Lost "The Beginning Of The End" Review (Major Spoilers)

[matt_zimmer]

Lost "The Beginning Of The End"

Oh, boy...

"I'm one of the Oceanic Six!"

And so begins another season of Lost which in one of last year's most bizarre twists (the reveal that yes, some of the survivors DID get off the island in flash forwards) basically reset all we thought we knew about the show and changed everything. This season premiere showed that the show isn't quite done messing with our heads.

First off, it was a GREAT idea to put in an appearance by Charlie in the first episode in which he ISN'T a regular. I enjoyed following Hurley's story off the island in which he finds comfort in the mental hospital. I also love how the episode FINALLY split up the castaways into Jack's and Locke's groups FINALLY even though I was sure surprised to see Hurley go with Locke.

Having Hurley go with Locke was brilliant because Jack said EXACTLY the wrong thing to the group regarding Locke ("We're not crazy"). Easily the thing that pushed Hurley over the edge.

The opening of the episode with the car chase was exciting too. I'm interested that the flash forwards will not be aired in any particular order since this one obviously took place before Jack's spotlight in Through the Looking Glass. I also love that Hurley "met" Jacob.

It's interesting that in the flash forward Hurley said he regretted going with Locke. That MIGHT mean that Naomi's friends ARE there to rescue them even if they aren't with Penny.

I liked the episode a lot. A good start to a short season that never-the-less will almost certainly prove to be a doozy. ****1/2.

Comments

[style92.livejournal.com]

Well, it's clear something traumatic happened, leading to only 6 people making it off the island. I would surmise from the things said that the rest of the survivors had an ambiguous fate. The 6 that made it off and other interested parties think they may still be alive somewhere, (the island?) And while the six try to deny responsibility, guilt gets to Hurley and eventually Jack to go back for them.

I think both Jack and Locke each made there own major mistake that led to this situation. I think Jack made the mistake of summoning Naomi's people. But I think Locke also did something that made the situation even worse. But what gets me: Why would Jack, Kate, Hurley, and supposedly 3 other survivors abandon the rest for rescue? I can't believe Hurley would. Unless, at the time, they decided "Everyone else is probably dead," but they weren't sure?
Interesting...

I choose to believe Charlie is an angel now. I think it's appropriate to Charlie's own arc.

[mattzimmer.livejournal.com]

Something tells me a deal was struck between the Oceanic Six and whoever rescued them that they wouldn't tell anybody about the rest of the survivors being alive. I think the guilt is driving Hurley nuts and later Jack. I want to know who was in the coffin but Matthew Fox said it hadn't been revealed in the eight episodes produced. I THOUGHT it would be Micheal but if only six got off the island it doesn't seem likely.

And yes, Charlie became an angel. That makes perfect sense to me.

[stewie-14.livejournal.com]

The vibe I'm getting is that The Six claimed everyone else was dead in order to protect them. I'm thinking that at some point between the split between Locke's Jack's followers, everyone realized that Naomi's crew (Jeremy Davies, score!) was bad news. They couldn't all hide out in the jungle. Someone had to be found on the island. For whatever reason, these six people agreed to be rescued and cover for the rest.

When they played basketball, Hurley implied that Jack was there to make sure he kept the secret. I find it hard to believe that Jack would agree to do something bad for the other survivors and then coerce Hurley to go along.

What coffin? Oh yeah, is Michael back on the show at some point or not? And Walt? I haven't been following behind the scenes news.

Angel, demon, physical representation of The Island's powers, figment of Hurley's mentally unstable mind, whatever. I think I need Charlie back in some form or another. As much as I disliked him in Season 2 and just barely liked him after that, seeing everyone (mostly Hurley) react to his death was too much for me.

[mattzimmer.livejournal.com]

"The vibe I'm getting is that The Six claimed everyone else was dead in order to protect them. I'm thinking that at some point between the split between Locke's Jack's followers, everyone realized that Naomi's crew (Jeremy Davies, score!) was bad news. They couldn't all hide out in the jungle. Someone had to be found on the island. For whatever reason, these six people agreed to be rescued and cover for the rest."

