter when they died. They all show up at that place together.

[@miyeteks]

and they went to the heaven!

[@shahnawazassad9799]

Dude, if they were dead in the side flashes, what were they doing being a cop, doctors, syed killing men, hurley eating chicken and dasmund arranging concerts??? It did not look like an afterlife to me

[@drakenfist]

@@shahnawazassad9799 The point of the flash sideways was to continue the character development they had learned in life (on the island). Here are some examples. Though many characters' circumstances matched their pre-crash lives, most retained the development they had achieved during the series. Ben acts dramatically different from how he did before the crash, possibly following years of redemptive life on the island post-series. Hurley was a philanthropist, reflecting his years of caring for the island. Jack believed nothing was irreversible, as the last days of his life had made him a man of faith. . Kate sported an affinity for motherhood that she had never had pre-crash, suggesting to Claire that she keep her baby. Locke expressed the confidence and spirituality he had gained on the Island. He remained obsessed with his father though, and he regressed when with Randy. Sawyer followed a career in law enforcement as he had in DHARMA, a complete reverse of his pre-crash life. Sayid, always an atoning killer, seemed to become even more of one following the actions at the end of his life. However, at least two of those killings were in legitimate defense of his life. Sun and Jin had a better relationship than that which they started out with in the original timeline.

[@ForestSakan]

you got it,,but you put it in a pretty simplified way

[@verenamenzel4701]

@@shahnawazassad9799 After -life surely not, because they all had killed somebody (except shannon and boone+ rose +penny). That would suggest, you can be a murderer and go to heaven anyway. The sideflashs didn't make any sense, no matter what the writers say. There is no progressing, but stagnation and regress. Sayid and Kate are still criminals and in prison, Locke in wheelchair,Claire pregnant, Charlie Junkie, Sun and Jin: nothing important happens, Juliet and Jack are doctors, having a son, Desmond and Penny had no child, they recently come together in the stadion, etc...

[@boiiko5299]

That look on Lindelof's face when the interviewer is babbling about the six seasons being a shared fantasy : “No.” You can literally see his patience dropping five levels.

[@FilmFarts]

i applaud Damon for making the ending he wanted and to not please all of the fans. You can't explain everything, but what LOST needed to explain they explained. Perfect ending to a nearly perfect show!

[@CosmicUndeadElf]

I think there was room for improvement, but it was not anywhere near as bad as the haters make out. They clearly watched it for the sole purpose of finding the answers, and didn't care about the characters.

[@muskokamike127]

Dude really? perfect show? I think ANY show that has to use "fillers" (and Lost had a lot of them) is far from perfect. I said back when it was first shown that it is almost like they wrote plot ideas onto the backs of a deck of cards, then each week, threw them up in the air and whatever landed face up, they used..... there is a saying in tv series writing: the elevator episode...that is where the budget is tight and to get back on track they have to do an episode on the cheap. In other series it is where two characters are stuck in an elevator during a power outage...cheap and easy to shoot.....I think in Lost's case, they had to fill x number of seasons with x number of episodes and they couldn't progress the plot too quickly so they threw in a bunch of useless information that was supposed to fire the imagination...... I just watched the entire 6 seasons over the past 2 weeks (off work due to illness) and what helps a LOT is to skip over all the flashback portions......some had something to do with the character's history, but a heck of a lot of it was just filler......I mean, how much air time was given to why charlie was a heroin addict? that all could have been explained in 20 minutes of air time......

[@CosmicUndeadElf]

michael cochrane The writers even admit this, up until season 3 they had to keep stalling

[@Maalstrom]

yup, if you understand the production issues they had, they really worked gold with this show.

[@attackofthecopyrightbots]

this reporter is like the internet personified

[@LaneCarter]

This is painful to watch but it gives me so much respect for Damon.

[@JengibreRallado]

I can't stop doing *face palm* every time someone doesn't understand Lost and the finale. Lindelof is teaching something in this.

[@Taj_Rahine]

I went for the double face palm last time it happened

[@trancosa13]

He doesnt have to explain anything, to me he created the best show ever made and it ended as it should of done. nothings come close to it for me, and its ending gives credit to his style and the greatness of the show. Bravo.

[@kbshowtyme]

Well said.

[@savage7ecneek437]

And then he goes and ups the bar and creates the leftovers

[@TheCinemafan87]

I just finished "the leftovers season 2 " Damon you are a genius. Don't listen the haters your work is PERFECT. The leftovers is a masterpiece . Far better than Game of Thrones and Walking Dead ( and i love GOT and TWD a lot believe me) DAMON THANK YOU FOR ALL THE BRILLIANT EPISODES FROM LOST AND THE LEFTOVERS...

