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The Beginning of the End (Lost)

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"The Beginning of the End (Lost)"

"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] The episode was watched by 16 million Americans, bringing in the best ratings for Lost in 17 episodes.[9]

The narrative takes place 93 days after the crash, on December 23, 2004. The stranded survivors of the crash of Oceanic Flight 815 make contact with Naomi Dorrit's (played by Marsha Thomason) associates on a nearby freighter, but the survivors divide when they hear that they are not who they claim to be. Flashforwards show the post-island lives of Hurley Reyes (Jorge Garcia) and Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox). They are both hiding secrets from the public about their time on the island. In flashforwards, Hurley has visions of his deceased friend Charlie Pace (Dominic Monaghan), while he grieves over his death on the island. Main character Daniel Faraday (Jeremy Davies) makes his first appearance in "The Beginning of the End".[5]

Casting

While casting characters, fake names, occupations and scenes were temporarily assigned to limit the leak of spoilers.[10] Davies was cast as Daniel 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]", which was originally planned to be a recurring role.[11] Lance Reddick was told that he was auditioning for the part of "Arthur Stevens", a "ruthless corporate recruiter", instead of Matthew Abbadon. 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.[12]

The name of actor Harold Perrineau shows up in the episode's opening credits,[13] although there is no appearance of his character, Michael Dawson.

Production

The title is a reference to a line in the previous episode when Ben Linus (Michael Emerson) warns Jack that contacting the freighter "is the beginning of the end".[14]

Broadcast

Due to production of the fourth season being put on hold because of the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike,[15] the show runners wanted to hold the eight episodes that had been completed until they are able to make more of the season[16] 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.[17] This is the first Lost episode to air on Thursday at 9:00 pm;[18] previous episodes had aired on Wednesdays.[19] 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,[20] where movies are regularly shown on a 30-foot screen free to the public;[21] however, it was cancelled due to the writers' strike.[22] The original 62-minute television broadcast of the episode was immediately preceded by a clip-show titled "Lost: Past, Present & Future".[23]

Reception

Preliminary results show that "The Beginning of the End" was watched by over 16.07 million American viewers, bringing in the best ratings for Lost in seventeen episodes.[24] The Chicago Tribune "blissfully enjoyed every minute" and noted that "there aren't any faults".[25] 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."[26] IGN gave the episode 9.1/10, stating that it was "a great start to what promises to be an exciting… season four. The momentum and pacing is on par with last season's finale".[27] UGO 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."[28] BuddyTV described it as "the most anticipated season premiere of the year"[29] and wrote that "the episode was pretty much a masterpiece".[30]

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 wants to warn Jack over the radio but Sayid advises against this, saying the newcomers will be monitoring their communications. They set out to rendezvous with Jack’s party.

Meanwhile, the mortally wounded Naomi has crawled away into the jungle. Jack sends the party back to the beach, while he, Danielle and Ben look for Naomi. However, Kate stole the satellite phone and went off to track the wounded woman on her own. Naomi ambushes her pursuer and demands to know why she was attacked; Kate says 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 his friends, 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, possibly Christian Shepherd. 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 and her baby, 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.

Flashforward

A red Camaro races through the streets of Los Angeles, plowing through a farmer’s market, pursued by numerous squad cars as Jack pours himself a drink and watches the chase on television. When the police stop the car, Hurley steps out, then tries to flee. He is pinned against a wall, where he begins shouting that he is one of the "Oceanic Six." Later, a police officer, the former partner of Ana-Lucia Cortez, interrogates Hurley. He asks Hurley if he met her on the plane; Hurley lies and says no. The officer shows Hurley the tape from a convenience store in which Hurley panics for no apparent reason, leading to the car chase. He demands to know who Hurley saw in the store, but receives no reply. The officer exits and a window suddenly displays an underwater scene and a diver with "They need you," written on his hand. The window shatters, water floods in and Hurley yells for help. The room returns to normal as soon as the officer enters. When the officer threatens to send Hurley to a mental institution, Hurley eagerly accepts.

