A Pair of Jacks

First let me begin fittingly, with a sidebar: have you noticed the preponderance of TV (and for that matter, film) heroes whose names are Jack, Chuck, Mack, Rick, Buck, Mack Truck, etc? What is it that is so suggestively masculine about names ending in the hard K? There are certainly no feminine names ending in hard K. It's some kind of Jungian association, I guess (though in Comedy, the hard K is very valuable to start jokey words like Kalamazoo and Cucamonga).

The name Jack, in fact, is somewhat bogus, since it is a derivative of John, a name not quite as suggestively bold. If the hero of "24" were named John Bauer it would not strike nearly as much fear in his enemies and associates. As for Jack Shepherd of "Lost," well John Shepherd may have had a more pleasing quasi-Christian aura, just as his father's name "Christian Shepherd" was specifically created to define his ultimate series function.

So the two seminal action shows of the Aughts, "24" and "Lost," produced their series finales this week, and it's taken me a while to process them. Well, not so much for the straightforward "24", which was quickly erased from my DVR as soon as it concluded. I had been a fan of this show as a broad kinetic rollercoaster concoction with laughable inconsistencies that were necessitated by the program's real-time premise. It would have been just another innocuous lark if so many neo-Cons had not taken its reverence for torture so seriously, but that's waterboarding under the bridge.

Throughout the series' run, though,I always assumed that Jack would be dispatched in the end. Especially this season when his cold-blooded thirst for vengeance led him to several brutal murders and his main focus was to destroy an historic peace agreement. Well, he was dispatched, but only by a sympathetic president who sent him packing after he sent her a video full of claptrappy idealism from a very cynical heart. In fact this season he ended up healthier than in most, the better to prep for the movie version. My own cynicism makes me knee-jerk bemoan the prospect, although frankly, the 24-hour conceit will make much more sense in a two-hour film.

And then there was "Lost." Oh my. I am sheepishly confessing to be a "Lostie," one who fell under the spell of the enigmatic story, and I anticipated the finale with the relish of a tweenie girl about to get to see the finals of "American Idol." And amazingly, I was NOT disappointed. It was sad to see Jack/John die, though it was sacrificial and appropriate and symmetrical with the show's opening scene, which had him open his eyes to the horrific beauty of the Island. (If the Island had a name, what would it be? Another unresolved mystery). The final shot of Jack in the same spot, ending his earthly existence while Vincent the dog sat vigil, was a a real throat clutcher. Boy did I hug Sammie when it was over.

Then there's the matter of the "Sideways" plot, which culminated in the happy reconciliation of all the characters who were actually creating their own little communal Limbo throughout the season. That the Sideways world was an afterlife projection of the hopes and dreams of the characters ought to have been obvious from the first, but we viewers really wanted it to be the "real world." Why? Because we cared so much about the characters. The show's creators, JJ Abrams, Carlton Cuse and Daryl Lindelof made sure from the first that character was to be primary in the series, and spent half the script time delving into their characters' pasts (and futures). Very successfully so, because we really came to know them.

Though at first puzzled and uncertain at the bittersweet conclusion, I watched for a second time and found the episode to fall very nicely into place. For a program that still left many plot elements unresolved, the Sideways theme tracked quite well. My only objection was the pain that a few characters (Sun and Locke, especially) had to endure in their way station to Heaven. For most of them, they achieved their dreams or romantic reunions in a sweet, nearly saccharine series of audience-pleasing moments. And I was also moved, but I was more moved by the fact that I was moved. After all, this was as wild and improbable a fiction as TV has ever seen. And when it was done, I lay in bed ruminating about it. It's just a fucking TV show! But boy, was it a good one.

Congratulations, JJ, Carlton and Daryl. I may be an atheist, but I appreciated that this was at heart a spiritual show and kept faithful to that creed. Thanks for the ride, and here's hoping you enjoy your own epiphanies when the time comes.