LOST at last!

DISCLAIMER: With Season 4 of LOST upon us, please excuse my random outbursts of emotion in the following.

It's here. It's HERE. 35 long weeks have passed by since we were all thrown into a speechless tizzy, as the pieces all finally came together -- it's a FLASH FORWARD! OMG. REWIND THAT. Since then, we've been able to approach LOST with a clearer mind, an open heart, and, as always, open arms. We've sat begrudgingly through crappy substitutes, muddled our way through the long weeks. But now, NOW, our patience and loyalty are being rewarded. SEASON 4 IS HERE. Set your DVRs, put the kids to bed, and prepare to be dazzled.

Now, I trust that since you've waited with me in anticipation, a little more time won't kill you before we get to the good stuff -- i.e., the tempting spoilers from Season 4. First, we must address all the chewy goodness of Season 3 on DVD, which I trust you all have, by now, procured and poured over in anticipation of The Glorious Return. In no particular order, points of order from Season 3:

• When last we saw the survivors, Jack had led the group to the radio tower to signal for help with the aid of Naomi's superpowered satellite phone. Despite several obstacles (encountering Ben along the way, the heretofore left-for-dead-in-a-Dharma-purged-mass-grave-in-the-jungle John Locke's impeccable aim resulting in a knife in the back of parachuter extraordinaire Naomi, Junkie rocker Charlie's watery death in an underwater hatch), the survivors manage to turn off Frenchie's distress signal, and make the call to a nearby freighter floating offshore. Desmond is still in The Hydra, the previously mentioned underwater hatch, while Mikhail's fate is still unknown after throwing (floating?) the grenade that ultimately killed Charlie, and Juliet, Sawyer, Sayid, Jin, Bernard, and Hurley are still on the beach, having killed the attacking Others. Then, in a complete mindf*#k, we come to find out that what we previously thought was a flashback in Jack's life is, in actuality, a flash forward.
• The love square between Kate, Jack, Juliet, and Sawyer became more complicated when Juliet kissed Jack before taking off to the beach, Sawyer told Kate that he hoped she wasn't pregnant with his child, and Jack told Kate he loved her.
• Grown up Waaaaaaaaaaalt appeared to a dying and suicidal John Locke, shot in the stomach by Ben, telling him to "Get up... You have work to do. " Apparently, that "work" was using Naomi as target practice.
• Ben has issued an ominous (not anonymous, as I just typed) warning, pleading with Jack not to contact the boat: "If you do, every living person on this island will be killed." Well, shit. Now what?

So there's the highlights from the season finale. Things that remain a mystery:

• The four toed statue
• The island's healing powers (i.e., John being paralyzed, Rose being sick, Ben's tumor, Jin's sterility)
• Where the eff Michael and Waaaaaaalt went on that boat.
• What the whole Anthony Cooper Ending Up on the Island thing was all about, and how both he and Naomi insist that there were no survivors of flight 815 when the wreckage was found.
• Who was in the coffin and why that person's death would cause Jack to want to commit suicide, and simultaneously be worthy of Kate's scorn and utter disdain.
• How Sawyer can still manage to be so damn witty and Jack so damn hot.

Finally, in case you were living under a rock, and missed the finale, and still haven't managed to see it, ABC will be replaying "Through the Looking Glass" tonight starting at 9:00. I've also heard word that there will be text running simultaneously with the broadcast offering hints, things to look for, and general information. Is it just me, or does that sound a lot like Pop-Up Video? Don't get me wrong, I love me some Pop-Up Video. It's like the two Best Things Ever combined into one Extraordinarily Awesome SuperShow. If that's not enough for you, if you're pressed for time, check out the video below for a witty take on Seasons 1-3:

OK, so with all that out of the way on to the good stuff. And I do mean The Good Stuff. Juicy Good Stuff. If you don't want to know, if Spoilers aren't your thing, stop reading now, and enjoy tomorrow night's premiere.

Tomorrow night's premiere, (I get goosebumps just typing that!) entitled "The Beginning of the End," is just that. We're halfway there, people! We have reached the climax, the summit, the apex, all things will now lead to (what we hope will be) a suitable conclusion. Contact with the freighter has been made, but from the rumors swirling around the boards, the other Others will make Ben and Co. seem like cuddly little teddy bears. By now, I'm sure you've seen the trailers of New Guy telling Jack that rescuing the survivors isn't their "primary objective." So, the obvious question that arises out of that, as Jack so eloquently puts it, "...then what is?"

Just what it is, then, will be revealed in the next 8 episodes, from what I hear. I strongly suggest that you pick up this week's edition of TV Guide, which provides a completely tantalizing preview: (entwined with my exclamations of joy, wonder, perplexity)

The premiere picks up on two plot threads left dangling by the finale: potential rescue by the freighter crew and the fallout from the death of junkie rocker-turned self-sacrificing hero Charlie (Dominic Monaghan). Monaghan may no longer be a series regular, but that doesn't mean you won't see him again. "Dead people resurface on our show," Garcia says. (A.K.A Charlie will be back in someone's flashback. Don't get your panties in a wad.)

