Damon Lindelof wrote an essay for The Hollywood Reporter today that explains how the ending of Breaking Bad finally convinced him to let go of the Lost finale, and everything that came along with it. It’s really interesting, and really honest, and a little heartbreaking. I don’t know if any blockquote I pull can give you a full picture, so I’ll just post the last few paragraphs and encourage you to go read the whole thing.
I’d like to make a pact, you and me. And here’s your part: You acknowledge that I know how you feel about the ending of Lost. I got it. I heard you. I will think about your dissatisfaction always and forever. It will stay with me until I lie there on my back dying, camera pulling slowly upward whether it be a solitary dog or an entire SWAT team that comes to my side as I breathe my last breath.
And here’s my part: I will finally stop talking about it. I’m not doing this because I feel entitled or above it — I’m doing it because I accept that I will not change hearts nor minds. I will not convince you they weren’t dead the whole time, nor resent you for believing they were despite my infinite declarations otherwise.
Let this be our pact. And I’ll just have to trust you on this — I don’t have Badger and Skinny Pete pointing lasers at your chests to keep you honest. And the truth is, there’s no way everyone is going to read, let alone agree with this deal.
But I’m going to keep my part. I’m done. I’m out. Just one last thing before I go …
I stand by the Lost finale. It’s the story that we wanted to tell, and we told it. No excuses. No apologies. I look back on it as fondly as I look back on the process of writing the whole show. And while I’ll always care what you think, I can’t be a slave to it anymore. Here’s why:
I did it for me. I liked it. I was good at it. And I was really … I was alive.
What set all this in motion was people — lots of them — sending nasty tweets to Lindelof immediately after the Breaking Bad finale, many of which he retweeted. I will never understand this. Never. Not even if I live to be 1000 and devote the rest of my life to it. Criticism and reasoned side-by-side analysis are one thing, but, I mean, are you really so bitter about the way a television series ended that you’re using what should be a happy moment in your life — your pleasure related to the ending of a totally different series — to rush to your computer to personally rub the creator’s face in it three full years after it happened? You sound cool. Really cool and fun. And probably a blast to hang out with at parties.
I’m not saying this to defend Damon Lindelof or the ending of Lost. He’s a big boy and can defend himself. I’m just saying maybe y’all could try not being dicks for a while. Like, in general.