Producer Carlton Cuse talked to the Hollywood Reporter about the ending, three years away, of the ABC megahit ‘Lost’. 

The writers have just completed a “minicamp”, where they discussed the direction of the series, and fleshed out the ending for the show, which will not end with a blackout, he says.  We can, however, look forward to some more answers in the upcoming season.

“Obviously, we can’t wait to the 48th hour to say, ‘Here are all the mysteries of the show,’ ” [producer Damon]Lindelof said…”I’m not sure there is any ending that will satisfy everyone,” Cuse said. “Our hope is that the ending will be … the logical conclusion of the story.”

It’s interesting that they talk about fan satisfaction there, because later on, they go on to talk about Nikki and Paulo.  You’ll probably remember that they were the couple that, in an attempt to bring in some of the background players, basically appeared out of nowhere and became part of “the team”, much to fans’ wrath.

“We’re like, ‘Trust us, you don’t care about those guys,’ ” Lindelof joked.  They said they realized almost immediately that adding Nikki and Paulo was a mistake, even before the viewer outcry. Many of the scenes they shot would get cut on the editing room floor, not because of the actors but because they were concerned about how they fit into the story. Lindelof said that it was a lesson for the writers to stay true to the show’s vision even if the viewers don’t seem to like it.

While I didn’t like Nikki and Paulo as characters, I loved their send-off episode.  But I like seeing them address the fact that, just because fans are asking for something, it doesn’t mean that it’s best for the show.

Finally, they discussed “mobisodes”, or short episodes exclusively for your cell phone.  Rather than focus on unknown characters going through storylines that no one cares about, it sounds like they’ve negotiated to have the stars of the show in the mobisodes.  While I’m sure it won’t be information vital to the show, it will add some supplemental value to the story, much like the Lost Experience last year.