Jack and Kate weren't the only ones to get off the island. Who else made the cut will be revealed during the eight episodes (one will be ID'd in the season premiere). (Now, to be quite honest, I apparently was so flabbergasted by the season finale, that I didn't even consider the fact that EVERYONE didn't make it off the island. This whole "Select Few" thing didn't occur to me. I just thought it was an All or Nothing. I was wrong.) But as the sight of a broken Future Jack suggested, getting rescued wasn't exactly a ticket to happily-ever-after. (And makes you start to wonder the validity of Ben's claims. Recall the mobisode in which he and Jack are playing chess? In that, Ben states something to the effect that once you leave the island, you just might try to find your way back. Very chilling, in typical Michael Emerson style, but nonetheless, we find his words ring true in last season's finale. )

[...] Another burning Kate question: Who is the "he" referred to by onetime commitment-phobe Kate when she implied to Jack that
someone was waiting for her at home? "Kate's kind of got her s--- together, " Lilly says, "and the reason she's coping quite well is [that person]." Before discovering the answer in the Kate-centric episode's script, the actress, like any fan, had plenty of theories: "I thought it was either Sawyer or a kid. But she seemed wealthier than you might've expected her to be, so I thought maybe she married some rich guy." (Our lips are sealed, except to say that one of Lilly's guesses is correct.) (Which one? Well, I'm willing to bet it's the kid. My guess is that Sawyer kicks it, whether it's this season or not, and it turns out that Kate actually is preggers with his kid.)

[...] The eight-episode run also holds the key to where traitorous Michael has been seen since last seen sailing off in the Others' boat with son Wa(aaaaaaaaa)lt at the end of season 2. Sources say Michael will prove to be integral to what is currently the season's cliff-hanger-esque Episode 8. (Could it be that Episode 8 will reveal that Michael is the coffin-dweller?!) [...]

And so on and so on. Suffice it to say, this mini season will not only require your utmost attention (uh, hello? Flash forwards AND Flash backs? I'm confused just thinking about it!), but also, as always, your undying patience and loyalty, since there are only 8 episodes before LOST, like so many before it, goes dark due to the ongoing writers' strike. (Though, I did hear tell that talks are going well, and if they continue to do so, the strike could be resolved by the end of the week! YAY, fingers and legs and ankles and everything else crossed!!!)

Finally, no pre-premiere blog post would be complete without general spoilers on the season as well as the premiere. Ask and you shall receive, dear reader!!! (The following courtesy of spoilerfix.)

• I have it on good authority that someone we thought was killed in the season finale will turn up very much alive in the Jan. 31 premiere. And this person may or may not be [Charlie, Naomi, Patchey, Mr. Friendly.] (My money's on Mikhail. The guy JUST WON'T DIE!! Or Naomi.)
• In the beginning of season four, Sawyer is... on Team Locke! I can tell you that there are two teams and that the other leader won't surprise you... but Kate's allegiance will. As far as I know, Jin and Sun aren't playing for either team.
• I've had permission [to reveal] and confirmation from a number of very good sources that the Season 4 premiere of Lost will feature multiple character flashbacks and/or flashforwards
• Episode 4.02: Confirmed Dead ("Not Penny's Boat" people-centric)Airdate: February 7, 2008
• Episode 4.03: The Economist (Sayid-centric)Airdate: February 14, 2008
  01/28 - Locke's hostage may be the key to getting off the island, so Sayid and Kate go in search of their fellow castaway in an attempt to negotiate a peaceful deal. (My guess as to "Locke's hostage?" -- Hurley. Or Jack.)
• Episode 4.04: Eggtown (Kate-centric)Airdate: February 21, 2008
• Kate pleads not guilty to a laundry list of crimes, including murder, assault and weapons charges.

Before I bid you adieu, I will offer up my thoughts, theories, and mad stabs in the dark:

1) With the introduction of the flash forward device, I expect that we will be seeing more of Waaaaaaaaaaaalt. That way, after being gone for a few seasons and Malcolm David Kelley having a few birthdays and hitting puberty in between, the writers and producers now have a way to work that into the story.

2) Though I already confessed to not having thought about everybody not making it off the island, it does make sense now. Jack, in perpetual need of something to fix, is trying to make his way back to the island to save those who were left behind. His guilt and remorse, coupled with the death of Whoever Is In The Coffin, are enough to drive him to suicide for his failure to be able to "fix it."

3) The freighter crew are employees (somehow or another) of the Dharma Initiative, seeking out the island to avenge the death of their people. Hence Ben's trepidation at their return.

Well, y'all, that's all I got. At least until tomorrow night, at which point, I'm sure, Darlton and Co. will blow my brains with some fantastic majesty and I will, once again as I have so many times before, be reduced to stammering and drooling.

Happy Premiere Viewing! :)