We've reached the "Beginning of the End," folks. In just a few days, Lost will return for an eight-episode run. In honor of the show's return, I've come up with six reasons why I'm eager to see what's in store for Jack, Kate, Hurley, and the whole 815 gang. Feel free to share your own reasons in the comments section below.
Lance Reddick: Fans of The Wire are already familiar with Lance Reddick. Since 2002, Reddick has played Cedric Daniels, a politically-savvy commanding officer in the Baltimore police department. I'm thrilled that this brilliant actor will get to showcase his talents to a larger audience. Little is known about Reddick's role, but his voice and his intimidating physique (6'4" and ripped) make him a prime candidate for the show's newest villain. The character's name, Matthew Abbadon, indicates that this man will be bad news. Perhaps if Reddick does well on the show, he can put in a good word for some of his former co-stars. Omar would be a fantastic Other, don't you think?
A new set of villains: Do you remember how exciting it was when you first heard about the Others? The island "hostiles" quickly took over the Black Smoke Monster's position as scariest thing on the island. With the introduction of the freighter folks, we get to watch a whole new batch of (potential) bad guys mix it up with the 815 survivors. Ben was convinced that the arrival of the visitors meant death for everyone else. Jack's flash-forward made it clear that something terrible will happen before Jack and Kate return home. Now that we know that the freighter isn't part of Penny's rescue team, the possibilities are endless.
Ben Linus--now with 50% more manipulation: With the impending arrival of the freighter crew, it's a safe bet that Ben will be working overtime to maintain control of the island. Ben looked pretty desperate the last time we saw him. At the close of the Season Three finale, two of his people betrayed him, several were killed, and the rest of the Others were asking questions. To make matters worse, Locke was alive and Jack made contact with the outside world. You can never count Ben out, though. He's done some of his best maneuvering when backed into a corner. I'm guessing that this ruthless man has a few more tricks up his sleeve.
Round four of Locke vs. Jack: These two seem destined to be at odds until the show's end. Every season, Locke and Jack find new reasons to argue--the hatch, Ben, leadership of the island, etc. Their conflict reached a turning point last season, when Jack successfully contacted Naomi's colleagues on the freighter. Locke's obsession with staying on the island will once again pit him against Jack's desire for rescue. Terry O'Quinn recently won an Emmy for his Lost role, and I'm excited to see what he does with his character this year. Locke's already stabbed Naomi and threatened Jack's life. How will he respond to the newest threat to his agenda?
More flash-forwards: Last season's huge revelation--that some of the 815ers make it off the island--changed the show dramatically. At the very least, we know that Jack and Kate return to the mainland, and that a third unknown character dies in the future. The flash-forward left me with a million questions. Why is Jack suicidal? Why isn't Kate in prison in the future? I can't wait to get some answers, along with more questions, in the next eight episodes. Hopefully we'll learn how the other survivors fit into the new timeline as well.
It's new, scripted content: We're not getting the full sixteen-episode season we expected, but it's hard to complain about new episodes of any scripted drama at this point. Most of my favorite shows are on an indefinite hiatus already, and I'm getting sick of reruns and reality shows (no offense, gladiators). Fans have debated whether or not half a season is better than nothing, but I'm happy that Lost is back on TV. Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse will find a way to tell the rest of the Lost story--eventually.
In celebration of the season premiere, TV Squad will host a live chat during the 9pm ET airing of the show. All are welcome. See you on Thursday night!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
1-29-2008 @ 3:23PM
Jake said...
I like your list. I am extremely excited about Lost coming back. However, I have read not to expect too many answers, since Carlton Cuse said that the back half of the 16 episode season was supposed to answer a lot of questions posed in the first 8 episodes that will air. Even if the writers strike ended tomorrow, they probably wouldn't be able to finish all 16 in time. So I am prepared to be as confused as ever!
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1-29-2008 @ 3:28PM
Malren said...
Reason number one why I personally am excited to see Lots come back, by a million and three thousand percent;
IT MEANS IT'LL BE OVER THAT MUCH SOONER.
I'm so fed up with it, but I feel like I put in the time so I have to watch the end.
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1-29-2008 @ 3:37PM
Scott said...
Does anyone know if Lindelof and Cuse will be doing podcasts during weeks of new episodes? I've heard they aren't doing publicity due to the strike. I guess since there's no podcast yet, it's yet another casualty? I know there's no official "writing" involved with the podcasts, but maybe on principle of producing something for ABC, they decided not to. Does anyone know the official word on this? ABC could have the podcast without them, but really, what would be the point? The cast interviews are usually pretty lame--it's Damon & Carlton that people listen for.
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1-29-2008 @ 3:38PM
Tom said...
Not going to be watching. I, as Malren said above, have become more than a little frustrated with LOST lately. Not only do the mysteries drag on but the story was just sloppy last season
We're talking about a season that ended with Locke putting a knife into the back of a woman he'd never even seen before, killing her (it would seem since no one was attending to her) and no one saying a thing about it. He just freakin' MURDERED someone who had done nothing but be friendly to our castaways and no one had a problem with it. Oh, and it all happened while Charlie was dying in the most contrived way humanly possible.
Anyway, I'll still want to see how it ends so I'm sure I'll pick up the DVD or the truth is I'm enjoying my break from TV and I'm not going to tune in just for LOST.
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1-29-2008 @ 3:42PM
Scott said...
