The Many Masks of ABC’s Lost

It’s now been a whole week since ABC broadcast the epic series finale of Lost. Some fans found the wrap-up satisfying, others felt frustrated or disappointed, and many felt a curious combination of all these emotions. Numerous articles and blog posts have already appeared all over the ‘net, intended to unravel the “real” meaning of the finale. And now it’s my turn. But that’s not what I’m going to do.

The show’s creators have always insisted that it’s the flawed and unusually complex characters in Lost that made the series so engaging (at least for them). So, rather than present a full-blown mythic analysis of all six seasons of Lost, I think the finale offers an opportunity to revisit the show’s heroes. And there were many of them—hence the title of this post (which I blatantly “borrowed” from a line in James Poniewozik’s informative and perceptive article “Life After Lost” in the May 24 issue of TIME Magazine).

What was particularly interesting for me about Season 6 in general—and the series finale in particular—was the frequency and rapidity with which many of the core characters changed and even swapped their mythic roles. And what, exactly, is that supposed to mean? (For some reason, I find myself hearing Sayid’s voice whenever I see that phrase. Go ahead—read that line again while picturing actor Naveen Andrews. See what I mean? Freaky, isn’t it? But I digress. Or maybe that was a flash-sideways?)

In his book The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, Christopher Vogler advises that we look at mythic archetypes “…not as rigid character roles but as functions performed temporarily by characters to achieve certain effects in a story.” Citing the Russian fairy tale expert Vladimir Propp, Vogler points out that “[by] looking at the archetypes this way, as flexible character functions rather than rigid character types…” we can explain “…how a character in a story can manifest the qualities of more than one archetype.” He goes on to explain how these archetypes “…can be thought of as masks, worn by the characters temporarily…” that can be swapped for other masks, and even passed around among different characters to meet the demands of the story being told.

Vogler’s observation proved true throughout the run of Lost, and the final season represented a veritable orgy of mask-swapping. The character of Hugo “Hurley” Reyes is a good example. At the beginning of the season, in the “island timeline,” Hurley delivers a message to Dogen from the ghost of the recently murdered Jacob, thus serving the “herald” function. A few episodes later, in the same timeline, Hurley trades the herald mask for the mask of the mentor as he carries out Jacob’s instructions to lead Jack to the island’s lighthouse (an “illuminating” event for Jack and for us). The next time we see Hurley, he’s wearing the mask of the threshold guardian as he attempts to delay Jack from returning to the temple (which is under attack by the Man in Black/smoke monster).

A few episodes later, Hurley again dons the herald mask as he acts as an intermediary between Richard Alpert and the spirit of Richard’s wife Isabella, who warns her husband that he must prevent the Man in Black from leaving the island or else “…we all go to hell.” But soon Hurley is assuming the mask of the hero as he fully accepts the mission Jacob has given him. At great risk, he blows up the Black Rock—an act that persuades Jack to place his faith in him as a leader. Ultimately, Jack’s trust in Hurley is vindicated when Hurley (reluctantly at first) agrees to become the island’s protector, thus fulfilling his heroic destiny.

See what I mean? So how about Kate Austen? In her case, much of the Season 6 mask-swapping occurs in the “flash-sideways timeline.” There, we first find her wearing the mask of the trickster as she escapes from the federal marshal, cleverly eludes capture at the airport, and then hijacks a taxi carrying (a very pregnant) Claire Littleton. In the next episode, Kate lets Claire go and almost immediately dons the mask of the shape-shifter as she convinces a chop shop mechanic to cut off her handcuffs and then makes a quick wardrobe change. Later, after being apprehended by James Sawyer (a cop in this timeline), Kate again takes the trickster mask as she plays mind games with him while he tries to interrogate her. She finally accepts the hero mask from Desmond Hume (along with a stylish dress) when he sets her free from the police van and invites her to join him at a fateful concert that night…leading to her eventual reunion at the church with her island colleagues.

Meanwhile, in the “island timeline,” Kate firmly accepts the hero mask as she leaves Jack and Hurley to embark on her own on a dangerous search for Claire. In the process, she survives a harrowing encounter with the smoke monster in the Inmost Cave of the temple. Later, while attempting to escape Hydra Island aboard Charles Widmore’s submarine, Kate is shot and experiences the “death and resurrection” stage of her personal Hero’s Journey. By the finale episode, Kate has fully absorbed the lessons of her Journey on the island, and it is therefore she who delivers the fateful gunshot to the no-longer-immortal Man in Black during his climactic struggle with Jack.

Other characters—especially Sayid, Sawyer, Charles Widmore, and Desmond—also experience their share of mask-swapping in Season 6. Even the Man in Black/Not-Locke/the smoke monster—the ultimate shadow figure of the story—gets to occasionally wear the masks of the mentor, the trickster, the threshold guardian, and (in a very literal way) the shape-shifter. Only Jack Shephard, having tightly embraced his heroic destiny during the previous season, is portrayed as a one-mask character.

Okay, I realize all that was pretty wonky and geeky. But isn’t that the beauty of Lost? That it allows us to release our inner nerd…to the infinite annoyance of those unenlightened non-Losties who have to put up with our incessant analyzing and theorizing about the series? Indeed, few TV series have taken as much delight in getting audiences to wonder and speculate in such a far-ranging way…to boldly ask (as Sayid might put it): “What, exactly, is that supposed to mean?”

By the way…if you’d like to watch a hilariously rapid-fire recap of the entire series by TIME’s James Poniewozik, click this link: ABC’s Lost in 108 Seconds.

Namaste!