ABC
What you have to remember about Lost and their "people" is that they know what they are doing. They understand story, character, how to engage, how to get you identifying and empathising with their creations. The jawdropping climax to season three set up an entirely new batch of stories – flash forwards into the post island future. Although hampered by the writer’s strike season four has picked up the piping hot season three ball and ran with it. They certainly do know what they are doing. It was not always thus. Aerial Telly remembers season 2. He remembers the Driveshaft flashbacks. He remembers You All Everybotties. He remembers the fuckawful religious allegory and the nonsensical spiritual ramblings of Locke, Charlie and Adebisi from Oz. He remembers all that shit. Trust.
"We finally got what every right thinking person was praying for – an unambiguous, yes-he’s-really-dead-this-time death for Charlie, the most underwritten overexposed twat on the island"
And yet he accepts that he was wrong 1. Lost know what they are doing as season three emphatically proved. Season four kicked off with a Hurley-centric episode – the clinically obese luckless lottery winner remains the most beloved of all Lost characters. In the future, Bitchtits is having conversations with Dead Charlie. Oh boy.
Aerial Telly can barely describe how far his heart sank when that shitheel appeared. Having been teased for months with his impending death, we finally got what every right thinking person was praying for – an unambiguous, yes-he’s-really-dead-this-time death for Charlie, the most underwritten overexposed twat on the island. And they actually have the nerve to throw him into the series premiere. OK, it turns out it was only a hallucinatory figment of Hurley’s imagination but they had no business reminding us of that particular viewing trauma.
"The "boat" that has come to "rescue" them, has not really come to rescue "them". Rather, they’ve come to capture Benjamin Linus, evil scientist and voodoo dwarf."
And yes, Hugo is back in a psychiatric institution post island. He is a member of what the press are calling The Oceanic Six – the six survivors from the island who made it back to the mainland. Over time we learned that these survivors are Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, Baby Aaron and Sun. They’ve come back from Craphole Island with some cock and balls story about how they were the only survivors when the plane hit the water. So they’re lying their little island asses off. Why does nobody ever tell the truth on Lost?
Those people on the boat for example. The "boat" that has come to "rescue" them back in island time, has not really come to rescue "them". Rather, they’ve come to capture Benjamin Linus, evil scientist of headfuck and abominable voodoo dwarf. Yet, in the future Sayid is a professional assassin killing people at the behest of…. Benjamin Linus. Oh, it’s all so very confusing.
"The producers are the ones charged with its upkeep and development, keeping continuity consistent and remaining faithful to the original spirit and ethic of the show."
And it’s all so very wonderful. Lost matures like a fine wine and the first half of season four has shown no dip in quality. The massive labyrinthine backstory and mythology of Lost has gone way beyond what the producers could have intended.
Yet they are the ones charged with its upkeep and development, keeping continuity consistent and remaining faithful to the original spirit and ethic of the show. It’s a huge task but they’re on it. It’s one of those shows that exists in people’s imaginations once the TV has switched off. It’s commercially successful and artistically credible. Today, that’s some kind of miracle.
The best thing about it: The post island flash forwards — the madness continues.
The worst thing about it: Charlie in the premiere? Get to fuck.
The verdict on Lost Season Four Half Term report: An apologia for island mentality.
Marks out of 10: 8
1 Fuck you, bitch. Aerial Telly is never wrong. He is simply sometimes fed inaccurate information
Imagined: 9th April 2008