Lost ending explained: What actually happened to the Oceanic Flight 815 passengers?

What started off as a standard survival tale, however, soon became increasingly convoluted as the series progressed and, by the sixth season, a new narrative technique – the flash sideways – had even been thrown into the mix, raising even more controversy and questions, namely the one people still ask to this very day – were the Oceanic Flight 815 passengers on Lost dead the whole time?

The creators of the Lost aren’t immune to the divisiveness over the finale, recognising that they didn’t answer every question.

In a 2023 interview with Esquire, Lindelof addressed the controversy surrounding the ending, but insists he wouldn’t change a thing. He said: "It seems arrogant to say I would change nothing, but it’s the truth."

Wondering what actually happened in the finale? Read on for a breakdown of the ending of Lost.

Lost ending explained: What's going on with the 'flash-sideways' timeline?

Like the rest of Lost, the series finale jumps between events on the island itself, and in this case, a flash-sideways – an alternate timeline in which Flight 815 never crashed on the island.

That alternate timeline was created thanks to Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell), who, because of a time-shift, had become stranded in the 1970s. With a lot of other factors in play, like her love of Sawyer (Josh Holloway), Juliet goes through with a plan to destroy the hatch on the island, using the logic that this will stop Oceanic Flight 815 from ever crashing, therefore stopping the events of Lost from ever taking place.

So throughout the series finale our 'survivors', for lack of a better word, are being drawn together in this flash-sideways, and over time, they slowly begin to regain memories of their stint on the island thanks to interactions with each other. All of this culminates in the big twist that still leaves people awestruck, confused or annoyed to this day, depending on how you feel.

Our characters are all dead in the flash-sideways events, as the alternate timeline functions as an afterlife to bring everyone together so they can move on from the island and their experiences together. Naturally though, this created all sorts of confusion among viewers as to whether they had really been dead all along.

The answer: no, they hadn’t. The events on the island, the heartache, pain, joy and love, were real, as were the connections they formed with each other. The flash-sideways was a construct created by the survivors because of their time on the island, a time that is described perfectly by Jack Shephard’s (Matthew Fox) father, Christian (John Terry) – "the most important part of your life was the time that you spent with these people on that island".

It may seem even more confusing given that the other storyline of the finale which takes place on the island ends with some characters dead, some alive, and many who died much earlier in the show’s run.

The interpretation of that final flash-sideways in the church adds a deep layer of poignancy to it all though – making it one of television’s most elegant depictions of the afterlife, and of the bonds we share with others. It’s a timeless place where they wait for each other before embarking on to “whatever comes next” together.

What happens on the island?

While the flash-sideways in The End is the part that often trips up viewers of the show, there’s still plenty that takes place on the island in that final episode.

Much of the mythos on the island centres around its protector, Jacob, and his adversary, the Man in Black. Their arc concludes in the finally with Jack killing the Man in Black, while Jack also convinces an emotional Hurley (Jorge Garcia) to take over as the new protector of the island. In a touching moment, with Hurley unsure on how to proceed, he asks Ben Linus (Michael Emerson) for his help, for which Ben is more than happy to give.

This moment has a beautiful payoff in the flash-sideways, as the two share a moment outside of the church, reminding each other of the good deeds they would go on to do together for the island.

Were they dead the whole time?

No, as detailed above, while a lot of people speculated that the characters were dead all along, that isn’t the case.

While the characters are all dead in the flash-sideways timeline, none of them died in the initial plane crash, and everything that happened on the island was real.

Who lives and who dies in Lost?

However, there are two important deaths in the series finale. As stated, the Man in Black dies after being shot by Kate (Evangeline Lilly) and pushed off a cliff by Jack.

But more importantly, Jack himself dies on the island, in a tender scene that perfectly mirrors our introduction to him as a character, and to the show as a whole – laying flat in the bamboo forest as he looks up at the sky and the escaping castaways.

What has the Lost cast and crew said about the ending?

Looking back at how the series wrapped up to mark its 20th anniversary, cast member Michael Emerson recently told RadioTimes.com he wouldn't change a thing about the ending.

He said: "Oh, I adored it when we shot it, and I like it even better with the passage of time. I think it's a wonderful conclusion."

He added: "I always say, every show dictates its own ending by the form of its narrative, by the way it was constructed. So a show like Lost can't have the same ending as something more linear or conventional.

"It was a fantasy and an allegory exploding out from the centre. So to end it, you must bring all the parts back to the centre, I think. At least, it seems to me, that that was what they were attempting to do."

He continued: "To me, it was really satisfying – particularly if you're playing Benjamin Linus and you're left outside the gates of the hereafter on a cold stone bench because you haven't earned it yet. I thought, 'Oh, that's perfect.' It really was perfect. And sad too, in a way.

"Again, the work mirrored the social ending of the family. All my friends in the cast were trooping by to go off to some golden paradise, and I'm there saying goodbye as they pass. And it was the end of things. It was the end of that golden adventure, in addition to the show."

Lost is available to watch on Disney Plus. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now.

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