The original ending intended for Lost would have been a small change but would’ve vastly improved the finale. The hit ABC series came to a close after its sixth season, with the finale episodes receiving a hugely polarized response that has only grown more negative over time. While Lost had once been a revolutionary show thanks to its innovative storytelling, likable characters, and mysterious narrative, it seems the ending could’ve been vastly improved had the original idea for the finale been used.
The Lost finale that aired in two parts on May 23, 2010, featured the wrapping up of several loose ends as the Man in Black, masquerading as Lost‘s John Locke, set out to destroy the island and Jack and the other remaining survivors fought to stop him and escape the island once and for all. While some felt as though the Lost finale, titled “The End,” was satisfying and accomplished its mission of resolving storylines, others felt as though the final cliffside battle between Jack and the Man in Black was anticlimactic and disappointing. These divisive responses could’ve been avoided if the show’s creators had used their original idea for the closure of the series.
Lost was almost entirely filmed on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, with many real-life locations being used to show the wilderness of the mysterious island in the show. One location that is notably absent throughout the series, however, is Oahu’s magnificent volcanoes, but they were originally supposed to play a major role in the Lost finale with a huge eruption threatening to destroy the island as the forces of good and evil battle it out. It could be argued that a massive volcanic eruption would’ve improved the ending of the hit series in many ways.
Lost Teased The Volcano, But Never Paid It Off
The final episodes of Lost were intended to provide answers to many unanswered questions, and the reveal of the volcano would’ve tied up yet another loose end. There were hints throughout all six seasons of Lost that the island had experienced volcanic activity, such as the obviously lava-formed coastlines, the SOS sign that Bernard tries to make is formed of volcanic rock, and Locke and Charlie discover lava tubes that are used as polar bear dens. Perhaps the most evident mention of the volcano on the island comes during season 3, episode 20, “The Man Behind the Curtain,” in which a flashback features Ben at school on the island with Olivia speaking of volcanic activity on the island with the help of a physical demonstration.
Carlton Cuse, Lost producer and writer, has revealed that he came up with the idea of the island’s volcano in the early years of the series, meaning the location was being built up slowly throughout the entire run of the show, but it was never truly paid off or even seen on screen. If the volcano had erupted in the season 6 finale as originally planned, the subtle hints that had been dropped throughout Lost would’ve finally culminated in a catastrophic and dramatic ending. The Lost creators became experts at building up tension and mystery over multiple episodes (or even years), but ignoring the volcano in the series finale let these threads fall flat.
Lost’s Volcano Would’ve Been A Better Smoke Monster Origin
The terrifying smoke monster was a strange presence on the island since the very first episode and was the killer of many characters in Lost, but it wasn’t until season 6, episode 15, “Across the Sea,” that the monster’s true origins were revealed. After the Man in Black killed his and Jacob’s mother, he was discovered by his light-sided brother, who dragged him through the forest and threw him into the cave at the heart of the island, out of which he returned as the huge pillar of black smoke that had been terrorizing the island survivors for years. While these moments are intense and emotional, Lost’s original ending would’ve also benefited the origins of the smoke monster.
In the original ending for Lost, Jacob threw his murderous brother into the volcano instead of the cave, with the volcanic activity transforming the man into the monster. Perhaps this alternative would’ve made more sense narratively for the Man in Black – it’s never been revealed why he turned into a smoke monster after falling into the cave while others such as Desmond and Jack saw no such transformation. The emergence of the smoke monster out of a volcano would’ve made for a much darker and dangerous change for the character, and perhaps would’ve increased the tension between Jacob and his brother (the former must be truly hateful to throw his brother into a volcano).
The Final Fight Would’ve Been More Dramatic
In the aired version of the Lost finale, Oceanic 815 survivor Jack and the Man in Black have their climactic battle atop the cliffs which house the cave filled with candidates’ names. This was already a dramatic moment for the series as all roads had been leading there, but the addition of a volcanic eruption alongside these scenes would’ve upped the ante even further. Cuse and Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof initially saw the final battle between Jack and the Man in Black taking place at the peak of the erupting volcano with magma spewing out around them, which would have been truly explosive, but unfortunately couldn’t be accomplished because of budget constrictions by the end of the series.
Perhaps if the original idea had been used and a volcano had erupted at the end of the final season of Lost, the tremors and seismic activity would’ve fit in better with the plot, and the action would’ve been far more tense and dramatic. This turn of events may have even made Kate, Sawyer, and Claire’s escape from the island, as some of the few characters who survived Lost‘s ending, all the more cathartic. It seems that the final episodes of Lost could’ve avoided much of their negative criticism if the original ending had been implemented instead.
