6 Ways the Final Season of Lost is Just Like the Final Season of Buffy
An accented know-it-all is walking around, sizing up all the extras
After recurring through season five, Lost's Ilana has come to the fore in the final season, though she's basically just scouring the island, looking for mysterious "candidates." She really should team up with Buffy's Giles, who also recurred in that show's penultimate season, then came back in the last year principally to scour the world, looking for Slayer candidates. Both of them could stand to divulge more of that mythology they always seem to know so much about, and both of them look excellent in vests.
A morally gray character's been exhorted to stab someone in a sacred place
The Lost scene where the shape-shifting Monster takes the form of John Locke and coaxes Ben to kill Jacob was certainly striking, partially because of Ben's notable "I'm going to stab you from above like I'm placing my ballot in a box" approach to knifing. Still, it kind of lost something for totally, completely aping the Buffy moment where the shape-shifting First Evil took the form of Warren and coaxed Andrew to kill Jonathan. Both scenes took place in a sacred area, and after the fey followers got their stabbing on, both supervillains attempted to ascend to a new, powerful plateau thanks to the blood sacrifice. How long before Lost Island is overrun with wee little Ubervamps?
The show's most popular character is still the blond, conflicted anti-hero
Let's face it: Sawyer is definitely Lost's version of Spike. Each blond bad boy assumed a one-note role at the beginning of his run, then became the unlikely third spoke in a love triangle between a fisticuffs-prone female lead and a solid, better-on-paper lunk of a man. Still, for as many sparks have been struck, each anti-hero went through such an emotional ride that by the time the final season's second episode rolled around, they were reduced to teary monologues instead of sexually inappropriate banter. Kate may not be able to get it on with Sawyer anymore, but at least Buffy got one more neutral cuddle with Spike by the time her series ended.
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#3 is slightly wrong since The First couldn't touch anyone but The Monster can kick the crap out of bit players. You might be correct about The Monster not being able to kill the major characters but we'll have to wait to see. I'm a huge Buffy fan and so I'll be watching the final episodes of Lost to see if this works.
Also, in Buffy they did change the world when they created her sister Dawn and only a few characters finally got clued into the fact that they were living in an alternate universe.
Cool article, I've never seen Buffy but I love Lost and that's really interesting.
Well, to me the main difference is that every episode of the last season of Lost doesn't make me want to stab myself repeatedly in the face.
SPOLER - the whole show is a game of backgammon played by gods (probably acient Eypgtian or Sumarian ones. Take a look at all the main players always totals 15x2. Smokezilla only kills those that can't be turned bad (that's why it left Locke and Eko alone (at least initally).
My guess it will end with another plane or boat crash with Jack and company now taking the role of the "others" and the new surviors the new good guys/lostaways.
I love LOST and I love Buffy, and considering how several writers, and actors have worked on this show, it's no surprise how it's just raised the bar on television. Just like Buffy did.
Actually, in Buffy there was no "alternate universe"; it was the same universe, all that was different is that the *memories* of people had been modified by the monks who turned the key from Living Energy into Dawn 🙂
I'm deeply in love with both LOST and BtVS, and I'm intrigued by the comparisons. I definitely appreciate the Sawyer-Spike parallel; they're both the bad boys we couldn't get enough of, who ended up turning hero.
I'm not sold on the Buffy-Jack comparison, only because in the final season, Buffy became terrified of the leadership implications with the impending apocalypse, and began a dictatorial method(which turned everyone against her). Jack, on the other hand, seems to have a new sort of inner tranquility, even humility- he doesn't proclaim to be special, he just is who he is (S6E2). But he does have to pull through somehow in the end, because he has been the leader from the start. I still can't imagine what the show would be like if the original vision (Jack dies in the pilot and Kate is the leader) has stuck.
Benjamin-Andrew is a really intriguing pair. Ben's whole life has sucked profoundly, and he's committed some awful deeds (because he "lost" his innocence as a boy? who knows). It would be great if he got some kind of redemption.
Joss killed off important characters to serve a purpose. Abrams killed off people in season 1 (I only watched the one) in an arbitrary fashion which reflected the aimless and poorly written show with unanswered question after unanswered question. I'm not in the least surprised that the final seasons of Buffy have had huge chunks copied and pasted by this awful show.
J.J. Abrams didn't have much to do with the show then and nothing to do with it since.
