Review:
The writers did a very strange thing when they wrote this episode. They chose to have Hurley as the central character. Hurley is rarely a driving force in a storyline and when you look back it hardly seems like he’s around for most of season 4. But I believe having him open the season was a genius idea. It did what a season premiere should do, it took the insanity down a notch. Luckily for us taking it “down a notch” doesn’t mean much in Lost. This episode opened up many a new mystery.
The Oceanic Six was introduced, which was enough to keep us all buzzing around water coolers (I think I need a better office job, that could never happen where I work). The intro of the O6 kept us guessing for a long time, but it wasn’t a lasting mystery. That is what we asked for so we should be thankful for that.
Jacob was seen, and more importantly Christian was seen in Jacob’s cabin. It was all crazy stuff, I’ll talk about it more below.
The survivors and their on-island friends were split into two distinct and slightly opposing groups. This allowed us, the fans, to divide ourselves into Locke supporters and Jack supporters (guess who I went with).
And right at the very end we met the second of the Freighter Folk, and my new favorite character, Daniel Faraday.
Quite the eventful episode. And it was only the beginning of the craziness.
This episode had everything we could ask for in an episode, new mysteries, new characters, divisions, engaging flashes, and intense emotion. The perfect start to an amazing season. As far as premieres go, I think this one was very good. Compared to the season 2 and 3 premieres this one was a classic.
9.0/10.0
Character Impressions:
Daniel
-“Are you Jack?” oh I love it, so much potential. That’s what I miss most about Lost, seeing the new people and guessing what’s going to happen next. Sure it’s fun to do over the hiatus, but doing it every week is so much better.
Desmond
-Poor Desmond gets to be the prophet of doom again. The poor guy has to come back to the camp and tell everyone that their hope is all false, and that it isn’t Pennys boat.
Hurley
-They tricked me with the intro to this episode. I figured it was on the island. I kinda liked that they did that. They tricked me the other way every other season, and this time they turned things on their head with the intro and mostly with the flashforwards.
-“I’m one of the Oceanic Six”, that was crazy. They really like to start off with a bang. We were all hoping to just find out a bit about how Jack got off the island, maybe hoping to get an intro to the Freighter Folk and instead they threw that in our face.
-I wonder if the Numbers guy was still in Santa Rosa with Hurley.
-Hurley’s flashback happens quite soon after they get rescued right? I hope it isn’t too far into the future.
Ben
-Ben just seems like he’s along for the ride in this episode. His life is in the balance and there is nothing he can do to protect himself. It’s fun to watch him when he’s that powerless.
Naomi
-Jack should have just said that Naomi died, it would have made things so much simpler.
-Naomi was completely right to be right to be angry after getting stabbed, it did seem like they betrayed her.
-Having Naomi live for a few more minutes in this episode seemed so mean. That poor woman suffered a lot.
Sawyer
-Sawyer tries his best to look after Hurley in this episode. Asking him how he’s feeling about Charlie and making sure that he can keep up with the rest of the group.
Kate
-I hate Jack and Kate’s argument about following Naomi’s trail.
Jack
-Showing us Jack in that first flashforward was pretty important. We found out that he had a period off the island without that beard. Very surprising.
-I still find it insane that Jack would try to shoot Locke in the face in front of everyone.
Claire
-It’s awful when Claire starts looking around for Charlie. And brave ol’ Hurley has to tell her.
Charlie
-If there wasn’t enough closure at the end of season 3 Charlie returns in this episode to ease us into his absence.
-Did that crazy guy at Santa Rosa actually see Charlie, I find that confusing.
-“They need you Hugo. You know they need you.” Why would Charlie call Hurley Hugo. Not many people ever called him that. The only person I can think of is Locke. Possibly the Others would do it.
Jacob
-What’s with Jacob’s Cabin? It can move. Could this be more proof that Jacob can use telekinesis? Maybe, it’s unlikely, but possible.
Abbadon
-What an intensely creepy character. His mystique is gone now that he’s on Fringe, but back in the day he was scary and a half.
-“Are they still alive?” I think that question was real, I don’t think they know if the other people are alive or not.
