Lost, Season 4, Episode 1 "The Beginning of the End" (1/31/2008)

Finally, after 253 days of waiting, we get a new episode. And it was a good one, eh? And a couple of other things happened since the last time a new LOST episode was on. One thing is that I moved back to Maine. But more importantly, I got a DVR and new flat screen TV. Wow! What a picture!

It looks like we'll now watch the episodes in an "island time" and "future time" scheme. So get used to "flash forwards"…a brilliant idea introduced in last season’s Though the Looking Glass episode.

Some notes:

This episode focuses on a future time that is before the time we saw Jack in the Season 3 finale...a time that is right after 6 of the Losties have been returned to civilization.

The Oceanic 6: Hurley, Jack and Kate. The body in the coffin from season finale last year makes four. And then two more. But who are the unknown three people? We'll find out soon, I'm sure. Any guesses? And what does this mean for the other Losties? Are they dead? Does something happen to them during the rescue? Are they in hiding on the island and the Oceanic 6 are protecting them for some reason?

Do you think Naomi and Nadia (Sayid's former love) will somehow end up being related? Just a thought. Remember, Naomi did say to the guy on the phone right before she died, “Tell my sister I love her”. But then again, maybe this was code-speak to warn the freighter folks.

It was clearly Christian Shephard, Jack's dad, sitting in the rocking chair in Jacob's cabin when Hurley found it. What can this mean? Remember, we've never seen Christian’s body on the island, only the casket it was supposed to be in on its way back to the US from Australia. Are Christian and Jacob one in the same, or two separate people? If two separate people, that’s the creepiest cabin on the entire planet.

Hurley's vision of Charlie while at the police station: he sees Charlie swimming in the two-way mirror and then Charlie uses his open-palm to smash the mirror. Upon freeze-frame, written on Charlie's open palm are the words "They Need You". It's the same thing Charlie says to Hurley in the vision of Charlie at the mental hospital: "They need you"..apparently referring to the ones left on the island. It's interesting to note that one of the other patients at the mental hospital saw Charlie, and told Hurley, "That guy is staring at you". So, how could this other patient see Charlie? And how is it that Charlie can be "dead and here at the same time". He admitted to Hurley that he knew he was going to die when he went down to the Hydra Station. Strange. Was Charlie the SMonster? Jacob?

FutureHurley was playing "Connect Four" in the mental hospital, just as he played with Leonard Simms in flashbacks from Season 2. But who was it that he was playing against this time? It looked to me like his old boss Randy from Mr. Cluck's (and Locke's boss from the box company). Possible? Why would Randy be in the psyche ward…still not able to get over seeing Tricia Tanaka get creamed by the meteor?

Names from the past:
--George Minkowski - the guy on the 'rescue' freighter
--Big Mike - Ana Lucia's partner

New Names and/or faces:
--Matthew Abaddon, Lawyer for Oceanic Airlines. Or so he claims. Asks Hurley: "Are they still alive?" Is he referring to the other people from the flight that didn't come back with the Oceanic 6? (note: Abaddon means "place of destruction" in Biblical poetry). I thought the name resembled "A bad one". You know, in keeping with the good guys/bad guys theme. He's creepy. And when Hurley turned to watch the guy leave the psyche ward, it almost looked like SMonster smoke...or was it a shadow.
--Daniel Farrady, parachutes onto island from a pretty low-flying helicopter. Claims to be part of the rescue team from the freighter.

Who's eye was in the window when Hurley was looking into the cabin? After freeze-framing it and staring at it for a while, I can only venture a guess, but I think it was Locke's. I think Locke was in the cabin with Jacob and Christian. And with the cabin disappearing and reappearing, this enforces the idea that time and space don't work the same on some parts of the island.

And it's obvious that Jack would kill Locke...but some of the other Losties agree that the freighter rescue may be a bad thing, as predicted by Ben, Locke, and Charlie ("not Penny's boat") as they've learned from Desmond.

Final questions:
1. when FutureJack went to see Hurley at the nuthouse, right after he says "I'm thinking of growing a beard", Hurley says "What are you really doing here Jack? You checking to see if I was gonna tell?" Jack says, "Are you?". But no answer. Tell what???? Does this have something to do with the remaining Losties on the island? Then Hurley says, "I think we did the wrong thing. I think it wants us to go back."
2. Tied in with this, Hurley then apologizes for taking Locke's side on the island, and says "I should've stayed with you". Did Hurley's decision to side with Locke create the situation that kept some people on the island?
3. Who are the rescuers? Dharma? Hanso? Widmore? Maybe Sun's dad has his hands in this somehow?

Tune in next week for "Confirmed Dead".

Check out this website for some really good and clear screen shots:
http://losteastereggs.blogspot.com/

Until then, Namaste.