Vincent.

If you watch Lost and haven’t watched the finale, then please go to Cute Overload and don’t read ahead.

Okay, for those of you who have seen the final episode or just don’t care, hello.  I have mixed feeling about Lost in general.  I’m of the camp where my main concern about the show is why there were polar bears on the island, how they were transported onto the island, and where they all went.  My second concern is if the writers would be kind enough not to kill off Hurley (my favorite character; Charlie was another favorite and I stopped watching regularly after they killed him off) and how much I love Desmond and Penny (SO MUCH).  The whole mythology thing... eh (seriously, you expect me to watch every week for six years to find out who a skeleton was from the first few episodes that I completely forgot even existed?!).  But The Human Male loves it and since he watches Dancing with the Stars and America’s Next Top Model with me, I throw him a bone and watch it with him. 

The finale ruined me.  RU-INED.  Part of it was that it dealt with beloved people dying (something my way too Irish heart can’t handle), and the other was the final scene with Jack laying in the bamboo, taking his final breaths, and then Vincent, the ridiculously happy lab owned by Michael and Walt that was on Oceanic 815, came tearing out of the jungle to lay beside him as he died (if you must watch, it's at about 1:43:20 online, but be prepared to be really bummed out for days).  I actually said “Ohhh, noooo!” out loud and started bawling when that happened. 

The Human Male reminded me that Rose and Bernard were staying on the island and Vincent lived with them, and of course there was no way that Hurley wouldn't feed him, so Vincent wouldn’t be alone when Jack died.  So that made things a little better.   He also reminded me that shot was how the show started, but blah blah blah (seriously—how DID they get the polar bears on the island?  Plane?  Helicopter?  Airlift?  Time travel?  Were they born there?  And how many lived on the island?  And how did they get collars on them?).  But my first feeling has stayed with me.

Isn’t it so like a dog to tear over to you and lay down when you really need them?  They may lick your face or bark at you to cheer up, but so often, they’ll just lay down next to you.  It’s like they know that the best thing to do is to just be there.  They don’t need to do anything else.  Sure, it brought the story full circle (except for the whole polar bear thing), but on a highly-dramatic show where nothing was realistic, that moment with Vincent was as real and raw as it gets.

It was haunting and beautiful and heartbreaking, and such a kind way to remember that not everyone you love is human, but it means no less to have them around.  It was so lovely that on a show that dealt with losing loved ones, they brought Vincent back to say goodbye as well.

I’m not doing the scene justice, just trying to get my feelings typed out.  If you’re feeling as bummed, please take a look at that Cute Overload link and smile.