Episode Title: "The Beginning of the End"

Episode Number: Season 4, Episode 1 (#70 Overall)
Production Number: 4.01
Air Date: 01/31/08

Flash-forward: Hurley

Synopsis:"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. The band of friends, family, enemies and strangers must continue to work together against the cruel weather and harsh terrain if they want to stay alive. But as they have discovered during their 90-plus days on the island, danger and mystery loom behind every corner, and those they thought could be trusted may turn against them. Even heroes have secrets..."

Guest starring are Mira Furlan as Danielle Rousseau, Sam Anderson as Bernard, L. Scott Caldwell as Rose, Tania Raymonde as Alex, Blake Bashoff as Karl, Marsha Thomason as Naomi, Michael Cudlitz as Mike Walton, Lance Reddick as Matthew Abbadon, Grisel Toledo as orderly, Steven Neumeier as Lewis, Billy Ray Gallion as Randy, Jeremy Davies as Daniel Faraday and John Terry as Christian Shephard.

"The Beginning of the End" was written by Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse and directed by Jack Bender. (ABC Medianet)
Hurley and Jack are on the walkie-talkie, and Jack says they made contact with the rescue crew. Hurley is excited to here the news, as Jack tells him they will be rescued. Hurley tells the others on the beach about this great news. Hurley talks to Bernard, saying he once won the lottery. He then does a cannonball dive into the ocean. Upon surfacing, he sees Desmond in the boat. Desmond talks about Charlie’s grave and final warning about the people on the boat. They start to argue about what they should do. Hurley grabs the walkie-talkie and throws it into the ocean. Back at the Radio Tower, Jack, along with the rest of the survivors, get prepared to get rescued. Ben talks to Rousseau, saying to get Alex as far away as possible, because everyone with Jack will die. When Ben refers to Alex as being his daughter, Rousseau attacks him. Jack and Kate are talking about getting rescued, when Naomi’s satellite phone starts to ring. The man on the other side of the phone, Minkowski, says that the signal is weak, and needs to be readjusted, and then asks for Naomi. Jack says that she is looking for firewood, and did not want to reveal that she died. Jack and Kate turn to look at Naomi, but discover she is gone. They notice a trail of blood, and decide to follow it. It turns out to be a false trail, and they turn back. Kate leaves, after stealing the phone from Jack in search for Naomi. She stops at a tree, and notices blood dripping from above. She looks up, and sees Naomi, who jumps on here and threatens to kill her unless she gives the phone to her. Naomi gets the phone, and contacts Minkowski, and apologizes for the wait. She says she was struck by a branch upon parachuting, and asks him to tell her sister she loves her. She then dies, but not from the branch wound, but from Locke’s knife. The group at the beach head inland, attempting to rendezvous with the rest of the survivors. Hurley falls behind, and gets lost. He then see’s a cabin, and hears whispers. A light turns on inside the cabin, and Hurley looks inside a broken window. He sees a picture with a dog in it and a rocking chair with Christian Shephard sitting in it. Then, Jacob’s eye appears in the window, and Hurley runs away, frightened. He looks back at the cabin, believing he did not see what he saw, and the cabin was no longer there. He turns around and another cabin appears in front of him, the door creaks open and Hurley closes his eyes and repeats, "There's nothing here." He opens his eyes and the cabin is gone. Just as that happens, Locke appears. Everyone, including Locke and Hurley arrive at the cockpit, where the rest of the survivors are at. Locke and Sayid get into an argument as to why he blew up the submarine. Claire is looking for Charlie, but does not see him. Hurley goes up to her to tell her the tragic news. Jack sneaks up on Locke, and knocks him to the ground with a gun pointed at his head. Locke says “You’re not going to shoot me”, but Jack pulls the trigger. The gun clicks, but the bullet chamber is empty. Locke says that everything he has done was for the benefit of everyone, and that they must follow him if they want to survive. Jack says that Locke is insane. The survivors must choose which person they will follow: Jack or Locke. Jack and Kate are by the cockpit, talking about the first time they went there with Charlie. Then they hear a noise from the distance. A spotlight appears, coming from a helicopter. They see a man parachute from the helicopter onto the Island. They run to him, and they reach the man, who asks "Are you Jack?"