[@MotherDick-vw4oc]

Agreed. Sad to see a lot of hate for him.

[@greyeyed123]

Harlan Ellison, famous writer and hater of all things (especially television), loved Lost. From beginning to end. Harlan was pointing out connections most people missed even in season 1--such as the fact that the accident that paralyzed soon-to-be Sarah Shephard was the very same accident that KILLED Shannon's father.  And if you blinked in that episode, you missed it. And if you missed it, you probably missed that the show was hinting at a larger story canvas that most people didn't even suspect in season one.

[@Viper3220]

He was responsible for the garbage leftovers finale too? Damn.

[@savage7ecneek437]

Leftovers is a great series.....each season got better

[@oneshotmgmt]

@@savage7ecneek437 season 2 is the best season for any show I think I've ever seen to date still. And I'm always looking for a great TV show.

[@jacobfrank4850]

Lost is brilliant. The finale is brilliant.

[@christineapicella1422]

Thank you Mr. Lindelof, Mr. Abrams and Carlton Cuse. Lost was the best television show.

[@CatDaddyLurk]

Just finished lost maybe 20 mins ago and immediately search for an explanation. Initially I was like are you fucking seriously but after seeing this interview, I fully appreciate the Lost ending.

[@jordancooperlalala]

So the interviewer didn't pay attention to the LOST finale, misunderstood it and then to Lindelof's face chastises him? Yikes. This was tough to watch.

[@MattAlbie]

I love how the interview is basically "I didn't like Lost because I didn't actually functionally understand what happened."

[@dopilus]

I disagree -- to me it felt more like an exploration of what Lost "meant".

[@sandykhp]

But he is not alone. There is a reason large section of the audience hated the ending. I include myself in it too.

[@dwoodard5717]

Him thinking that everything that took place on the island didnt actually happen just shows how much he paid attention to Lost. I mean, did he not pay attention to the last 5 minutes of the finale? His dad just lays it out. Jack even asks if all that stuff on the island really happened, and his dad explains it in a way that even a 5 yr old come understand it

[@melosivitch]

Mohan Bhargava if you didn’t like the ending you didn’t understand the show enough. I strongly believe that. I suggest you rewatch the show and think critically while you watch. It’s truly brilliant and requires you to think just as much as it expects you to be entertained.

[@vaevictious]

@@dwoodard5717 we know that season 6 introduced scenes containing side flashways, so my question to you is was the Church/afterlive scene a real event or part of purgatory/sideflashways to help charachters to move forward?

[@nj9766]

“I’m a person who watched Lost all the way through”....... I don’t think you did sir, because it's obvious you didn't understand a lot of things in the show especially when it was all spelt out that everything that happened on the island was real! but mad respect to Damon with his patience and eloquent answers!

[@cooljt1998]

Damon is an absolute beast in his interview. He stocked to his guns clearly realizes this guy doesn’t understand the show at all. I hope he knows the real fans, who either liked the ending or not understood what they were trying to do and enjoyed the ride

[@brandonpetruska5520]

I guess I'm in the minority. I completely understood the ending and I loved it.

[@soccerguy325]

No, you're just in the half. The intelligent half, though.

[@nickdavidelijah]

me too! loved it

[@soccerguy325]

nickdavidelijah No, it was actually brilliant. I don't care what anyone else says.

[@chriser555]

its not that people didn't understand it, it's that it was shit

[@muskokamike127]

I understand it now after watching the complete series over the past 2 weeks, (and seeing episodes I missed in the correct sequence) but after everything that went on on the show, the "reason" they were all put on the island was so that they could find each other and happiness is completely "trite" in my opinion......if that is the true meaning of Lost, it could have been done in one season and probably 10 episodes.......to me, it seems like if that is truly the meaning, it was all just a money grab, and an exercise by the producers to see just how much garbage they can throw out and feed people...... If the meaning was: the fight between good and evil? I could get behind that If the meaning was: bring all these loners together to save the island? I could get behind that If the meaning was: to choose a protector of the light which is the center of reality? I could get behind that. BTW: hate to be the bearer of bad news but in reality, IF the whole reason was so they could come together and find each other, they didn't....until they were dead. Because so many "loves" died, they were no better off after they left the island for the final time than they were before they crashed to begin with......

[@SuzyMissQ]

The point of Lost, to me, wasn't all of the mysteries on the island. The point to me, was that this was a story about characters. All of these characters were thrust into situations that were beyond their control when they were all thrown onto this island, and what I loved the most about the show was the character development. Without that, Lost wouldn't have been the phenomenon that it was. I went to the paleyfest panel yesterday, and I think we should look beyond the crazy time jumps and polar bears and see that ultimately this was the story of people who were lost in their lives, and through the course of six seasons went through love, loss, hate and tremendous obstacles in order to find out what their true purpose was. strip away the ending and all of the bells and whistles and you get to the heart of what lost was. It was a story on the human condition and the connections we have with one another. With some crazy shit thrown in there for good measure.

