It's the last episode of Season Four tonight, and if it's anything like the previous episode, it promises to be a good one.
Just to help us get our bearings, here's a special treat for all of you: a super-simplified recap of what I think we've seen so far, over the last four seasons. Like I said, it's an extremely pared down description of events (for the sake of clarity, I've left out the flashbacks, flashforwards, tricky concepts, and some of the deceased characters), but it should prove useful, I think.
So, without further ado, here it is:
SEASON ONE OVERVIEW
American planes are attacked on 9/11
- The plane crashes on 9/22
President Bush tries to lead the nation, but is haunted by his father's legacy
- Jack tries to lead the survivors, but keeps seeing visions of his father
Liberals, back in charge of their party after being sidelined for eight years, provide shaky leadership to the Democrats
- Michael, back in charge of son after being sidelined for eight years, provides shaky parenting to Walt
Republicans, receiving behind-the-scenes guidance from power brokers like Vice-President Cheney, find ways to benefit from the new political environment
- Sawyer, receiving behind-the-scenes guidance from Alpert [trust me on this one!], finds ways to profit from the crash
Colin Powell, previously sidelined and deskbound as Secretary of State, returns to his full stature after the attacks
- Locke, previously paralyzed and wheelchair-bound, can walk again after the crash
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice has new life breathed into her by President Bush
- Rose is given the breath-of-life by Jack
The Rule of Law, put on hold during the crisis, is suspended indefinitely
- The US Marshall, badly injured during the crash, is euthanized
Congress (and other government bodies) are no longer bound by the strict rules that existed prior to the attacks
- Kate is no longer handcuffed or under threat of prosecution, now that the US Marshall is dead
The CIA finds a connection between the attacks and Radical Islamists' ongoing call for jihad, which they began issuing in April 1988, after they defeated the Soviet "infidel" in Afghanistan
- Sayid, after the crash, discovers Danielle's call for help, which began transmitting in April 1988, after she killed her "infected" comrades
President Bush professes to be a "uniter, not a divider," but his style of governance polarizes America into two opposing camps
- Jack announces that they must "live together, or die alone," but his leadership style ends up dividing the castaways into two camps: one at the beach, the other at the caves
The Department of Homeland Security, by way of the Patriot Act, collects personal data on American citizens, in an effort to root out terrorists hiding in the community
- Hurley, who is accused of creating his own "Patriot Act", uses the flight manifest to collect data on the survivors, and in the process discovers an imposter hiding in the community
A "Shadow Government," led by Neoconservatives and Vice-President Cheney, tries to win over Christian Conservatives and gain control of America's future
- Another camp on the Island, led by Ben Linus and Richard Alpert, tries to abduct Claire and take possession of her child
The "Shadow Government" almost ends the debate over "how war might affect the troops"
- The other camp almost kills Charlie
Many Moderate Muslims offer sympathy and support for America after the attacks
- Danielle's estranged daughter Alex offers sympathy and support to the castaways after the crash (such as when she helps Claire escape)
President Bush gives permission for the CIA to use torture
- Jack gives permission for Sayid to use torture
Colin Powell tries to bring attention to the original values of the "American Experiment", which had been created by America's "Founding Fathers"
- Locke unearths the buried station, drawing attention to the numerical "values" used in the experiments devised by the DHARMA Initiative
Radical Islamists accuse America of having a history of oppressive behaviour
- Danielle leads the castaways to the hidden ship, which was once used in the slave trade
Michael Moore warns of changing political winds, but is seen by some as advocating for surrender; after lecturing the government about the proper use of power, he self-destructs
- Dr. Arzt warns that the wind is changing, and uses a white flag to demonstrate his point; after lecturing the castaway leaders on the proper handling of dynamite, he accidentally blows himself up
The Republican Party, under the guidance of people like Vice President Cheney, uses its "levers of power" to out-manoeuver the Democratic Party and its Liberal leaders
- Sawyer, under the guidance of Alpert, deliberately fails to pull his lever during the moving of the raft, causing the mast to break; this delays the launch and manoeuvers Walt and Michael into position for the other camp's boat to catch up with them [trust me on this one, too!]
