The Beginning of the End (Lost)
| "The Beginning of the End (Lost)" |
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"The Beginning of the End" is the fourth season premiere and seventieth episode overall of the American Broadcasting Company's serial drama television series Lost.[1] It aired on ABC in the United States and CTV in Canada[2] on January 31, 2008,[3] Co-creator/executive producer/head writer/show runner Damon Lindelof and executive producer/writer/show runner Carlton Cuse wrote the episode in late July 2007[4] and the episode would later be directed by executive producer Jack Bender.[5] Filming took place on Oahu, Hawaii, USA from August 17[6] to early September 2007.[7] With this episode, Jeff Pinkner no longer serves as an executive producer and staff writer.[8] New main character Daniel Faraday (played by Jeremy Davies) and new recurring character Matthew Abbadon (Lance Reddick) make their first appearances in "The Beginning of the End".[5]
In the previous episode, 93 days after the crash, on December 23, 2004, Ben Linus (Michael Emerson) warns Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox) that contacting a freighter to rescue the stranded survivors of the crash of Oceanic Flight 815 "is the beginning of the end".[9] In "The Beginning of the End", the survivors wonder whether or not they should trust Charlie's message and Ben and Locke's warnings about Naomi and her associates not being who they say that they are.
Casting
While casting characters, fake names, occupations and scenes were temporarily assigned to limit the leak of spoilers.[10] Reddick was told that he was auditioning for the part of "Arthur Stevens", a "ruthless corporate recruiter". The writer-producers were originally interested in having Reddick play Mr. Eko during the second season, however, he was busy starring on HBO's The Wire.[11] Davies was cast because he is one of the writer-producers' favourite character actors, and they think that his "transformative quality [and] the tremendous intelligence that seems to emanate from him… seemed perfect for [the role]."[12]
Broadcast
Due to production of the fourth season being put on hold because of the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike,[13] the show runners wanted to hold the eight episodes that had been completed until they are able to make more of the season[14] however ABC decided that "The Beginning of the End" would air at the end of January 2008, regardless of when the strike was to end.[15] This is the first Lost episode to air on Thursday at 9:00 pm;[16] previous episodes had aired on Wednesdays.[17] Like the previous Lost season premieres, "The Beginning of the End" was scheduled for an outdoor premiere at Sunset on the Beach in Waikiki, Honolulu,[18] where movies are regularly shown on a 30-foot screen free to the public;[19] however, it was cancelled due to the writers' strike.[20] The original 62-minute television broadcast of the episode will be immediately preceded by a clip-show titled "Lost: Past, Present & Future".[21]
Reception
The Chicago Tribune "blissfully enjoyed every minute" and noted that "there aren't any faults".[22] The first four episodes of the fourth season have been seen by TV Guide, who described them as "worth the wait", "emotionally satisfying" and stated that they "provide gaspworthy plot twists that should whip fans into a theory-spinning tizzy."[23] The episode has been advanced reviewed by UGO, who gave the episode an "A+", calling it "a crushingly emotional, action packed introduction… [which proves] that… Lost's groundbreaking protean form still has plenty of blinding ways to dazzle and entertain in a way that is nonetheless unique unto itself."[24]
Plot
On the Island
Desmond rejoins the survivors on the beach, bearing Charlie’s final message that the freighter offshore is not Penny’s boat. Sawyer is about to warn Jack over the radio but Sayid advises against this, saying the newcomers will be monitoring their communications; Hurley ends the debate by grabbing the walkie-talkie and throwing it into the ocean. The people on the beach then set out to rendezvous with Jack’s party.
Meanwhile, the mortally wounded Naomi has crawled away into the jungle and Jack is hesitant to reveal this information to the people on the boat. He tells Kate that he intends to kill John Locke, then sends the party back to the beach, while he and Danielle go off to find Naomi. They take Ben along, with Jack saying he doesn’t trust him out of his sight. The trail dead-ends; Naomi tricked them, setting up a second trail. However, Kate refused to go with the other survivors, stole the satellite phone from Jack and went off to track the wounded woman on her own. Naomi ambushes her pursuer and puts a knife to her throat, demanding to know why she was attacked; Kate tries to explain that Locke is no longer part of the group. Naomi contacts the freighter and explains her absence by claiming she suffered a wound sustained from parachuting in. She gives her love to her sister, then dies.
Hurley lags behind as the survivors leave the beach, gets separated and finds a mysterious cabin. He looks in the window and sees a figure in a rocking chair, then someone else steps right up to the glass. Hurley runs away, but moments later finds himself standing in front of the same cabin. He squeezes his eyes shut; when he opens them, the building is gone. A moment later, he is found by John Locke.
Soon, all of the scattered members of the survivors are reunited in a single group. Hurley tells Claire that Charlie has died; Jack knocks Locke to the ground and takes his gun. As Locke says he won’t shoot him, Jack pulls the trigger, but the gun isn’t loaded. Locke tells the assembled castaways that they are in great danger, and suggests they go to the Barracks for shelter. Jack dismisses this idea as insane, but Hurley speaks up, telling them about Charlie’s warning. Hurley, Claire, Aaron, Danielle, Ben, Alex, Karl and Sawyer all opt to join Locke and leave. Soon after, Jack and Kate hear a helicopter and see a man parachute down.
Flashforwards
In the first flashforward, a red Camaro is racing through the streets of Los Angeles, plowing through a display of papayas in a farmer’s market, while being pursued by numerous squad cars. Cut to a scene of someone pouring himself a drink; the camera pans up to reveal a slightly haggard Jack, watching the chase on television and shaking his head. Cut back to the chase; the car crashes to a halt. Officers order the driver out of the car. Hurley steps out, then breaks into a run. He is quickly caught and pinned against a wall, where he begins shouting that he is one of the Oceanic Six.
