Okay, I'm rubbing my hands together ready to dig in!

First of all, I really loved the finale. Whereas some complaints say that they didn't give enough answers, (and pardon me repeating this for those who've heard me say this before), I actually found that they had already given us all the Lincoln Logs. We have to build the cabin. And the finale only really had a few basic questions to answer:

1. How will they destroy the Smoke Monster?
2. Who will take over the Island?
3. What happens to everyone else?

And I thought they rounded out the answers to these questions in a more thorough and satisfactory manner than I ever had hoped for. Smoke Monster? Most definitely dead! Who will take over the Island? Hugo--and we even find out he does a great job at it and loosened up some of Jacob's wackadoodle rules. What happens to everyone else? Sawyer, Kate, Lapidus, Richard, and Claire make it back to the real world. Ben FINALLY gets his recognition and respect (the same thing he's craved and killed for and manipulated for ever since he was a small boy). And what about all of the people who passed on or lived their lives apart? They come together in the afterlife and bring eachother light--that same light that is manifested on earth in the Island's well. Very satisfying. And sweet. Yeah, I cried. A lot.

Now, to address a few of your questions, because I think I can "shed some light" on them (get it? LOST pun?
haha...ha)

1.The Man in Black Becomes Smoke Monster -
Based on the nature of how the MIB was thrown into the "well", there are two scenarios I can surmise: Either he became the Smoke Monster because he was thrown in maliciously with bad intent, and the evil that exists in the light manifested itself, or the MIB was so evil in his heart already, that he drew out the most evil essence of the "light", turning his soul (or whatever you call it) into destructive smoke. Now, Desmond and Jack, on the other hand, were more "pure of soul" (perhaps?) and were lowered in with good intentions. I think we don't know exactly why, because NO ONE knows exactly why, including Jacob or the MIB. It's one of the universe's mysteries.

2. Why Didn't Jack Survive?
He had already transferred his powers to Hugo, and the light was too powerful--that's why only Desmond was meant to go down there, since he was able to withstand that kind of power. Plus, Jack already had a giant stab wound so he died of a very mortal wound.

3.What Happened With Hugo in Command?
Well that's really another tv series and could go on infinitely. We were at least told that Hugo and Ben together did a "great job", and there's no reason to presume that another evil presence vexed them. In the tradition of all epics, they vanquished the evil in the land. If you read Lord of the Rings, sure maybe you wonder if evil ever returned to Middle Earth, but you presume peace mostly reigned after the ring was destroyed.

4. What Was There Still to Protect Under Hugo's Command?
The light still needed a watchman. Just as they had for millennia, humans would come to the Island and seek out the light, not knowing they might destroy it. Hugo probably went on to recruit some of the good humans as new "Others" to live at the Temple at protect the light as soldiers, and he probably used Ben to make sure the ones who threatened the light were shoved off the Island (or worse?). But that doesn't mean there was a great evil they had to contend with.

4. Would Sawyer Have Made a Good MIB?
Maybe, it's an interesting idea you have! But for me, I think Sawyer was too good at heart. He may not have agreed with Jack, but he never despised him or wanted him dead. Maybe Ben should've become MIB? But then again, I loved Ben's redemption and the "happily ever after" idea.

5. So Overall What Happened?
It wasn't a sideways existence at all. It was an afterlife, a kind of non-denominational waiting room. In this waiting room there is no "NOW", there is no time or age. And once all of the characters eventually died in their own due time, they all ended up in this waiting room playing out their lives as they thought they ought to have been (which means the plane never crashed, among other changes--Jack also believed he never should've married his first wife, he should've had a son, Locke should've had a better father, Sawyer should've been a cop, etc.). And it took the memory of their REAL lives and that bond between all of them for them to see that it was time to let go and move on into "the light" and begin the cycle again (or go to heaven, depending on your belief system). The Island time was real. Reality was not altered or skewed. The bomb had nothing to do with this afterlife. It was long after Island time--the ultimate flash forward.

Overall, I had an amazing time with this show. Every time I rewatch the series, I catch new things that help bring the final puzzle pieces together, and I think upon repeat viewings of this last season, the audience will see it more and more clearly. And I'm glad it wasn't easy to understand and served on a platter--that wouldn't have been LOST. We were always meant to work for it. And what a ride it was!

Namaste.

I really liked is and I'm still thinking about it. What I basically get is that at the end of season 5, they blew up the bomb, basically creating their own private universe, which also serves as their cosmic waiting room.

I think that the sideways universe is what leaves me with the most questions. So could you say that the incident from season 5 separated everyone's bodies from their souls and those souls remain until they are ready to "let go"?

I also wonder what happens once everyone left that church and went into the light. Does that parallel reality cease to exist once everyone who was on the island leaves that church? As Christian Shepard said, not everyone who was in that church was dead in the original reality, so would everyone walk through those doors?

To answer your question, the island is special, and we learned in the origin episode for Jacob and his Brother, humans tend to cause trouble, so eventually if a human came upon it, it would be the end of humanity, and probably the end of the earth.

Why they didn't allow it to self destruct, I can't figure.

I also thought that Jack should have been the next Jacob. Hurley had more to go back to, I thought.

