Lost's Final Season

Lost, in its final season, is (so far) incredibly satisfying on a variety of levels. It still provokes as many questions as it seems to answer, but the overall narrative does seem to be building towards a final, cataclysmic Ending, all the while, weaving new insights into established characters while continuing to introduce Supernatural(as an umbrella term) devices to drive this complex juggernaut of storytelling into an area heretofore unknown within the medium of television. I am so pleased, and continually amazed that this incredible metaphysical juggling act becomes more accomplished, more cohesive, and more difficult as the series winds down. There will be no easy answers on the road to the ultimate conclusion this series has begun..

I am a Johnny-Come-Lately to the program, losing interest during season one and not returning until the end of season four. When the series concludes, I cannot wait to watch the entire story from the beginning. I now will have the advantage of knowing the creator's clarity of intent, to see how tightly they constructed those episodes that, as of now, are lost to my full understanding of the series' genius. What resonates with me is not the dialogue, not the action (for the most part), and not the characters, as much as the Concepts the series presents. Some highlights include:

*Energy Vortexes that effect the "normal functions" of reality (Plane crashes, anyone?)
*The entire show as "ritual," a shamanistic journey exposing one to "The Big Picture" through revelations of smaller, interconnected secrets leading to an evolution of Perspective.
*An "accurate" portrayal of Time Travel within the realm of Quantum Mechanics. From Popular Mechanics: "The time travel on Lost isn't necessarily good science, but it basically adheres to theoretical physics: All of the wormholes and temporal mayhem can be traced back to the "exotic particles" buried deep in the island. Bursts of electromagnetism can be used to detect and access the island. And even casual exposure to the exotic particles can be as serious as other brushes with radiation, causing unborn babies to die. It might be pseudoscience, but time travel on Lost feels like the product of quantifiable, observable natural phenomena."
*Time as a multi directional, multidimensional experience. Season Six revolves around the concept of sideways time, that, not only did the plane not crash, but Time had been altered many years before, and that the characters' lives still had interaction with each other, but in a different context than the experience of the island.
*The concept of Edgar Cayce's story of Group Karma, that (to paraphrase)everyone you've ever met in this life you have known before, in some other form. The characters this season don't have the bond of the island, but are inevitably attracted to each other through other situations in order to resolve past actions between them.
*The concept of a spiritual, but not religious, chance at Redemption, or the equal possibility of spiraling into Oblivion. This season, this concept has been mirrored in both time frames (Ben and Sayid are the best examples..).
*Souls as characters, or souls changing "disguise." The Man in Black was both Shepard's father and now John Locke, after both had died. The concept of an Evil Tempting Force is ancient, yet removed of religious implications, feels "modern," or at least, "timeless."
*Multiple possibilities of "Pre-destination." There are six candidates for the "stewardship" of the island. They have all been led.. guided.. to the island. One's destiny is set; unless it is not.

Where is all this headed? Can most of these concepts find a suitable resolution? Can J.J. Abrams balance the abstractions with a conrete climax to satisfy 50 percent of his audience? I hope so. This series, this explosion of right brain activity masquerading as "entertainment," is so close to perfection, it is already a success. The final question regarding Lost, I guess, is this: How much further can it, will it go, will it take us all, before it's all over?