# Lost 4.01: "The Begining of the End" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 29, 2008, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-4-01-the-begining-of-the-end/435458 "2008-01-29T15:45:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-4-01-the-begining-of-the-end/435458/41 "2008-01-30T12:52:50Z")
[Here’s another link with all of the mobisodes.](http://spoilerslost.blogspot.com/2008/01/lost-mobisodes-final-recap-and-thoughts.html) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-4-01-the-begining-of-the-end/435458/42 "2008-01-30T17:11:29Z")
[QUOTE=Rich Mann] [http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/missingpieces/index?pn=index](http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/missingpieces/index?pn=index) #5 provides more proof that ‘that dog knows something’! [/QUOTE] Good dog! I cannot imagine a worse TV kiss than that, possibly as bad as when Dave and Maddy got it on. Vincent, bringing people together… but only so close. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-4-01-the-begining-of-the-end/435458/43 "2008-01-30T19:01:29Z")
From the SF Chronicle: > [@](#): > > At first, ABC said it wasn’t going to send out screeners of the Season 4 premiere of “Lost.” Too many spoilers, the network said. Can’t trust the critics. > > Then, over the weekend, ABC sent an e-mail to critics saying, yes, they could watch the first two episodes online. A DVD appeared on Monday. > > Three words for Thursday’s first episode: Oh. My. God. > > ABC kindly sent the second episode as well. Three more words: Oh. My. God. :eek: :eek: 🙂🙂🙂 Can’t wait! ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-4-01-the-begining-of-the-end/435458/44 "2008-01-30T21:37:21Z")
Finally I can watch this show in widescreen HD! My DVR wants to record two hours tonight and two hours tomorrow. It is saying that they are both “New.” Just so I have this clear, tonight is a repeat of last season’s finale? Is there additional footage or something? It’s listed as a new episode. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-4-01-the-begining-of-the-end/435458/45 "2008-01-30T21:47:21Z")
[QUOTE=Eyebrows 0f Doom] Finally I can watch this show in widescreen HD! My DVR wants to record two hours tonight and two hours tomorrow. It is saying that they are both “New.” Just so I have this clear, tonight is a repeat of last season’s finale? Is there additional footage or something? It’s listed as a new episode. [/QUOTE] I think I read somewhere that it’s going to have pop-up windows with more details about what’s going on. Edited to add: > [@](#): > > [ABC PREMIERES A SPECIAL ENHANCED VERSION OF THE “LOST” SEASON THREE TWO-HOUR FINALE](http://www.abcmedianet.com/assets/pr%5Chtml/012408_05.html) > Enhanced Version Includes On-Screen Facts and Back Story > Get ready for the Season Four premiere of “Lost” with a special presentation of the Season Three two-hour finale, “Through the Looking Glass,” enhanced with on-screen facts and back story about one of the most talked about dramas on television. Whether you already watched the amazing conclusion of “Lost” last season or this is your first time viewing it, the special enhanced “Lost” catches viewers up on the story of the Oceanic 815 survivors in a way you’ve never experienced before. Be there for the enhanced “Lost” Season Three finale, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30 at 9:00 p.m., ET/PT on ABC. > > The enhanced version of “Lost” will include text on the lower third of the screen and will “let viewers in” on clues in the show, as well as give back story to catch new viewers up for Season Four ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-4-01-the-begining-of-the-end/435458/46 "2008-01-30T21:56:55Z")
Does someone have the info on how the strike is going to screw things up? IIRC the original plan was to have 3 shorter seasons that did not have any breaks. But I’m sure an 8 episode run was not in the plans. Did they change it to make season 4 only 8 episodes with a season conclusion or is this just part one of season four with more to come after the strike? ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-4-01-the-begining-of-the-end/435458/47 "2008-01-30T21:58:38Z")
[QUOTE=Loach] Does someone have the info on how the strike is going to screw things up? IIRC the original plan was to have 3 shorter seasons that did not have any breaks. But I’m sure an 8 episode run was not in the plans. Did they change it to make season 4 only 8 episodes with a season conclusion or is this just part one of season four with more to come after the strike? [/QUOTE] [Effects on Lost](http://www.lostpedia.com/wiki/Strike#Effects_on_Lost) On November 5, the first day of the strike, Cuse confirmed that episode 8 of Season 4 had been completed by the writers on the previous day, and was ready to be filmed. Cuse and Damon Lindelof said that the episode happens to contain a small cliffhanger, but not one of the magnitude generally associated with a season finale. Cuse said whether the remaining episodes would need to be folded over into the next season would depend on if there was a quick resolution to the negotiations. [2] On November 7, ABC announced that it would be sticking with its original plan to premiere the season in the spring and air what episodes it would have, even if a lengthy strike would mean a truncated season. On December 14, the network established a premiere date of January 31, 2008. Many people had predicted this move, given the expected shortage of scripted series that would be available at that point due to the strike. Cuse and Lindelof had originally designed Season 4 to be a straight run of 16 episodes, and said that airing a shortened 8-episode season would be contrary to their plan and not ideal. However, given the circumstances of the strike and what would be an even lengthier hiatus, Lindelof said that they ultimately support the network’s decision not to indefinitely withhold episodes. The executive producers said that first half of the season was designed to setup questions to be answered in the second half, and that despite the mid-season cliffhanger, fans might feel frustrated in a non-conclusive semi-season. [3] Gregg Nations has said that the remaining 40 episodes of the series are bound to get made, regardless of whether Season 4 would be cut short or not. [4] ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-4-01-the-begining-of-the-end/435458/48 "2008-01-30T22:10:04Z")
