Lost, Season 4

The fourth season of Lost came to a close last night, and I continue to marvel at how it has grabbed hold of my imagination. I couldn't stop thinking about it until I fell asleep, and was still thinking about it when I woke up in the morning, running the various theories through my head, trying to account for the various plot threads and characters. I've never seen a show that was so incredibly detailed, and makes so many cultural references. The two-hour finale had devotees brushing up on the burial of English philosopher Jeremy Bentham and the time-travelling possibilities via the Kasimir effect.

This season was truncated, as it didn't start until January and was hampered by the writer's strike. But it was the first season of the show since it was announced that it had a definite end (I think there are two more half-seasons of about thirteen episodes). This season carried forward the story only about eight days in real time (plus a week that zipped by, after the helpful graphic "One Week Later") but the plot was pushed forward to the present time by a series of flash-forwards, that ingeniously let on who would leave the island, but not precisely how (and more importantly, who wouldn't leave the island, and not precisely why).

As we leave this season, a few major questions loom: we are told that after the "Oceanic Six" are rescued, bad things happen on the island, which is now being ruled by John Locke (who ends up committing suicide (?) and being the mysterious man in the coffin). What happens, and where the island was moved to (in space, or time, or both) will certainly be key next season. Also, the ongoing war between Ben and Charles Widmore over the fate of the island will go on. Ben has come to be perhaps the most important character in this story, as he is sort of the person who represents the island (and he wasn't introduced until halfway through season two). As played by Michael Emerson, he is a magnificent creation, through both writer and actor.

Other questions abound, such as what becomes of Sawyer, Juliet, and three of the "freighter folk" (one of them, Charlotte, made a mysterious comment about being born there). I'm wondering if we will ever get definitive answers about the significance of the numbers, the statue of the four-toed giant, or what ship called The Black Rock was doing in the middle of the island. I have a feeling The Black Rock is a big piece of the puzzle, but we'll see.

As season four ended, Ben told Jack that they all must return to the island, even the corpse of Locke/Bentham. Given that Kate doesn't want to go, and was warned in her dreams by Claire not to take Aaron, it should make for some interesting drama.