Interview with Cuse & Lindelof about Season 6

Psychedelic

Great article and interview here: http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2009/12/lost-season-6-cuse-lindelof-abc.html


Main points:

• The end of the show will be open to interpretation
• Cuse said the duo is going "off the grid" after the finale airs in order to avoid "having to interpret the ending."
• Season 6 will consist of a two-hour season premiere, 13 episodes and three-hour series finale that will air over two weeks
• Season 6 begins exactly where Season 5 left off
• Jack Bender will direct the series finale
• Cuse & Lindelof will write the series finale
• Season 6 will have a "narrative technique" that is "different"
• Some mysteries will be left unanswered

cooker3

Psychedelic wrote: »

Great article and interview here: http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2009/12/lost-season-6-cuse-lindelof-abc.html


Main points:

• The end of the show will be open to interpretation
• Cuse said the duo is going "off the grid" after the finale airs in order to avoid "having to interpret the ending."
• Season 6 will consist of a two-hour season premiere, 13 episodes and three-hour series finale that will air over two weeks
• Season 6 begins exactly where Season 5 left off
• Jack Bender will direct the series finale
• Cuse & Lindelof will write the series finale
• Season 6 will have a "narrative technique" that is "different"
• Some mysteries will be left unanswered

Uh oh. I hope they are mysteries like how does the island get its power and stuff like that and not big ones or they would want to go off the grid..

Sad Professor

It's worth reading the whole quote about that:

"We’ve always felt that one of the compelling elements of 'Lost' is its intentional ambiguity. The fact is, it’s open for interpretation and discussion and we feel like we would be doing a disservice to the fans and the viewers to say, 'No, you must only look at this in one way.' We don’t think that is really good for the show or for people’s ability to read into the show what they want…. We really feel we are very committed to this notion of not sort of stripping the show of its essential mystery. I mean, mystery exists in life and we kind of always go back to the midi-chlorians example [in the 'Star Wars' prequels]. Your understanding the Force was not aided by knowing that there were little particles swimming around in the bloodstreams of Jedi. There are sort of fundamental elements of mystery and magic to the show that are unexplainable, and any attempt to explain them would actually harm the show, and in our opinion, the legacy of the show. So we’re trying to find that kind of right blend of answering questions, but also leaving the things that should be mysterious, mysterious."

We'll have to wait and see of course, but I think they are taking the right approach. It is possible to over-explain things and the midi-chlorians are a good example of that.

I'm hoping that the final revelations will be self-evident without any need for explanation. The thing I love about the show is that it is a jigsaw puzzle - it gives us the pieces but we have to stick them together.

I mean, we really don't need this sort of thing in the final episode:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1y9vl2J9VE

Mr.Nice Guy

Hopefully they will get the balance right. I agree with Sad Professor that a spoonfed explanation at the end would be a pity, but at the same time I don't want after the end credits for there to be a lot of people scratching their heads and rushing to Lostpedia to figure out what it was actually about.

In a way I think it's best to go into it with an open mind and with the only expectation being to enjoy the ride. I think if people approach the season soley interested in the eventual answers then it will probably not be enjoyable and will likely wind up a major anti-climax.

Has anyone actually sat through all the episodes in preparation of the final season? I watched an episode on Sky from like Season 3 or 4 and I was struggling to place where this fit into the story as we know it by season 5. I'm not sure I can review every episode before February.

Tragamin2k2

Psychedelic wrote: »

Great article and interview here: http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2009/12/lost-season-6-cuse-lindelof-abc.html


Main points:

[*]The end of the show will be open to interpretation
[*]Cuse said the duo is going "off the grid" after the finale airs in order to avoid "having to interpret the ending."
[*]Season 6 will consist of a two-hour season premiere, 13 episodes and three-hour series finale that will air over two weeks
[*]Season 6 begins exactly where Season 5 left off
[*]Jack Bender will direct the series finale
[*]Cuse & Lindelof will write the series finale
[*]Season 6 will have a "narrative technique" that is "different"
[*]Some mysteries will be left unanswered

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
Hope its not too bad like "you decide yourself what happened" kinda thing

Psychedelic

Things like how the island has healing powers would be okay if left unanswered. They just won't be able to explain it beyond that it's something to do with the island's electro-magnetic properties.

I think stuff like the smoke monster and the whispers need somewhat decent explanations. I think the smoke monster will get some sort of vague spiritual type explanation, but if we at least know what it's real function or purpose is in the grand scheme of the show then that might be okay.

I'm not sure what the new narrative technique will entail. I liked the season 5 technique of playing with time. I think in season 6 there could well be a parallel universe type thing going on.

cooker3

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

Has anyone actually sat through all the episodes in preparation of the final season? I watched an episode on Sky from like Season 3 or 4 and I was struggling to place where this fit into the story as we know it by season 5. I'm not sure I can review every episode before February.

