'Lost' Rescues a TV Season That's Adrift

Jan. 31, 2008 — -- Boy, do we need this now.

Returning with a heart-stopping, perfectly pitched episode that fulfills all the promise of last season's stunner of a finale, "Lost" is an oasis in a strike-parched TV desert.

This is "Lost" on a fan-friendly fast-forward, offering a tense, emotional outing in which secrets are revealed, questions are answered -- and yes, inevitably, new questions are raised.

We're back on the island, but it's an island (and a show) that is substantially changed. The castaways are in contact with their maybe rescuers, but we know everything won't go as planned, thanks to the series-shifting finale that sent us forward to a time when Jack and Kate are off the island and contemplating a return.

The ramifications of this ingenious stroke are immediately apparent in tonight's shocking opening scene. By altering its timelines, "Lost" has added another layer of storytelling to its arsenal, allowing the future to join the past and present while removing our certainty that off-island scenes always would go backward, not forward.

Another crucial alteration is at work: the decision to end the show after three 16-episode seasons. The strike may affect the number of episodes, but not the promise of finality that allows the writers to now drive the show to a pre-set finish line.

Make no mistake, though: "Ending" is not "ended," and those who expect "Lost" to do nothing more than answer the questions it already has posed will be sorely disappointed. The show couldn't possibly sustain itself over the next three years without introducing some new characters and mysteries. Resolution is coming, but you're going to have to let the show get there in its own time.

It may help to keep in mind that mythology and mystery are just part of "Lost's" appeal. Watch tonight for its exploration of character, for the way it questions whether Jack and Locke have allowed their convictions to undercut their humanity. Look at the contrast drawn with the sweeter Hurley, who mourns for Charlie in a way that his more driven friends do not, and allow the story to take you where it will.