Christian
-A while ago one of the many Anons told me that he thinks that Christian is the bad guy. After watching this episode again I completely agree. The scene when Hurley looks into the cabin sees Christian relaxing in the chair and then suddenly sees a panicked looking Jacob eye seems pretty telling now.
Rose
-Rose is a bit of a pervert.
-Rose choosing not to go with Locke seemed like a big blow to his credibility.
Ana Lucia
-The Ana Lucia reference came out of no where. It was very sad. It made me feel really bad for not missing her after two seasons.
Flashbacks (what we knew then):
-The title of this episode was so foreboding.
-Choosing between Locke and Jack was a lot of fun. I went with Locke, obviously, so when Rose said she wouldn’t, and Hurley said he was sorry for not going it really surprised me.
Flashforwards (what we know now):
-It amazes me how much they had written at this point. I’m usually very impressed with the Lost writers, but the Oceanic Six storyline was incredibly planned out.
-Choosing Hurley as the main character of this episode was a great idea. Having him as the main character was good because it kept the story grounded. If they had made it Jack, or Kate or even if they had introduced the Freighter Folk it would have been so much more stressful and heartless. And sure, it was still very intense, but at least we had a few moments of slowness and reflection.
-I like the choosing sides part of this episode, where people have do decide whether they want to go with Locke or Jack. It is essentially a choice of whether they want to stay on the island or whether they want to be rescued.
It’s kinda like the first episode of Survivor. They split the people in to two tribes and you kinda choose which one you want to win. And just like in Survivor I’m very torn. I like Locke’s group more but I can’t ignore that Juliet and Desmond are in the other group and when Hurley said that he regretted going with Locke I was shocked.
– Izi
Not Confused Just Lost 
Hi Izi,
I remember Sawyer called him Hugo… but that was because he lost the nickname bet playing ping pong. 🙂
At the end, when the separation happened, to me, it’s still kind of puzzling that Desmond went with Jack. He knew that the freighter wasn’t Penny’s boat. But I guess he was just going to take his chances with these Freighter Folks if it means getting off the Island. And it gives the writers a reason to keep him and Ben away from each other, now knowing what we know about Ben’s Revenge ( “You changed the rules.” ).
Thanks for the comment and link. I thought I might be left out being as late to the party as I am. I added you to my blogroll as well. I’m going to check out some of your other links. I’m looking forward to reading your thoughts on season 5.
Wow! You’re already revalysis’ing Season 4? You’re a machine!
“Hurley’s flashback happens quite soon after they get rescued right? I hope it isn’t too far into the future”
His flashback? His flashforward? Me so easy to confuse.
I think it is awhile into the future. A good 4 months at the least, because he was altogether for Ji Leong to meet at Jin’s grave.
“It’s fun to watch him when he’s that powerless.”
Even when he’s powerless Ben winds up knowing more than everyone else. He saw Naomi wander off into the jungle,he saw Kate lift the SAT phone off Jack and he held his knowledge to himself until it made him look powerful to reveal it. He’s a crafty little poop.
That would have been a brutal way to die – only time I felt badly for Naomi. Something about her…too monotone, or is that monochrome? ;-p
I hate Jack’s smugness in being so sure he knows best and treating Kate like a little girl. Ah love.
Sawyer’s sweet side is coming out with a vengeance this season. Gone are the cruel nicknames, instead he is calling people things like “Sweetheart” – and not sarcastically.
Yeah that was totally nuts how Jack would have blown off Locke’s face. Eek. New Scary Jack – giving us a sneak peek at the unhinged Jack that lurches about shouting at people off-island.
“Did that crazy guy at Santa Rosa actually see Charlie, I find that confusing.”
Was that guy even real? They didn’t show his face, pretty intentionally, and no one else seemed to respond to him. Then again, most of those people are kinda out of it…
OR someone disturbed that guardian circle of ash around his cabin, letting it move – but who? It doesn’t seem to be working for Ben to not be able to find it…Richard? That nutbar Harper? Who the deuce?
