It started with Jack opening his eyes in panic and finding a crashed plane. It ended with Jack watching some of the survivors escaping on an aircraft and "closing" his eyes. This is how the beginning and the end of an era called LOST was. An era of warriors like Jack, Kate, Locke, Sawyer, Jacob, Hugo, Sayeed, 'The Black Smoke'; of philosophies involving Science, Faith, Coincidences, Fate, greater good, individuality. It was an era that was about diverse characters and personalities, with there manifold motives,spanning from prehistoric times to post-modern, taking place geographically from Australia to US to Korea to The Island. It was six-seasons of power packed performances that kept you on the edge of your seat all times, involving persons from the age group of infants to deceased person's soul. I think it was the best ensemble till date considering the sheer size of it and in spite of it.
But i believe that more than the story of seemingly unrelated survivors of a crash, more than a documentary of their struggle, more than a story and unraveling of the myth of Island, LOST was about the personalities of individual person. It was kind of miniseries of biographies of the characters. And in particular of that of Dr. Jack Shephard. Although in terms of charm, personality and acting i would have to rank characters as Kate Austen (Evangeline), Benjamin (Michael), Jack (Mathew) and Locke (Terry), you cannot get over feeling that Mathew was in reality Jack! The conflict between the scientific part of him that relied on facts and the part that could not discard the reality of Faith and Fate is portrayed brilliantly by him. He downplays the struggle of Jack's inherent altruism and acquired ascetic tendencies (bordering on introvert) due to life's bumps, to perfection. The characters vulnerability 'leaks' through his expressions as the grudging respect for Jack leaks through the survivors. If his skills in LOST are any indication, then Mathew will go on to do more famous roles and characters. But for me he will always be Jack from LOST. He will be the one of those who had lost his peace, his happiness, his life, LOST his faith in life. Because all of us need faith, even those of scientific mind need faith that facts they believe are true. LOST was about characters who had LOST their FAITH in life and then found it in the end among strangers in a strange land.
As they say the last impression determines the lasting memory, my lasting memory of LOST would be a calm eye seeing people escaping to safety and finding peace in it. It will be a part of experience one can never forget.