[@socialbootleggings]

I felt like the main characters kinda stayed the same the whole time and the minor characters were the interesting ones but why they were interesting was never explained.

[@Matthzor]

socialbootleggings jack changed a lot. imagine jack at the start of the journey accepting to become jacob and protcting 'a light' and understanding his destiny and not wanting to get off the island? haha neva!

[@lndndr18]

THIS.

[@casey-capri2914]

Thats a cop out answer.... of course the show is about the characters... ALL SHOWS ARE ABOUT THE CHARACTERS. What makes people upset is its clear the showrunners had no clue where the story was going season to season

[@drugczarbadmmkay7007]

I actually loved the "Across the Sea" episode. I don't see why Damon doesn't care for it. It gave a lot of backstory, but not too much. Really loved the show.. I hope television steers in the right direction. There's nothing like LOST or Fringe anywhere on TV now-a-days.

[@greyeyed123]

+Relinquo Nobis Nostri Ignarus Ordinatio If you haven't seen it, "The Leftovers" has proven a worthy follow up effort by Damon. Also, FYI, Damon does like "Across the Sea" and said as much in DVD/blu ray commentary. Where it may have faltered is that some part of the audience didn't expect such a large section of "answers" to come from characters that had never been on the show at all before. I, however, didn't find that strange--and quite liked the creation myth they borrowed liberally from the Iroquois. The interconnections of themes and myth made it all worth while for me.

[@oompie815]

He loved it. He is just stating that Lost never was about the mystery but just about the characters.

[@Seethi_C]

I personally would love an entire series that dives into the Island’s past. Particularly, who was the first human to find it? Or was there always a Protector.

[@kdizzle901]

Cuz it’s not that great of an episode

[@bmonster]

I liked it but I feel it raised more questions than necessary.

[@SAndSPictures]

I watched the show for the first time in the summer of 2013; I loved the show, but I was a bit confused of the ending. I watched the show for the second time in the winter 2014; I once again loved it, and I got so many more answers. The answers are all there. You just need to find them.

[@cunneyes]

I loved the entire series from start to end. I love the fact he embraces the feedback.

[@CosmicUndeadElf]

Lindelof won't bother explaining the island so I'll give it a try. Basically, the electromagnetic light inside the cave is what maintains the balance between good and evil, or light and dark. If the light was ever extinguished the balance would tip toward evil and humans would all become cold-blooded killers like the man in black. That's why Jacob refers to the island as a cork, because it prevents "darkness" from corrupting all life. The entire point of the series was to find someone to protect the island and the light source. This was mostly a Jack story, it was about his journey from being a sceptic to accepting his destiny and then letting go of his mortal life to return to the great beyond, as did his pals in the church. There were many little plot details in Lost that were never explained or made no sense, but essentially I just explained all that you really need to know about what the point of it all was.

[@CosmicUndeadElf]

***** Interesting

[@maujo2009]

CosmicUndeadElf Up to season 5 I was a huge supporter of the theory that the island was an alien ship that had crashed on Earth (hence the electromagnetic anomalies and the time jumps and the energy pockets) in the times of ancient Egypt (hence the hieroglyphics and monuments, etc). Jacob and the MIB were the survivors of the crash and MIB just want to return back home (he even sort of hints something on these lines at the beginning of season 6). When they introduced the whole good and evil thing, for me it was a big disappointment.

[@CosmicUndeadElf]

Mau Jo That sounds interesting and I was of a similar mindset, I hoped Jacob and the Smoke Man would be either aliens or angels or something. It was kind of a tease when they show the Man in Black saying he wants to go "home" which really just meant he wants to leave.

[@CosmicUndeadElf]

***** It isn't easy to piece together though, because this story is being told over 6 years and a lot of the episodes need to be watched multiple times.

[@CosmicUndeadElf]

***** I fixed my comment so it makes sense now, lol. I wasn't concentrating before, sorry

[@caivsivlivs]

also interviwer has some crazy power struggle after he finds out he misunderstood the show and damon was schooling him when damon said "now that i have you on the couch..." and he had to assert his power saying "actually i have YOU on the couch" @ 11:48 lmfao

[@Greekfamilyreacts]

Brilliant show, writing and ending! Loved it all!!!

[@clauditorium]

Wow, I can't believe this guy, who I'm assuming is a professional interviewer, thought that everything on the show didn't really happen. You'd have to be pretty dumb to make that mistake. There were definitely some unclear things on the show, but that was crystal clear to anyone with two brain cells to rub together.

