Lost: Season 4, Episode 1 Review: The Beginning of the End
The Beginning of the End
Originate Airdate: January 31, 2008
Writers: Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse
Director: Jack Bender
With the writer’s strike leaving prime time a barren wasteland of reality TV and scripted shows running out of their completed episodes, “Lost” couldn’t have come sooner. Even with the abridged season (eight episodes were completed before, but that may change with the rumors of a resolution coming), this premiere was just what we needed to cure the strike “Blahs”. Of course, this episode had some heavy expectations going with it. Most critics and fans praised the season three finale, and the twist of the flash-forward had fans guessing the show’s next move ever since. This device could’ve been a major disaster after the first attempt. However, the series has done a great job so far using the flash forward to add a new layer to the series.
Unlike the previous two premieres, this episode features the whole cast, whereas previous season would’ve likely had an episode on the beach, another by the radio tower, Looking Glass, etc. The Pilot did something similar. Considering the major reveals of flash forwards along with the inevitable departure of several major characters from the island, it made sense to go this route again. Perhaps because of their agreement for 48 episodes, they don’t have the need to stretch it out into three episodes. It certainly helps the episode.
Jorge Garcia is the most underrated actor on “Lost”. Hurley could’ve easily been nothing more than “the fat guy”, bumbling around the island with tuba accompaniment. However, this is far from Garcia’s and the writers’ portrayal of the character, especially in this episode, where he really gets to shine. Like Jack in the finale, Hurley has a lot of range in this episode, going from that euphoric cannonball to tearfully informing Claire of Charlie’s fate. He’s absolutely fantastic.
Chronologically, the flash-forward takes place sometime before Jack’s flash-forward in the third season finale. Jack is starting to dabble in alcoholism, mixing vodka with his morning orange juice, but he’s hasn’t been popping painkillers like they’re M&Ms. He later has a throwaway line about growing a beard. His attitude is approaching the nadir in “Through the Looking Glass”. Jack seems willing to accept, or keep to himself, whatever deal they made (much like Kate still was in the finale), whereas Hurley is plagued with guilt over his apparent betrayal of Charlie’s memory. An apparent vision of him at a convenience store causes him to embark on a major car chase (in the vehicle he wanted to build with his dad, no less) another image (with Charlie’s hand saying “They need you”) results in his recommitment to the institution.
This episode has the first mentioning of the Oceanic Six, the nickname of those who got off the island. Considering their snappy nickname, the six have become celebrities for surviving what the rest of the world thought was a doomed flight of no survivors. Jack, Kate (assuming her record was expunged) and now Hurley are among those “saved”. Who the other three are is anyone’s guess, since it wasn’t just the people who stayed with Jack.
The next phase of discussion is what this means for those not on the plane like Juliet, Ben or Desmond. Despite that, I wouldn’t discount any of them not being one of the Oceanic Six. Of those three, it seems most likely to be Juliet. One interesting theory I’ve read involves Juliet taking Libby’s identity (assuming Libby had no one who cared about her). That could finally explain who Libby was, a promise the producers have been making since the beginning of last season.
The Oceanic Six immediately dashes the idea that the person in the coffin was one of them. Considering the culture’s obsession with celebrity and their demises, there would be at least a lot of paparazzi hanging around any funeral arrangements.
The scene in the interrogation room offers some more insight to elements Jack alluded to in the last season finale. When questioned by Ana-Lucia’s old partner, a nice call back, Hurley denies ever knowing her. Obviously the writers picked Ana-Lucia as someone to deny because she died long before Jack made contact with the freighter. Whoever brought the Oceanic Six back to the main land must’ve bargained with them that they had to stick to a script where only those six survived. The big question for that is why?
It appears some people back home know. Hurley’s visitor, Matthew Abbadon (anagram = what bad boat men) has rightfully been the subject of a lot of speculation. His initial creepiness could point towards him being involved with the people on the freighter, checking in on Hurley to make sure he isn’t talking. That’s a reasonable move considering Hurley’s institutionalization. He also could be someone tied to Penny’s operation, trying to find the island through the six. Whatever it is, I want to see more of Abbadon, if only because I’ve enjoyed Lance Reddick on “The Wire”.
