“There’s No Place Like Home, Parts 1 & 2″ (Originally Aired May 29th, 2008)

On the island, Ben is rescued by his people with the help of Kate and Sayid. He returns to the Orchid where Jack and Sawyer have met up with Hurley and Ben. Locke pleads with Jack not to leave the island but Jack refuses. Ben and Locke head down to the Orchid while Jake, Sawyer and Hurley trek back to the chopper. Keamy, who was apparently killed by Richard Alpert, makes his way down to the Orchid. Jack, Sawyer and Hurley reunite with Kate and Sayid at the chopper and they take off with Frank at the controls.

Over the water, Sawyer jumps out after whispering something to Kate in order to lighten the load and conserve fuel. Ben kills Keamy despite learning that he is wearing a dead man’s switch which will destroy the freighter. In the communications room of the freighter, Desmond and Jin attempt to disarm the explosives while Michael freezes the battery to buy them some time. The chopper lands on the freighter shortly before Michael expects the explosives to go off. Desmond and Sun (with Aaron) join the others in the chopper and take off just before Jin makes it to the chopper pad. They watch in horror as the freighter explodes.

Ben tells Locke that whoever moves the island can never return and thus, Locke is the new leader of the Others. Ben moves the island successfully and it disappears just as the chopper is flying in to land. Out of fuel, they are forced to ditch in the ocean but are soon rescued by Penny’s boat. Desmond stays aboard with her while the other six leave in a makeshift raft and land on another island and begin their new lives as the Oceanic Six.

In the future, Kate reacts angrily to Jack’s suggestion that they return to the Island (continuing the scene from “Through the Looking Glass” from Season Three’s finale). Sayid shoots a man watching Hurley’s asylum and then convinces Hurley to leave with him. Sun has a brief meeting with Charles Widmore in London, suggesting they have common interests. Kate gets a mysterious phone call one night and then finds Claire sitting in Aaron’s room; she tells Kate not to bring Aaron back. But it was all a dream. Or was it?

And finally, the identity of the man in the coffin (also from “Through the Looking Glass”) is finally revealed when Jack breaks into the funeral parlor. Suddenly, Ben is there, and Jack reveals that this Jeremy Bentham fellow told him that some very bad things happened on the island after he left and they are all his fault. He has to go back. But Ben explains that the island won’t let him come alone. The Oceanic Six have to go back together. And so does Jeremy Bentham, better known as John Locke.

Did You Notice?

When Hurley offers Sawyer a cracker there is a spot of dirt next his right eyebrow but when Hurley asks if Claire and the baby are OK, the spot is gone. And although Sawyer makes a crack about Jack not looking well early on, there is no other mention of Jack’s operation and/or wound?

“Cabin Fever” (Originally broadcast May 8th, 2008)

On the island, Locke, Ben and Hurley search for the cabin. Locke has a vision that leads him to the pit filled with the bodies of DHARMA Initiative personnel. He finds a map to the cabin in a pocket. At the cabin, he meets a man named Christian (Jack’s father) and is stunned to also find Claire. He is told that the only way to save the island is to move it.

On the freighter, Keamy and his thugs return. The man who was wounded by the Monster dies. Keamy initiates the secondary protocol which is to “torch” the entire island. Captain Gault is shot and killed while trying to stand up to Keamy, but not before he helps Sayid launch the freighter’s zodiac raft to return to the island. Desmond refuses to go back to the island and stays behind. Before leaving on the helicopter, Keamy also kills the doctor. Frank is able to toss a sat phone from the helicopter to the beach, where Jack finds it and decides it means they should follow the chopper.

In flashbacks, we see John Locke born and learn that Richard Alpert had an interest in him from the very start. But Locke failed to live up to Alpert’s expectations. In high school, Locke is a bit of a nerd but doesn’t want to be a scientist. After his accident, he meets Matthew Abbadon who suggests he take a walkabout.

Did You Notice?

Despite spending a day or two in the jungle Ben looks remarkably clean-shaven with just a trace of a five o’clock shadow.

“There’s No Place Like Home (2)” (Originally broadcast May 15th, 2008)

In the future, the Oceanic Six make their triumphant return to the United States and answer questions in front of a large group of reporters. Aside from Kate and Sayid, everyone is reunited with their families. Sayid is later shocked to find Nadia waiting for him. They have a cover story in place that explains how only eight people survived the crash and only six were able to eventually make their way off the uninhabited island they washed up on.