Oh, yeah--forgot to mention, I'm excited about the new season, too! I just re-watched the May finale for the first time since the original airing (kept it on my TiVo) and even knowing what would happen, was amazed at how entertaining and well-made the show was! Every minute just WORKED from a dramatic point of view--something they rarely achieved in season 3. Yes, Ben was increasingly desperate and amazingly persuasive. And drunk, suicidal future Jack is actually a little more interesting than heroic island Jack.
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1-29-2008 @ 3:47PM
Akbar Fazil said...
Wow, the new season hasn't even started yet and the haters are already out in full force.
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1-29-2008 @ 5:06PM
Dorv said...
Akbar... What's your avatar... Too small for me to see.
1-29-2008 @ 5:12PM
Akbar Fazil said...
it's Harrison Ford as Deckard in Blade Runner holding up the shot of Whiskey that Bryant pours for him.
100x100 version here: http://userpic.livejournal.com/64540240/847416
2-01-2008 @ 11:24PM
Dorv said...
I'm embarrassed to say that Bladerunner is one of those classics I've never gotten around to seeing.
2-02-2008 @ 12:03AM
Akbar Fazil said...
Oh Dorv. That just breaks my heart ;)
As someone whos opinion I respect and share many great conversations with, please do yourself a favor and see it.
There are four main versions of the film. You can watch only two of them to get the full Blade Runner experience. I ony ask you watch the original Theatrical cut (either the domestic or international cut) first to see the film how it was only seen for 10 years. Then watch he new "Final Cut" which is a tighter recut of the Directors Cut.
Ridley Scott creates a fantastic world and the cast gives an excellent performance.
1-29-2008 @ 3:49PM
Gordy said...
It's that time again, folks. I can't wait!
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1-29-2008 @ 3:58PM
Tom said...
Wow, the season hasn't even started yet and the mindless fanboys are already out in full force
:)
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1-29-2008 @ 6:03PM
kyle said...
and so are the mindless haters, apparently.
1-29-2008 @ 4:43PM
Chip Douglas said...
First of all, no show is perfect. And due to reasons beyond their control (so to speak) the seson starts with a limited ammount of episodes like last season. At the same time, watching Lost is a lot better than watching crap like The Aprentice or American Idol. We can complain about a lot of things. But many of us aqre quietly watching video games while surfing the web and filling our NetFlix cues. Or you can watch American Gladiator and let the networks know everything is just fine. Lost is still one ofthe best shows on TV - Strike or no Strike. Or are you satisfied with another episode of Carpoolers that certainly would have been cancelled any other year?!?!
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1-29-2008 @ 4:57PM
Jake said...
I don't understand how anyone can hate on Lost. It is one of the most well produced, captivating and dramatic shows to air on TV. The complete originality of it puts it in the top 5 tv shows all time. Is it perfect? Nothing is. It's unfortunate that people feel the need to disparage those who enjoy the show. My theory on these type of people is they have an incessant need to get answers explained now and can't appreciate the journey, or they need every question answered because lack the imagination to fill in the gaps. Lost is the ultimate interactive television show. If viewers want something they can just sit in front of the tv passively and not think about what is going on, there are plenty of those types of shows over on CBS.
1-29-2008 @ 6:29PM
Diego said...
Don't forget another important reason: Harold Perrineau is returning as a regular; we finally know what happened after he left in season 2
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1-29-2008 @ 6:33PM
Tom said...
@Jake: Did it ever occur to you that some of the people who disparage LOST might do so because they enjoyed the first couple seasons a great deal and are sad at the unsophisticated mess it has become. Again I say, in Season 1 they intelligently debated what to do without a justice system when Jin when he punched Michael while in Season 3 Locke murders a stranger in cold blood and no one seems to even notice.
I mean, the ratings have been dropping steadily through the last season so I don’t see how this could have not occurred to you. There are now more people who watched Season 1 and then stopped watching than there are people who are still watching. Was LOST not (as you put it) “ultimate interactive television” in the first 2 seasons?
The truth is the writers and producers of LOST have gotten lazy and it shows in the product. There are people who are so predisposed to this type of programming and they are going to enjoy this no matter what but for discerning viewers it has lost its appeal.
@Kyle: My post above was mocking people who post one line responses because they have no depth to their opinion. The fact that you responded with a one line response shows that I was absolutely right in thinking that.
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1-29-2008 @ 6:48PM
Akbar Fazil said...
To be fair, we haven't had enough time with the survivors to see how they will react to Locke's "murder"
However, Locke is seen as a leader figure to at least some of them so they will probably be willing to accept his actions if he gives decent enough justification.
1-29-2008 @ 6:49PM
Akbar Fazil said...
No depth in my opinion? Hardly. It is just not worth it to debate with someone who already has their mind made up about how much they hate the show.
1-29-2008 @ 7:08PM
Chip Douglas said...
Viewership may have dropped over the years, but as jake said, most people like their tv wraped up in a pretty little bow. Yes, the show most often times leaves you with more questions than answers. And if you have not been watching since the beginning, you may not understand some of the central themes of the show. But these are reasons why most people stop watching, why it is difficult to write, and why there are millions of rabid fans. I would venture to guess that there are many people like me who read blogs and listen to more than one podcast to keep up with the show. It adds to the 40 minutes of entertainment this one show provides. But to say that the show has gotten lazy is only to look at part of the picture. Ask George Lucas howeasy it was to write the entire backstory to Star Wars, or Christopher Nolan about writing Batman post Joel Schumacher. I still say that Lost is still the best show on television. Maybe you should write something better. Better yet, maybe I should.