Charlie's message casts serious doubt on the intentions of the would-be rescuers who are on a boat miles out to sea from the island. This fuels divisions within the group of crash survivors with Locke leading a group back into the jungle with Ben as a captive while Jack stays behind with a group to await rescue. When the helicopter arrives though, it is still not totally clear what the intentions of the freighter people are, who they are working for or what their overall mission actually is.
The few of you who have read (and voted down) my reviews of previous seasons of Lost will already know that at times it has been a matter of me hanging in there just so I can get to the end of it and draw a line under it all. Season 1 was a great start but with some exceptions season 2 wasn't great and season 3 contained some of the worst, most pointless episodes in a season that continues the trend of making more out of mini-dramas rather than a forward overall narrative. I was growing tired of the show being driven by just adding more big questions to be unanswered or by having minor issues raised and closed within an episode this was not progress to me and it didn't do anything to convince me that the writers knew where they were going with it all.
Season 4 is the first season since the first one where I am able to tell friends who dropped out during seasons 2 and 3 (and there are many of them) that perhaps they are now missing out because it finally appears like they know what the show (and the island) is about and is actually starting to let the audience in on it. The entrance of Whitmore's people is not only a story in itself (ie an immediate threat) but, unlike some other introductions in previous seasons, it is directly linked to the "bigger" story and is also well used to inform and expand on that. What I mean is that, from feeling like each episode only offers wider interest in the final "watch next week" style cliff-hangers, now suddenly each episode was offering me food for thought. Not sure if the shorter season was a decision or due to the writer's strike but whichever it works in regards removing the need to "fill".
Of course I'm not saying that it now all makes sense or that it is really clear what is going on (this is Lost after all) but just that we have motion. Of course it is testament to how weak some of the previous seasons have been at times that such a thing should even worthy of praise but here we are. Season 4 offers hope though because the topic of time-travel is developed to the point where even idiots like me can start piecing bits together in a way that engages and doesn't frustrate. This topic also informs the bigger mystery and gets close to answering some questions as well. Of course new questions and mysteries are being added (see the final cliff-hanger for an example) but even these are better because they are done in context of the bigger developing picture and, while not making sense, at least the viewer has a fighting chance.
Having said that though I will also say that in some regards the lack of clear answers is a positive force in season 4; specifically I think that the "who are the good guys" stuff worked very well mainly because at least the way it was done made me sure that the writers knew even if I wasn't sure in other examples in previous years I have not been so sure. The cast seem to respond well to the material this time around and some who have been poor in other seasons suddenly have stronger performances. Emerson is consistently great as Ben and he gets ongoing strong support from Andrews, Holloway, O'Quinn and others. I'm still not totally sold on Fox and Lilly as leading performers but they both carry themselves well here despite being, let's be honest, quite bland performers. It isn't really an actors' series though, but everyone does feel a bit more guided and challenged here than in other years.
Lost is still a frustrating show that doesn't give up any answers easily but season 4 is a marked improvement in regards the writing and the viewing experience. It feels like it has direction and there was not one episode where I felt that time was just being filled for lack of material. The bigger picture is becoming more developed if not totally clear and the impression of movement and purpose is more apparent. Hopefully season 5 can build on this and continue the trend but for now I am glad to say that season 4 was not something I just watched to get through it but rather something that I actually enjoyed and was interested in.
The few of you who have read (and voted down) my reviews of previous seasons of Lost will already know that at times it has been a matter of me hanging in there just so I can get to the end of it and draw a line under it all. Season 1 was a great start but with some exceptions season 2 wasn't great and season 3 contained some of the worst, most pointless episodes in a season that continues the trend of making more out of mini-dramas rather than a forward overall narrative. I was growing tired of the show being driven by just adding more big questions to be unanswered or by having minor issues raised and closed within an episode this was not progress to me and it didn't do anything to convince me that the writers knew where they were going with it all.
Season 4 is the first season since the first one where I am able to tell friends who dropped out during seasons 2 and 3 (and there are many of them) that perhaps they are now missing out because it finally appears like they know what the show (and the island) is about and is actually starting to let the audience in on it. The entrance of Whitmore's people is not only a story in itself (ie an immediate threat) but, unlike some other introductions in previous seasons, it is directly linked to the "bigger" story and is also well used to inform and expand on that. What I mean is that, from feeling like each episode only offers wider interest in the final "watch next week" style cliff-hangers, now suddenly each episode was offering me food for thought. Not sure if the shorter season was a decision or due to the writer's strike but whichever it works in regards removing the need to "fill".
Of course I'm not saying that it now all makes sense or that it is really clear what is going on (this is Lost after all) but just that we have motion. Of course it is testament to how weak some of the previous seasons have been at times that such a thing should even worthy of praise but here we are. Season 4 offers hope though because the topic of time-travel is developed to the point where even idiots like me can start piecing bits together in a way that engages and doesn't frustrate. This topic also informs the bigger mystery and gets close to answering some questions as well. Of course new questions and mysteries are being added (see the final cliff-hanger for an example) but even these are better because they are done in context of the bigger developing picture and, while not making sense, at least the viewer has a fighting chance.
Having said that though I will also say that in some regards the lack of clear answers is a positive force in season 4; specifically I think that the "who are the good guys" stuff worked very well mainly because at least the way it was done made me sure that the writers knew even if I wasn't sure in other examples in previous years I have not been so sure. The cast seem to respond well to the material this time around and some who have been poor in other seasons suddenly have stronger performances. Emerson is consistently great as Ben and he gets ongoing strong support from Andrews, Holloway, O'Quinn and others. I'm still not totally sold on Fox and Lilly as leading performers but they both carry themselves well here despite being, let's be honest, quite bland performers. It isn't really an actors' series though, but everyone does feel a bit more guided and challenged here than in other years.
Lost is still a frustrating show that doesn't give up any answers easily but season 4 is a marked improvement in regards the writing and the viewing experience. It feels like it has direction and there was not one episode where I felt that time was just being filled for lack of material. The bigger picture is becoming more developed if not totally clear and the impression of movement and purpose is more apparent. Hopefully season 5 can build on this and continue the trend but for now I am glad to say that season 4 was not something I just watched to get through it but rather something that I actually enjoyed and was interested in.