Lost Season 4–Supposed Rescue Shakes Things Up

Filed under Lost, TV

Lost‘s fourth season pretty much picked up right where season 3‘s finale cliffhanger left off. Yes, there is a freighter anchored just off the island, but are they really there on a rescue mission? Furthermore, there is the dilemma that apparently the remains of Oceanic 815 have been found at the bottom of the ocean…who planted it there? And, whereas Jack’s flash-forward at the end of season 3 was a bold twist, flash-forwards are crucial in season 4, cluing us in on who left the island and who stayed behind.

Not only does this season see a major divide in the principle cast, Jack (Matthew Fox) leading those who want to be rescued, and Locke (Terry O’Quinn) leading those who believe the freighter is there to harm them, and go into hiding back at the Others’ barracks. A chopper from the freighter arrives on the island introducing new characters to the fold that include mentally unstable physicist Daniel Faraday (Jeremy Davies),  hot-headed paranormal medium Miles Straume (Ken Leung), mysterious archaeologist Charlotte Lewis (Rebecca Mader), and conspiracy-theorist pilot Frank Lapidus (Jeff Fahey).

As the season’s events unfold, it is slowly revealed that Jack, Kate (Evangeline Lilly), Sayid (Naveen Andrews), Hurley (Jorge Garcia), Sun (Yunjin Kim), and Claire‘s son Aaron make it home, dubbed the Oceanic Six. But the flash-forwards reveal that getting off the island is not the end of the story, and ultimately the characters realize that they need to go back to the island to save everyone they left behind. More importantly, it is revealed that the Oceanic Six have been living a lie since returning home, and this is all to protect those still on the island.

Throughout the short season, details are revealed about the freighter, mostly revolving around the fact that it belongs to Charles Widmore (Alan Dale), a character who has generally been linked to Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick) in flashbacks, but apparently Widmore has some sort of history with the island, making him far more integral to the overall story. Furthermore, season 4 hones in on a rivalry between Widmore and Benjamin Linus (Michael Emerson). Widmore has sent the freighter not only to find the island, but capture Ben, and a group of mercenaries led by Martin Keamy (Kevin Durand) are on board to exterminate everyone on the island.

Certainly one of the most interesting things about the season, was the return of Michael (Harold Perrineau). After having betrayed his friends and left the island at the end of season 2, Michael has infiltrated the freighter as a spy for Ben and the Others, sabotaging the freighter to save his friends and possibly redeem himself. The unfortunate thing about this story, is that it never quite comes to a head. There is no major confrontation between him and Jack, or anyone else that he handed to the Others for that matter. Sure, there was plenty in the season to satisfy, but Michael’s return was useful, but anti-climactic.

A major part of the story that is introduced is time-travel. Faraday (who easily becomes one this show’s best characters) points out that time is different on the island somehow. One major element of this is when the freighter’s doctor washes ashore…dead. But when they radio the freighter, they learn that the doctor is alive and well, and it’s not until two episodes later in which he is killed. It’s still not clear how this works, but it sets up a great deal of what occurs in season 5.

Also, going along with time-travel is Desmond and the episode The Constant, that explores Desmond becoming unstuck in time due to electromagnetic radiation, further explaining season 3′s story in which he has visions of the future. Not only is this a great standout episode, but much of what we learn in this episode plays a larger role in the beginning of season 5.

The finale really brought everything together, proving the season to be overall tightly knit and crafted, and leaving off in a great place for season 5 to pick up. It was great to concurrently see the events of the Oceanic Six escaping the island, while the flash-forwards showed them gearing up to start getting back together and find a way back to the island. And while Sawyer (Josh Holloway) spent a lot of time doing very little this season, he had one epic moment when he kissed Kate and jumped from the chopper so his friends would have a better chance of reaching rescue. You gotta love that guy, and his lacking role in season 4 is more than made up for in season 5.

Altogether, season 4 does a great job kicking the show in a new direction, and whereas previous seasons, while nonetheless great, were not always clear on where this story was heading, this season had a plan. It was short, due to the writers’ strike, but ultimately it really stepped things up in terms of the over-arcing story, and breathed new life into an already great series.