Abaddon scares the bejeezzus out of me. Still. If I was Hurley I would have been shouting for help wayyyy sooner! Those buggy eyes — “don’t look at me with your horrible eyes”. Amen!
Eek! Jacob at Christian’s mercy? Maybe Christian had Claire “free” the cabin. He did go and collect her…but wait, Hurley saw it in a different place much sooner than that. Sigh. Theory goes poof. I guess undead Christian could have moved the cabin, but why? More privacy? Less interference? But he wanted to speak to Locke…questions. Only questions.
Ha ha! made you feel bad for not missing her for 2 seasons! I just felt so sad for Hurley, having to lie when the truth might have given that man some comfort…as comforting as it would be to know your ex-partner was murdered in cold blood by a wannabe daddy.
“The title of this episode was so foreboding.”
Wasn’t it? It gives me a tummyache to think about it.
I want answers but I don’t want endings! Especially if they will be of characters I love.
I hated them splitting up! And Aaron always cries when the group splits up…telling? I think so.
Now loyalties are torn, well they were already, but it’s more obvious. And Locke’s group becomes like The Others and Jack’s like the Hostiles (actually in rewatching I noticed how often they had Kate looking like a total ragamuffin in stained old clothes in many shades of brown and stumbling out of the jungle – reminding me of Pirate Richard’s appearance to little Ben)
Sorry that I brought future episode jazz into this response. It’s cause I’m watching the season right now too. Loving it!
“Hurley’s flashback happens quite soon after they get rescued right? I hope it isn’t too far into the future.”
I think it might’ve been actually. He got off the island, had a birthday party, then saw Charlie and went on the police chase, then went into the mental home, was still there when Sayid came to get him…if Sayid rescuing him is the most recent event in his time line, and the time since leaving the island is three years, he must’ve been there for quite a while…plus it’s the only place he felt safe even if he isn’t crazy.
“Showing us Jack in that first flashforward was pretty important. We found out that he had a period off the island without that beard. Very surprising.”
Yeah, pretty much the whole 3 years up until mid 2007. Damn, I hate that beard. And Jack looks unhealthy skinny here, too.
I found it weird that Hurley was already talking about Locke wanting them back. Charlie must’ve said something.
“I still find it insane that Jack would try to shoot Locke in the face in front of everyone.”
Man, this makes him as bad as Keamy, senseless killing to gain what you want. Ugh, blood would’ve been everywhere and it would’ve been in front of Alex and Karl. Terrible.
“Rose is a bit of a pervert.”
LOL. She was missing Bernard, clearly, lmao.
– As for who I would’ve gone with…Jack. I hate his guts but I still wouldn’t be able to trust Locke after seeing him kill a woman then expecting everyone to accept “Because I had to” as his reasoning. Maybe I’d go with him, question him, then double back to Jack’s camp.
Apparently on the season 4 DVDs they have a feature that shows all of the flashforwards in order. I’ll have to check that out some day, it would probably clear up a lot of my confusion.
Choosing between Jack’s group and Locke’s group wuld be pretty rough, luckily the groups switch up enough, so your decision isn’t totally permanent.
“I still find it insane that Jack would try to shoot Locke in the face in front of everyone.”
I’m not. Jack was bound to crack and commit violence against Locke sooner or later. He disliked Locke that much. Naomi’s death was simply the last straw.
“The Ana Lucia reference came out of no where. It was very sad. It made me feel really bad for not missing her after two seasons.”
I miss her very much. She was the main reason I became a fan of this show.
Ironically, I also miss Michael. If there is one thing I have to say about Harold Perrineau is that he was one hell of an actor who knew how to project energy into a scene.
I couldn’t stand Harold’s acting. WAY too over the top. Although he did get one of the worst characters to work with.
” The scene when Hurley looks into the cabin sees Christian relaxing in the chair and then suddenly sees a panicked looking Jacob eye seems pretty telling now. ”
How do you know that’s Jacob? I never thought of that, but why do you assume that is Jacob’s face or eye if we never actually saw his face, or again, eye??
I thought that was confirmed somewhere. Maybe not. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t Christians eye though. So it had to be someone elses, why not Jacobs?