ABC/MARIO PEREZI F--KING LOVE THIS SHOW.
Sorry, it’s just, um, there are times when only the F-word in all caps can capture the exact intensity of a feeling, and tonight’s fourth-season premiere of Lost is such an occasion.
And all I know is I am so freaking happy this show is back in my living room.
If you haven't yet seen tonight's episode, for the love of all that is good and holy, please do not read this. But if you have, wheee! Cannonball in here, and come along for the ride...
It was awesome, was it not?
No disrespect to any other series, but tonight's return of Lost was so well written, produced, acted and directed it felt like a movie amid the underwhelming sea of Television 101 college projects that have been airing during the strike. (Yes, there are a few exceptions, but still.)
More important, after a third season that left quite a few fans feeling unsatisfied from time to time, producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse seemed to have sent us a clear message: The show you once loved and obsessed over and couldn’t stop thinking about is back. Boo. Freaking. Ya.WHAT WE LEARNED
The heart is back. (God bless you, Jorge Garcia.)
The tears are back. (Hurley telling Claire about Charlie = heartbreaking.)
The soilers are back. (The glass breaks! Charlie reappears! Jack shoots Locke! Sort of!)
The Losties we love are back. (The whole gang reuniting at the front of the plane? Ahhh! Tell me that scene wasn’t made of pure gold.)
I’m, um, a little excited to have something to be excited about, in case you didn’t notice. Now for the juicy part...
Death Becomes Charlie: How freaking awesome was Dominic Monaghan's surprise return and that scene with Hurley? Charlie looked so hot and confident and cool—like a bona fide rock star!—that I had to text some love to Dom and tell him so. He shot back: "Sooo glad you liked the NEW Charlie." He said when he decided to return, he knew "it must be a revolutionized Charles." Smart man! The new Charlie rocks.
The Credits Were Suspicious: Not only did Charlie make a fantastic reappearance, but it was truly heartwarming to see Dominic Monaghan and Harold Perrineau listed alphabetically as full-fledged castmembers in the opening credits, was it not? Did you notice John Terry was listed as a guest star? Did you see him in the rocking chair in the disappearing cabin with a painting of a dog and somebody's eyeball?! Also, at risk of ruining minisode 13, I'll use that as a segue to "So It Begins," which is below, and which you must see if you haven't already. Then, of course, discuss the insane implications of this in the Comments. Just as soon as your head stops spinning, of course.
Father Benjamin: Regarding Ben's ongoing prophecies of death and destruction, I'm gonna hafta quote the sage Xander Harris: "Generally speaking, when scary things get scared? Not good."
Love Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry: Did anyone else find it distressing in the extreme that Hurley apologized for going with Locke lo those many years ago? Remember when the big questions were "Guys, where are we?" and "Who are we?" and "What is this place?" I think that the question of the season—now that we have flashforwards—is "What the hell happened on that damn island?"
Biggest Question of the Night: Lance Reddick's character Matthew Abbadon (anagrams include: What Bad Boat Men?) asked what I consider to be the question of the night: "Are they still alive?" If the Oceanic Six (Hurley, Jack, Kate and three players to be named later) are back in the world, where are the rest of our beloved Oceanic survivors? Not to mention your native Ben-Karl-Alex-Danielle-Juliet-Desmond types. Abbadon's question, not to mention Hurley believing that Jack wanted to find out if he "was gonna tell," not to mention Charlie telling Hurley that he's needed, would seem to suggest there are still survivors living on the island (or somewhere), and they are threated or endangered in some way. "Are they still alive?" leads directly to so many other questions. How'd the Six escape? Why were some left behind? Will the Six go back? Can the Six go back? We'll find out sometime over the 47 episodes left to go. Eee!
Anagrams Are So 2004: In biblical terms, Abbadon is a dude Wikipedia describes as "the destroying angel of the apocalypse." Bet that's not his Oceanic Airlines business card.
More Things to See and Do: Notice it was Action 8 News? There ain't no Channel 8 in L.A., but it sure is one of the numbers. Also, Big Mike had a crush on his partner Ana-Lucia—what the hell? And did anyone else think that Hurley puttering about in his red bathrobe at Santa Rosa looked a lot like a red-robed Hurley the Baptist from Charlie's "save the baby" dream in the season-two episode "Fire + Water"? And last but not least, the Sharpie strikes again: According to Lostpedia, the diver in the mirror was Charlie, and this time his hand says "They need you."
WHAT LIES AHEAD
Next week is one of the unusual episodes that come around every so often, like "The Other 48 Days," in which we get a big download about a new element being introduced to the show. There will also be beatings, subterfuge and gunplay. We'll see a lot of the island, an important new number is added to the show's mythology, and there will be some new visitors to what Kate once called the Wonderful World of Not Knowing What the Hell Is Goin' On.
—Additional reporting by Jennifer Godwin