Thank you. That was very quick and complete. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-4-01-the-begining-of-the-end/435458/49 "2008-01-30T22:21:37Z")
I’m not sure everyone knows this but for those forgetting what happened or who missed an episode, abc has all the episodes uploaded for viewing. Only for American IP addresses, unfortunately for me. [http://dynamic.abc.go.com/streaming/landing?lid=ABCCOMGlobalMenu&lpos=FEP](http://dynamic.abc.go.com/streaming/landing?lid=ABCCOMGlobalMenu&lpos=FEP) Click on Lost on the left hand menu, and it will bring up all the episodes. **Barbarian** , I think you probably want to watch “Not in Portland”. ---
**Author:** ![SuperNelson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@SuperNelson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNelson)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-4-01-the-begining-of-the-end/435458/50 "2008-01-30T23:21:11Z")
Watched Looking Glass again Tuesday, and probably will watch the enhanced version tonight. I have some burning questions now: Does Charlie stay dead? Desmond is right there with dive gear; seems it wouldn’t be impossible to swim around and try to revive Charlie. If not, the door to the radio room opens outwards, so it might be possible to get the radio room open (although the station would flood pretty quickly at that point). Does Jack’s father stay dead? At one point during the flash-forwards, Jack is in the hospital in LA, and says “Get my father down here.” What is the significance of Jack’s telling the stewardess that “Twenty minutes is a long time?” In the flash-forwards, is Kate back with Officer Mal? The SuperWife is psyched as well; our anniversary is tomorrow, and she actually suggested that we stay home, rather than catching it Friday on TiVo. I’m pretty sure she’s joking. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Aioua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@Aioua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aioua)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-4-01-the-begining-of-the-end/435458/51 "2008-01-30T23:53:58Z")
[QUOTE=SuperNelson] Watched Looking Glass again Tuesday, and probably will watch the enhanced version tonight. I have some burning questions now: Does Charlie stay dead? Desmond is right there with dive gear; seems it wouldn’t be impossible to swim around and try to revive Charlie. If not, the door to the radio room opens outwards, so it might be possible to get the radio room open (although the station would flood pretty quickly at that point). Does Jack’s father stay dead? At one point during the flash-forwards, Jack is in the hospital in LA, and says “Get my father down here.” What is the significance of Jack’s telling the stewardess that “Twenty minutes is a long time?” In the flash-forwards, is Kate back with Officer Mal? The SuperWife is psyched as well; our anniversary is tomorrow, and she actually suggested that we stay home, rather than catching it Friday on TiVo. I’m pretty sure she’s joking. :eek: [/QUOTE] I’m pretty sure Jack’s dad is dead. When he said that the look the other guy gave him was like… like pity because he so drunk and high that he doesn’t even remember his dad’s dead. Twenty minutes is enough time for jack to have another drink! Puts most fish to shame, he does. ---
**Author:** ![Crawlspace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Crawlspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crawlspace)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-4-01-the-begining-of-the-end/435458/52 "2008-01-31T00:09:51Z")
[QUOTE=SuperNelson] Watched Looking Glass again Tuesday, and probably will watch the enhanced version tonight. I have some burning questions now: Does Charlie stay dead? Desmond is right there with dive gear; seems it wouldn’t be impossible to swim around and try to revive Charlie. If not, the door to the radio room opens outwards, so it might be possible to get the radio room open (although the station would flood pretty quickly at that point). Does Jack’s father stay dead? At one point during the flash-forwards, Jack is in the hospital in LA, and says “Get my father down here.” What is the significance of Jack’s telling the stewardess that “Twenty minutes is a long time?” In the flash-forwards, is Kate back with Officer Mal? The SuperWife is psyched as well; our anniversary is tomorrow, and she actually suggested that we stay home, rather than catching it Friday on TiVo. I’m pretty sure she’s joking. :eek: [/QUOTE] The producers of the show have said that Charlie is dead. He is no more. He has ceased to be. He’s expired and gone to meet his maker. He’s a stiff. Bereft of life, he rests in peace. Jack’s father is another thing all together. There are some people, myself included, who think that the Losties return to an alternate future. One where Jack’s father is alive and well. Aside from the Jack’s present tense references to him, a few other aspects of the flash froward lead me to believe this. 1. Kates free. Surviving a plane crash doesn’t get you off the hook for murder. 2)From the brief scene with Jack’s ex-wife Sarah SARAH: What happened? JACK: We saw… a car accident. SARAH: Are you OK? JACK: Yeah. Yeah I’m fine. SARAH: Are you drinking again? JACK: No. SARAH: Are you, Jack?! Jack wasn’t an alcoholic before the plane crash, but the way she asks him you get the impression that that’s the reason why the marriage broke up. 1. The link up thread from the blogisode things. There’s no significance to the 20 minutes is a long time remark. It’s just a long time to wait for the next drink. ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-4-01-the-begining-of-the-end/435458/53 "2008-01-31T02:05:20Z")
