Fallout ushers in Lost’s final season

That loud scream you heard Tuesday evening was the sound of Lost fans nationwide welcoming the return of their favorite show. The complex and compelling series kicked off its sixth and final season with the fallout of last season’s ending, new characters and new questions regarding time travel.

Fans of the series began the season premiere “LA X” with a very familiar scene — Oceanic flight 815, flying from Sydney to Los Angeles. Dr. Jack Shepherd enjoys a drink while the plane experiences turbulence. Wait, isn’t that how the first episode began? Did the network put in the wrong episode?

Apparently not. Picking up where the last episode left off, an electromagnetic pocket of energy mixed with a nuclear explosion —people who are new to the show, don’t ask, it would take way too long to explain — failed to reset the time line, but instead sent the survivors on the island into the present (2008 for the show). Yet, at the same time, there is another time line at work, set in 2004, where Oceanic 815 does not crash.

In many ways, as the series begins its end, it brings things back full circle. However, unlike the previous time line, there are subtle differences that raise a ton of questions. Locke is still paralyzed, and Kate is still under arrest, but Hurley is now lucky instead of cursed and Desmond of all people ended up on the plane. Umm…what?

The new time line is not without its own mysteries. Jack seems to remember certain things that he shouldn’t, like meeting Desmond, while Charlie seems to recall being fated to die. Are these just jokes from the writers, or hints that this new time line isn’t as independent from things as expected? Knowing Lost, it’s probably the latter, with two dozen twists thrown in. Not that that’s a bad thing.

Despite the new time line, the season premiere is deeply rooted in the past events, and the episode succeeds because of it. The first half of the two-part episode is essentially the fallout of season five’s “The Incident.” In the past, Juliet and Sayid are on the verge of death, while in the present, Locke was revealed to be dead, while a spirit impersonated him, forcing Ben to kill the seemingly immortal Jacob, all while the Others’ leader Richard Alpert realizes with horror what’s going on.

The cast members, as they have been in the past five seasons, are at the top of their game. From capturing their disappointment at being unable to fix things in one time line, to reverting back to their season one personalities in the other time line, every actor is excellent. Terry O’Quinn’s turn as Jacob’s enemy gives the already versatile actor a chance for a darker approach, and his affable, relaxed manner makes him all the more menacing. Meanwhile Josh Holloway’s Sawyer’s slow burn in the wake of his lover’s death is both entertaining and foreboding. Is another showdown between Sawyer and Jack looming?

Meanwhile, a lot of old cast members returned, helping the show recreate the feel of the first season. Ian Somerhalder briefly appears as Boone, while fan-favorite couple Rose and Bernard get what looks to be a final appearance. Even Dominic Monaghan is back as the drug-addled Charlie, and it looks like the plane landing in Los Angeles was actually a bad thing for him. Whether or not these characters will return in this time line remains to be seen, but their presence definitely added to the new time line.

The new additions to the cast are equally interesting. Mark Pellegrino returns briefly as Jacob, while Hiroyuki Sanada takes on the role of a mysterious Other. Sanada is probably the best addition, blending authority with aggression and mystery. His performance is so interesting it almost distracts from the new questions raised by his character. Almost.

To say the season premiere raised some questions is an understatement. What is the purpose of the Temple? What’s the deal with the alternate time line, and what’s changed for each character? Seriously, why does Richard Alpert not age? One would think that the show would start answering questions instead of raising new ones.

It is hard to really judge the show. After five seasons, viewers have almost grown spoiled by Lost’s strong production value, talented cast, and complex and intelligent story. Still, “LA X” presented Lost with a new direction, more tantalizing questions, and the possibility for more than a few answers as the series begins its road to the end. If the next few episodes can elaborate on some of the conundrums of the premiere, then this season should shape up to be just as good, if not better than the last few, which is just what the fans of Lost have come to expect.