[@kbshowtyme]

The interviewer is very unprofessional. He seems combative and there's a point were he appears to want to argue as if he knows the show better than Damon.

[@drakenfist]

@@kbshowtyme I agree. First he says he doesn't like the ending because there is no point to it all. Nothing matters, which in tern makes for a very nihilistic ending, but once Damon explains the ending too him. His position now is "I still don't like it because it's too happy!", the ending wasn't nihilistic enough. He wanted something like a reveal that they were on a space ship, in which Damon pointed him to the Life on Mars U.S ending (which was dreadful btw), Ironically enough- The U.K version of Life on Mars has a sequel series called "Ashes to Ashes", and it aired it's series finale two days before the LOST finale..and the ending was almost identical to that of lost's.

[@deadpxn3517]

@@kbshowtyme Not sure why I'm replying 7 years later but I didn't see it that way at all, he was just saying what he thought the show was and was happy to be corrected. Once Lindelof explained he didn't argue. This was a pretty interesting conversation honestly, I didn't sense any disrespect.

[@conordoyle9481]

I just finished Lost for the first time, the ending was so touching, beautiful and satisfying I truly don't understand what people don't get or are dissapointed by. I felt almost everything was answered and done so in such a fitting way. This interviewer is hella brazen to chastise Damon to his face, saying nothing mattered etc is absurd.

[@batatinhacomics]

I feel very sorry for Damon Lindelof having to go through this bullshit interview with a guy who didn't even bother to understand the show before asking idiotic questions.

[@amazingkris]

And then Lindelof is forced to defend something he never even said. How frustrating this interview is. Great answers, dopey questions.

[@kannon0216]

@@amazingkris I'm only at 6:57 and it's clear this dude didn't want to understand the show. He was looking for the aswers to be spoonfed to him.

[@amazingkris]

@@kannon0216 "Sooo... John Locke DOESN'T have robotic legs that malfunction on and off?"

[@casey-capri2914]

I love lost and understand it well. With that being said I'm happy the interviewer asked the questions he asked because it is clear that the show runners had no idea where they were going with the ending.

[@fimoqueen]

It makes for a more interesting and thought provoking interview, though. Who wants to hear a stan dawn all over DL. This is LOST so I appreciate the push that resulted in an intestine conversation. I think it was respectful.

[@ChrisWeber]

Love how at minute 7 he's all like I don't like LOST because of this and Damon Lindelof is telling him he's wrong. Love how he talks about purgatory. HOW MANY TIMES DID THEY SAY IT WASN'T PURGATORY?

[@MegaGrunt]

If Damon Lindelof is involved in a project I won't bother watching it no matter how promissing it looks

[@billygreene21]

They said many times THE ISLAND wasn't purgatory. And it wasn't.

[@GioSimmerOficial]

Lindelof mentions that, since the beginning of the show people insist that the island is Purgatory (which it's not). The audience was so "into" that idea, that the authors actually created a purgatory (OFF the island, the Flash Sideways), so people would understand that the ISLAND WAS NOT PURGATORY, it was real.

[@MoviesWithDallin]

Good for Damon for not regretting anything! I loved the entire show every single episode. I thought the ending was perfect!

[@CarolineATorge]

I LOVED the ending!!!! "I once was lost, but now I'm found, was blind, but now I see. '

[@suefanelli]

I LOVED THE ENDING OF LOST!!!!

[@Grable424]

There's many dissenters that (as you said) do understand the ending and didn't like it which is totally fine. It's your own opinion... but from experience, I'd say that there are MANY MANY more who did not understand the ending in the slightest.

[@kevinerose]

Okay as one who didn't understand the ending in the slightest I think I understand now why it wasn't understood by MANY MANY people. Damon mentions that the exposition was given by Jack's father who plays the sub role of "architect" by telling Jack that it was all real. I think that is probably fine as it was written. I think why it was so confusing to so many was how the actor presented that line.

[@pognosmaka]

Yep, because the majority of people are quite frankly stupid AF.

[@ohhhyeah9435]

Respect to Damon for sitting through this.

[@ginanormand1139]

Thank you. Here I am 4 yrs later. Recently rewatched all seasons on dvd & season 6 drove me nuts. Especially The End, the last episode. I feel better knowing the Island was real.

[@darinlawrence1640]

I love the ending of Lost.

