Unnecessary Escape...

[BurkRoyer]

The more I think about it, the more I find the airplane escape by Lapidus and company a little useless.  Sure they didn't know that Jack would turn the light back on and stop the island from sinking.  And that the new leader would be Hurley, who would probably be the most benevolent leader ever on the island.  But had they not been able to get the plane started, they still would have been just fine.  All the bad guys were dead and Hurley would have probably just let them go home...  So the whole plane escape was quite unnecessary... Am I ruining it for everyone?

[lostfan777]

If the show was reality, then yeah, it turns out they didn't really need to escape the island that second after all.  But since it's a show, and they needed to tie things up for us at the end, then:
1. Jack needed to know they got off the island before he died, and
2. WE needed to know they got off the island so we'd know they lived out their lives before they met again at the church.
We weren't going to have time to find out whether Hurley COULD change the rules and, if he could, how and when they would get to leave, etc. 

[BurkRoyer]

If the show was reality, then yeah, it turns out they didn't really need to escape the island that second after all.  But since it's a show, and they needed to tie things up for us at the end, then:
1. Jack needed to know they got off the island before he died, and
2. WE needed to know they got off the island so we'd know they lived out their lives before they met again at the church.
We weren't going to have time to find out whether Hurley COULD change the rules and, if he could, how and when they would get to leave, etc. 

Yeah, but, now that you say that... We never really saw them leave the island, did we?  We only saw them fly over it.  How do we know they didn't crash a few seconds later   Or fly through a time-wrap and end up in 1872

[I_Am_Jacob]

Yeah I never thought of that. Their escape really wasn't so dire once the cork was replaced. Still dug the scene though. Great shot through the Bamboo.

[CaseyMac]

If the show was reality, then yeah, it turns out they didn't really need to escape the island that second after all.  But since it's a show, and they needed to tie things up for us at the end, then:
1. Jack needed to know they got off the island before he died, and
2. WE needed to know they got off the island so we'd know they lived out their lives before they met again at the church.
We weren't going to have time to find out whether Hurley COULD change the rules and, if he could, how and when they would get to leave, etc. 

Yeah, but, now that you say that... We never really saw them leave the island, did we?  We only saw them fly over it.  How do we know they didn't crash a few seconds later   Or fly through a time-wrap and end up in 1872

Shhhh, thats for the sequel ABC is going to try in a few years.

As for the escape, I guess in a way it's a little unnecessary, because perhaps they all could have gotten off on Elizabeth eventually. (though it would have been cramped) The runway was crumbling, so even though Jack saved the Island, the runway that Sawyer and Kate worked so hard on was toast.

Personally, I file it under the "unnecessary but cool" file, just like how Jack walked back to the bamboo grove. He didn't need to walk over there, it served no real purpose, but it was sooooo freaking cool.

[lostandfree]

You guys are being too cynical now.  You're looking at it from the point of view of a tv show being written by the writers and it was pointless for the writers to have them do that.  If you look at it from the characters perspective they had no way of knowing that they would have been just fine.  The island was crumbling, maybe sinking, they needed to get off.  They couldn't predict the future.

Watching this show has made us all crazy and analytical that's it's almost ruined the fun and fantasy of television for us.  You wouldn't have said that about any other show.  Lost is the only show that I've ever thought about what the writers are doing and where they are going with this.  Remember when we used to just enjoy television and never think of it as fake or as something being written.

[I_Am_Jacob]

If the show was reality, then yeah, it turns out they didn't really need to escape the island that second after all.  But since it's a show, and they needed to tie things up for us at the end, then:
1. Jack needed to know they got off the island before he died, and
2. WE needed to know they got off the island so we'd know they lived out their lives before they met again at the church.
We weren't going to have time to find out whether Hurley COULD change the rules and, if he could, how and when they would get to leave, etc. 

Yeah, but, now that you say that... We never really saw them leave the island, did we?  We only saw them fly over it.  How do we know they didn't crash a few seconds later   Or fly through a time-wrap and end up in 1872

Shhhh, thats for the sequel ABC is going to try in a few years.

As for the escape, I guess in a way it's a little unnecessary, because perhaps they all could have gotten off on Elizabeth eventually. (though it would have been cramped) The runway was crumbling, so even though Jack saved the Island, the runway that Sawyer and Kate worked so hard on was toast.

Personally, I file it under the "unnecessary but cool" file, just like how Jack walked back to the bamboo grove. He didn't need to walk over there, it served no real purpose, but it was sooooo freaking cool.

Agreed. That whole finale was so freaking cool.

[MachThree]

Actually, its a matter of timing.  The island was still breaking apart when they took off.  Even if they could tell from the air that Jackob had fixed things, why would they turn around?  No, they all wanted to go home.  None of them knew about Hurley's ascension.  And who would want to press their luck trying to land a 737 on that unpaved dirt strip that was too short a second time? 

[lostlady]

If the show was reality, then yeah, it turns out they didn't really need to escape the island that second after all.  But since it's a show, and they needed to tie things up for us at the end, then:
1. Jack needed to know they got off the island before he died, and
2. WE needed to know they got off the island so we'd know they lived out their lives before they met again at the church.
We weren't going to have time to find out whether Hurley COULD change the rules and, if he could, how and when they would get to leave, etc.  

This!

[conway]

Let us not forget that Richard could go to LAX and get a passport to go to the Canary Islands...lrt's see  birthday ,1840...hmmm
Lapidus would change careers...never want to fly anywhere ever again
Sawyer could go meet Clemintine
Miles has his diamonds to spend and
Kate and Claire get to raise AAron,
Happy days off the island

p.S.  Claire gets to go to the hairdresser and they all get hot showers and new clothes
Hooray!

[Creflo]

Kate and Claire get to raise AAron

This is why the plane escaping was necessary.

[jugdish]

They did not know Jack would save the island, plus if they did not get off on the plane how would they get home. Great scene with Jack dieing and seeing the plane talke off. It was worth it right there.

[CaseyMac]

They did not know Jack would save the island, plus if they did not get off on the plane how would they get home. Great scene with Jack dieing and seeing the plane talke off. It was worth it right there.

They could have hitched a ride with Desmond on the Elizabeth, but I agree, having that last shot of the plane flying overhead was more than worth it.

[LouE68]

If the show was reality, then yeah, it turns out they didn't really need to escape the island that second after all.  But since it's a show, and they needed to tie things up for us at the end, then:
1. Jack needed to know they got off the island before he died, and
2. WE needed to know they got off the island so we'd know they lived out their lives before they met again at the church.
We weren't going to have time to find out whether Hurley COULD change the rules and, if he could, how and when they would get to leave, etc. 

Yeah, but, now that you say that... We never really saw them leave the island, did we?  We only saw them fly over it.  How do we know they didn't crash a few seconds later   Or fly through a time-wrap and end up in 1872

Lapidus knew the coordinates to escape successfully when he was flying the chopper...

[Madam P]

Miles has his diamonds to spend

I totally forgot about that!  Awesome!     Wonder if he'd share?  Chip in a little to help buy Ricardus a fake passport?  Fund Aaron's college?   

They could have hitched a ride with Desmond on the Elizabeth...

Forgot about the "Elizabeth" too!  Here I was wondering how Desmond was going to escape... Donkey Wheel or something?  *D'oh!*  His boat is sitting right there! 

Funny... they could all get back off the island the same way they got there...