Finale Thoughts

I have a confession to make. For me, the long list of clues, spoilers, interviews and flash-forwards managed to steal some of the amazingness from Thursday's finale. I was expecting too much. I call it the M. Night Shyamalan effect. After the crazy twist of last season's finale, nothing could really measure up. And while we finally got some answers (with some spectacular kisses and deaths thrown in), we sort of knew which answers we'd be getting ahead of time. We knew the island was movable. We knew the coffin mystery would be revealed. We knew there would be an off-island kiss. And we knew who would make it off the island. (Although I was pleasantly surprised by the addition of Desmond and Frank's rescue.)

That soft blow of "Yeah, I knew that was coming" aside, it rocked. Go, team writers. You made my week.

Thoughts:

Thanks to a flash three years into the future, the aging of Walt makes sense. Poor guy. You can't slow time when dealing with child actors. And is it just me, or is it very obvious that this Aaron on the island is a new one? (All babies do not look alike, people.)
Walt clearly believes his dad is still alive. Is Hurley lying to him? Or are explosions no match for the power of the island? And was Christian releasing him from the rule of not being able to die? Odd that it would be a dead man to sentence someone to death.
Okay, so Keamy showing up AFTER I was pretty convinced he was dead threw me for the loop of all loops. First major shocker of the evening.
Just when Ben starts to grow on me a little (Can you believe he let Kate and Sawyer go?), he loses his Other-ness cool and pretty much condemns our friends on the freighter to die. Not Desmond. Please, not him.
Charlotte is finally interesting. Clearly, she's been there before. But she is still looking for where she was born. I have a feeling that she has a pretty awesome backstory that needs exploring. Oh, and she and Dan have got something going on. Secrets? Romance? History?
I love Kate. I really do. But sometimes I wish she would just pick a man already. That said, I loved that moment of sacrifice, when Sawyer kissed her before plunging into the waters below. Sawyer's starting to emerge as the hero. I kind of like it.
Sayid tells Hurley (regarding the death of our mysterious coffin-dweller, Bentham): "They said it was suicide." Now that we know it's Locke, I'm even more intrigued as to method of death. Sure, he may have been overwhelmed with post-island depression. But murder is more fun. (For TV. I'm not endorsing it.)
I love that Hurley is playing chess with Mr. Eco.
From my notes: RED LIGHT. Christian. Explosion. Flames. Michael. Jin.
Sun is going bad girl on us? "You [to Widmore] and I have common interests." Uh, what are they? Unless she believes Jin isn't dead....
"Whoever moves the island can never come back."
There is a wheel. And it's frozen.
When Jack revives Desmond, I'm hit with the thought that Desmond died momentarily. I then try to convince myself that he's not just the walking dead, but is actually alive. But when Jack says, "It's okay. We're alive," I find his statement a little too pointed. Maybe they're not.
The Claire dream. Does this mean that she's dead? I dream of people who aren't dead. So maybe not.
Jack is the one who orchestrates the lie. Which could explain why it eventually eats away at him.
PENNY!!! I called it. But it doesn't even matter. I love her. But the reuniting makes me nervous. Because there are plenty of episodes to come. This does not bode well for a happily ever after.
One week later. Jack [to Desmond]: "I guess I'll see you in another life, brother." Which is pretty much EXACTLY what Desmond said back in the day.
When Ben startled Jack at the funeral parlor, I jumped. Which made me happy, as I expect such moments in a finale.
Jeremy Bentham is Locke. I did not see that coming. At all. So for all the spoilers and clues, I managed to be completely in the dark about the key mystery of the finale. Good job, writers. Of course, with one answers comes about eight dozen questions....