Lost Starts Season 4 in High Gear

The first episode of Lost's fourth season started off, quite literally, in high gear: with a vintage Camaro smashing through a pile of fruit at top speed. It never slowed down, showing that no momentum has been lost from the explosive Season 3 finale. This episode centered on Hurley and his reaction to Charlie's death, and we saw once more how powerful these two characters who initially provided comic relief have become.

This is another flash-forward episode, with plenty to reveal about the future. The first thing we learn is that Hurley will make it off the island. He then calls himself one of the "Oceanic 6," so we now there are only three others to make it back home. It becomes apparent that those who make it back will claim that no one else survived the plane crash, and we know that there are some people who don't buy the story.

We see that just as Jack went back to Saint Sebastian hospital upon his return, Hurley manages to land himself back in the mental institution. The familiar walls of Santa Rosa, however, do not protect Hurley from strangers offering "upgrades" and menacing questions, or visions of dead friends. Even Jack stops by Santa Rosa for a game of horse and some confirmation that Hurley is keeping quiet.

Back on the island, due time is spent on Charlie - first praising his heroism and then mourning when news of his death arrives. There is still plenty of time for wierdness, however. Naomi manages to recover from the knife sticking out of the middle of her back and sneak away into the jungle. She survives just long enough to be convinced that Jack and company really can be trusted and smooth things over with the freighter crew, then suddenly succumbs to her injury.

The real strangeness comes, however, when Hurley becomes separated from the others and finds himself at Jacob's shack, surrounded by the strange whispers from the first two seasons. Peeking into the shack, Hurley sees a figure rocking in a chair just before a face suddenly appears in the window. Hurley then somehow manages to wish the shack away. Suddenly he stands in a large open field, with no sign of the shack except John Locke slipping out of the jungle.

The climax of the episode is a dramatic standoff between Jack and John, in front of the Flight 815 cockpit. Jack attempts to fulfill a promise to kill John next time he sees him and is only stopped by the fact that the gun he takes from John is not loaded. A showdown between the two ensues, with everyone on the island choosing sides. John takes his group into the jungle while Jack's group waits for the rescue that seems to be at hand. Hurley's future regret at siding with John at this point suggests that things will not be all rosy with them.

Nuggets to keep in mind from this episode:
- Charlie appears in very different clothing than what he died in. I believe this is a first in Lost, and may be important.
- There is a strange picture on the wall inside Jacob's shack that remained in a fixed shot just long enough to suggest it is important

Probably unimportant but good to know:
- Jack grows his ridiculous beard because he was getting tired of being recognized
- Danielle makes it clear that Ben is not Alex's natural father, for those who still thought he might be.
- The number of people who will apparently leave the island is not one of the "magic numbers."

Lost is back in fine form. The unusual flash-forward technique (which I have had my doubts about) works quite well and it doesn't look like there will be any complaints about season 4 dragging on the way we've seen in other seasons. Clues and mysteries abound, but the show keeps its focus firmly on the characters that are its real strength. I can't wait to see what Lost has in store for the rest of this season.