Published: January 28, 2008 09:20 am      

TV: Catch up on "Lost"

You might not have thought your world was that shaken when the Golden Globes came and went without a live telecast.

You may have been irked that shows like “House,” “The Office” and “Grey’s Anatomy” had their seasons cut short, but you’ll get by for now.

But when “Lost” debuts with a new season Thursday with only half its episodes ready to air, you might finally realize just how miserable the deadlocked Writers Guild of America strike can really be.

No other show on television is holding so many secrets and riddles over its viewers' heads than "Lost."

There’s not a lot that most of us can do to fix the drama behind the drama, but we can get the most out of what we’ve been given. And that means being caught up on what’s happened to the passengers of Oceanic Flight 815, the “Others” that inhabit the island, and the island itself, which certainly ranks as one of the series’ most intriguing characters.

What follows is a primer to help long-time watchers get re-oriented before Thursday’s premiere. ABC will air a three-season “recap” episode before the first new episode, but this guide is meant to get fans up to speed quickly, assuming you know the show’s basic setup.

Do not read anything on this page if you’re planning to start fresh with the first season, or still haven’t made it all the way through season three yet. Do feel free to debate your fellow fans over which mysteries are more important, which character is most interesting, and how long we’ll have to wait for the second half of the season to arrive.



• What: Season four premiere of “Lost”

• When: 8 pm. Thursday

• Channel: ABC



Five mysteries we want solved

1. What is the “monster”?

Sometimes it tears people apart and trees down, sometimes it backs down when stared at. One character sees something “beautiful,” another glimpses of his past. The producers have only said that it’s not a cloud of microscopic robots or an alien, and long-time island inhabitant Rousseau has described it as a “security system.” Whatever it is, it’s a convenient means of moving the plot forward when

2. Who, or what, is Jacob?

Aside from being, supposedly, the “true leader” of the Others, “Jacob” appears to be a presence that only Ben and Locke have seen (or heard) so far. He supposedly said “Help me,” to Locke, and shook his entire shack when Locke turned on a flashlight. Yet another formless, unidentifiable menace to keep us all watching.

3. What happened to the DHARMA Initiative?

We know from season three that the woods-living “hostiles” killed off the scientific/sociological researchers of the DHARMA initiative, helped by Ben. And Web-savvy geeks know a bit more about the Initiative, its founders and hints at a conspiratorial past. But we’re still waiting for the big picture. How did the Initiative find the island? What was the project’s true goal? Why do food rations continue to arrive on the island, and how do they secretly make DHARMA-brand ranch dressing?

4. What is Walt’s deal?

He appears in more than one survivors’ visions, he can seemingly make events happen just by thinking about them, he never loses a board game, and even the Others are afraid to keep him. Is this important to the island, or is Walt just somehow, well, special? Expect more weirdness as the actor, Malcolm David Kelley, grows far faster than the series timeline and the writers strive to explain it.

5. How could humanity not know where an entire island is?

The series is supposedly taking place sometime in 2004-05, but even then, anyone who downloaded an early version of Google Earth could get worldwide satellite imagery. Explaining how the entire world is ignorant of an inhabitable island, which is apparently impossible to sail away from, might just take a two-hour PowerPoint presentation by the producers — although that might make for a nice DVD extra.



Where they are now

• Jack Shephard: The spinal surgeon has just decided to contact an unknown ship and almost kill three fellow survivors in a standoff with Ben. He has conflicted feelings for both Kate and Juliet, and perpetual self-doubt about his appointed role as leader. Shephard’s showing some serious strain. If he murdered Locke, or Ben, or both this season, we’d completely understand why.

• Kate Austen: Torn between an attraction to Sawyer (whom she might be pregnant by) and loyalty to Jack (who we know she doesn’t end up with, thanks to a suspense-killing “flash-forward"), she’s guaranteed to be taken hostage or otherwise endangered at least twice this season.

• James “Sawyer” Ford: The sarcastic Southern-accented con artist who can never seem to find a shirt has just taken a seriously dark turn, avenging his parents’ deaths (at the hands of Locke’s father) and killing an Other in cold blood. But at least a new set of “rescuers” gives him ample opportunity to come up with a few new mean nicknames.

• John Locke: Having blown up two bases, sunk a submarine, killed a helicopter pilot and thoroughly alienated himself from both the Others and the survivors, Locke ended Season Three by telling Jack he “wasn’t meant” to call for help. Suffice to say, he’s ready for an extended stay on the island.

• Benjamin “Ben” Linus: We may know a bit about where he comes from and what’s important to him, but the true motives and mission of the Others’ apparent leader are still largely a mystery. He was at wits’ end when we last saw him, but “Henry Gale” has a way of staying two steps ahead at every turn.

• Juliet Burke: Love her or hate her — and it’s hard to love the quadruple-crossing fertility doctor at this point — Juliet knows Ben better than anybody, which could make her a serious asset to the survivors. Then again, she’ll do anything to get off the island and back to her ailing sister, and her affection for Jack might be more advantageous than amorous.

• Sayid Hassan Jarrah: The easy vote for the survivors’ Most Valuable Player. Having saved everybody’s hides with his skills in electronics, combat, interrogation, tracking, sailing and music box repair, let’s just assume he’ll get even more chances to prove his worth with a new contingent heading for the island.

• Desmond Hume: It’s a confusing time to be Desmond, brother. His visions saved survivors’ lives, but also doomed Charlie to a watery grave and led him to think his life-long flame, Penny, was on the approaching boat. Still, he’s named after a philosopher, and that tends to mean he’s got an integral role to be played out.

• Jin-Soo & Sun-Hwa Kwon: Having finally achieved some level of peace, Sun’s pregnancy throws a new challenge between them. Sun has two months until her expected delivery, the point at which every pregnant mother on the island has died so far. Jin has just survived another near-death experience, and is learning more English every day.

• Claire Littleton: Hugely pregnant for one season, endlessly in danger for another, Claire doesn’t yet know that Charlie has died. Get ready for some serious season-long mourning.

• Hugo “Hurley” Reyes: He’s like the comic relief, only with a terrible five-number curse, an imaginary/schizophrenic frenemy and a serious self-esteem complex. Yet he managed to save the three captured survivors by running an Other over with the van he found. Where he’s going next, only the numbers know.

• Michael Dawson & Walt: The frustrated artist (and now double-murderer) and his mystically-tinged son are confirmed to be returning as regular cast members early this season. Your guess as to why, and for what purpose, is as good as anybody’s.



Rock star, guerilla leader among the dead characters

• Boone Carlyle: COO of mother’s wedding company. Died from injuries after falling in a prop plane stuck in a tree.

• Shannon Rutherford: Boone’s step-sister, ballet dancer/teacher. Shot by Ana Lucia.

• Mr. Eko: Former guerilla leader, former priest. Beaten to death by the “monster.”

• Ana Lucia Cortez: Former Los Angeles cop, “bodyguard” for Jack’s father, leader of the tail section survivors. Shot by Michael.

• Libby: Supposed former psychologist, definite shared a mental institution stay with Hurley. Shot by Michael.

• Nikki Fernandez & Paulo: Con artists with supermodel looks. Paralyzed each other with venemous spiders, accidentally buried alive by survivors.

• Charlie: One-hit rock star. Drowned by Others enforcer Mikhail Bakunin.

• Lots of nameless survivors and semi-nameless Others: Killed by bullets, dynamite, the "monster” and plot advancement needs.