Also: Only one main character (Boone) was killed off in the first season. The other 2 deaths were of extras: One drowned accidentally while swimming and the other was killed as part of a ongoing plotline.
Are you suggesting that the writers of "Buffy" had access to a time machine, and came forward into the future to watch the final season of "Lost?" No? Then they're not "pilfering from each other," are they?
One bit of clarification: the First Evil on BtVS could take on the form of anyone who was (or had been) dead, not just the original Buffy Big Bads. This is the crux of the best ep of that season, Conversations with Dead People. It also more literally ties into Smokie on Lost, since Smokie seems to only impersonate dead people itself.
I am pretty sure Betty Bebop was saying that the writers of Lost "borrowed" story lines from Buffy not the other way around..LOL
I'm a huge Buffy and Lost fan. I see many similarities and its IS very curious how similar they are. Joss Whedon is a genius of a writer and I wouldn't be surprised if people he has worked with or people who look up to him and his style are writing for Lost. Most of the similarities make sense...it would be uber confusing if The First Evil OR Smokezilla (ny new favorite nickname btw) started taking the form of characters that are alive. Also, the whole Spike/Sawyer thing IS interesting, but again, kind of a no brainer....every good drama serious is going to have this kind of character. We can all identify with him (his good and bad parts). The Ilana/Giles thing is just dumb! Many characters on the show have accents....and we don't even know if she knows what she is talking about. Nobody hated Buffy...they all loved her and just didn't trust her and I suspect the same about Jack. Again, typical hero type in any good drama...especially one that is kind of bordering on fantasy like Lost and Buffy.
Interesting thoughts here. These are my two favorite shows and there are writers/producers who have worked on both shows.
I am watching the end of Buffy season 5. The Big Bad, Glory, is trying to go "home." She is attempting to use Dawn (the key) to open a portal to another dimension. Glory is imprisoned in human form and losing her strength as the moment draws near for her to return to her hell dimension. She is evil incarnate as is Flocke. I think as season 6 of Lost goes on, we will see more of the old John Locke manifesting himself. Maybe when Smokey was stabbed with Dogen's dagger something happened that will allow John Locke to neuter Smokey...Anyway, it's interesting that Glory stresses that she wants to go home. When she opens the other dimension worlds will fold in on each other. Maybe a similar fate will meet the Lost world if Smokey can go "home."
Go rent Buffy. You won't be disappointed
The first point is off a bit...both the monster and the First only shape changed into DEAD people. The reason the First ever looked like Buffy or various vampires was because they had, at some point, DIED. ALl the big bads it became were dead, too. Same for the smoke monster...only dead people. Its actually a MUCH stronger paralled.
I agree about the Glory similar to Flocke thing! I actually re-watched season 5 of Buffy recently, so when Flocke first said he wanted to "go home," I immediately thought of Glory. I think that's a more obvious comparison than any of the ones in the article.
I understand why people were aggravated with the last season of Buffy, but there were some great moments. Specifically the episode Conversations with Dead People - definitely one of the best in the series.
Whoops, I meant Lies My Parents Told Me.
Why hasn't anyone pointed out the most obvious connection between LOST and BtVS yet? On the most recent episode of LOST we saw the backstory for Richard Alpert. This is where we were told that the island is a "cork" that keeps "evil, darkness, or malevelance" contained. The first thing that came to my mind when I heard this was Buffy and Sunnydale. It's Jacob's job (or his successor candidates) to keep evil contained. Just like it's Buffy's job (or her slayer potentials) to keep evil at bay. The only difference is the form evil takes (vampires, hell-beings vs. smokezilla), and the location (the Island vs. hellmouth Sunnydale). What do you think?
And you can add that the revelation about Locke, at the very end of season 5, is exactly the same as the revelation about Cordy, in Angel's fourth season 😉
Another similarity is that BtVS showed us a "sideways world" in the season 6 episode "Normal Again." Buffy goes back and forth between the known reality of the show and an alternate reality with her institutionalization in a mental hospital and mother still being alive.
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I can't believe this author had the nerve to compare the last season of "BUFFY" with the last season of "LOST". The latter wasn't bad, but couldn't hold a candle to "BUFFY", in my opinion.
The Lost Thing has a beautiful melancholic charm that evokes the work of writer Neil Gaiman and filmmaker Tim Burton.