LOST: 4×01 - The Beginning Of The End

The season premiere of LOST, The Beginning of the End, has come and gone.

What did I think of it?

READ ON!

This episode was amazing. It seems like the series from here will really be picking up with a whole new pacing, with a whole new mystery and a whole lot of other stuff. LOST is back, everybody, albeit only for 8 episodes, but it’s still back.

 

This premiere episode was entitled, “The Beginning of The End,” which was an interesting choice for titles. Obviously, it calls back to Ben’s line at the end of the finale last year, but I think the title holds much more significance than that. I believe that signifies the Beginning of the End of LOST. As most fans of the show know, LOST has three more seasons, of which this is the first of those. So it seems in this show that they’re winding down with everything that’s been going on, and they definitely have an endgame in mind. You definitely get a sense of foreboding throughout this whole episode that something big is coming . . .

 

This episode differed from many other premieres in many ways. The first being it’s the first premiere to not focus on the character of Jack. This episode, however, focused on the character of Hurley. You got to see what has happened to him since he left the island, whenever he left the island.

 

I think Hurley-centric episodes are really great. I think this because throughout much of the first season, Hurley is the comic relief of the series, providing the much-needed levity for all the serious crap that was going on in the crazy island. However, in his episode of season 1, you really got to see Hurley in a different light, then just comic relief. All the Hurley-centric episodes were like that, and this was no exception.

 

As with all character-centric episodes on LOST, this episode featured some amazing acting from Jorge Garcia. One scene of note that comes to mind is when Hurley tells Claire that Charlie was dead. I, for one, thought this scene was profoundly played by Mr. Garcia. You really felt the emotional depth of this scene, and I, for one, am glad Hurley told Claire that Charlie was dead, as opposed to Desmond. I did feel sorry for Claire, though, as it seems that she wouldn’t have gotten the chance to spend the rest of her life with Charlie, as she may have wanted.

 

It also differed from other LOST premieres, because it had not a flashback for Hurley, but a flash-forward. In the last season finale, we were treated to a flash-forward with Jack, where Jack was a broken man. This flash-forward seemed to differ a little bit in the post-island timeline. I would say this places us about six months to a year after the castaways got off the island, whereas I would say the last flash-forward took place at about several years after they got off.

 

Aside from the flash-forward, this episode picked up right from where we last left our beloved castaways on the island. It seemed everybody was just preparing to get off the island, and there was a great mood with all the castaways.

 

The one thing that interests me, though, is Ben’s attitude towards all this. If you recall, in the season finale, he was very adamant, as Locke was, that Jack not call the rescue. Whenever Ben speaks of these impending rescuers, he often speaks of how much doom it’s going to cause the rest of the island. In fact, if you recall, Ben told Jack that if they came, “every living person on the island will be killed.” We saw a little bit more of that with Jack’s scene with Rousseau, when he instructed her to take Alex and get as far away from there as possible.

 

This episode saw a division of the castaways into two teams. One being Jack’s group, and the other being Locke’s group. This continues the rivalry that has been there from almost the beginning, between Jack and Locke. It really felt like that rivalry came to a head with this division of the castaways. Jack, being all in favor of leaving the island with these people who claim to be rescuers, and Locke, being in favor of staying on the island. How will this division affect the overall future about who leaves the island and who stays? Something tells me it’s not going to end well.

 

I think this division stemmed from more than just Jack and Locke’s rivalry. I think those who joined Locke’s group honestly believed that Jack should not have called for rescue. One of those people is Hurley. How many of the others honestly believed that?

 

At the beginning of this episode, too, you kind of got a sense that the Jack and Locke rivalry will also come to a head this season. In the opening moments, Jack confesses to Kate that he will kill him the next time he sees him. And he does! Only the gun he shot Locke with wasn’t loaded. I think we will see more Jack VS. Locke scenes before the end of this season. I don’t think rivalry has completely wrapped up yet.

 

This episode also saw a wrapping up of sorts of the Naomi arc. In the past season, Naomi was revealed to be sent by Penny Widmore in a boat, however Penny confessed to not knowing her. For much of the episode, Naomi was gone missing, having suffered a massive knife wound in the back, thanks to Locke. But, she passed out, having suffered a loss of blood, but neglected to mention to her comrade, Minkowski (who I do hope we meet in the near future) that she suffered a knife wound. I almost wonder why she covered up for the castaways.

 

This act by Naomi seemed to give a sense of foreboding about her and her fellow freighter-people. I shall be very interested to see who these “freighter-people” are, and what kind of threat they pose to this island. Because, in between Ben and Locke, you kind of got the sense that whoever these freighter-people are, they were not here to rescue the castaways. But some don’t believe that, hence the division.

 

You also get a sense of foreboding in the opening of the episode, when Hurley claims to be one of the Oceanic Six. Who are the Oceanic Six? And why were there only six? I think that something bad happened to all the castaways on the island, after they called the “rescuers,” that lead to their rescue, but only six could go off. You would think that it was just Jack’s group that got off the island, but Hurley was not in Jack’s group, but Locke’s. So what ties to season four’s arc will the Oceanic Six have? Only time will tell . . .

 

This episode also gave us a final sendoff to Dominic Monaghan’s character of Charlie in Hurley’s flash-forward. Last episode saw the death of Charlie, and I think that his appearance in this episode was to give his character one final goodbye. It also answered some questions that we had and some things we kind of expected in Charlie’s departure last season: that he didn’t tell people about his “mission.” Now, that’s not to say that Charlie’s appearance in this episode didn’t make me jump; it did. But, I understand why it was done. I think that his appearance also kind of closed down an arc of sorts for the first half of LOST. I, for one, thought his appearance really seemed to move the post-island character arcs and the post-island story.