Well, maybe Jack didn't die. He just closed his eyes :)

I want to know if Ben would have been given immortality, since it seems that all you have to do is drink some water that another immortal gives you.

I thought the way they ended things on the island was perfect. It makes me sad the show is over because I want to see what happens to Ben and Hurley.

The whole "alt-verse is purgatory" thing was a bit confusing and seemed to come out of nowhere, but I appreciated the emotion of that scene so I wasn't too upset by it.

As for the unanswered mysteries, I thought it was appropriate that they left some questions unanswered because in real life, you don't get all the answers. You just get whatever answers you can. I think anyone who feels upset because they don't know why Walt was special or what the magic light is doesn't really get the point.

As someone who has been an avid viewer for the television program Lost throughout the 6 years it has been aired on ABC, I was disappointed about this series ending (grande finale). I felt the religious after-life in the Church aspect was completely not in line with the television program's plot and subplots. I regarded this show as an Adventure/ Science Fiction one, so when the after-life Church scene appeared on my TV screen with the white light in the background when they opened the Church door, and certain characters stood up and began to walk "toward the light" all I could think of was "they could have done better."

As an author, I was in shock with the scriptwriters of Lost committing the worst thing that can ever be done to a reader or viewer by "killing off" all of the main characters with the Church scene in the flash sideways world which turned out to be some kind of “in the middle place” that people go right before they enter the actual after-life. As to what after-life, I am guessing heaven since they were in a Christian Church, but who knows. Their spirits could have been re-birthed into other people who could have past life regressions? Anyone's guess is as good as mine.

When Hurley came outside of the Church and told Benjamin Linus that he was welcome to join them, I was surprised, not because Ben was allowed to join them, but because Ben turned Hurley down with his decision to remain in "limbo, purgatory, in-between"? Still sketchy on what the sideways flash world actually was depicting. Guess Ben had more to learn before “crossing over.”

My interpretation of the sideways flash, until the final episode aired, was that they had created an alternate sideways timeline from setting the bomb off. I further thought when Desmond described the sideways flash world to Jack during the final episode that both timelines were bleeding into one another through those touched by the same energy that caused the "heart" of the island to shine with its golden light. Then when certain characters remembered all that occurred on the island and were remembering each other (including how to speak English), I thought they were experiencing some kind of past-life regression and that the sideways flash was more of a future flash where their lives were somehow repeating futurely but with differences. The Church scene however took these interpretations and crushed these theories of mine with the walking into the "white light” scene. I felt the ending was more appropriate for the TV series Ghost Whisperer that weekly at the end of each episode has the ghosts see and walk "into the Light".

I was very disappointed that they basically ended the show with all the characters dying, not at the same time, but still reuniting them and together going to some sort of afterlife. Hope it was a happy one, who knows with Lost. I too felt they had left too much unexplained. Still have numerous questions like what happened to those who escaped in the plane? Was Claire reunited with Aaron or placed in a mental hospital for treatment? Did Kate help with rearing Aaron once she returned? What happened to Sawyer, Richard, Miles, and Lapidus in their lives upon returning to the mainland? Did the plane make it safely to the mainland or crash in the ocean? How did Richard handle the hustle and bustle of a modern airport? What was Richard’s reaction to the modern world?

With Richard leaving the island via an airplane, this gave the perfect opportunity to have a character who had been on the island for over a century return to the modern world and show Richard's reaction to it. Now that would have been something to see. Yes, the shock would not have been too great thanks to what technology the Dharma Initiative brought to the island, but the modern world still would have had an impact on Richard. He would have many problems to face, like when it was safe to cross a street. Maybe Richard being in the modern world will be the spin-off series to Lost. Would be fun to see how the scriptwriters of Lost handle that aspect.

I too desired Jack and Sawyer to resolve their differences better than they did, or these two become the new Jacob and man-in-black. It would have given the plot more substance if Jack had lasted longer as the protector of the island with Hurley as his apprentice learning the ropes, being the next to succeed after Jack; with Ben helping both of them and becoming a better person by hanging around Jack and Hurley. Seeing the good win in Ben would have been awesome.

Yes, I too see several possibilities for off-shoots to the Lost series or a Lost television mini-series. Better yet, maybe the producers of Lost will realize all of the loose ends and create some Lost movies (like they did for Star Trek, original cast) that answer all questions we dedicated viewers still have. Having Lost movies would give all of the “Losties” something to look forward to viewing. My hope is that they do. Each Lost episode has been a great rollercoaster ride. Hat’s off to the Lost scriptwriters for a great Adventure/Science Fiction television series. I definitely will be the first in line to watch any future Lost movies, spin-off, or mini-series.

I thought it was worse than the Sopranos ending. No questions were answered. It pretty much made the entire show into some third rate Sixth Sense rip off. It seemed like they rushed things a little much. Like they could have had another entire season answering the questions left. The holes in the plot were big enough to drive a semi truck through. More disappointing than the town tramp telling you no.

1st. They didnt say why they were there. 2ndly there were plot errors. (IE, kate was there and jack was told she and the others were dead, although she was one of thee people who escaped the island on the plan.) and 3rdly, they were much too vague about the ending. If the answers were a little more precise, it wouldve made the finale much better.

I think lost LOST its way as soon as the writers forgot that the emotional center of the story was the ISLAND and the characters.