Hurley's Flash-forward:

Jack is watching a car chase on the television. A pile of papaya fruits are smashed, as the car crashes into it. The police demand the driver to exit the car. The person comes out, who turns out to be Hurley. He then makes a run for it, but the police quickly arrest it. Hurley tries to resist arrest and says “I’m one of the Oceanic 6!” Hurley is interrogated at a police station. The man says that he knew someone on Flight 815, Ana-Lucia. Hurley says he never met her. He shows him a surveillance video of Hurley at a store, who sees someone, and freaks out. The man leaves, leaving Hurley in the room. Hurley looks at a mirror, and sees Charlie, swimming towards the window. There is a message written on his hand: THEY NEED YOU. Just then, the mirror smashes, flooding the room. Hurley panics, and the cop enters the room, wondering what all the commotion was for. Nothing happened, and the cop says that he will be taken to a mental institution. Hurley is relieved by this, and hugs the cop. Hurley is back at Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute. He is playing connect four with another patient when an orderly gives him medicine. She also says there is a visitor. The man is Matthew Abbadon, an attorney for Oceanic Airlines. He says they can upgrade him to a better institute, where there is a view of the ocean. Hurley says he does not want to see the ocean, and starts to get frightened. He asks for a business card, but he says he forgot it. Then, Matthew asks “Are they still alive?” This startles Hurley, who calls for a nurse. The orderlies constrain Hurley, and Matthew walks away. Hurley is outside, and a patient tells him there is a man staring at him. In the distance is a man, with short hair and wearing sunglasses. It’s Charlie. Hurley gets scared and starts to run away. Charlie calms him down, and they both sit down. Hurley says he got scared after seeing him at the store. Charlie says he is really here, but is dead. They talk about his mission at the Looking Glass, and how he knew it would happen. Charlie says “They need you”, and Hurley starts counting to five. Once he reached five, Charlie disappears. Jack visits Hurley at a basketball court, and plays a game. Jack says that people are asking for autographs whenever he is buying a cup of coffee. Jack loses the game, and goes on to say if he is “going to tell”. Hurley does not respond. Jack decides to leave, and Hurley says he is sorry he went with Locke. He then says that he wants to go back to the Island, but Jack says he will never want to go back.

OMG Moments:

• Hurley hallucinates Charlie twice: in the police interrogation room and at the mental hospital.Charlie confirms thathe's dead!
• Hurley seesJacob and Christian on the Island!
• A helicopter arrives with Naomi's friend parachuting out of it!
  

New Clues:

• We now know only six get off the Island: Jack, Kate, Hurley (the other 3 are unknown).
  • In Hurley's Flash-forward:"Stop! Don't you know who I am! Stop, wait, don't you know who I am! I'm one of the Oceanic 6!"

Questions:

• According to Charlie, who does Hurley need to save?
• Why does Hurley have visions of Charlie?
• It could be the Island trying to communicated with Hurley again.
  
• How did Hurley see Jacob and Christian?
• I am glad that you said that Hurley saw Jacob AND Christian in the Cabin, because Christian is not Jacob. I feel that Richard is Jacob. I also wonder if the black smoke represents death, and can reincarnate anyone or anything that is dead. It does not have to be something to be afraid of, but something to accept. I.E. Jack's father, Kate's horse, what ever Locke saw? But Mr. Ecko saw it as death and gave himself up to it sort of as a tithing to his brother?Please compare the profiles of the two pictures of Christian and the one of Jacob. I am sure they are different people. Most probably dead people.
• I truley believe that Charlie is dead, but he could appear again in some scenes.
• Again, this could be the Island's way of communication.
  
• Why was Christian at the Cabin?
• Who are the other three people of the Oceanic 6?
• Jack, Kate, Aaron, Sun, and Sayid.
  
• What is the big secret the Oceanic 6 are keeping?
• Probably that the rest of the passangers are dead.
  
• How do we know only 6 get off the island? The Oceanic 6 could be named that for another reason.
  • Hurley said so and why would he say different.

Trivia:

• Charlie is in this episode twice. First swimming in Hurley's flash-forward, and again talking with Hurley. Both times as hallucinations that feel real, hence Charlie slapping Hurley.
• Abbaddon, the attorney's last name, is another word for hell.

Theories:

• #1: I believe Hurley, in his flash-forward, has to save the remaining people on the Island from the Freighter crew who have found the Island through Jack and Naomi's satellite phone. The reason Ben is so frightened of these people is because they are the Dharma Initiative who have been searching for the Island after it was taken over by Ben and his others. This being said, the Dharma Initiative would re-establish their base and hold anyone under remaining on the Island because they think anyone on the Island is an "other". Either the"Oceanic 6" were released or they had escaped from the Island. Also, one reason I believe Naomi said that Flight 815 crashed was a possible cover up by the Oceanic Airliner because they knew the plane crash landed on the Island.
• This theory has been debunked because the Freighter is Charles Whidmore's boat and not Darhma's.