This season, I’ll be summing up this unusual 2007-2008 season with a post-mortem on the majority of the shows I’ve reviewed during the year, ranking from the very worst to the very best. In some cases, the term “post-mortem” is all too applicable. This is the final part of this 11-step journey, focusing on the fourth season of “Lost”.
By the end of the third season, the producers of “Lost” had pulled off a creative coup: not the now infamous flash-forward aspects of “Through the Looking Glass”, but a deal with ABC to set an end date for the series. As soon as the deal was struck, one major writing challenge was resolved. Prior to the deal, the producers had no idea how long the series would run, and there were reasons to suspect that it would run longer than necessary. This led to a second and third season that felt decompressed, leading some former fans to abandon a show that was “going nowhere”.
All of that has changed; the end date has given the narrative urgency and a sense of direction. The producers clearly set forth a three-act conclusion to the series, encompassing the elements to be resolved in three well-constructed season arcs. While every season has been replete with plot and character arcs, the fourth season had more of a driving purpose than any season before it. And it’s equally clear, from the events of the fourth season finale, that the same will be true for the fifth season as well.
The season was designed to maximize the process of building tension and escalating conflict. Had the original scheduling been preserved (running a total of 16 episodes without interruption), the season might have retained its inherent momentum and rivaled the first season as the best of the series to date. Despite some challenges to the plan, the creative urgency managed to win the day.
The story of the Oceanic Six, sprawling out over the time period between the end of the season and the events of “Through the Looking Glass”, constructed the framework necessary to expand the scope of the series and open up new storytelling perspectives. If nothing else, it was a good test case for moving out of the traditional flashback format, demonstrating that a well-constructed script could change the perspective of time without undue confusion on the part of the audience.
The flash-forwards also introduced a new layer of mystery. Knowing some small sliver of the future does not ruin the story, because often the journey is more interesting and powerful than the destination. Because the “present” was still the main focus, those glimpses of the future only served to add more tension.
While Jack, Kate, and Locke were, as always, at the forefront of the story, other characters received much-needed attention. Sayid finally moved into a more active position, and Hurley’s more serious turn became increasingly important. Sun, with and without Jin, became far more important than anticipated. And Claire, who has been sidelined for a very long time, began to thread back into the story in a big way in the second half of the season. Ben continued to prove his worth as a constant antagonist, and Desmond remains one of the best supporting characters around.
Several new characters were introduced, and like seasons past, they served a distinct narrative role. For example, the four characters introduced in “Presumed Dead” have all proven to be critical in some way or another. Daniel’s knowledge of spacetime physics made him invaluable in terms of understanding the island, and that will likely continue. Miles’ psychic ability has already begun to unveil secrets about the island’s true nature. Charlotte was often in the background, but the finale re-positioned her as very important in the fifth season. Frank served the necessary function of getting the Oceanic Six off the island. And Keamy, the mercenary leader, personified the threat Charles Widmore represents to the survivors.
That’s not to say that the characters were all well-served by the fourth season. While Michael’s character arc made sense in terms of the redemptive core at the heart of the show’s premise, it was far too telegraphed and his eventual fate was never in question. (Allegations of racism underlying Michael’s fate are, in context of the show itself, ridiculous.) After so much time in the background, Jin’s role was mostly counterpoint to Sun’s movements. Sawyer, once so vital to the dynamics of the show, had a very muted character arc (expect him to shine in the fifth season). Juliet, an important part of the third season, never seemed to have anything worthwhile to do, while her motivations became more and more muddled. And despite plenty of air time, Kate’s character continued to be defined by reaction rather than action.
It should also be mentioned that this season saw the loss of Danielle and Alex, both of which were taken down by Keamy. Danielle’s death complicates any attempt to flesh out her story, something important to the overall skein, and while Alex’s death gave additional motivation to Ben, it felt excessive. The series has been criticized for its apparent misogyny in the past, and this season certainly didn’t help matters.
In addition to the quibbles over character choices here and there (none of which is particularly new), the season suffered from the effects of the writers’ strike. The effects were relatively minor, especially compared to other high performers like “Supernatural”, but effects were still felt. In particular, the second half of the season had to be condensed by three hours (an extra hour was added to the finale, but it only expanded that part of the story). The overall arc had the same conclusion, but the compression was still apparent.
That said, “Lost” continues to be the most complex and rewarding show on the air, particularly for those with the patience to let the story unfold on its own terms. The fourth season is easily one of the best thus far, reaching its heights even after so much ground has been covered. The fourth season earned a Critical Myth average rating of 8.0, a slight improvement over the third season, and for the second year in a row, “Lost” gained top honors for the season. For most fans, that comes as no surprise.
John Keegan
Reprinted with permission
Original source: c. Critical Myth, 2008
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Link:
http://www.criticalmyth.com
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