Here we are at the beginning of the end of Season 4. "There's No Place Like Home Part 1" was a great start to a season finale and once we have all three parts, I think this episode will be even better. This may be just first act, but boy, what a first act it was! We had the arrival of the Oceanic 6 in the flash-forward, and holy crap -- their return was rather intense. If the great flash-forward wasn't enough, the island story was jammed packed as well. We had a mountain of C4 on the freighter, a journey to the fabled Orchid Station, "saving" the survivors by raft six at a time, Jack bleeding out of his gut, Keamy ready to kill them all, and Locke actually physically moving the Island?
Yeah, Part 1 definitely showcased the new breath of life the fourth season gave to the show. I was thinking to myself last night that not once have I sat and watched the show this season and said, "I'm bored." I couldn't say that about season 3 and definitely not about Season 2. The writers' and creators' demand for an end date to the show have saved Lost from mediocrity. THANK YOU the powers-that-be! I have the same wonderment and zeal that I had when I watched the first season of Lost, and that is no easy task.
They're Branding You "The Oceanic 6"
Wow, they pulled out the big guns for the flash-forward: what happened when the Oceanic 6 first got back home. I must say I got a little misty-eyed when our survivors got to meet their families again. It was also nice to see Jack's mom, who we haven't seen since his first flashback in Season 1. And how great was Sun's takeover of Paik Industries? How heavy was Jack finally learning that Claire was actually his half-sister? How creepy was the "Numbers" in Hurley's Camaro dashboard? And of course, how great was Sayid and Nadia's reunion (even though we know it will be short lived)?
Geeze! That's A Lot of C4
Well, I guess we found out what that device on Keamy's arm last week is for. If Keamy goes down, the freighter must blow up. This leads to a lot of questions; we know Sun and Aaron will survive safely, but what about Michael, Desmond, and Jin? Their fates seem to be in peril, and with Jin's possible impending death, it doesn't look too good. Also, would Michael get his death wish so soon? They better not even think of killing Desmond. I want one happy ending in this story, dammit!
"I Always Have a Plan"
So Ben has a plan. What is it? He seemed very courageous walking straight into Keamy's arms. We know that he will live past this moment from his flash-forward, but from what happens between now and his arrival in Tunisia? Ben is currently at the Orchid Station; in his flash-forward, he was wearing a jacket from the Orchid Station. In his FF, his arm was injured and he had his beating stick that he handed to John before he walked into Keamy's control. What is he going to do and whose side is he on? Is Ben going to screw over John in the end for his own benefit? Or is Ben actually going to be a team player?
- What does Faraday not have in his notebook of wonders? Seriously, I wonder if Widmore or Ben would like to get their hands on that notebook.
- I believe the Oceanic 6 cover up will be the big picture of next season. I don't think they can really cover it in the last 2 hours of this season, but with the seeds that were laid in this episode, there is a lot of story to cover on why The Oceanic 6 lied about the crash.
- What is going to become of Jack's bleeding? Will his collapse from his bleeding wound result in his being part of the Oceanic 6?
Overall I really liked this episode, but I can't give it the full stamp of approval until I see all of the intended parts of the season finale. That said, Season 4 might go down as my favorite season of Lost so far, but that will all depend on how they close it up two weeks from now with the last 2 parts to "There's No Place Like Home."
What did you think? What are you thoughts, questions, comments, and/or theories? Let's open up the discussion in the comment section below.
Be sure to also check out my podcast "The Lost Podcast with Jay and Jack" or on iTunes by searching "Jay and Jack" or "Lost Podcast."