Oh, this ‘enhanced version’? Where’s my fucking duct tape- I have to cover the bottom of my TV. ---
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-4-01-the-begining-of-the-end/435458/54 "2008-01-31T02:32:21Z")
Alright, I’m already hating this ‘enhancement’ …every time we see Naomi the scrawl is full of “alledgeldy” language, but when Juilet is the topic, the language changes to confidently factual. I dislike having another layer of mindf\*ck to try and determine if I want to believe what’s being said. -rainy ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-4-01-the-begining-of-the-end/435458/55 "2008-01-31T02:46:50Z")
To play devil’s advocate (it _is_ a really intriguing theory): [QUOTE=Crawlspace] 1. Kates free. Surviving a plane crash doesn’t get you off the hook for murder. [/QUOTE] The secrecy in their meeting–at night, in the dark, at a specific meeting place where they can’t easily be overheard–is likely a sign that Kate’s still on the run (probably with Sawyer). > [@](#): > > 2)From the brief scene with Jack’s ex-wife Sarah > SARAH: What happened? > JACK: We saw… a car accident. > SARAH: Are you OK? > JACK: Yeah. Yeah I’m fine. > SARAH: Are you drinking again? > JACK: No. > SARAH: Are you, Jack?! > > Jack wasn’t an alcoholic before the plane crash, but the way she asks him you get the impression that that’s the reason why the marriage broke up. We don’t how long the Losties have been back–obviously not for ages and ages, but maybe a few months or even a year or two. Jack is holding a shiny new cellphone model which (I _think_) dates to 2006 or 2007, and the timeline of the show puts them in 2004. So it’s enough time for Jack to have developed a drinking problem–and undoubtedly drunk-dialed Sarah, going “Sarah I love you come baaaack”, or something like that. What in the mobisodes says that they’re going to an alternate future? ---
**Author:** ![mshar253](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@mshar253](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mshar253)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-4-01-the-begining-of-the-end/435458/56 "2008-01-31T03:36:19Z")
As others have stated, this “enhanced version” is awful. I’m sure that there were some people out there who had missed only this episode and intended to get completely caught up tonight, and within the first 20 seconds of the show, they’re screwed. What I actually came to write about, though, is something I hadn’t noticed the first three times I saw this episode and have never heard anyone mention: in the segment just prior to now, when I’m writing this, when Mr. Friendly and the other Other are talking, the other guy says, “It was an order Tom; we had to follow it.” Tom answers, “Ben doesn’t know what he’s talking about; he’s lost his mind.” Maybe this was already obvious to everyone, but apparently Ben had ordered them _not_ to shoot Bernard, Sayid, and Jin, regardless of what he said over the walkie. I found that interesting. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-4-01-the-begining-of-the-end/435458/57 "2008-01-31T04:29:51Z")
I think they got Counselor Troi to write the “enhancements”. “Jack is clearly very upset.” ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-4-01-the-begining-of-the-end/435458/58 "2008-01-31T04:40:03Z")
I pretty much missed all of last season, so the enhanced mode is helping me quite a bit, but I can see it being annoying to those that know what’s going on. Some of the stuff is pretty redundant, though. This was a fine episode of television, I think I’ll give next season a shot. The Charlie drowning scene was pretty solid. I liked it. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelQReilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@MichaelQReilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelQReilly)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-4-01-the-begining-of-the-end/435458/59 "2008-01-31T04:46:27Z")
I watched the enhanced “Through the Looking Glass.” I don’t like the character anyway, but it struck me again how lame Charlie’s death was. He could have easily went out of the room and closed the bulkhead. There was also plenty of time for he and Desmond to swim out of the airlock. Unless the writers were trying to make a point about self fulfilling prophecies, the whole thing was done badly. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-4-01-the-begining-of-the-end/435458/60 "2008-01-31T05:06:51Z")
It’s been a while since I’ve seen this episode (I began watching the enhanced version, and turned it off in disgust not even ten seconds in. “Jack is clearly very upset”, indeed), but the impression I had was that, in the end, Charlie didn’t want to run any risk of Desmond’s visions (including that of rescue) to come out false. If he had saved himself, he would’ve tossed all that into jeopardy. At least, that’s how I had interpreted it at the time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-4-01-the-begining-of-the-end/435458.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-4-01-the-begining-of-the-end/435458.md?page=4)