[@redmd9772]

Me too that interviewer was thick he I can't believe he didn't understand it

[@jjking700]

I love Lindelof hes perfect watching the leftovers now and its just as good hes def my fave writer

[@kdizzle901]

He writes great mystery me great emotional characters

[@houry9179]

I just love lost and i miss it and i don't get how people don't get it or see the ending unsatisfying, i remember me crying my eyes out... i mean it was weird and twisted but the whole point of the show was to make you brain work instead of sitting there watching some cliches with a frozen brain!!

[@PatrickShand]

That interviewer is flat out not a professional.

[@uptown3636]

Agreed. Furthermore, if you intend to criticize a storyteller's work to their face, you better make sure you understand it first.

[@HereIsWisdom1318]

He knows nothing about Lost.

[@zippyzee]

He talks NON-STOP for the first 2 minutes .... jeezuss

[@PhillyJohnny]

I could sit and talk to Lindelof for hours......

[@TheAngous]

Here is lost explain: 1)The island contain the afterlife (the flashsideways). it's like finding the door of death. The door is real, the island is real. 2) You need to protect it from the monster. If you don't, when you will die they will be nothing after that. 3)But protecting it mean LIVING on the island and every human who have good life will fight to go to civilisation and don't want to stay on the island. 4) So Jacob choose peoples who screw their life so they can nderstand they need to move on because they can"t fix their mistakes by going back on civilisation. Locke dad is a bastard. Jack's dad is dead, Kate is a fugitive....why do you think this show is called LOST? 5)Jack is the guy who screw so much is life that he's like the smoke monster the whole first four seasons (that's why many love Locke first because he understand that they need to stay, even if he was manipulated by smockey, and why many hate Jack during a long time. He was kinda the smoke monster! "i want to leave the island!"). At the beginning of s5 he will realise that locke was right, he move on, confront the monster and save the island and the humanity because he understand that whatever happened, happened, he can't change the past, he need to understand and accept it that he made mistake (the flashbacks). 6) Jack understand that with the help of the other characters , that's why he need them to go to the afterlife. People who dont understand to let go are stuck to be whispers on the island. lost isn't a story about egyptian building a fuc*ing statue. It's a story about how hard it is to move on from your past, whatever that is: a relationship ending, a death, a big mistake (like a crime) , the feeling of having an empty life... This is a story about "Man, don't look at the past. Look at the future" and the whole process to do it. Lost is a story about "how to get out of depression"

[@CastleBomb44]

Thanks for writing that all out

[@RafaelZeratai]

Boulbi Boulga no

[@badgasaurus4211]

Rafael Zeratai No u

[@ChristmasLore]

That's very simply: not what the creator himself is saying. You obviously didn't listen.

[@JeremyDuncan]

I admire Damon's patience.

[@haleyjadelovethatname]

i appreciated the show LOST for what it was .. truly changed my life as lame as it sounds. but in the end the mysteries become trivial, it's about the characters. i mean the show is called LOST, you're supposed to be a bit lost..

[@badgasaurus4211]

HaleyDaniellee In an ideal world. Stuff like the time travel, wildmore, the island moving and so on should have been cut or reduced. Too much bloat and mysteries opening up which distracted people from the character story it really is

[@lilbigman777]

I LOVED the finale in hindsight. There are still things that bug me a little about it, its not perfect. But it is BRILLIANT, and extraordinarily emotional and truly ENDS the characters and makes you want to revisit. .

[@jwilber02]

sure, right, mhm, sure, right, sure, yep, okay, uh huh, right, sure, right, sure, right right, sure,

[@phatcorns]

And Damon, don't apologize for the ending, it's great and beautiful. Who cares if someone thinks it's new-agey or hokey or corny, it was PERFECT.

[@thomasarnal]

The reason why I adore Lost is the fact that it doesn't answer all questions raised. It leaves room for interpretation and creativity. It is one of the only TV show where I did let my imagination run free, also was totally ok with just going along for the ride.

[@DemianPresser]

Damon Lindelof is a genius. Love his way of thinking

[@MrPink-]

the interviewer reminds me of Ben wanting answers from Jacob in witch he replys "what about you?..."

[@SCOTTHKR]

This is the worst interview in the world. Actually the worst. He doesn't know the ending, 2 years afterwards, and bases his opinion of the show on this. He then says he would have been satisfied if they had all been in space - that would have made sense??!! Appalling.

[@CosmicUndeadElf]

Yeah what a predictable stupid ending that would be, they're all being experimented on by aliens, the end. I was disappointed with Lost's ending, but it was better than what this clueless hipster came up with.

[@muskokamike127]

CosmicUndeadElf I think what you missed was the kind of sarcasm in that answer. He didn't say it would have been the BEST ending, he said it would have been satisfying in the same sense that one can eat at McDonald's and be "satisfied"......

