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And this is my main argument when I say that Lost, as a complete work, is a television masterpiece of the new millennium, worthy of a place in the Pantheon of TV classics alongside The Sopranos, Friday Night Lights and The Shield. Few shows juggle the vast myriad of characters that Lost does, and few offer such fulfilling emotional climaxes for them all.

Having revisited the series as a complete unit, I’m impressed at how unifying the mythology really is. We do know the gist of what’s happening on The Island. The show does work as a complete piece, and both its mythology and characters remain true and consistent. The ending packs a powerful emotional punch, worthy of the six seasons that come before it. And it goes out of its way to avoid the Midichlorian trap.

So why are there still niggling concerns? Why do so many fans feel cheated that the holes aren’t completely filled? Why can Star Wars get away with a vague explanation of The Force, but Lost can’t with a vague explanation of Jacob?

I think it all goes back to that narrative device, mystery. Star Wars never sets out to be a mystery. We learn right away what The Force is, we accept it, and we move on to Mos Eisley Spaceport. Lost, on the other hand, raises the question of The Island, then forces us to wait. Were we introduced to Jacob and Smokey right off the bat, we’d have accepted the mythology as is, and then focused on the characters. Instead, we get all sorts of hints at cryptic goings on and then wait six years for all of the pieces to fall into place. Then when they do, there seem to be pieces missing.

However, Lindelof and Cuse want Lost to be a character driven, emotional journey. And it is. The problem is that they present it to us as an elaborate puzzle. To be sure, the puzzle has a picture, but we’re left wanting to see what’s beyond the edges. Lindelof and Cuse then say, don’t worry about that stuff, you can see all you need to see in the picture. Let’s focus on that. How does the picture make you feel?

The answer, for many, is "frustrated." Rather than throwing the characters into what seems to be a complete picture, they build the picture over time, making it seem less complete. Non-linear storytelling is nothing new, but it requires details. Lindelof and Cuse try to create a sweeping Star Wars mythology, using a far more specific storytelling device.

This is why a viewing of the entire mosaic is so helpful. Revisiting these characters, knowing what’s the deal with The Island, it becomes more clear that we do know all we need to know. We’re no longer learning along with Jack and the crazy gang. We can sit back and experience their cathartic journeys. There will always be more to explore around the corners, but Lost’s Island is really just a galaxy far, far away somewhere in the South Pacific. We drop into a tiny slice of it, spend our time there, then move on when Jack closes his eye for the last time. What more do we really need to know?

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