Like past premieres, the opening scene introduced an unexpected character in a strange place (although it didn't have the same shock value of past seasons - Desmond in the hatch and Hurley yelling "I'm one of the Oceanic 6!" are the top ones for me.) This time there were two. First we see a flashback with Dr. Pierre Chang, AKA Marvin Candle/Edgar Halliwax/Mark Wickmund of the Dharma Initiative Orientation videos.
This is the first time we've seen him outside a Dharma video. He wakes up as his alarm clock flips to 8:15, a reference to The Numbers (remember them?) and puts on a record; the song is Willie Nelson's "Shotgun Willie." (The lyrics: "Shotgun Willie sits around in his underwear, Bitin' a bullet, pullin' out all of his hair, Shotgun Willie has got all of his family there. You can't make a record if you ain't got nothin' to say, You can't make a record if you ain't got nothin' to say, You can't play music if you don't know nothin' to play.") Then Dr. Chang feeds a baby, presumably his child. Was the baby born on the island? Is it someone we know? Maybe even Miles Straume?The next surprising appearance is Daniel Farraday - in the same flashback as Dr. Chang.
Apparently Daniel has time traveled back to work with the Dharma Initiative (some time in the 1970s) which opens the door for a whole host of possibilities. Why did he go back? How? Has he traveled elsewhere? He clearly knows what's going on when he later explains more about how time travel works - he says it's impossible to change anything that has already happened by traveling back (a repeat of what Ms. Hawking explained to Desmond in "Flashes Before Your Eyes.") But then he goes on to tell Desmond that the rules don't apply to him. For some reason, Desmond is "special" and able to do things with time that no one else is able to do; Daniel effectively changes the past by telling Desmond to go visit his mother. With Daniel's help, Desmond just may be the key to saving everyone on the Island.Daniel explains that either the Island or the people on the Island are skipping through time like a broken record. I think it's safe to say that it's the Island that's moving, since we saw it disappear at the end of season 4. And since all of the Losties are moving together it must be the Island that's taking them along for the ride.
Off-Island, the Oceanic Six are starting their journey back to the Island, even if they don't know it yet. I'm convinced that Ben sent the lawyers to Kate's house to force her to come back; he knows that she'd do anything to protect Aaron. Jack has already been convinced. I am curious about how Hurley is going to be able to join them given that he's surrendered to the police and confessed to a double homicide. Maybe Michael Scofield will come break him out of prison (I'd be TOTALLY on board with that idea!) Sun seems to be teaming up with Charles Widmore, which will lead her back to the Island. As a side note, I noticed that Daniel Dae Kim's name was in the credits as a regular cast member. It looks like I might have been right that Jin is still somehow alive, even though he didn't appear in this episode. Usually when dead characters return in flashbacks or as apparitions they're credited as guest appearances. Interesting...
My favorite moments: Hurley defying Ben right to his face. Locke coming to the rescue right at the end. Frogurt/Neil wearing a red shirt and getting hit with a flaming arrow right after screaming "We can't even get fire!" And Ms. Hawking telling Ben "70 hours is all you've got." 70 hours until what?!
A few (or several) questions: Who is Daniel's mother? (My out-there theory is Ms. Hawking. I think he has her journal. He never calls it "my journal", he says "this journal.") Why does Locke have to die to get the 6 back to the Island? Why is Charlotte getting nosebleeds? Who were the soldiers who apprehended Juliet and Sawyer right at the end? My guess: Charles Widmore and friends.
Let's hope next week we get some more answers...and more questions! It wouldn't be LOST otherwise.
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