Later, Hurley is being interrogated by a police officer, the former partner of Ana-Lucia Cortez. He asks Hurley if he met her on the plane; Hurley says no. The officer then shows him a tape from a convenience store which shows Hurley panicking for no apparent reason, which prompted the car chase, apparently a headlong rush to safety. The officer demands that Hurley tell him who he saw in the store, but he refuses. The officer leaves him alone for a moment, and an observation window suddenly displays an underwater scene, with a diver approaching, the diver looks like Charlie and has 'They need you,' written on his hand. The window shatters and water begins to flood in; Hurley yells for help. The room returns to normal as soon as the officer returns, and he insults Hurley, threatening to lock him up in a mental institution, a suggestion Hurley eagerly accepts.
Soon after, Hurley is playing Connect Four with another patient. He has a visitor, a man in a suit who claims to be from Oceanic Airlines, offering to move Hurley to a better institution. Hurley suspects something and asks for a business card, which the man claims to have forgotten. The man then asks about “them” and Hurley panics, yelling the man is out to get him. When people turn to look, the man has already left.
Later still, another inmate points out someone is watching Hurley; he looks up and sees Charlie, who tries to calm his friend, who is understandably upset at the appearance of a dead man. They have a brief talk, in which Charlie confirms that he knew he was going to die but didn’t tell Hurley because he wanted to spare his feelings. Then Charlie pleads with Hurley, saying, "They need you." Hurley does not want to hear this and closes his eyes and counts to five, while his deceased friend sighs; at five, he opens his eyes. Charlie has vanished.
In the final flashforward, Hurley is playing basketball when Jack comes to visit, claiming he just wanted to check up on him, also mentioning he’s thinking about growing a beard. Hurley accuses Jack of ulterior motives: he's checking to make certain Hurley doesn’t tell. He says he's sorry he went with Locke, then suggests that they need to go back to the island. Jack emphatically says no and leaves.
References
- ^ Perez, Mario, (September 6, 2007) "Emilie de Ravin in 'The Beginning of the End'", ABC Medianet. Retrieved on December 21, 2007.
- ^ CTV, (January 2008) "Lost (HD)". Retrieved on January 20, 2008.
- ^ ABC Medianet, (January 18, 2008) "Primetime Program Schedule Grid". Retrieved on January 19, 2008.
- ^ Lindelof, Damon & Cuse, Carlton, (July 26, 2007) "Lost Season 4 Panel", Comic Con International. Retrieved on August 18, 2007.
- ^ a b ABC Medianet, (January 14, 2008) "Feeling that Their Rescue is Imminent, the Survivors Ponder Charlie's Final Message that the People Claiming to Liberate Them Aren't Who They Seem to Be". Retrieved on January 14, 2008.
- ^ Garcia, Jorge, (August 14, 2007) "Working Friday", Dispatches from the Island. Retrieved on August 18, 2007.
- ^ Perez, Mario, (September 7, 2007) "Terry O'Quinn, Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Naveen Andrews, Henry Ian Cusick and Sam Anderson in 'The Beginning of the End'", ABC Medianet. Retrieved on December 21, 2007.
- ^ Lost: Missing Pieces Credits", ABC. Retrieved on November 12, 2007.
- ^ Lindelof, Damon (writer) & Cuse, Carlton (writer) & Bender, Jack (director). "Through the Looking Glass". Lost, ABC. Episode 23, season 3. Aired on May 23, 2007.
- ^ Littleton, Cynthia, (October 12, 2007) "Lost: The Weight of the Wait", Variety. Retrieved on October 13, 2007.
- ^ Jensen, Jeff, (August 29, 2007) "Lost: Five Fresh Faces", Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on August 30, 2007.
- ^ Jensen, Jeff, (August 29, 2007) "Lost Producers on Their Five New Actors", Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on August 30, 2007.
- ^ Lindelof, Damon & Cuse, Carlton, (November 5, 2007) "Lost Writers: "Like Putting Down a Harry Potter Book in the Middle"", Variety. Retrieved on November 8, 2007.
- ^ Goldman, Eric, (November 7, 2007) "Writers Strike: Should Lost Air This Season?", IGN. Retrieved on November 8, 2007.
- ^ Grossman, Ben, (November 7, 2007) "Strike Coverage: ABC to Air Partial Season of Lost", Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved on November 8, 2007.
- ^ ABC Medianet, (December 14, 2007) "ABC Unveils Midseason Primetime Schedule", ABC Medianet. Retrieved on December 14, 2007.
- ^ Dos Santos, Kristin, (December 14, 2007) "Lost: It's Baaack!", E!. Retrieved on December 14, 2007.
- ^ Lachonis, Jon "DocArzt", (October 29, 2007) "Lost Public Premiere Planned, Time Slot Still Up in the Air", BuddyTV. Retrieved on October 28, 2007.
- ^ "Waikiki Beach Movie Schedule and Events", Sunset on the Beach. Retrieved on October 29, 2007.
- ^ Kunz, Caryn, (January 10, 2008) "Lost Premiere in Waikiki", The Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved on January 19, 2008.
- ^ ABC Medianet, (January 14, 2008) "A Look Over the Past Three Seasons will Attempt to Shed Some Light on Where the Survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 are and if Rescue Truly is at Hand". Retrieved on January 20, 2008.
- ^ Ryan, Maureen, (January 29, 2008) "Lost's Fab Start to Season 4, and a Chat with Co-Creator Damon Lindelof", Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on January 30, 2008.
- ^ TV Guide, (January 22, 2008) "Back to the Future". Retrieved on January 22, 2008.
- ^ Lachonis, Jon "DocArzt", Lost Season Four Premiere: "Beginning of the End" Reviewed", UGO. Retrieved on January 22, 2008.
