After an eight-month hiatus (has it really been that long?), Lost is finally back.

Picking up right where the finale left off, the premiere was absolutely an amazing experience. There was a pretty good chunk of ground covered. We’re kind of back to the spot we were at the beginning of Season 3, with the Oceanic survivors divided into two camps…one behind Locke and one behind Jack. This time, however, it comes down to who gives the more convincing case to be rescued.

During the trek, Hurley manages to stumble across the cabin in which Locke and Ben encountered Jacob during the last bit of Season 3. Now, back then, Ben was mighty perturbed that Locke could see and hear Jacob, as being the only avenue to Jacob seems to give Ben some amount of clout and respect on the island. I wonder what the response will be when he discovers that Hurley can see Ben, too. And just who the heck was the creepy eye-guy that popped in there?

And that is pretty much the extent of our island time. For me, though, the extra-island activities were the best part.

It’s apparent that the Losties’ post-island life is less than extraordinary. We already saw in last season’s finale that Jack is desperate to return, and tonight we got a glimpse of the personal hell that Hurley is going through. He is experiencing hallucinations (or visions?) of Charlie, which eventually drives him back to the mental hospital. Here, we get a glimpse of the first new character this season, played by Lance Reddick. He offers Hurley a better place to stay on Oceanic’s dime, but Jugo is spooked by his brooding malevolence. It’s obvious that Oceanic (or DHARMA…hmmm) wants him for something…what that something is, though, is not quite clear.

Finally, pre-bearded-and-suicidal Jack shows up at the institution and has a chat with Hurley. Though it’s done under the guise of genuine concern for his old friend…it becomes quickly apparent that Jack has only one thing on his mind…protecting some secret that the Oceanic Six share. And who exactly is going to be a part of the six that were saved? Obviously, we’ve got Jack, Kate and Hurley…we can be pretty sure that Locke didn’t choose to leave the island…everyone else’s fate is up in the air.

I genuinely feel that this has the makings to be the best season of Lost yet. Though I loved the flashback device, they were starting to wear a bit thin. The flashforwards add a completely different dynamic to the show…there is a tangible arc there that simply didn’t exist before. There’s a subtle detail in the title card of this season’s promos that shows a city skyline in the reflection of the ocean, mirroring the palm trees on the shore. I love the significance of this…though all they could think about at the time was being rescued, which of the Losties were really saved, and which ones are still lost? I can’t wait to find out.

Grade: A