Also in the future, Sun uses her settlement money from Oceanic Airlines to buy a controlling interest in her father’s business. Hurley’s family throws him a surprise birthday party with a luau theme but he is disturbed when the odometer on the car he was repairing with his father displays the numbers. Jack gives the eulogy at his father’s funeral/wake and is shocked when an Australian woman comes up and tells him that he has a half-sister who was also on Oceanic Flight 815: Claire.

Jack and Kate head off with the sat phone to follow the helicopter. They run into Miles and Sawyer, who is carrying Aaron, and learn that the men on the helicopter attacked the Barracks (or New Otherton, as Sawyer calls it) and that Claire is missing. Kate takes Aaron back to the beach with Miles while Sawyer and Jack continue on towards the chopper. They find Frank there, handcuffed, and are told that Keamy is heading to a greenhouse to get Ben. Sawyer tells Jack that Hurley is with Ben and the two leave to go find him.

Sayid returns from the freighter with the Zodiac raft just as Kate, Aaron and Miles show up. He goes with Kate to try to find Jack and Sawyer. Faraday takes Sun, Aaron, Jin and several others back to the freighter and heads back to the beach for another group. Jin and Sun are shocked to find Michael on the boat and even more shocked when Desmond shows them a huge stack of C4 explosives in the communications room.

Locke, Ben and Hurley find the greenhouse but Keamy and his thugs are already there. Ben gives himself up in order to allow Locke time to get inside the actual Orchid station beneath the greenhouse. Sayid and Kate are captured by Richard Alpert and a group of his fellow Others, who were earlier contacted by Ben.

Did You Notice?

As is often the case, there appears to be a significant timeline skew in this episode that allows the various groups of people enough time to get from one end of the beach to the other (i.e. Alpert’s group who appeared to be quite a distance from Ben when he contacted them are able to make their way to Kate and Sayid).

4×09 – “The Shape of Things to Come”

(Originally Broadcast April 24th, 2008)

Keamy and his mercenary gang attack Locke’s camp at the Barracks and use Ben’s daughter as a bargaining chip. After Keamy kills Alex, Ben releases the smoke monster. Sawyer, Miles, Claire and Aaron head back for the beach while Hurley is forced to stay with Ben and Locke, who hope to find Jacob and some answers.

At the beach, the body of the doctor from the freighter washes up. Daniel builds a crude radio transmitter using the sat-phone and parts from the plane and contacts the freighter, asking what happened to the doctor. He isn’t told anything about the doctor but tells Jack and the others that their friends are fine and that the helicopter will return in the morning. But Bernard, who knows Morse code, says Daniel is lying: the real message was “What are you talking about? The doctor is fine.” Jack confronts Daniel who admits that they were never planning on rescuing anyone.

In the future, Ben travels to Tunisia, Iraq and London, England. He is able to recruit Sayid into joining him in his war against Charles Widmore and later confronts Widmore himself, promising to kill Penny (Widmore’s daughter) because Widmore had Alex (Ben’s daughter) murdered. Widmore changed the rules.

Did You Notice?

There is absolutely no dust anywhere to be found in any of the buildings making up the Barracks?

4×10 – “Something Nice Back Home”

(Originally Broadcast May 1st, 2008)

At the beach, Jack collapses while attempting to defuse a tense situation on the beach. He insists he’s fine but Juliet eventually learns the truth: he has appendicitis. She sends Sun, Jin, Charlotte and Daniel to get surgical tools from the Medical Station; Jack insists upon being awake during the surgery and enlists Kate to hold a mirror so he can help talk Juliet through the operation. Juliet has Bernard put Jack under against his wishes when the pain causes him to move too much. But the surgery is a success. Juliet tells Kate that Jack — who is pretending to be asleep — is in love with her.

Sawyer, Miles and Claire (with Aaron) continue to make their way back to the beach. Miles stumbles upon the bodies of Rousseau and Karl. They then encounter Lapidus, who warns them to hide because Keamy is coming. In the middle of the night, Claire awakes to find her father (Christian Shephard) holding Aaron. She disappears into the jungle with him. Sawyer finds Aaron alone in the jungle the next morning.

In the future, Jack and Kate are living together and raising Aaron. Jack is back doing his doctor thing. He gets a call from Hurley’s doctor and when he visits Hurley, he learns that Charlie has sent him a message: “You’re not supposed to raise him.” Hurley also tells Jack to expect a visitor soon. Jack later proposes to Kate but things fall apart when Jack starts drinking and forces Kate to admit that she’s fulfilling a promise she made to Sawyer but won’t tell him what. He has also been seeing his father around the hospital.

