Remember, back in ’04 when times were simpler? An average three-bedroom house in the suburbs was going for around half a mil, Bush was probably on his way out of the White House, and Lost was just a little show about people stranded on a deserted island? It was back in those days, when I first started watching Lost, that I wasn’t sure if this show was going to make it. I mean, it didn’t make any sense! And that was before the Others and the Smoke Monster.
So, a plane crashes on a deserted island, and against all odds, most of the people on board survived. And ended up on an island that while clearly not Hawaii, was every bit as gorgeous as the state in which people choose to honeymoon every day. And the survivors of the plane that crashed on Not Hawaii were ridiculously hot (remember Boone, you guys? Come on.). Yet despite all of these stars aligning, nobody was having sex.
Yep. A whole group of hot, intelligent people stranded in Not Hawaii decided to choose leaders and join factions and shoot people, instead of knocking boots the way God intended. Sure, eventually people started getting with the program: Shannon and Sayid got together, Sun and Jin reconciled, but overall, they spent way too much time running purposefully through the jungle.
Sure, at times there were imminent threats that necessitated focus on staying alive, but after a couple of seasons? After Ben? After the hatch blew? After all of the faceless survivors of Oceanic 815 finally died? Maybe that’s the time to slowly back away. Yet nobody did. They got off the island, then came back to run around with guns some more. Well, everybody, that is, except for Rose and Bernard.
Rose and Bernard are quite possible the only sane inhabitants of that island. They looked around at all of the fools running around searching for polar bears and mythical leaders who may or may not exist, and they said, “you know what? Fuck it; we’re retired.” They did what anybody should have done, what anybody with any damn sense in their head would have done: they enjoyed the fact that they were stranded in paradise with the person they love.
They made a home, ate mangoes, enjoyed some Dharma green beans and probably made sweet retirement love. They didn’t worry about the politics, or the mad scientists, or the fact that they were back in the 70s. They realized that they survived a freakin’ plane crash and cancer, so they may as well make the most of whatever time they have left, because it’s borrowed time anyway.
Rose and Bernard sent the stupid young people on their way to carry out their stupid plans, while they hung out and enjoyed paradise. While the rest of the survivors were getting their asses kicked and dealing with radiation, they were probably holding hands watching the sunset, secure in the knowledge that even if the island blows up and they die tomorrow, at least they won’t be the ones wrapped up in chains and dragged into an electromagnetic pit with a bunch of construction equipment and a plutonium core. And for that, Rose and Bernard; I salute you.
Clacked by Kona Gallagher 
on May 15, 2009 @ 13:00 EST5EDT
Amen! I couldn’t have said it better myself. No, really, I definitely couldn’t — what an awesome post!
I agree to a point. My problem is that no one bothers them for over 3 years? I find that hard to believe on an island full of craziness trying to kill each other. However they were smart. They stole food, hunted and built a nice little home. Good for them!
Next season they will most likely go “Oh shit” to whatever happens.
…and end up dying peacefully as the adam and eve skeletons from the first season.
Between 74 and 77 (other than Sawyers initial encounter with the Others attacking Dharma Picnickers) the island hasn’t been that crazy killing place as we have all come to know. The truce was in full affect (and Dharma seemed rather perplexed when it looked like it was being broken) so B and R hiding out works fine for me.
Awesome post! I could not agree more with what you wrote!
“We’re retired” was the best line of the night. It was cool to see them settle down, which is, what I think, they always wanted.
Though, my first thought when we saw them was, “Hey look, its Castaway-Bernard!”
So, of all of the people that survived the crash, this is all we have left? Sun, Jin, Hurley, Jack, Kate, Sayid (I hope), Sawyer, Rose, and Bernard? (Well, and Cindy the flight attendant and the kids, but we haven’t seen them in years). Its a few when you type it all out, but its a lot of people that they’ve lost.
That’s the one thing from this last season that has dissapointed me greatly.
We strung along all the extra “red shirts” for all 5 seasons and then when it got here I felt as if the writers just gave up and didn’t want to be bothered by the rest of the survivors anymore. Lazy writing on that end imo.
Its a fair point, but no we have Red Shirt Others to take their place ;)
Rose and Bernard were easily my favorite part of this finale. At the beginning of the episode, when Locke and Alpert were leading all the people from the plane across the island to see Jacob, and there were these beautiful shots of the ocean and the island, I sat there wondering why on earth they weren’t just sitting back and enjoying it all! Then, we find Rose and Bernard, and they are, and I was happy.
Rose, Bernard AND Vincent made me happy!