This story plays along Hurley following the promise of rescue ruined by the loss of Charlie, who warned them of their new arrivals. Hurley’s triumphant cannonball is a microcosm of the episode, as this is the last bit of true happiness he’s going to get for a long time. Most of the cast is having fun and smiling more than they have up to this point, but that is eventually destroyed (their “cannonball” moment is when the beach crew rejoins the main group just before Hurley tells Claire Charlie died). The episode serves to dash all the hope or good feelings the castaways had going in as things are about to be plunged into darkness. It’s reminiscent of Ben wanting to give Kate something nice to hang on to before their imprisonment officially began (which feels awfully anticlimactic now).
Hurley’s encounter with Jacob’s cabin may be setting up elements for his story or explaining elements we’ve already seen. Hurley apparently sees Jacob, which is a big deal. Previously it’s been believed that it would take some deep communion with the island to do that. However, Hurley’s at best been avoiding the mysteries of the island as they connect to the numbers (initially I thought that’s what Hurley was running from seeing the numbers on a lotto ticket, the source of his wealth in the first place). His use of the numbers could be why Jacob chose to reach him on the island. Perhaps Jacob manifested off the island as Charlie to convince him that return to the island is necessary. Ben’s implied that Jacob can leave the island, as he claims that Jacob cured Rachel’s cancer.
The image of Christian sitting in the cabin with Jacob recalls the final mobisode “So It Begins”. In it, Christian (or something resembling Christian) encounters Vincent in the jungle after the crash. “Christian” then convinces the dog to find Jack and set him on his way, as he has “work to do”. Christian’s body has been a major loose end from the fifth episode, so perhaps reintroducing it in this episode and mobisode may be setting us up for an answer in the near future.
Back at the radio tower, Jack is triumphant, albeit still fixated on Locke following his stabbing of Naomi. Some theorized this action is what turns the freight crew against the castaways, but that may not be the case. That’s certainly the way she sees it shortly before attacking Kate and dying.
Naomi pulls a Mikhail-esque comeback, rising from her knife wound to hide in the jungle. Some have wondered why would she die after surviving a machete blow in the back if she survived (and fully recover within days) a punctured lung back in “Catch-22”. One can look to the producers’ explanation that what kind of person you are determines how you are healed. It’s similar to how Eko stared down the smoke monster one episode, but is killed by it in the next season. The machete, much like the hatch explosion triggered her darker side and that prevented the wound from healing in time.
Despite being beaten, tied up, humiliated and losing all his status within his group, Ben’s spirit is unbroken. His one-liners, including asking permission to go with Locke, are terrific. He has some experience with this as we saw in season two: no matter what his position is, he’s always trying to figure out how to exploit his situation for his advantage. One has to wonder if his status will change with the castaways when the agenda of the people on the freighter becomes clear.
Those heading to The Barracks all have easily explainable motives. Locke’s motives have been clear for some time. Hurley’s are the centerpiece of the episode. It’ll be interesting to see what he meant when he apologized to Jack for siding with Locke (originally Hurley told off both Jack and Locke, but the Locke part was cut). Claire was going to side with Charlie as Hurley did. Rousseau wasn’t going back even if the warnings were wrong, so Alex and Karl would be reasonable accessories for her. I could imagine Sawyer going either way, because he is in the mindset of every man for himself rather than live together, die alone. He’s probably the likeliest to bail when things go bad, which likely considering the sonic fence isn’t helpful when you have helicopters.
While it may be expected that those on the beach who heard Desmond’s warning would want to side with staying away from those on the freighter, it’s understandable why some stay behind. We know that the new arrivals are bad news, but the “Not Penny’s Boat” message is vague enough to allow interpretation. For all we know, most of the castaways don’t know who Penny is, at least judging by Charlie not knowing her in “Catch-22”. Also, they’ve been on the island long enough to accept any rescue boat, and they don’t have reason to believe it besides objections from the duplicitous Ben.