Yeah I have done it, well mostly. I've watched seasons 1-4 in the last 4 months. Season 5 shall happen in January. I was watching it thinking ok going to analyse everything Locke says and so on but I soon forget that. Despite the fact I have seen every episode multiple times you just get drawn in, it's just so damn compelling.

I agree though I think it's much better to just enjoy the ride. It's the journey there not the final destination.

Kastiel

Can't wait for this to return.

Just hope they don't leave too many mysteries unexplained :mad:

Zombrex

meh, I always like the end of Matrix 2 :pac:

Anyway, I hope the ending at least tries to explain things at a high level, even if it is with a "it was all the Force" type explanation ... if the ending is Prisoner-ish (its all a metaphor! figure it out yourselves) I'll be might pissed off

mathie

Lost has never let me down and I don't expect it to now

cooker3

Wicknight wrote: »

(its all a metaphor! figure it out yourselves) I'll be might pissed off

No wonder you dislike the bible :pac:

me-skywalker

The main threaded story of the people on the Island like Why them? Why the Island? Whats the power behind it? I think they will all be 100% answered but
the reasoning behind the whole lot of it together I dont think will be answered will just be like well they were chosen.

Shryke

I don't need big answers. That's never what kept me watching. The mystery and the characters were. They've created a mythology for the island and as far as I'm concerned myth should remain myth. It's what happens to the characters more than anything that counts.
I like seeing tidbits about ancient Egyptians and the kinds of theories that Faraday introduced. More than anything these bits and pieces act to further indoctrinate you into the mythos. Rather than clear the fog they fluff it out a little more. If they just slapped out some stupid 'answer' at the end of it all I'd be irritated I spent so much time on it for such a **** you payoff.
It sounds like they know what they're doing though, and they made a great recovery from the floundering about that was season two, so I'm happy to sit back and enjoy the show to its conclusion. I'm sure I won't be disappointed.

Sad Professor

Great new interview here.

Mr.Nice Guy

Super interview. Really excited about the prospect of returning to the Locke/Jack conflict.

Psychedelic

Psychedelic wrote: »

Great article and interview here: http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2009/12/lost-season-6-cuse-lindelof-abc.html

Here is the entire interview in 3 parts:
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2010/01/lost-carlton-cuse-damon-lindelof-season-6-abc.html
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2010/01/lost-damon-lindelof-carlton-cuse-abc.html
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2010/01/lost-damon-lindelof-carlton-cuse-abc-interview.html

cooker3

I really like that they said this

Lindelof: Which is amazing because the fact that people invested six years of their lives and over 120 hours on “Lost” and they’re going to pay it all off in this 30-second scene. "That is going to change the entire way that I feel about the show."

Cuse: We hope it doesn’t.

I don't want a St. Elsewhere esque ending. I'm delighted they are not going to do it like that.

uncleoswald

cooker3 wrote: »

I really like that they said this

Lindelof: Which is amazing because the fact that people invested six years of their lives and over 120 hours on “Lost” and they’re going to pay it all off in this 30-second scene. "That is going to change the entire way that I feel about the show."

Cuse: We hope it doesn’t.

I don't want a St. Elsewhere esque ending. I'm delighted they are not going to do it like that.

To a certain extent I agree. I don't want every previous season to be just thrown away in a "its only a dream" sort of way. However I would really love a moment in the last season like that in the Season 3 finale where they completely flipped it, like a magic trick. You think you are watching one thing but it turns out to be something else all together. But moments like that are almost impossible to pull off so I'm not expecting it.

I'm more happy with the bit about where they say they don't want the final season to be like a checklist of things they need to explain. I couldn't really give a rashers about the mythology of the island or a complete explanantion of the numbers or smokey, some things are better left with some mystery.

me-skywalker

uncleoswald wrote: »

I'm more happy with the bit about where they say they don't want the final season to be like a checklist of things they need to explain. I couldn't really give a rashers about the mythology of the island or a complete explanantion of the numbers or smokey, some things are better left with some mystery.

yea I completely agree here. I dont want them just running down the last 3 episodes explaining things and ticking boxes. When lindelhof said about its more about character resolution... well Ive an idea that character UN-resolution is more appropriate for Lost.

I mean, people die anyday of the week and leave behind family and friends and work and many issues unresovled. Watching Lost In Translation where nothign really happens at the end, i lvoe this kind of anti-climatic feeling. Maybe because im more mellowed than most viewers but im not always searching for a finality to some issues things just happen and go on and on.

GSPfan

If you haven't watched Battlestar Galactica you may be interested in how they resolved all the unanswered questions.

The finale was a 3 hour episode over two weeks and nothing had been resolved going into it. In the end

it turns out god was responsible for it all.

And thats how they wrapped up everything without actually explaining every single thing.