Did You Notice?

The origin of the huge lamp Juliet uses during the surgery was never explained. Was it taken from one of the stations or was it from the plane?

4×07 – “Ji Yeon”

(Originally Broadcast March 13th, 2008)

When Sun decides to leave the beach for the “safety” of Locke’s camp, Juliet is forced to tell Jin about Sun’s affair in order to keep them from going. If Sun doesn’t get off the island both she and her baby will die, just as all the other woman who have conceived on the island have died. On the freighter, Sayid and Desmond finally meet the captain who tells them that Charles Widmore is calling the shots. They watch as a woman jumps overboard, wrapped in chains, and are shocked to find Michael aboard, under the nom de plume David Johnson.

In the future, Sun has her baby while in the past, Jin rushes to deliver a gift to an important Chinese ambassador with a new grandchild. Additionally, Hurley visits Sun and little Ji Yeon and the three visit Jin’s grave.

Did You Notice?

The recurring motif “Life or Death,” also known as the sad piano music, makes another appearance in this episode, starting when Hurley is looking at baby Ji Yeon and continuing through Sun’s speech at the cemetery.

4×08 – “Meet Kevin Johnson”

(Originally Broadcast March 20th, 2008)

On the Island, Locke calls a meeting to tell everyone what is going on. Ben reveals that his spy on the freighter is none other than Michael. Ben tells Alex that she should leave for the Temple — the last safe place on the Island — as soon as possible. She does, along with Karl and Danielle. While stopping for water, Karl and Danielle are shot dead. Alex cries out that she’s Ben’s daughter. On the freighter, Sayid and Desmond demand to know what Michael is doing on the freighter. After Michael tells them, Sayid brings Michael to Captain Gault and tells him that Michael is the saboteur.

In the past, Michael — who is estranged from Walt — tries to kill himself but fails. He learns from Tom the Island won’t let him die. After seeing news coverage of the wreckage of 815 he talks with Tom and is told that a man named Widmore faked the wreck in order to keep others from finding the Island. Tom then proceeds to give Michael a fake passport under the name Kevin Johnson and tells him that he has only one chance to redeem himself: he has to destroy a freighter Widmore is sending to the Island and everybody aboard it. He boards the freighter and, after seeing Keamy and others shooting automatic weapons, attempts to denote the bomb Tom sent him. It counts down from 15 and then out pops a piece of paper saying NOT YET. Michael gets a call from Ben who tells him to get a list of names and to disable communications and the engine. He’s working for Ben now. He’s one of the good guys.

Did You Notice?

Michael pawns his watch for a gun with bullets. Lots of bullets. The chamber holds six — and shooting himself in the head should only take one — but he has half a box or more. He really overpaid.

4×05 – “The Constant”

(Originally Broadcast February 28th, 2008)

While on their way to the freighter in the helicopter, Desmond and Sayid encounter turbulence that causes Desmond’s consciousness to begin switching back and forth between the present (2004) and eight years in the past (1996). With no memory past 1996, Desmond is taken to the freighter’s doctor and meets Minkowski, the freighter’s communications officer, who is also switching between time periods. Faraday advises Desmond to seek him out in 1996; when Desmond finds Faraday in the past, he learns that he needs to find a constant in both time periods or else he’ll die. Desmond desperately attempts to contact Penny in 1996 and, with the help of Sayid, in 2004.

Did You Notice?

When Desmond and Sayid are unbuckling Minkowski, Sayid asks how they’ll get out of sickbay. Minkowski suggests they go through the now open door. When he says, “Looks like you guys have a friend on this boat,” there is blood on his face. In the next shot, as the straps are released, there is no blood on his face. But in the next shot, the blood is back.

4×06 – “The Other Woman”

(Originally Broadcast March 6th, 2008)

On the island, Faraday and Charlotte have disappeared into the woods. While tracking them, Juliette encounters Harper, who brings her a message from Ben. Although convinced that the two are going to release a deadly gas on the island, Juliette won’t explain everything to Jack, and when the two come upon Kate (who has been knocked unconscious by Charlotte) she slips off and makes her way to the Tempest station to confront Faraday and Charlotte alone.