 

I really loved the scene with Charlie and Hurley, because I always got the sense that their friendship was like the best example of a buddy-buddy relationship that you got on this show. They really seemed like true, dear friends, and I will miss that connection between those characters. So, this scene was really awesome for me.

 

This leads to another question - - why was Charlie there if he was dead? If you pay attention to Charlie’s dialogue, you notice that he keeps saying, “They need you, man.” I think that Charlie’s appearance in Hurley’s flashback was the island calling out to him, begging him to return. I think this will continue to affect the post-island storyline, because now Hurley knows he has to go back. But he knows that he can’t go alone.

Another way his character gets a sendoff is with Hurley’s speech as to why Charlie died: to get them rescued. In a very moving montage with music and flashbacks from the previous episode, Hurley said that Charlie did work to get them rescued, but that he also saw fit to warn the other castaways what was coming: danger. This very moving flashback montage gave us a sense of why Hurley joins Locke’s side: not because he likes Locke or anything, but because he believes in his friend, Charlie.

 

Also, Hurley’s character in this flash-forward seemed to kind of regress a little bit. I think he knew that he had to return to the island, but he was hiding from that, so he reverted to somewhere he knew was comfortable: that is, in a mental institution. As we all know, that is where Hurley was pre-island, and now that’s where he is post-island. I just found it kind of funny.

 

This episode also introduced several new regular characters, those of Matthew Abaddon, someone who claims to be an attorney for Oceanic. I think, however, that he is connected to the freighter-people somehow. Maybe he is part of the freighter people’s organization, whatever their organization may be. But, whoever is, he asks the question that everybody is talking about, “Are they still alive?” This also gives that sense of foreboding that something bad happened in between Jack’s call to the freighter and them being rescued.

 

The premiere, in its final moments, also introduced one of the rescuers, who is to be regular character this season. We do not know much of this character, but we do know that he knew Jack’s name. A lot of people have speculated that perhaps the “freighter-people” have dossiers on the castaways. I don’t believe this is true. I think he knew Jack’s name, due to Jack’s several conversations with Minkowski, the supposed captain of the freighter, who Jack spoke to on several occasions throughout the episode and in the finale last year.

 

Something in Hurley’s flash-forward that seemed to interest me was Jack’s conversation with Hurley. It furthers two theories I have regarding the post-island storyline. The first being that the episode takes place six months to a year after the rescue. If you notice, in last year’s flashback, Jack had a beard and was a broken man (like I already stated), whereas this, he seems to be getting along just fine in his post-island scenario. Another reason I think where this flash-forward is Jack’s attitude regarding returning to the island. In the finale, he was very desperate to return to the island, feeling that they had made a mistake. In this episode, however, he was very much opposed to returning to the island, to the point, where he makes it very clear that they’re NEVER going back. Hurley’s response? “Never say never, dude.”

 

Another theory regarding this conversation that I have is that something bad happened that lead to the castaways departure from the island. While Jack is playing basketball with Hurley, Hurley asks if Jack had ulterior motives in seeing Hurley, if he was gonna “tell.” Hurley then apologize for siding with Locke, and that he should’ve sided with Jack. So, that furthers my theory that something happened in between all of the castaways on the island. I, personally, can’t wait to see what that is.

 

I don’t think we can go through any episode without talking one of my favorite characters in LOST: Mr. John Locke. I will make it no secret in my LOST reviews this season that my favorite character is Locke. I love Locke, because he is not a villain, yet he seems to have the appearance of one. Going into LOST, I thought he was going to be the antagonist of the series (as every other good series needs one : ) ), but I was pleasantly surprised when he wasn’t. Anyway, I digress . . .

 

One of the many questions this episode was where Locke had been from the end of last episode to his appearance in this one. It seems that Locke was near where Hurley was: which was, near Jacob’s cabin. Could it be that Locke is now taking orders from Jacob now? Is that the reason Ben decided to side with Locke? I think that’s why. Another reason could be that Ben and Locke seem to be the ones who have a connection to the island, more than any of the other characters on this show. I also thought it was interesting that Ben was so eager to side with Locke, due to his outstanding rivalry with Locke throughout most of last season. I cannot wait to see how that relationship will change now that they’re on the the same team.

 

This was a really packed episode of LOST. It had everything a great episode of LOST should have: character depth, mystery, lotsa questions, and a need to go back for the next episode. This premiere episode of LOST did what any premiere should do: wrap up the events of the finale and set up the feel for the overall season, keeping you watch. This premiere did that in spades.

 

It seems there are several overall mysteries for this season. The two big ones being the departure from the island (who leaves, who stays etc.), and the other being the intentions of the so-called rescuers. I have a feeling wer might get the answer to the latter very soon, but the former I feel will be streteched over this vast season.

 

I really enjoyed this episode. It really cemented to me why I watch LOST, and I cannot wait to see the rest of this season unfold. I’ve said it throughout this review, the episode gave a real sense of foreboding, like something big and bad was coming on the horizon, and I loved having that feeling. Got me real excited, but got me real depressed at the same time as I know, due to the writer’s strike, we may only get 8 episodes this season.

 

This episode’s title fit it perfectly. It truly was “The Beginning of The End” . . .

RATING: 10/10

This entry was posted on 15. April 2008 at 19:12 and is filed under LOST Reviews, Tv Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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