[@CosmicUndeadElf]

michael cochrane I see, but I don't think it would be satisfying for a lot of people. While it would make for an interesting twist, it would give the show a bleak, unresolved feeling. I liked the church ending, but I think an airport would have been a more appropriate meeting place for Jack and his pals.

[@drakenfist]

@@CosmicUndeadElf nah the island!. If they somehow raised the island and then they realized how much it meant to them. That would have been WAY more emotional!.

[@clarkesteinman5098]

Gosh, it astounds me how many people could not understand that ending. It spelled it out and people still thought they were dead the whole time.

[@williamtighe3028]

I personally found the lost ending incredible.

[@barbasolembryos9427]

Can I just say that I love the cut to Damon's face at 12:37?

[@Matt_G824]

The interviewer didn't get the finale, criticizes Damon for it, Damon begrudgingly explains it, and the interviewer has this blank confused look on his face because he still doesn't get it. Great. Good job, guy.

[@StubbornMomDotCom]

We, as a family, just watched the entire series and really enjoyed it. Watching it a second time I liked the ending much better.

[@elwis99]

Finished the series finale for the 1st time yesterday and it was FORKING AMAZING! Loved it! If you payed attention to the storylines there was nothing confusing or bad about finale season or the ending. It was perfect! My all time favorite series. (And I have seen many great series) Plus The Leftovers is excellent throughout! Love It too!!!

[@YouTw1tFace]

Nobody interviewer who has never done anything talks down to co-creator of one of the best shows of all time.

[@Labyriiint]

It’s funny because Lost had many ambigious moments but the ending was as clear as it could be, both with what happened and also the fact that Christian literally explains everything to Jack but in reality to us viewers. How can people not understand it?

[@kungfukenny1999]

Because so much of what drove the show was left unexplained. The numbers for example. Their significance was never revealed to us but it was an important plot point for a full five seasons. How can you be satisfied with that?

[@doxholiday1372]

​@@kungfukenny1999 Unresolved plot points is a different matter.... However, the numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42 corresponded with one of the final candidates to replace Jacob as protector of the Island.

[@MrBurgundy76]

They met up in the afterlife because each person in the flash sideways subconsciously made a reality for themselves based on their lingering issues in life that which they could not let go of. When they met up with the most important person in their life (or an object that held great value to them), they remember all the growth they made on the island (shown in the montage flashes), thus helping them "move on". I do admit some things were left hanging, but alot of answers are clearly explained.

[@ericcindycrowder7482]

Covid brought me here, just finished Lost again for the 3rd or 4th time I’m not counting. Yes the ending was a little bit of a let down for me, but that didn’t matter. For me, the beauty of Lost was witnessing the character development and the incredible acting. Especially moments between Terry O Quin and Michael Emerson. There were so many incredible moment of interplay between these fictional people I became emotionally attached too. I also loved all the science fiction aspects of the hatches, the D.I., and the mythical aspect of Jacob and what the Island really was. I will watch again in 15 years will be 2035

[@tomerohanabentzvi9866]

Lost was already my favorite show but this just made me like it even more

[@lilbigman777]

Shit got REAL at 1:12. I actually rubbed my hands together and was like "This is gonna be interesting."

[@Heyitsjoe80]

That's it. Now that it's summer, it's time to spin up the DVD's. I need to go back to LOST. I HAVE TO GO BAAAAAACK

[@ROVVANDERS]

The vast majority of people who hated the ending is very well represented by the interviewer, A PERSON WHO DIDN’T GET THE ENDING! Hats off to Damon for enduring this.

[@Damon242]

"time travelling, ghosts and godly brothers...magical island" From the very first episode they series established monsters and polar bears. In the subsequent episodes, they established ghosts, whispers, illness, healing, etc. The series telegraphed what is was going to become from day one. It's a series featuring strong characters against a mystical backdrop.

[@drakenfist]

Interviewer at 6 minute mark: i'm disappointed in the show cause what just happened in the finale didn't really mean anything. Damon: What do you mean?! (spends the next 10 minutes explaining it to him). Interviewer: Wow, now I see things a lot differently...wow, before I was disappointed cause it was too dark....now I don't like it cause it's too happy!.

[@Tikken27]

I love how he Lindelof keeps saying 'sure' while the guy rambles on before asking a question. I've spent years as a manager in a restaurant and when people are complaining about something I say 'sure' to them in the same way to make them think I'm listening and care/agree with what they're saying. When someone says 'sure' like this it doesn't mean sure, it means 'shut the fuck up'.

[@ripkingston]

The interviewer asking these questions is fine. The real issue is he is dead wrong about what happened in the culmination of the show. He thought that they were "dead the whole time" and "nothing mattered." He either didn't see it or gave up on the show at some point and just watched the finale.

