Lost/The Beginning of the End

The Beginning of the End
Season 4, Episode 1
Airdate	January 31, 2008
Production Number	401
Written by	Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse
Directed by	Jack Bender
← 3x23 Through the Looking Glass (2)	4x02 → Confirmed Dead
Lost — Season Four

The Beginning of the End is the first episode of the fourth season of Lost, and the seventy-third episode overall.

Feeling that their rescue is close at hand, the survivors don't know whether to believe Charlie’s final message that the people claiming to liberate them are not who they seem to be.

Starring: Naveen Andrews (Sayid), Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond), Jeremy Davies (Daniel Faraday), Emilie de Ravin (Claire), Michael Emerson (Ben), Matthew Fox (Jack), Jorge Garcia (Hurley), Josh Holloway (Sawyer), Daniel Dae Kim (Jin), Yunjin Kim (Sun), Ken Leung (Miles Straume), Evangeline Lilly (Kate), Rebecca Mader (Charlotte Lewis), Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet), Dominic Monaghan (Charlie), Terry O'Quinn (John), Harold Perrineau, Jr. (Michael)

Guest Starring: Sam Anderson (Bernard), Blake Bashoff (Karl), L. Scott Caldwell (Rose), Michael Cudlitz (Mike Walton), Mira Furlan (Danielle Rousseau), Tania Raymonde (Alex), Lance Reddick (Matthew Abaddon), Fisher Stevens (George Minkowski) (voice only), John Terry (Christian Shephard), Marsha Thomason (Naomi)

Co-Starring: Billy Ray Gallion (Randy) Steven Neumeier (Lewis), Grisel Toledo (Orderly)

Plot Overview

The Island

• At the beach camp, Hurley radios Jack and finds out he's contacted Naomi's freighter and they're coming for them. Jack is going to lead the survivors back to the beach camp and tells Hurley to pack his bags. Hurley confides to Bernard he won the lottery and is worth around $150 million, which is the worst thing that's ever happened to him, but Bernard thinks he's joking. Now that everyone thinks he's dead, Hurley believes it'll all be gone and he'll finally be free. Hurley decides to do a cannonball into the water and, as he comes back up, he sees the other survivors helping Desmond get the canoe to shore. Desmond is frantic, telling them they have to get to Jack and tell him not to contact the freighter. Sawyer informs him the freighter has already been contacted, but Desmond tells them Naomi lied. Hurley demands to know where Charlie is and the survivors discover he didn't make it. The group argue over how to contact Jack as Sayid believes the people on the freighter are monitoring their communications. Sawyer decides to contact Jack over their walkie talkie, but Hurley grabs it and tosses it into the ocean. The group arm themselves and head out to warn Jack.

  Night descends upon the island as they continue onward. Sawyer offers to talk about what happened to Charlie, but Hurley declines Sawyer's offer. Hurley gets separated from the group and comes across Jacob's cabin. Whispers are heard in the jungle as Hurley witnesses light emanating from inside the cabin. He peaks inside through a broken window and sees a man, Christian Shephard, in a rocking chair. But an obscured face suddenly appears on the other side of the window, startling Hurley. He tries to run away, but the cabin reappears in front of him. The cabin's door slowly opens and Hurley closes his eyes, telling himself there's nothing there. Opening his eyes, Hurley finds the cabin is gone, but is startled once more by the appearance of Locke. Hurley tells him about what happened with Desmond and Charlie, and that it's going to be difficult to make the others believe the people on the freighter aren't there to rescue them. Locke tells him they'll have to try their best, otherwise Charlie would have died for nothing.

• At the radio transmitter, Kate fails to find Locke's trail after he killed Naomi. Jack believes Locke is crazy and threatens to kill him if he shows up again. As the survivors prepare to leave for the beach camp, Ben and Rousseau watch Alex and Karl talking to each other. Ben asks Rousseau for a favor: to take Alex away from there immediately. He believes everyone who stays there is going to die and he wants Rousseau to take her away and go somewhere, anywhere, else. Rousseau takes offense at Ben calling Alex his daughter, backhanding him, and leaves him tied to a tree.

  Jack is contacted by George Minkowski who informs him they're having trouble getting a lock on their position, so they need to change some settings on the satellite phone. Jack asks him what he needs to do, but Minkowski asks for Naomi. Jack tells him Naomi went for firewood, but Jack and Kate discover Naomi's body has disappeared. As Ben was tied up in front of Naomi's body, Jack asks him where she is, but Ben feigns ignorance. Rousseau finds a blood trail and Jack decides to take Ben with them to find Naomi. However, Kate finds a second blood trail, which Jack decides to ignore. Jack tells her to take the survivors back to the beach and the two hug.

