StarBulletin.com

Fans' farewell


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POSTED: Monday, May 24, 2010

A very, very young actress made her debut on “;Lost”; smeared with cream cheese and raspberry jam—seedless, mind you.

Appearing as a newborn Benjamin Linus in the Season 3 episode “;The Man Behind the Curtain,”; Amanda Hartenstein, now a preschooler, was the lone “;celebrity”; on yesterday's special “;Lost”; tour of Kualoa Ranch, one of the main scenic locations used during the drama's six-season run.

Amanda was accompanied by her parents, Mike and Christy Hartenstein of Kaneohe, as well as a sizable group of fans who wanted to celebrate “;Lost”; just before last night's marathon television finale marking the conclusion of the series.

Hartenstein was also celebrating his birthday yesterday, and he and his wife recalled the day their baby became part of the show's extensive supporting cast.

“;It was awesome,”; he said. “;We had our own trailer, a nurse and more food than we could possibly eat.”;

Baby Amanda was filmed covered in the fake (but sugary good) afterbirth goop, and even had a speaking part—sort of—as her crying was recorded for looping purposes.

The Hartensteins admitted that their interest in “;Lost”; had begun to wane by the beginning of the third season, as the show's mythology grew “;too convoluted”; to follow. But that changed when their daughter's star turn aired in early May 2007.

;[Preview]  Fans congregate for final episode of 'Lost'
 

'Lost' fans congregated at The Counter restaurant to view the final episode.

 

Watch ]

 

 

 

 

“;I like how the show was multilayered,”; Christy said. “;It challenged your memory and knowledge of all that was happening in the story. It allowed you to think about what it all meant after each week's episode.”;

“;It's been a wonderful adventure,”; said Alyce Lee, of Waipahu, who was with her husband, Kendall, on the tour. “;It's like opening a mysterious box.”;

Not much physical evidence remains on the Kualoa property to mark its many “;Lost”; encounters. A few remnants of Styrofoam “;rock”; and lengths of PVC piping remain at the spot used this season as the glowing cave that marked the heart of the island.

Ranch marketing director Jerry Pupillo said Kualoa has been the site of many film projects, among them “;Jurassic Park,”; “;Godzilla, and “;50 First Dates.”; “;Lost”; increased interest in the ranch tours in general, Pupillo said. “;Our movie site tours have also increased by about 20 percent.”;

One of the show's final wrap parties was reportedly thrown by Evangeline Lilly (Kate).

“;It was a get-together of just the core people on the show, and the function lasted well into the morning,”; Pupillo said. “;I was happy to see that they felt such a close connection to our property.”;

Another business that profited from the presence of “;Lost”; in Hawaii was Cindy Tees, owned by the parents of Dennis Le, who took the tour with his girlfriend, Leanne Borbely. They both wore black “;Lost”; film crew T-shirts designed by the stunt double of Jorge Garcia (Hurley) for the production staff.

Le said what he liked best about the show was its message: “;Even though we're all flawed in some way, we can still make a difference for a greater good. I find that inspiring.”;

Two other fans, Shiloh Richardson and Kristina Lawyer, followed up the daytime tour with a dinner at Richardson's Hawaii Kai home to watch the finale with friends.

The viewing party capped a tradition the group enjoyed during each episode: “;We make dinner together, and during the week we share e-mails and theories about the show. It's helped develop a bond of friendship,”; Richardson said.

As the finale unfolded, Richardson, Lawyer and friends sat in rapt attention. With every revelation, there were “;whoas!”; and “;oh my goshes.”; Some tears were shed when the characters of Sun and Jin realized that they had survived their “;death”; of a few episodes back to become parents in an alternate reality.

But there was some disagreement, too, over what they were seeing. Heather Evjen, bluntly said she did not like some of the developments. “;I always thought the flash-sideways were a bit cheesy.”;

The dialogue continued into the night, just as the creators of “;Lost”; had intended.

Spoiler alert: Read no further if you have not seen the “;Lost”; finale yet



















               

     

 

 

SO—WHAT HAPPENED?

        » On the island, Jack (Matthew Fox) volunteered to be the island's protector.

       

» Kate (Evangeline Lilly) killed the monster-who-is-mortal-again with a single gunshot after a fierce cliffside fight between him and Jack.

       

» In Los Angeles all the characters were having island recollections invade their consciousness. Kate took Jack to a gathering at a church where all the castaways were having a funeral reception for themselves. Everyone was blissful and full of smiles as the room flooded with light. There Jack reconciled with his dead father. They are dead but not dead.

       

» The series ended where it began six seasons ago after the plane crash: with a close-up of Jack's eye opening as he lay on the ground. But this time, his eye was open and it shut.