It may be hard to believe, but this is the first time Juliet and Locke have had a scene together. Considering her history with Jack, Locke’s reputation and her desire to get off the island at all costs, she’d side with Jack.
Sayid has had at best a contentious relationship with Locke and considering Locke’s behavior Sayid has swung towards Jack. I’m prone to believing Sayid is one of the Six, but that is more a hunch.
Of course, Bernard will only go where Rose goes. Considering Rose and Locke’s bond over being healed and their reluctance to leave, that they went such different directions hopefully will be explored.
I’m a bit surprised that Desmond would stay with Jack considering he was with Charlie in his final moments and bonded with him throughout the third season, but maybe there’s residual resentment over the hatch or it’s another element of his cowardice.
For the rest besides Jack, Sun’s a no-brainer, as is Jin: Sun doesn’t want to die during the pregnancy as nine of the Others have and Jin will side with his wife. However, Sun could always stay, have her baby and not die as the women in The Others have.
Probably the one that is slightly off is Kate. Perhaps this is due to errors in developing her character, but she has a history of running and avoiding settling down. She also seems to ignore the fact that she’s still wanted for murder and will have to either face that fact or run. Siding with Jack explains her motivation, but not enough is given to the consequences of her rescue.
Regardless, the split between Team Locke and Team Jack was intense. It’s been building up for some time and it boils over in this episode. The fact that Jack pulled the trigger on Locke is more telling than anything. Jack didn’t expect anyone to go with Locke, much less several prominent members. With the castaways divided, the conflict is rife not even taking into account Daniel, the parachutist at the end of the episode.
This was the second best season premiere to date (behind “The Pilot” which is saying something). The episode manages to take the lead of the flash-forward and run with it for maximum effect, establishing a new layer of mysteries for the characters (where will they go) and island. The agreement the producers made seems to have tightened their pacing and resolve. Things are about to get really ugly.
Overall Score: 9/10
Writers: Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse
Director: Jack Bender
With the writer’s strike leaving prime time a barren wasteland of reality TV and scripted shows running out of their completed episodes, “Lost” couldn’t have come sooner. Even with the abridged season (eight episodes were completed before, but that may change with the rumors of a resolution coming), this premiere was just what we needed to cure the strike “Blahs”. Of course, this episode had some heavy expectations going with it. Most critics and fans praised the season three finale, and the twist of the flash-forward had fans guessing the show’s next move ever since. This device could’ve been a major disaster after the first attempt. However, the series has done a great job so far using the flash forward to add a new layer to the series.
Unlike the previous two premieres, this episode features the whole cast, whereas previous season would’ve likely had an episode on the beach, another by the radio tower, Looking Glass, etc. The Pilot did something similar. Considering the major reveals of flash forwards along with the inevitable departure of several major characters from the island, it made sense to go this route again. Perhaps because of their agreement for 48 episodes, they don’t have the need to stretch it out into three episodes. It certainly helps the episode.
Jorge Garcia is the most underrated actor on “Lost”. Hurley could’ve easily been nothing more than “the fat guy”, bumbling around the island with tuba accompaniment. However, this is far from Garcia’s and the writers’ portrayal of the character, especially in this episode, where he really gets to shine. Like Jack in the finale, Hurley has a lot of range in this episode, going from that euphoric cannonball to tearfully informing Claire of Charlie’s fate. He’s absolutely fantastic.
Chronologically, the flash-forward takes place sometime before Jack’s flash-forward in the third season finale. Jack is starting to dabble in alcoholism, mixing vodka with his morning orange juice, but he’s hasn’t been popping painkillers like they’re M&Ms. He later has a throwaway line about growing a beard. His attitude is approaching the nadir in “Through the Looking Glass”. Jack seems willing to accept, or keep to himself, whatever deal they made (much like Kate still was in the finale), whereas Hurley is plagued with guilt over his apparent betrayal of Charlie’s memory. An apparent vision of him at a convenience store causes him to embark on a major car chase (in the vehicle he wanted to build with his dad, no less) another image (with Charlie’s hand saying “They need you”) results in his recommitment to the institution.
