TV-Reviewed

It’s been a very long time since there was a season premiere as anticipated as Lost’s season four. Not only have we got the WGA on strike which is limiting the amount of scripted shows we get to see, but it’s consistently one of the best shows on television. We love the characters and the story is engrossing like no other.

The season three finale, “Through the Looking Glass” contained, for the first time, flash-forward scenes. They showed Jack and Kate far into the future, after the crash and after they were rescued. Jack has managed to get himself hooked on pain killers and is regretting ever leaving the island. Kate, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to regret it at all. This is one of the “mirror opposites” themes Lost shows quite frequently.

This theme continued in “The Beginning of the End,” as we saw two very different Jacks and Hurleys. In the new flash-forward, Hurley is back in L.A. and is having visions of the deceased Charlie and he’s freaking out. After checking himself into the psych ward (just like before the airplane crash), he continued to be visited by Charlie who claims “they” need his help. This “they” theme continued when a man by the name of Matthew Abbadon came by and asked if “they” were still alive. Jack, meanwhile, came by to check on Hurley after seeing him in a police pursuit after seeing a vision of Charlie just before checking into the psych ward. Jack was worried that Hurley may break down and tell people about what happened to everyone. Hurley, like the Jack that we saw in “Through the Looking Glass” regrets leaving the island.

There’s a great mystery about all of this. We know that six people were rescued, but there’s no clue as to what happened to everyone else. But one other interesting development was Hurley’s admission that going with John Locke was a mistake. This makes me even more intrigued to learn what happened on the island.

The flash-forwards are a great tool for the writers to have at their disposal but I’m really worried about them overdoing it. It’s entirely possible that they could divulge too much at some point. They should use it carefully. Not every episode needs flash-forwards in my opinion.

The things that went transpired on the island weren’t very surprising. Everything seemed to meld flawlessly with what happened at the end of last season. Everybody learned of what happened to Charlie, they argued about whether or not the people on the boat were good, and finally split. Some stayed with Jack while many of them went with John Locke to the barracks, the best fortified station on the island.

The only on-the-island surprise for me was Hurley’s trek through the jungle. After falling behind and getting lost, he managed to come upon Jacob’s little shack. I knew what it was right away, but figured it was further away than this. What was surprising was who was sitting in the rocking chair when Hurley peeked inside. It was Christian Shepherd! I should have seen that coming, after all, his character is looking more and more intriguing, especially after that last webisode in the “Missing Pieces” collection.

“The Beginning of the End” was frankly the best way to start this season. The writers and producers now have some sort of idea now that they’ve decided on an end-point for the series, so I feel comfortable saying Lost will likely end just as well as it began. I’m a fan of a lot of shows, but Lost is consistently the best written series that I watch. I rarely ever give an episode a perfect ten, but I feel comfortable doing that with “The Beginning of the End.” I can’t think of a single thing I would have changed.

Lost - The Beginning of the End
Original Air Date: January 31, 2008

Rating: 10