In the institution, Hurley is playing Connect Four with another patient when he receives a visitor, a man named Matthew Abbadon, who claims to be an attorney for Oceanic Airlines. Abbadon offers to move him to a better institution, then alarms Hurley when he asks, "Are they still alive?" One day when Hurley is painting outside, he sees Charlie. The rock star confirms that he knew he was going to die but didn’t tell Hurley because he wanted to spare his feelings. Charlie then pleads with Hurley, saying, "They need you." Hurley closes his eyes and counts to five; when he opens his eyes, Charlie has vanished. Hurley is later playing basketball when Jack comes to visit, mentioning that he's thinking of growing a beard. Hurley accuses Jack of ulterior motives: checking to make certain Hurley doesn't tell. Hurley says he's sorry he went with Locke, then suggests that they need to go back to the island. Jack emphatically says never, but Hurley replies, "Never say never, dude."

References

  1. ^ Perez, Mario, (September 6, 2007) "Emilie de Ravin in 'The Beginning of the End'", ABC Medianet. Retrieved on December 21, 2007.
  2. ^ CTV, (January 2008) "Lost (HD)". Retrieved on January 20, 2008.
  3. ^ ABC Medianet, (January 18, 2008) "Primetime Program Schedule Grid". Retrieved on January 19, 2008.
  4. ^ Lindelof, Damon & Cuse, Carlton, (July 26, 2007) "Lost Season 4 Panel", Comic Con International. Retrieved on August 18, 2007.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Garcia, Jorge, (August 14, 2007) "Working Friday", Dispatches from the Island. Retrieved on August 18, 2007.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Lost: Missing Pieces Credits", ABC. Retrieved on November 12, 2007.
  9. ^ Kissell, Rick, (February 1, 2008) "Auds Find Lost on Thursday", Variety. Retrieved on February 1, 2008.
  10. ^ Littleton, Cynthia, (October 12, 2007) "Lost: The Weight of the Wait", Variety. Retrieved on October 13, 2007.
  11. ^ Jensen, Jeff, (August 29, 2007) "Lost Producers on Their Five New Actors", Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on August 30, 2007.
  12. ^ Jensen, Jeff, (August 29, 2007) "Lost: Five Fresh Faces", Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on August 30, 2007.
  13. ^ "Harold Perrineau - Filmography by TV Series". imdb.com. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
  14. ^ Lindelof, Damon (writer) & Cuse, Carlton (writer) & Bender, Jack (director). "Through the Looking Glass". Lost, ABC. Episode 23, season 3. Aired on May 23, 2007.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ Goldman, Eric, (November 7, 2007) "Writers Strike: Should Lost Air This Season?", IGN. Retrieved on November 8, 2007.
  17. ^ Grossman, Ben, (November 7, 2007) "Strike Coverage: ABC to Air Partial Season of Lost", Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved on November 8, 2007.
  18. ^ ABC Medianet, (December 14, 2007) "ABC Unveils Midseason Primetime Schedule", ABC Medianet. Retrieved on December 14, 2007.
  19. ^ Dos Santos, Kristin, (December 14, 2007) "Lost: It's Baaack!", E!. Retrieved on December 14, 2007.
  20. ^ Lachonis, Jon "DocArzt", (October 29, 2007) "Lost Public Premiere Planned, Time Slot Still Up in the Air", BuddyTV. Retrieved on October 28, 2007.
  21. ^ "Waikiki Beach Movie Schedule and Events", Sunset on the Beach. Retrieved on October 29, 2007.
  22. ^ Kunz, Caryn, (January 10, 2008) "Lost Premiere in Waikiki", The Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved on January 19, 2008.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb, (February 1, 2008) "Ratings: Lost! Supernatural! And More!", TV Guide. Retrieved on February 1, 2008.
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ TV Guide, (January 22, 2008) "Back to the Future". Retrieved on January 22, 2008.
  27. ^ Carabott, Chris, (January 30, 2008) "Lost: 'The Beginning of the End' Advance Review", IGN. Retrieved on February 1, 2008.
  28. ^ Lachonis, Jon "DocArzt", Lost Season Four Premiere: "Beginning of the End" Reviewed", UGO. Retrieved on January 22, 2008.
  29. ^ Williams, Don, (January 31, 2008) "Lost: Episode 4.1 'The Beginning of the End' Live Thoughts", BuddyTV. Retrieved on January 31, 2008.
  30. ^ Dahl, Oscar, (February 1, 2008) "Lost: The Oceanic 6", BuddyTV. Retrieved on February 1, 2008.

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