Lost Season 4, Episode 2 an Eye Opener

Lost is truly back, with a strong sense that the producers are finally telling the story they've wanted to tell all along. And it seems that they can't wait to tell it. Episode 2 is so full of new information that it's hard to know where to start. So let's start at the beginning.

The show opens with a mini sub exploring a deep ocean trench and coming upon the wreckage of Oceanic flight 815. The whole thing is there, including the cockpit that the two groups split up in front of in the last episode.

The next thing you know, a helicopter is crashing in the rainstorm and the crew is bailing out over the island. These four new characters are revealed to be: Dan Faraday (the head case physicist), Miles Strom (the hard case ghost buster), Charlotte Lewis (the anthropologist) and Frank Lapidus (a drunk who was meant to pilot Oceanic flight 815). This motley crew parachute onto the island, with Jack and company finding the three men while Charlotte lands right on top of Locke's gang. After some tense situations, Jack takes the three men in as a part of his team. Locke, however, seems to see Charlotte only as a potential bargaining chip.

Each of the newcomers brought a short flashback. We see Dan breaking down emotionally upon hearing the news that the flight 815 wreckage was found, although he doesn't know why it is affecting him so. Miles is shown apparently removing ghosts for hire. He gets the ghost of a murdered grandson to give up the location of some stashed money and drugs, which he pockets, and then tells the spirit to go away. Charlotte checks in on an excavation in the deserts of Tunisia, where they have found the remains of a polar bear with a Dharma hydra collar. (Was that Sayid's Nadia working as her translator?) Frank sees news reports of the wreckage of flight 815 and calls the hotline to say that he doesn't think the man pictured is really the pilot because the body didn't have the pilot's wedding ring.

If episode two is any indication, guns will play a big part is season four. Every newcomer is armed, but the survivors of flight 815 are not to be outgunned. Guns are brandished seemingly in every segment and shots ring out twice. It looks like they're going to need a lot of spare ammo to make it through to the end of the season. But never fear. Naomi's team apparently managed to drop some supplies on the island, ominously including a gas mask.

By the end of the episode, it is revealed that Naomi was hired by Hurley's mysterious visitor (believed by many to be named Michael Abbadon) to lead the four newcomers to the island to find Benjamin Linus, whom they have pictured looking much the same age as he is now and attired in a suit straight out of the 1970's. Ben isn't going to be caught unawares, however. He has an insider in their crew, with the a likely suspect being a man named McKowski who is mysteriously unavailable when Miles calls for help.

As things are wrapping up, Jack's crew and the three newcomers inspect their helicopter, which Sayid declares to be in flying condition, and plan their next move. Season 4 looks to be the most explosive season yet on Lost.

Note: the spellings of the new character names in this article are not confirmed.