This is a REALLY good theory and would explain why they want to go back. But it doesn't explain why Kate doesn't.

"What coffin? Oh yeah, is Michael back on the show at some point or not? And Walt? I haven't been following behind the scenes news."

The coffin in the season finale that Jack visited who died alone. It was most likely one of the Oceanic Six. Micheal's back later in the season. No word on Walt.

[dcauyojimbo.livejournal.com]

I don't think Naomi's people are there to rescue them. I think Hurley's apology was more of like Locke's faction made a bad choice later on that compromised the survivor's bargaining power with Naomi's people. If they all stayed together from the start and tried to bargain immediately with Naomi's people, things may have been different.

[mattzimmer.livejournal.com]

I think it's probably that LOCKE made a bad choice later on. He's always making REALLY bad choices that put the survivors at risk. He really does NOT want to see them rescued.

[dcauyojimbo.livejournal.com]

I think Locke is one of the few that has embraced the idea that the Survivors are meant to stay on the Island. From the point of view of Jack who wants to be rescued, it does seem Locke is making the wrong choice at every turn. Most of them are too fixated on being rescued rather than trying to solve the big mystery.

[mattzimmer.livejournal.com]

I disagree. I think the reason Hurley and Jack want to go back is to rescue the other survivors rather than the idea that the island wants them back. I may be wrong, but I don't see Jack doing a complete 180 in his beliefs even if both episodes hinted that he did.

[dcauyojimbo.livejournal.com]

It's a valid argument. I guess time will tell. Being that this is Lost, we could be both wrong, too, haha.

[mattzimmer.livejournal.com]

It's probably that both of us are wrong. This show has a habit of throwing twists out of left field. Did ANYONE predict that some of the people would get off the island before the show was halfway done? I sure didn't.

[dcauyojimbo.livejournal.com]

Totally. That flash forward reveal last season reinvigorated my overall satisfaction with the series.

[mattzimmer.livejournal.com]

Mine too. ESPECIALLY considering what a mixed bag the first half of season three was. I think the show is going to be plain awesomeness from here on out.

[stewie-14.livejournal.com]

Awesome! This is back to being one of the best shows on TV.

I. Love. Hurley.

So, you're saying Charlie is no longer a regular? What's his contract status?

Matt, did we or did we not call a "The Stand" type split way back in the first season? I know that isn't quite what we're seeing, but there are two groups with Jack and Locke leading each. Close enough.

How is Locke going to handle Ben? How long ago (show-time) did he shoot him? Would they just frickin' explain the inconsistent curative properties of the island already?

The end was a bit anti-climactic. I think if it weren't for the strike this would have been a two-hour premiere. That's not an act out to end the night on. Hopefully the rumors are true and everyone can get back to work. It's still early enough to salvage part of the season for a late run. (Now that I'm an adult, I don't understand why our society treats summer like it's different from winter. Does no one really watch TV in the summer? Why are summer blockbusters only for summer? I don't get it.)

Oh, Michael Cudlitz. Yay.
According to IMDB, he's reprising his role from Season 2. I don't remember him. It was the one where Ana Lucia shot Shannon and went crazy and tied Sayid to a tree. And I think the flashbacks were where Ana Lucia killed that guy.

[mattzimmer.livejournal.com]

"So, you're saying Charlie is no longer a regular? What's his contract status?"

We don't really know. He's not a regular but the producers have said we'll still se himm occasionally.

"Matt, did we or did we not call a "The Stand" type split way back in the first season? I know that isn't quite what we're seeing, but there are two groups with Jack and Locke leading each. Close enough."

To tell you the truth I was a little disappointed with how it was handled. Almost all of the survivors seemed to join each group at random. I was hoping it would be handled better after Locke spent most of the first season trying to build alliances with people.

"How is Locke going to handle Ben? How long ago (show-time) did he shoot him? Would they just frickin' explain the inconsistent curative properties of the island already?"

Locke was shot a couple of days ago in show time. I think the curative powers of the island on the show are pretty consistant. If the island deems you "good" you are cured quickly. If it deems you "Bad" you heal slowly or not at all. It's obvious to me that Naomi is someone the island considered bad and was probably not there to help the survivors.