Through flashbacks, we watch as Juliette is introduced to the island, how her affair with Goodwin begins and ends, and learn how Ben really feels about her. In the present, Ben strikes a deal with Locke. In return for partial freedom, he tells Locke everything he knows about the man who sent the freighter to the island: Charles Whidmore.

Did You Notice?

Jack’s plan to track Faraday and Charlotte is utter nonsense. Split into two (or is it four?) groups, Jack, Juliette, Jin and Sun are supposed to find Faraday and Charlotte’s trail and call out to Jack. Obviously, once they get out of hearing range, that won’t work. Furthermore, Jack and Juliette never communicate with Jin and Sun once they pick up the trail, which means those two could still be in the jungle searching…

4×03 – “The Economist”

(Originally Broadcast February 14th, 2008)

Sayid promises to get Charlotte back safely from Locke in return for a helicopter ride to the freighter.  Locke is unable to find the cabin and tension continues to build amongst his group.  Daniel begins a scientific experiment and learns something unsettling about the island. Locke sets a trap for Kate and Sayid but lets Sayid and Charlotte go in return for Miles.  Kate stays with Sawyer of her own free will.  Juliet brings Desmond to the helicopter from the beach after Sayid finds a picture of him with Penny.  Both Sayid and Desmond leave with Frank in the chopper.

In the future, Sayid has become a hit man for Ben, killing people on a mysterious list, including a woman in German he makes the mistake of falling for.  But she comes close to killing him and now the people he’s supposed to kill know he’s after them.  Ben seems to think that’s a good thing.

Did You Notice?

When Sayid, Kate and Miles set off to find Locke, Kate made certain to pull her pistol out from the small of her back, perhaps to insure that Miles never has the opportunity to make a grab for it.

4×04 – “Eggtown”

(Originally Broadcast February 21st, 2008)

When Locke won’t let her talk to Miles, Kate is able to trick Hurley into telling her where Miles is being kept.  She asks Miles what he knows about her and her crimes.  But he’ll only tell her if she can get him a moment alone with Ben.  After enlisting Sawyer’s help she bringes Miles to see Ben.  Miles is willing to lie to the people he works for about Ben in return for $3.2 million.  Locke banishes Kate from the barracks; she leaves after fighting with Sawyer.  Back at the beach, Jack and Juliet learn that the helicopter apparently hasn’t reached the freighter despite leaving the previous day.

In the future, Kate goes on trial for a litany of charges including grand theft auto and murder.  Her mother is the prosecution’s star witness and she’s facing decades of jail time.  Jack appears as a character witness for Kate and lies about everything that happened on the island until Kate stops him.  She is ultimately able to make a deal after her mother decliens to testify.  She returns home to her son, Aaron.

Did You Notice?

Hurley has trimmed his stubble down to big ole sideburns.

4×01 – “The Beginning of the End”
(Originally Broadcast January 31st, 2008)

In the aftermath of the Season Three finale, the survivors fracture into two groups after learning of Charlie’s death and his message that the boat doesn’t belong to Penny. Locke, Hurley, Claire, Sawyer and others (plus Ben) decide head to the barracks, not trusting the people on the freighter. Jack, Kate, Sayid and everyone else will wait for rescue on the beach. Naomi dies after communicating with the freighter. In the future, Hurley is back in the institution and is visited by the “ghost” of Charlie and a mysterious man named Matthew Abaddon. Hurley later tells Jack that they made a mistake leaving the island.

Did You Notice?
When Hurley was giving his speech about listening to Charlie and not Jack, the background music was the recurring “sad piano” motif “Life and Death,” often played when a main character dies.

4×02 – “Confirmed Dead”
(Originally Broadcast February 7th, 2008)

A team from the freighter lands on the island. They are:

• Daniel Faraday, a physicist who had an uncontrollable emotional reaction to the news that Oceanic 815 had been found
• Miles Straume, a ghost whisperer
• Charlotte Lewis, an anthropologist who found a DHARMA logo on a collar near the remains of a polar bear in Tunisa
• Frank Lapidus, a pilot who was supposed to be on Oceanic 815 and realized the wreckage found was fake

Jack, Kate, Juliet and Sayid learn that the team’s primary mission isn’t to rescue the survivors but to find Ben. They were all hired by Matthew Abaddon along with Noami, who was in charge of keeping them alive. Locke’s group “captures” Charlotte and eventually Ben reveals that he knows all about the team because he has a man on their boat.

Did You Notice?
Sawyer looked at Hurley briefly when he was contemplating killing Ben and Hurley gave him an almost imperceptible shake of the head no.