‘Lost’ thinks outside the hatch

Questions left dangling
In a morally relative world like Lost Island, who knows what that possibly means?  Actually, the Others were this season's big tease. Episode after episode, viewers got brief glimpses and threatening hints. Even as Sayid combed the beach on a scouting mission this week, there were no big revelations, no secret panels hidden under their primitive yurts. Even the Dharma door under Square Rock, the landmark used to find their camp, yielded nothing. At least not that we've seen.

This wasn't the only longtime mystery left dangling.  Among the others:

• The numbers: Hardly factored into this episode, and are no more clear than they ever were.
• The dearly departed: We accept that Shannon, like Boone, was a casualty of a plotline that reached a dead end. But what about Libby, who has ties to both Desmond and Hurley? What about Ana Lucia, whose has ties to Jack?
• The “vaccine”: Kelvin was seen skulking around in his biosuit and warned Desmond to inject himself with the serum, but discarded his protective gear the moment he left the hatch. It seemed imperative that Claire be given the “vaccine” by doctors who turned out to be part of the Others. So do they hold the clues to what it really does?
• Walt: The Others hinted that he'd been useful, but on balance he looked like the same old Walt, and now he's sailing off with his dad. You just know they've gotta come back. I mean, they left behind Vincent, if nothing else. What boy abandons his dog?
• Dharma: Aside from Kelvin's smartass aside about joining the mysterious Initiative, we got precious little about it.

What's clear, then, is that we all were being moved out of the hatch and on to the next round of threads: the Others, the Dharma backstory, the island's supernatural mysteries.

The big bang
But that's not to say the season didn't finish with a bang.  With the hatch computer destroyed and the electromagnetic field crushing every piece of metal in sight — including that infernal numbers display — Desmond seemed to sacrifice himself to the cause, crawling back under the station to turn the key and engage the “system termination.”

What followed was stunning: a bright flash that flooded the skies, along with an earsplitting whine. Pieces of the hatch rained down, including the huge “quarantine” door that almost flattened Claire.

Unseen, though, was the hatch itself, and Locke or Eko.  Both men were inside when Desmond turned the switch, and whether their faith (or some blast doors) saved them will remain a puzzle for now.

Either way, the hatch's time was done, and for “Lost” lovers, it was time to move on.  Farewell hatch, welcome Others. It's a long summer, but come fall, the game is afoot.

Just to keep us guessing, a final epilogue moved to a far-off snowbound research station, where two researchers noted a huge electromagnetic anomaly and made an emergency call. On the other end of the line was ... Penelope, Desmond's long-lost love.

During those three years in the hatch, Kelvin had asked: “Here's the real question, Desmondo. Do you have the courage to take your finger out of the dam and blow the whole thing up instead?”

The answer, apparently, was yes. And good on him. The hatch was fun, but now let's see the rest of the island and start uncovering its other mysteries. Maybe the Others would care to lead the tour?

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