  Jack, Rousseau and Ben follows Naomi's blood trail as night settles on the island. Unfortunately, the blood trail comes to an end and Rousseau surmises Naomi double-backed. Ben wryly tells Jack he should contact the freighter to tell them Naomi is getting a really big bundle of firewood, but Jack discovers the satellite phone is missing. Jack demands to know where it is, and Ben tells him Kate took it when they hugged. He decided not to tell Jack because he owed him one after Jack beat him up. She also found the right blood trail. The trio head back.

  In the jungle, Kate follows her blood trail when the satellite phone rings. Deciding to answer it, Kate tells Minkowski that Jack is looking for Naomi. Minkowski wants to know what she means, but Kate ends the call. Kate notices blood dripping onto her and Naomi tackles her from a tree, pressing Locke's knife against her throat. Naomi demands the satellite phone while Kate tries to tell her they weren't the ones who threw the knife; it was John Locke who did it because he said she wasn't who she claimed to be. The satellite phone rings as Kate pleads for Naomi's help, handing Naomi the phone. Naomi tells Minkowski that she had an accident when she parachuted onto the island. They must've told him she was getting firewood because they were afraid to tell the truth until she could talk to him herself. Minkowski tells her to change the tracking frequency so they can come get her. Naomi changes the frequency and asks Minkowski to tell her sister she loves her before she collapses and dies.

• Hurley and Locke catch up with the group from the beach camp, who have stopped at the nose section of Oceanic 815. Locke tells them he's already given it a shot to warn Jack about the people on the freighter, but has returned in the hopes that he'll have better luck with some support. Sayid wants to know why Locke destroyed the Others's submarine in exchange for any hope of his support, but the rest of the survivors show up from the radio transmitter. Sun and Jin are reunited, as are Rose and Bernard. Claire tries to find Charlie, but receives the news of Charlie's death from Hurley. Rousseau, Ben and Jack reach the group and Jack knocks Locke down, taking his gun and threatening to shoot him. Locke doesn't believe Jack will shoot, but Jack pulls the trigger. Locke informs him the gun isn't loaded. Jack tries to beat him up, but Sayid and Sawyer pull Jack off of Locke. Addressing the survivors, Locke tells them all he's ever done was in their best interest, but he does have a lot of explaining to do. Jack disagrees, believing Locke is insane and has done everything he could to prevent them from getting off the island. Kate arrives with the news of Naomi's death and that she covered for all of them. Locke tells them Naomi wanted her people to find them and they all have to be as far away as possible when they arrive. He believes their best chance for survival is at the barracks as its the only place on the island with any form of security. Jack tells him no one is going with him as they're not crazy, but Hurley tells Jack that Locke isn't crazy. He reminds everyone about Charlie; of how he went to get everyone rescued but something happened to change his mind. He isn't listening to Jack; he's listening to his friend, Charlie. Hurley, Claire, Sawyer, Rousseau, Ben, Alex, Karl and other survivors side with Locke and leave for the barracks as a thunderstorm rolls in.

  Jack and Kate look inside the wreckage of the nose section, and Kate asks him if he's thinking of Charlie. Jack tells her it feels like it's been a hundred years since the three of them came to the nose section for the transceiver. The two hear the sound of a helicopter and are hit by a searchlight from a helicopter overhead. But the helicopter begins to have trouble and a person parachutes out of it. The two reach the parachutist to find a man, Daniel Faraday, who asks Jack if he's Jack.

The Flashforward

• Flashforward: Jack

An unbearded Jack is making himself a screwdriver and watching TV while he gets ready for work. The TV is showing live footage of a high speed chase. He recognizes the car and gets upset.

• Flashforward: Hurley

In Los Angeles, the police are involved in a high-speed chase with a 1970's Chevrolet Camaro. The police use their cruisers as an improvised roadblock, forcing the Camaro off the road and it crashes in a store's parking lot. The police order the driver, Hurley, out of the car and onto the ground. Hurley tries to make a run for it, but is apprehended. Hurley yells at the police that he's one of the Oceanic Six.

