Are you emotionally prepared for the LOST series finale on Sunday night? Do you have anxiety building up inside you from a fear that it won’t live up to your expectations? Well, I’m here to help you deal with that. Consider me your LOST pre-partum depression counselor (postpartum counseling available starting Monday).

I know some of you are already wanting to pre-hate what’s to come because you don’t like feeling dumb or unable to see what’s to come. That’s been the problem with a lot of “fans” over the years who gave up on the show out of frustration. They wanted a beginning, middle, and end to each 60 minute commitment they made each week. They hated not being able to understand everything clearly and immediately, because so much of pre-LOST event television, when cross-bred with internet communities, created a sense of entitled oneupsmanship where everyone tried to beat everyone else to the spoilery punch, to show how smart or connected they are compared to everyone else. LOST changed all of that, because it didn’t give easy answers, and often left those answers open to interpretation. And when it did, it threw fifty more questions in your face to keep your head spinning. To me, that’s fun, engaging television.

Then there’s the other group of fans who like to have answers, but are disappointed when they find that the answers are too easy or that their solution to the big mystery was correct all along (a rare occurrence). So if you’re writing LOST, what do you do? Do you make sure that answers come so far out of left field that no one ever sees it coming whether it makes sense or not? Or do you give people a clear cut, easily digested solution that wraps everything up in a nice, neat package and makes them feel clever for figuring it out long before the dumb fans? It’s a balancing act, to be sure.

I feel like I fall somewhere in the middle. I like making up my own theories and postulating on the purpose and meaning of all things LOST (which I will miss greatly once some of the core mysteries are resolved) and I like to think I’m right in my conclusions, but in so many ways, I want to be wrong. I WANT to be surprised and not see the next big thing coming around the bend. I WANT the characters to do something I don’t want or expect them to do (even if it is within their character to do so). When it comes to storytelling of this magnitude, I’d rather see the hero take the long, winding, seemingly wrong path to final victory than the quick, easy, and clear route. Maybe I’m just weird that way.

The Big Plan vs Fan Influence

The other night at the New York Times Talk Live LOST event that was broadcast to over 600 movie screens in the US and Canada, Damon Lindelof addressed the two biggest questions that he and co-executive producer Carlton Cuse get all the time. He stated (I’m paraphrasing) that while everyone wants there to be a solid overarching plan written in stone from the beginning, they also want to think that they have some kind of sway over what happens on the show. The two concepts can’t easily co-exist. If everything is written in stone and is part of a bigger plan that’s been unchanged from the beginning, there is no way that the fans can have a say in changing that. And if the fans have tremendous influence on the story, molding it into something that makes them happiest (as if there was one thing that would make everyone happy), then there could never be a solid, unwavering story plan, because fans are fickle and they are many.

It would be an impossible task to try to satisfy everyone. And to address every mystery (big and small) would likely take many more hours than ABC would be willing to provide to what would ultimately become a metaphysical talk show.

How to Cope with the LOST Series Finale and Get the Most Enjoyment Out of It

Like I said, you may already be in pre-hate mode, ready to be disappointed. Maybe you’re re-directing your anger and depression back onto LOST because you’re sad that it’s going away, like knowing your girlfriend/boyfriend is going to dump you, so you psych yourself up to tell them how you never liked them anyway and, by the way, here’s a list of all your faults… jerk. That’s… an odd analogy, but it’s understandable that some might feel that way and react harshly to the end of this “relationship” with a tv show. But realize that’s just what it is and get over it using the steps above. If you can’t, think about this:

HOW DO YOU WANT LOST TO END?

Don’t say “I don’t know” or deflect another way. If you’re so invested in this that you’re expecting it to not live up to your lofty storytelling standards, you have to clearly state what you want. Don’t state how you THINK it will end. Definitively proclaim how you want it to end to your satisfaction. How could LOST possibly conclude in a way that would satisfy you? Get as detailed as necessary. Say it out loud to yourself or your cat or just comment below. If you can’t clearly explain how you think your idea of a good ending is better than what the LOST creators have come up with, then seriously quit your bitching.

For the rest of you who can deal, again, I ask you to sit back, alone or with some friends, grab your favorite food and drinks, keep the tissues handy, set aside your ego and expectations and checklists, and enjoy this wonderful creative work that Damon, Carlton, composer Michael Giacchino, director Jack Bender, ABC, the writers, producers, actors, and crew (more than 425 people total!) have given us over the last 6 years. Just remember that when it’s all over, for better or worse, there’s never been anything else like LOST on television and there never will be again. And, by god and the smoke monster, it was GOOD!

So say we all.

(is a BSG reference inappropriate at this juncture?)

As an example of the creativity that LOST inspires in its fans, here’s an excellent fan-made trailer for Sunday night’s epic event. It’s so well done, it gives me goosebumps every time I watch it. Enjoy!