Getting lost with ‘Lost’

Reaction has been mixed to the highly-anticipated series finale of Lost with fans all a-twitter about the fate of the castaway cast.

The two and a half-hour special aired in the US and several other countries at 2pm EST and it didn’t take long for judgment–and spoilers–to hit the web.

Australian audiences will have to wait until Wednesday to see the series conclusion on free-to-air television, after Channel Seven refused to budge on its usual programming schedule.

For the past six years TV viewers have answered “not a clue” as around 120 episodes of television’s most elaborate brain scrambler have unfolded.

When Lost debuted in September 2004 it immediately captured the public’s imagination but every bizarre storyline twist and turn left confused people scratching their heads.

The complex plane crash drama, which has run to six seasons and has a massive online following, has long tantalized fans with its true meaning, and for some the big questions–including the real purpose of the island, castaway hook-ups and whether any of the marooned manage to escape–were answered.

“Without a doubt–This was the GREATEST SERIES FINALE of all time,” wrote one poster on website Entertainment Weekly.

“Simply glorious is all I can say. What we witnessed was a miracle of television,” wrote another.

“It was absolutely beautiful. My heart is happy, even if my head is still on the confused side. I think I’ll have to watch it a few more times.”

Fans have even turned on each other on online discussion boards and on Twitter and some have also spoken of post-Lost “depression”.

“I’m sorry if you didn’t like the ending to Lost. You probably also hate puppies. What an awesome story of redemption,” wrote one die-hard.

“I don’t want to be found!” tweeted another.