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Lost (4×01) - The Beginning of the End

With little else on TV due to the writers’ strike, now is a great time to get into Lost. And for those of us who are already hooked, we’ve had to wait nearly a year for the brand new season but it was worth it in the end. Many fans had loved season one and then given up by the end of season two, I’ll be the first to tell you — big mistake. Lost is a show that requires you to watch every week and it’s probably a good thing that those fans were “weeded out,” because for the rest of us, it really is the most fulfilling hour of television - every minute counts.

Honestly, what can I say about this episode? The long, long, long wait was most definitely waiting. From the writing to the acting, Lost returned to top form and I’ll be utterly shocked if it manages to go downhill from here - but I’m assured it won’t. The last two seasons, Lost has taken a backseat after it was so critically lauded in it’s first season, winning awards and everyone talking about it. Well already, this season has been really buzzed about after last season’s finale - and I expect it will be the one to watch once again (partly because there’s nothing else on anymore)!

There was a lot that was great about the premiere, save for the opening flash-forward, we picked up exactly where we left off last season - you had that euphoria of, “It’s back!” It was pretty risky to give Hurley the first episode of the season, usually that honour goes to Jack or Kate, but I believe Hurley will really step it up this season, as not just a supporting actor but be seen as central to the season’s plot. Who needs him? What for? Many questions were left in our minds, Hurley will definitely be a big part of this season.

A “WTF?” moment for me was when Charlie re-appeared, now I know he was killed off last season and thought “It’s no big deal, it’s probably a one time thing” as they do with Boone etc. But if I read right at E! Online, Charlie is still in the show and is still billed as a season regular in the credits. It’ll be interesting to see where that goes. Will it only be Hurley that can see him? Speaking of Charlie, the moment Claire found out about him dying was heartbreaking, was it not?! I don’t cry for TV shows or movies so it didn’t tug at me too much, but it was definitely emotional.

There wasn’t much emphasis on the “love” storylines between Kate and Sawyer, except for the moment where Sawyer sided with Locke - which was more implied really. I’m really holding out for more Jack and Juliet, well actually, more Juliet would just serve me fine! It’s such a shame that season three wasn’t as talked about as season one, because I can guarantee Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet) would have been a huge talking point and in turn, making her a huge star. She was sparsely used in this episode, I’m hoping that picks up.

All in all, from start to finish, “The Beginning of the End” was how television should be done. The episode title ironic of the fact we now know when Lost will end in 2010,  but we have 40+ episodes until then! If you haven’t seen the episode yet (you really shouldn’t have read this), then you’re in for a treat. If you want to give Lost another go, you really should… I would suggest catching up on seasons two and three first, if you’re one of those people who jumped off the bandwagon.