At the police station, Officer Mike Walton questions Hurley as to why he decided to initiate a car chase when he was minding his own business in a convenience store, saw something and freaked out. What did he see in there? Hurley denies seeing anything. Mike tells him he doesn't care he's a celebrity; one of the Oceanic Six. He goes on to tell Hurley he knew one of the passengers on Oceanic Flight 815 - Ana-Lucia Cortez; they were partners before he made detective. Hurley tells Mike he never met her. Mike leaves Hurley alone in the interrogation room to grab something to eat. As he watches the security camera footage of himself freaking out, Hurley hears a knocking on the mirror in front of him and sees it's become a window into an ocean. Charlie appears, swimming towards the window, and it shatters when he places his hand against it. Hurley freaks out as water rushes into the room, but there's nothing there when Mike comes back. Mike wants to know if Hurley is trying to get off the charges by acting crazy, threatening to put Hurley in a nut house immediately. Hurley accepts his offer, hugging Mike and thanking him.

Hurley is back in the Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute. He's playing a game of Connect Four with a fellow patient when an orderly informs him he has a visitor. The visitor identifies himself as Matthew Abaddon, an attorney for Oceanic Airlines. Abaddon is there as they've heard of Hurley's recent arrest and incarceration at the institute, and they feel terrible about what's happened. Oceanic wants to upgrade Hurley to a better facility, but Hurley declines the offer as he's fine. Abaddon asks him if he's really fine, noting he's in a mental institution. Hurley asks to see some identification, but Abaddon tells him he must have misplaced it. Hurley gets up to leave, but Abaddon asks him if they're still alive. Hurley yells for the nurse, yelling for the visitor to leave as the man is after him, but Abaddon has slipped out the door.

Outside the mental health institute, Hurley is working on a watercolor painting when a fellow patient warns Hurley about a man who's staring at him. The patient points out the man, Charlie. Charlie tells Hurley not to run, but to sit down as he wants to talk to him. He doesn't want Hurley to have a repeat of what happened in the store and freak out again. Hurley tells Charlie that, although he may be in a mental hospital, he knows Charlie is dead and isn't going to have a conversation with an imaginary person. Charlie tells him he is dead, but he's also there and slaps Hurley to prove it. Hurley asks Charlie if he knew he was going to die in The Looking Glass and Charlie nods. He didn't say anything to Hurley as he knew Hurley would try to stop him. Now Hurley has to do something he's been hiding from; the real reason Hurley ran when he saw Charlie in the store. Hurley denies that Charlie is there, closing his eyes and covering his ears. He counts to five as Charlie repeatedly tells him they need him. When Hurley reaches five, Charlie is gone.

Hurley shoots some hoops in the mental health institute's gym when Jack drops by for a visit. The two play a game of H.O.R.S.E. where Hurley learns Jack is back practicing medicine. Asked if reporters have stopped bothering him, Jack says he still has to sign a few autographs from time to time, but has been thinking of growing a beard. Hurley wants to know why Jack is really there to see him; is he there to see if he's gone nuts and was going to tell? Hurley doesn't answer and Jack decides to leave. But Hurley apologizes to Jack for going with Locke as he should have stayed with him. Hurley doesn't think they did the right thing, that it wants them to come back and is going to do everything it can to do it. Jack yells at him that they're never going back.

Notes

Mysteries

• Who comprises the Oceanic Six?
• Who is the "they" in Charlie's message to Hurley?
• Who or what wants them to come back?
• What happened to Hurley's fortune?
• Who is Naomi's sister?
• Why is Christian Shephard in Jacob's cabin?
• Who is Matthew Abaddon?

The Cursed Numbers

• Jack watches the car chase live on Action 8 News.
• Hurley plays a game of Connect Four. 4 is one of the numbers.
• There were 15 red and black discs in Hurley's Connect Four game.
• Before abandoning their game of H.O.R.S.E., Jack receives an H and O. Those are the 8^th and 15^th letters of the alphabet, respectively.

Scrutiny

• Minkowski: George Minkowski, the man contacted via Naomi's satellite phone, is voiced by a different man in this episode than the one in "Through the Looking Glass".

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Desmond fails to warn Jack in time about the freighter.
• The survivors split into two groups: one with Locke and one with Jack.
• Locke's group heads to the barracks for safety.

Characters

• Naomi succumbs to her wound and dies.
• Daniel Faraday arrives on the island from the freighter.

