In my personal opinion, the show went off the rails in season 2. I would have liked to see the show end with most of the main characters going back to their lives and taking the lessons learned on the island with them. I don’t like that most of them die on the island. But I’m clearly not a typical Lost fan. I can’t speak for those who liked most of the show and hated the ending.
He was never joking. What is it going to take for people to take him seriously?
Morally, I’d consider it attempted murder but legally, I’d find the idea of someone being prosecuted for it rather silly