[@soaked23]

100% agree the finale was perfect and a hell of a way to wrap up the most original, interesting and cleverest show of the last 10 years.

[@Matt_G824]

So he loves lost... Didn't get the ending. Loves X Files... Doesn't remember anything about the ending.

[@ATMyles]

I can imagine what that guy’s personal relationships are like.

[@johnwall2wizards]

I watched Lost when it aired and felt disappointed with the ending. I Revisited the show a few months ago and just finished It all the way through and loved it. I feel like hype and expectations hinders out point of view and we don’t fully appreciate what we are getting because we wanted something “more” or “different” I feel like in 10 years the Game of Thrones ending will be much more enjoyable the same way. Thank you for giving us an incredible show Damon

[@clapfatal828]

"If you didn't do your due diligence and listen to what we had to say, you were warned." So he's saying that people can't just watch the show; for not being disappointed, you have to listen to the interviews of the screenwriters. Well, I learned in cinema school that a movie or a tv show should never require explanations form its creators. And if so, it means that the object doesn't do a good job.

[@billygreene21]

Folks heard them say , in early interviews, that the questions would be answered literally. Those interviews, more than anything else, are what people point to when saying they came away disappointed with the ending. Had they not seen the initial interviews they might not have had that expectation. Therefor the subsequent retraction of those statements in later interviews is relevant, but only to people who put stock in the first interviews. If you saw none of the interviews nothing is added or subtracted from your viewing of the show.

[@thousandbells5258]

Lost ended perfectly for me and most of those who I know. I clearly remember how I felt when it ended, I was like no, I want more, I can't believe what I've heard but when I wiped off my tears, I watched the last 15 minutes once again and then I understood how great it was. Thank you Damon for giving me a show that I know I can watch every now and then and enjoy it as much as the first time.

[@MrKyRoNn]

I feel late to this, but i just finished the series and In my opinion the ending was brilliant and it couldn't have ended better.

[@wolfesound]

I always say, one must meet themselves deeply enough to understand LOST. The deeper you go, and the more you grow, the deeper the appreciation for it. For me, it is an ayahuasca journey televised.

[@swavye]

This interviewer has no clue what happened in lost.

[@sandykhp]

Jacob Turner sure .... like a large section of audience.

[@drakenfist]

I wonder if Damon plucked him from 1977. This guy looks seriously out of time.

[@ZeeMan84]

God damn Lindlof is smart, he schooled the interviewer. Loved Lost and I think it explained just enough to make it a show where I want to go back to it many times over my lifetime.

[@catalina9844]

I appreciate the interviewer, he’s asking questions that the audience is / was interested in.

[@SindicatoAntiNormalidadTV]

I actually think this is a great interview because the interviewer’s point of view and misunderstanding of the ending reflects on the usual LOST ending detractors. Best ending possible, wouldn’t change a single thing

[@brianlaudrupchannel]

Cant believe this interviewer didn't get the sideways flashes.

[@Stephanieee96]

I just finished the series this evening (and wept for an hour after at its lovely ending). I realized when trying to figure out the “right answers,” that there are no right answers about what happened and that whole point of the ambiguity just solidifies one of the main themes presented throughout the show; blind faith. The moment I stopped asking questions and just accepted what had happened, happened, was the moment I realized what a beautiful show it was. John put all of his faith into the island with absolutely no explanation. Even Jack came around at the end and just realized he has to put his whole self into the island just because of faith! When you stop being so analytical and just appreciate and accept the fact that life itself is mysterious, it’s just a wonderful release to stop questioning and just let your faith guide you. This is how Lost touched my heart.

[@222333aaaaaa]

It’s also a total cop out by the show’s writers. “What happened?” “Oh, we purposefully left it ambiguous.”

[@kuhpunkt]

@@222333aaaaaa What? How is it a cop out? There's nothing ambigious about it.

[@desmondhume8071]

best ending ever

[@Haveuseensean]

Damon Lindeof is such a humble and cool guy

[@mustafaalbahr7158]

Damon is the king of the kings in writing

[@MrBurgundy76]

Electromagnetism is responsible for many of the events on the island (explained throughout the series). The people time traveling set alot of the events we saw into motion (explained in season 5) The three toed statue is something that is commonly used in Egyptian culture (explained in history class) The Dharma crew was there to explore and test the effects of the electromagntism (season 5).

[@TheCinemafan87]

The end is a masterpiece and the show is the best thing ever....Damon you are a genius....best writer on the planet!!! Prometheus is also a masterpiece.... sooo good!

[@thinhvo3893]

TheCinemafan87 you’re so stupid it’s funny.

[@TheCinemafan87]

so i am stupid..... and your message is perfect ???