This episode has the first mentioning of the Oceanic Six, the nickname of those who got off the island. Considering their snappy nickname, the six have become celebrities for surviving what the rest of the world thought was a doomed flight of no survivors. Jack, Kate (assuming her record was expunged) and now Hurley are among those “saved”. Who the other three are is anyone’s guess, since it wasn’t just the people who stayed with Jack.
The next phase of discussion is what this means for those not on the plane like Juliet, Ben or Desmond. Despite that, I wouldn’t discount any of them not being one of the Oceanic Six. Of those three, it seems most likely to be Juliet. One interesting theory I’ve read involves Juliet taking Libby’s identity (assuming Libby had no one who cared about her). That could finally explain who Libby was, a promise the producers have been making since the beginning of last season.
The Oceanic Six immediately dashes the idea that the person in the coffin was one of them. Considering the culture’s obsession with celebrity and their demises, there would be at least a lot of paparazzi hanging around any funeral arrangements.
The scene in the interrogation room offers some more insight to elements Jack alluded to in the last season finale. When questioned by Ana-Lucia’s old partner, a nice call back, Hurley denies ever knowing her. Obviously the writers picked Ana-Lucia as someone to deny because she died long before Jack made contact with the freighter. Whoever brought the Oceanic Six back to the main land must’ve bargained with them that they had to stick to a script where only those six survived. The big question for that is why?
It appears some people back home know. Hurley’s visitor, Matthew Abbadon (anagram = what bad boat men) has rightfully been the subject of a lot of speculation. His initial creepiness could point towards him being involved with the people on the freighter, checking in on Hurley to make sure he isn’t talking. That’s a reasonable move considering Hurley’s institutionalization. He also could be someone tied to Penny’s operation, trying to find the island through the six. Whatever it is, I want to see more of Abbadon, if only because I’ve enjoyed Lance Reddick on “The Wire”.
This story plays along Hurley following the promise of rescue ruined by the loss of Charlie, who warned them of their new arrivals. Hurley’s triumphant cannonball is a microcosm of the episode, as this is the last bit of true happiness he’s going to get for a long time. Most of the cast is having fun and smiling more than they have up to this point, but that is eventually destroyed (their “cannonball” moment is when the beach crew rejoins the main group just before Hurley tells Claire Charlie died). The episode serves to dash all the hope or good feelings the castaways had going in as things are about to be plunged into darkness. It’s reminiscent of Ben wanting to give Kate something nice to hang on to before their imprisonment officially began (which feels awfully anticlimactic now).
Hurley’s encounter with Jacob’s cabin may be setting up elements for his story or explaining elements we’ve already seen. Hurley apparently sees Jacob, which is a big deal. Previously it’s been believed that it would take some deep communion with the island to do that. However, Hurley’s at best been avoiding the mysteries of the island as they connect to the numbers (initially I thought that’s what Hurley was running from seeing the numbers on a lotto ticket, the source of his wealth in the first place). His use of the numbers could be why Jacob chose to reach him on the island. Perhaps Jacob manifested off the island as Charlie to convince him that return to the island is necessary. Ben’s implied that Jacob can leave the island, as he claims that Jacob cured Rachel’s cancer.
The image of Christian sitting in the cabin with Jacob recalls the final mobisode “So It Begins”. In it, Christian (or something resembling Christian) encounters Vincent in the jungle after the crash. “Christian” then convinces the dog to find Jack and set him on his way, as he has “work to do”. Christian’s body has been a major loose end from the fifth episode, so perhaps reintroducing it in this episode and mobisode may be setting us up for an answer in the near future.
Back at the radio tower, Jack is triumphant, albeit still fixated on Locke following his stabbing of Naomi. Some theorized this action is what turns the freight crew against the castaways, but that may not be the case. That’s certainly the way she sees it shortly before attacking Kate and dying.