Referbacks

• 1x01 - Pilot, Part 1: At the wreckage of the nose section, Jack tells Kate it feels like it's been a hundred years since they were there together. In "Pilot, Part 1", Jack, Kate and Charlie ventured to the nose section to retrieve the transceiver.
• 3x13 - The Man from Tallahassee: When Locke rejoins the group, Sayid demands to know why he destroyed the submarine. In "The Man from Tallahassee", Locke used C-4 explosives from The Flame to blow up the Others' submarine.
• 3x19 - The Brig: While addressing the survivors, Locke points out that he risked his life to warn them about Juliet. In "The Brig", Locke gave Sawyer a cassette tape he stole from Ben, proving Juliet was a traitor.

Trivia

The Show

• Charlie's Message: When in the interrogation room, Hurley sees Charlie who puts his hand on the window, shattering it. There's a message written on Charlie's hand in Sharpie: "They need you."
• Going Back: In this flashforward, Jack yells to Hurley, "We're never going back!" In the flashforward for "Through the Looking Glass", Jack yells to Kate, "We have to go back!"
• Camaro: The Chevrolet Camaro in this episode is Hurley's childhood Camaro in "Tricia Tanaka Is Dead".
• Gold Car: At the end of Hurley's high-speed chase, Hurley crashes his Chevrolet Camaro into the side of a gold Pontiac. A gold Pontiac nearly hit Locke in the parking lot of his place of work in "Deux Ex Machina" , a gold Pontiac struck Michael Dawson and sent him to a hospital in "Special", a gold Pontiac collided with Tom Brennan's car that Kate was driving while attempting to flee the police in "Born to Run" and a gold Pontiac is seen in the background in "The Man from Tallahassee" when Locke confronts his father at the florist.

Behind the Scenes

• Deleted Scene: The scene with Juliet digging a grave while Sawyer watches was shortened considerably. The cut portion has Juliet asking Sawyer how many more beers he's going to drink. Sawyer asks Juliet what she's going to say when Oceanic representatives show up and realize she wasn't on the flight. In response, Juliet simply points out to Sawyer that he has some blood on his cheek from when he shot Tom.
• Jacob's Rocking Chair: The scene with Hurley looking inside Jacob's cabin was originally shot with Jorge Garcia in Jacob's chair, but it was later re-shot with John Terry in Jacob's chair. ¹
• Dog Portrait: Inside Jacob's cabin is a portrait of a dog. The dog is Lulu, director Jack Bender's dog.
• Location, Location, Location: The scenes inside the Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute were filmed at the Laniakea YWCA (Young Women's Christian Association) in Honolulu. The exterior of the Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute is a building on the University of Hawai'i Windward Community College campus in Kaneohe, HI.
• Oops!: The climax of the opening car chase sequence is the Chevrolet Camaro jumping a ramp. A large group of bystanders can be seen watching the stunt being performed when no bystanders were present in the previous shot of the police forcing the Camaro to veer off onto the ramp. The bystanders are on the lot clearly marked as Excellent Motor Group, a dealership in Honolulu, HI.
• Missing in Action: Harold Perrineau, Jr., Ken Leung, and Rebecca Mader are credited for this episode, but do not appear.

Allusions and References

• Episode Title: The episode title is a reference to an ominous warning in season three's finale "Through the Looking Glass". While attempting to contact Naomi's freighter, Ben warned Jack that "making that call is the beginning of the end."
• Abaddon: Hurley's visitor in the mental health institute is Matthew Abaddon. "Abaddon" is Hebrew for "destruction". It is one of the compartments of Gehenna, the Jewish hell or purgatory. In the Book of Revelation, Abaddon is the "Angel of the Abyss" and he is described as king of the locusts which rose at the sounding of the fifth trumpet. Many Biblical scholars believe Abaddon to be Satan, the Antichrist, one of the lesser demons of hell or a dark angel.

Memorable Moments

• Jack pulls the trigger when Locke believes he wouldn't shoot.

Quotes

• Sawyer: [Sayid tosses him a rifle] And here I was thinking I was gonna get a good night's sleep.
• Ben: Better call the boat. Tell 'em she's getting a really big bundle of firewood.
  Jack: [notices the satellite phone is missing] Where is it?
  Ben: OK, I probably should have told you that I saw her take the phone, but you beat me up, Jack. I owed you one.
  Jack: What are you talking about?
  Ben: Kate took it when she hugged you. She found the right trail, too, but you wouldn't listen to her so I guess she's taking matters into her own hands. But look on the bright side, at least somebody around here knows what the hell they're doing.