[@thinhvo3893]

TheCinemafan87 That isnt even a proper respond.

[@TheCinemafan87]

not sour why you attack me man.....i am a lost fan so why should i say the opposit

[@TheCinemafan87]

for me lynch and Damon are the best... lynch 1st and damon 2nd

[@CommanderSon]

The fact that the interviewer essentially asked “so everything that happened wasnt real?” shows that that dude did not pay any attention to the show. If i was dameon during this interview i would’ve genuinely been pissed.

[@thelegitnintendogamer1832]

Mother was the real smoke monster

[@bradderzpartridge]

My two major announces with Season 6 was the back story of The Smoke Monster and that they didn't answer enough smaller mysteries throughout the season. They had ample time to do it in! I had no qualms with the ending for the characters, just that there were too many unanswered questions and the story for how Smokey became Smokey and all his powers was poor.

[@DefunctGames]

Hipster, clueless reporter asks: "You had to think of this for the movie?" It's 2016, no movie in sight. Nobody has even proposed the idea of a movie. This is the same guy who said The Sopranos ending was a cliffhanger that would be tied up in a movie. Didn't happen. WON'T happen. This hipster, clueless reporter clearly didn't understand the ending (gets schooled by Damon), and yet continues to think it's a cliffhanger for a movie. Good grief.

[@scottdepue2405]

People can have opinions but that doesn't mean they can't be dumb and uninformed.

[@T--kq3pj]

There's 2 kinds of interviewers. A good, likable interviewer, and an annoying, clueless, closet or even fully homosexual hipster. This guy is the latter.

[@IanHillan]

I honestly think the ending was perfect. Also. The Leftovers is criminally underrated

[@cathyzimmerman9467]

This guy is a joke and so rude. Loved the ending Damon, you are a genius. Don't listen to this guy (she says 6 years later lol). Love yu and your brilliance

[@mcpeko]

Amazing interview. Never seen this one before. Some very interesting moments: 08:20 "Right now, Hurley and Ben, with some help from Walt, are actually running things on the Island. Maintaining it." 09:40 "Show's called Lost. It's not because they're on an islands. It's because they're lost." 09:54 "There was an interpretation. A large part of it came from ABC's decision to run footage of the plane wreckage over the end credits of the finale."

[@CaptPanOfSteel]

The first quote is explained by the show's epilogue which appeared on the DVDs extra, "The New Man in Charge". You can find it on KZbin.

[@MrAlexandersaurus]

I love the ending. It was gorgeous. This guys is silly.

[@savinarendina7024]

The island world is completely real, as is the flash sideways world. It is not a purgatory, it's a parallel universe with flesh and blood dopplegangers of all the characters. They created this place through the Incident. Desmond, the constant, brought their conscious memories from one version of their self to the double version. That way, they could live out their lives together with island memories and unarmed bodies.

[@108reasonstodie]

I LOVE YOU DAMON AGH THIS INTERVIEWER IS AN ASS

[@AdopteeHonesty]

Ok, I re-watched the whole thing, every season, start to finish over the past few weeks. It's a bit easier to follow all in a row. The finale confused me for years, but now I think I got it. Yeah, this has been bugging me for 7 years! It was confusing, because we interpret time differently than the show did. #YouAllEverybody!

[@Dudetomdude]

LOST was perfect, the ending was perfect. End of. WE HAVE TO GO BACK KATE

[@JarrettMazza]

Lost is a fantastic television series. Pure and simple. You might have problems with there being a lack of answers or whatever, but the show itself is essentially a giant manifesto for so many different things. A lot of the questions are answered in the series, but, yes, some aren't, which is Damon and Carlton Cuse's way of giving something back to their audiences. I think people get so caught up in trying to make sense of everything and, in the end, that's not really what the show is about. It's about people, community, and the power of belief, and the joy in mystery. It works on a number of different levels, but if you think the showrunners were not doing their jobs but not answering ALL of your questions, then you simply could not be more wrong.

[@NicolasTylerDoyle]

Time isn't measured in the same consistency in death as we perceive it during life. When someone dies they get spat into their purgatory arena waiting in their few minutes for the rest of their people to arrive. The rest of the people live the rest of their lives for years and years (in purgatory time it is of a few minutes) and once everyone has had their life fulfilled it is time to go to heaven With each other. They won each other and self forgiveness . The end LOST

[@goldenageofdinosaurs7192]

Nicolas Tyler Doyle Succinctly put, my friend!

[@jurrabi]

I just re-watched again the how series and I still feel that there where just the right amount of answers. I hate that Damon felt (I hope doesn't anymore) the need to defend what in the end has resulted the best show ever aired... Thanks for it!