Naomi pulls a Mikhail-esque comeback, rising from her knife wound to hide in the jungle. Some have wondered why would she die after surviving a machete blow in the back if she survived (and fully recover within days) a punctured lung back in “Catch-22”. One can look to the producers’ explanation that what kind of person you are determines how you are healed. It’s similar to how Eko stared down the smoke monster one episode, but is killed by it in the next season. The machete, much like the hatch explosion triggered her darker side and that prevented the wound from healing in time.
Despite being beaten, tied up, humiliated and losing all his status within his group, Ben’s spirit is unbroken. His one-liners, including asking permission to go with Locke, are terrific. He has some experience with this as we saw in season two: no matter what his position is, he’s always trying to figure out how to exploit his situation for his advantage. One has to wonder if his status will change with the castaways when the agenda of the people on the freighter becomes clear.
Those heading to The Barracks all have easily explainable motives. Locke’s motives have been clear for some time. Hurley’s are the centerpiece of the episode. It’ll be interesting to see what he meant when he apologized to Jack for siding with Locke (originally Hurley told off both Jack and Locke, but the Locke part was cut). Claire was going to side with Charlie as Hurley did. Rousseau wasn’t going back even if the warnings were wrong, so Alex and Karl would be reasonable accessories for her. I could imagine Sawyer going either way, because he is in the mindset of every man for himself rather than live together, die alone. He’s probably the likeliest to bail when things go bad, which likely considering the sonic fence isn’t helpful when you have helicopters.
While it may be expected that those on the beach who heard Desmond’s warning would want to side with staying away from those on the freighter, it’s understandable why some stay behind. We know that the new arrivals are bad news, but the “Not Penny’s Boat” message is vague enough to allow interpretation. For all we know, most of the castaways don’t know who Penny is, at least judging by Charlie not knowing her in “Catch-22”. Also, they’ve been on the island long enough to accept any rescue boat, and they don’t have reason to believe it besides objections from the duplicitous Ben.
It may be hard to believe, but this is the first time Juliet and Locke have had a scene together. Considering her history with Jack, Locke’s reputation and her desire to get off the island at all costs, she’d side with Jack.
Sayid has had at best a contentious relationship with Locke and considering Locke’s behavior Sayid has swung towards Jack. I’m prone to believing Sayid is one of the Six, but that is more a hunch.
Of course, Bernard will only go where Rose goes. Considering Rose and Locke’s bond over being healed and their reluctance to leave, that they went such different directions hopefully will be explored.
I’m a bit surprised that Desmond would stay with Jack considering he was with Charlie in his final moments and bonded with him throughout the third season, but maybe there’s residual resentment over the hatch or it’s another element of his cowardice.
For the rest besides Jack, Sun’s a no-brainer, as is Jin: Sun doesn’t want to die during the pregnancy as nine of the Others have and Jin will side with his wife. However, Sun could always stay, have her baby and not die as the women in The Others have.
Probably the one that is slightly off is Kate. Perhaps this is due to errors in developing her character, but she has a history of running and avoiding settling down. She also seems to ignore the fact that she’s still wanted for murder and will have to either face that fact or run. Siding with Jack explains her motivation, but not enough is given to the consequences of her rescue.
Regardless, the split between Team Locke and Team Jack was intense. It’s been building up for some time and it boils over in this episode. The fact that Jack pulled the trigger on Locke is more telling than anything. Jack didn’t expect anyone to go with Locke, much less several prominent members. With the castaways divided, the conflict is rife not even taking into account Daniel, the parachutist at the end of the episode.
This was the second best season premiere to date (behind “The Pilot” which is saying something). The episode manages to take the lead of the flash-forward and run with it for maximum effect, establishing a new layer of mysteries for the characters (where will they go) and island. The agreement the producers made seems to have tightened their pacing and resolve. Things are about to get really ugly.
Overall Score: 9/10
posted by Matt @ 5:57 PM
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