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Lost
The
Beginning of the End
Airdate: 01.31.2008
While Lost…in deconstruction
has yet to catch up with written analysis for each episode
leading to the end of season 3 (we are steadily getting
there, kids), rest assured that each episode has been viewed
and the long awaited season 4 opener was a stimulating release
of anticipation.
I was
so overwhelmed with excitement for "The Beginning of
the End" that I couldn’t help but liveblog minute-by-minute
reactions to the developments, much to my wife’s chagrin.
Nevertheless,
we have finally reached that pivotal moment where the peak
of the Lost story arc has been reached, and it’s
essentially a freefall into resolution from here. So what
better way to start the descent than to give us a glimpse
through the eyes of one of the more potentially disturbed
characters on the island?
That’s
right, "The Beginning of the End" begins with
none other than a Hurley-centric flash-forward, and this
episode is so loaded with uncertainty it’s difficult
to know where to begin.
First of all, Hurley doesn’t necessarily
have the best track record when it comes to seeing things
on the island. Let’s not forget, this is the same
guy who spent a few episodes seeking closure with the recently
deceased Libby – he doesn’t typically do well
when it comes to letting go.
So now we find a future Hurley who is haunted
by none other than the recently departed Charlie. In fact,
so haunted is Hurley that he is willing to break laws to
escape Charlie’s ghostly visage.
OK, based upon what we know about the big
guy, his guilt is ultimately playing into this visitation.
After all, Charlie’s message is one of guidance –
insisting, “they need your help.” This fits
in with Hurley’s dalliance with Libby’s ghost,
but how do we explain Hurley’s run-in with Jacob’s
shack?
No one can deny that this complicates matters.
If it weren’t for Locke visiting the shack in the
season 3 finale, I would wager that Hurley’s overactive
mind was at work here, but we’ve already established
that Locke has seen Jacob, stood in his cabin, and witnessed
this phenomenon firsthand.
It would seem that there are only two possible
explanations here – both Jacob and his cabin are real,
or Locke, Hurley, and Ben are experiencing a shared hallucination.
I lean towards the former, but let’s
consider the latter for a second. Perhaps the survivors
of Oceanic 815 are all participating in a MUSH (Multi-User
Shared Hallucination), which is essentially a MUD style
multiplayer role-playing game?
Chances are, this is unlikely, and if it
weren’t Lindelof and Cuse would have a whole lot of
confused and angry fans on their hands. I’m betting
that Jacob and his cabin are real.
But Hurley can use sheer force of will to
make Jacob’s cabin disappear. And what should we make
of the fact that Hurley saw a man in a rocking chair, just
like Locke? And…and…what were those voices whispering?
So many questions, and it’s merely
the first episode.
Again, it’s easy to use island logic
to deduce whether or not Jacob and his cabin actually exist
– for those keeping score, they do exist…on
the island that is. But what about future-Hurley’s
other visitors, like the mysterious Oceanic representative
who forgot his business cards?
Obviously not a hallucination, this figure
did have an agenda – was it to keep Hurley from his
Connect Four buddy Leonard? Remember, Leonard has connections
to both the numbers and the island, so this doesn’t
seem to be too far from plausible.
Regardless of intent, it would seem that
the mysteries of Lost are no longer confined to the island.
Who are the remaining three that comprise the Oceanic Six?
Why do I get the sense that they are forced to stay apart
from one another? What are they hiding? What happened on
the island?
Once
again, Lost begins with more questions than answers,
but we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Next
time: The repercussions of contacting Naomi’s
freighter vet out, and you know its bad news when Jeremy
Davies and Fischer Stevens show up. Stay tuned.
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