Lost: Season 4, Episode 1

The Beginning of the End (31 Jan. 2008)

TV Episode  -   -  Adventure | Drama | Fantasy
8.8
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 8.8/10 from 2,756 users  
Reviews: 11 user | 5 critic

Charlie's dying message casts doubt on the intentions of the people that Jack believes to be their rescuers. A power struggle ensues between Jack, who wants to leave the island, and Locke, who thinks that they're supposed to stay.

Director:

Writers:

(creator), (creator), 3 more credits »
0Check in
0Share...

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 40 titles created 06 Jun 2011
 
a list of 32 titles created 09 Aug 2011
 
a list of 14 titles created 10 months ago
 
a list of 541 titles created 1 month ago
 

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: The Beginning of the End (31 Jan 2008)

The Beginning of the End (31 Jan 2008) on IMDb 8.8/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of Lost.
« Previous Episode | 70 of  118 Episodes | Next Episode »

Videos

Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Alias (2001–2006)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

Sydney Bristow is an international spy recruited out of college and trained for espionage and self-defense.

Stars: Jennifer Garner, Ron Rifkin, Carl Lumbly
FlashForward (2009–2010)
Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.5/10 X  

A special task force in the FBI investigates after every person on Earth simultaneously blackouts and awakens with a short vision of their future.

Stars: Courtney B. Vance, Joseph Fiennes, Jack Davenport
Surface (2005–2006)
Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

A marine biologist, an insurance salesman and a teen-aged boy find their lives fundamentally changed by the emergence of a new, and often dangerous, species of sea life, while government agents work to keep the affair under wraps.

Stars: Lake Bell, Jay R. Ferguson, Carter Jenkins
The 4400 (2004–2007)
Sci-Fi | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

As the reappearance of 4,400 missing persons on a single day confounds the global community, federal agents on the case slowly discover the ways in which the victims have been changed.

Stars: Jacqueline McKenzie, Joel Gretsch, Patrick John Flueger
Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

In 2027, in a chaotic world in which women have become somehow infertile, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea.

Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Stars: Clive Owen, Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Dollhouse (2009–2010)
Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

A futuristic laboratory assigns different tasks to its various residents, who then have their memories erased upon the completion of their assignments.

Stars: Eliza Dushku, Harry Lennix, Fran Kranz
Fringe (2008–2013)
Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.4/10 X  

A television drama centered around a female FBI agent who is forced to work with an institutionalized scientist in order to rationalize a brewing storm of unexplained phenomena.

Stars: Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, Jasika Nicole
The Pretender (1996–2000)
Drama | Sci-Fi | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

A specially gifted man, with the ability to instantly master any skill, escapes from a secret agency and travels the country taking on a different jobs and helping strangers.

Stars: Michael T. Weiss, Andrea Parker, Patrick Bauchau
Roswell (1999–2002)
Drama | Mystery | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

Living among the citizens of the infamous New Mexico city of Roswell are some who are not there by choice. They are there to follow a destiny given to them by the members of their dying ... See full summary »

Stars: Shiri Appleby, Jason Behr, Katherine Heigl
The X-Files (1993–2002)
Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.7/10 X  

Two FBI agents, Fox Mulder the believer and Dana Scully the skeptic, investigate the strange and unexplained while hidden forces work to impede their efforts.

Stars: Gillian Anderson, David Duchovny, Mitch Pileggi
Sci-Fi | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

A young man blocks out harmful memories of significant events of his life. As he grows up, he finds a way to remember these lost memories and a supernatural way to alter his life.

Directors: Eric Bress, J. Mackye Gruber
Stars: Ashton Kutcher, Melora Walters, Amy Smart
Smallville (2001–2011)
Adventure | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

A young Clark Kent struggles to find his place in the world as he learns to harness his alien powers for good and deals with the typical troubles of teenage life in Smallville.

Stars: Tom Welling, Allison Mack, Kristin Kreuk
Edit

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Miles Straume (credit only)
...
...
Charlotte Lewis (credit only)
...
...
Edit

Storyline

Desmond returns to the castaways' camp on the beach where he relays Charlie's message which casts suspicion and doubt about the rescuers that are approaching the island on a freighter 80 miles away. Meanwhile, Jack and Locke argue about Jack wanting to leave the island, while Locke wants to stay and build a new life for them. Meanwhile, flash forward into three years in the future show a mentally disturbed Hurley having visions of the dead Charlie telling him to return to the island. Written by Anonymous

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis


Certificate:

TV-14 | See all certifications »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

31 January 2008 (USA)  »

Filming Locations:


Company Credits

Production Co:

,  »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

The letters "H" and "O" come up several times in this episode. This is interesting because "H" is the 8th letter of the alphabet and "O" is the 15th (815). Charlie first appears to Hurley in this episode near the "Ho-Ho's." When Hurley is in the mental institution "H" and "O" can be seen in the background. Also, when Hurley and Jack play Horse in the gym they stop after Jack gets the first to letters, "H" and "O." See more »

Goofs

When the detective tells Hurley that he can put him in the nut house, Hurley respond by hugging him. Over the detective's right shoulder, during the over the shoulder shot of Hurley, you can clearly see the left hand of the camera operator, and most of the lens. See more »

Quotes

Kate Austen: What are you doing?
James 'Sawyer' Ford: Same thing I've always done, Kate... Surviving.
See more »

Crazy Credits

The producers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of the people of Hawaii and their Aloha spirit. See more »

Connections

References First Blood (1982) See more »

Soundtracks

"Main Title"
(uncredited)
Written by J.J. Abrams
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

Lost returns with a vengeance
3 February 2008 | by (prejudicemadeplausible.wordpress.com) – See all my reviews

A thoroughly satisfactory follow-up to "Through the Looking Glass" did not feel anti-climactic to me after waiting all those months for the show's return, and on DVD seems about as good. It's not a brilliant episode, but it's an emotional gem pretty much throughout, and it's got some winning moments of humor and heart which elevate it beyond the typical season opener. It doesn't quite hit the highs of "Man of Science, Man of Faith", but it's significantly better than "A Tale of Two Cities", and the shift from Jack to Hurley works very well, although Jack is still featured prominently in the flashforwards.

The on-island events are a logical extension of "Through the Looking Glass", and work as both follow-up to that episode and a setup for the rest of season four, and pretty much cover all bases in relation to the characters involved in season three's climactic stages (unlike season three's opening stages, which took several episodes to even get to some of the characters impacted by season two's finale, and only set up the Hydra pod of episodes). I don't care at all for Naomi's not being dead, which pretty much redefines 'plot contrivance', or for Rose's line about Claire treating Charlie 'real good' when (sigh) he returns. The rest of it is pretty great, especially the only real surprise in the episode, Hurley's encounter with Jacob's cabin.

The flashforwards are clearly happening well before "Through the Looking Glass", and work well as a setup for the rest of the flashforward stories which would ultimately lead to Drunk Bearded Jack's visit to the mystery coffin. All in all this is a good script, very well-performed and nicely-directed which functions as a pleasingly efficient and rewarding season opener.


11 of 13 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
didnt understand it mintesa
Ben theory potato-fetish
Finished the Series...my thoughts AnnahMH
Flash Sideways + Second Chances RafaElMagico
Best Actors in Lost UnconditionalHate
What to watch now? potato-fetish
Discuss The Beginning of the End (2008) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page