Lost's polarizing series finale turns 10: How did Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse react to recently rewatching "The End"?

Vulture

"To some fans and critics, 'The End' didn’t offer enough answers about the show’s mysterious island and mythology, and a decade’s worth of pop-culture pot shots have cemented that reputation," says Jen Chaney. "But the truth is that the reaction to the finale was much more mixed than its reputation suggests. Many people, myself included, appreciated the emotional way it wrapped up Lost’s story. If you go back and rewatch 'The End' now, you may be surprised to learn you appreciate it too, especially if the one and only time you watched it was on the night of May 23, 2010." Chaney recently convinced co-showrunners Lindelof and Cuse to rewatch "The End" for the first time in the decade since it aired. Both say they are still proud of the finale, but Cuse described having “a jumble of emotions" recently rewatching it, adding: “I was a little, kind of, out of time." Both Cuse and Lindelof said they appreciated certain aspects of the finale more than others. “I actually think that if we didn’t have that damn stained glass window that we would’ve gotten a full letter grade higher on the finale,” said Lindelof, referring to a window in the church that features symbols from several major religions. They were especially moved by the events that take place in the flash-sideways, where, one by one, each major character is suddenly awakened to memories of the island, often when someone who also had been there touches them. “I got emotional watching that stuff because it felt like the characters were in a Lost reunion show that they didn’t know they were in,” Lindelof said. “It was like The Truman Show. It was like, ‘Oh, Jack, you were actually on this show called Lost where you had all these adventures on an island.'" Cuse added: “I felt that the thematic intentions of nobody doing it alone — you need them and they need you — a lot of the emotionality of the themes was very poignant in this particular moment, when we’re all separated from each other by a pandemic."

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• In defense of Lost's series finale: “The End” worked as an encapsulation of everything that made Lost a great series
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• Inside the making of "The End": Damon Lindelof appeared to be pretty much “tapped out” creatively
• Read an oral history of the Lost cast and crew reflecting on the series finale