The "Shadow Government" manoeuvers the Democratic Party out of the picture
- The second camp abducts Walt and removes him from the picture
SEASON TWO OVERVIEW
After the attacks, Skepticism of one's own government - the main driver of the American system of governance - largely disappears
- After the crash, Desmond - who has been maintaining the computer system - disappears into the jungle
Colin Powell feels they must maintain the American Experiment's original values; President Bush, on the other hand, isn't convinced those values still apply
- Locke decides to keep inputting the DHARMA Experiment's numerical "values"; Jack, on the other hand, isn't convinced that the values have any actual purpose
Debates about "the appropriate use of force", "whether good-guys should do bad things", and "whether enough questions have been asked", come to the fore
- Ana-Lucia, Eko, and Libby arrive
America establishes a system of secret prisons, overseen by the CIA but concealed from Congress
- The castaways set up a secret prison in the Swan, overseen by Sayid but concealed from Kate
Neoconservatives manage to become part of the Bush Administration, but they feel that the system established by the Founding Fathers is too confining and tortuous
- Ben is brought inside the station, but is placed in confinement and tortured
Liberals, desperate to prove they are worthy of leading the Democratic Party, unwittingly open themselves up to being manipulated by their opponents
- Michael, desperate to prove himself worthy of being Walt's father, unwittingly opens himself up to being manipulated by the other camp
The "Shadow Government" uses deception to forward its agenda
- The other camp uses disguises and faked computer messages to forward its agenda
The Department of Homeland Security worries over threats that may or may not be real, and uses a system of colours - green, blue, yellow, orange, and red - to show the current threat level
- Hurley's anxiety disorder causes him to start hallucinating; after wearing only green or blue shirts for one-and-a-half seasons, he suddenly takes to wearing wear yellow, orange, and red shirts (in that order)
The Free Press, which was intended to independently monitor and report on the activities of members of government, barely does so anymore
- The Pearl Station (named after the reporter Daniel Pearl), was originally used to observe and write reports on the activities of the people in the Swan Station, but it has now been abandoned
Liberals, in their quest to be seen as tough and decisive leaders, bring about the premature end of debates about "the appropriate use of force" and "whether or not enough questions have been asked", thereby benefitting the Neoconservatives
- Michael, in his quest to prove himself a strong and capable father, kills Ana-Lucia and Libby, then frees Ben
Neoconservatives try to bring President Bush, Congress, and the Republican Party over to their political camp
- Ben captures Jack, Kate, and Sawyer to take them to his camp
Liberals end up getting themselves and the Democratic Party "swift-boated" out of the picture
- Michael gets himself and Walt sent off on a small boat, taking them both out of the picture
Colin Powell starts to doubt if he should keep maintaining America's original values
- Locke doubts if he should keep maintaining the DHARMA Initiative's numerical "values"
Skepticism returns, but instead of being directed at the Government (as the Founding Fathers had intended), it gets directed at America's original system of values
- Desmond comes back, but instead of maintaining the system, he now insists that the numerical "values" have no purpose
The original values of the Founding Fathers stop being upheld, and the original "American Experiment" is undermined
- The numerical "values" of the DHARMA Initiative stop being inputted, and the station implodes
SEASON THREE OVERVIEW
The Bush Adminsitration sets up an outdoor prison at the Guantanamo Bay Military Base, which is on the island of Cuba, not far from the American mainland
- An outdoor prison has been set-up on a smaller, Alcatraz-like island not far from the main island
President Bush at first has more faith in Conservatism than in Neoconservatism
- As a prisoner of the other camp, Jack trusts Juliet more than he trusts Ben
Neoconservatives believe that military interventions can be used to make other nations fertile for democracy; Conservatives "Realists" think it is dangerous to use military interventions for such ends
- Ben believes that medical "interventions" can be used can be used to make unhealthy wombs fertile; Juliet thinks it's too dangerous to use medical interventions for that purpose
Conservatives hate that Neoconservatism has taken over their movement
- Juliet hates that Ben is keeping her prisoner on the Island
Instead of providing a check to the Executive Branch's power, Congress starts to willingly limit its own power
- Instead of escaping from the other camp, Kate handcuffs herself on Ben's orders, and later willingly returns to a cell from which she had already escaped
The Republicans gain control of Congress in the 2002 mid-term elections
- Sawyer wins Kate's heart
Congress and the Republican Party are not initially won over by the Neoconservatives; President Bush, however, shows he is sometimes willing to "play ball" with them
- Sawyer and Kate escape from Ben's camp ; when they return, they see Jack playing football with Ben's people
The "Shadow Government" is protected by the so-called "Right-Wing Noise Machine"
- Ben's camp is protected by a sonic fence
Debate over "whether good-guys should do bad things" comes to an end, as a result of the fear of terrorist threats
- Eko meets his end during an encounter with the fearsome "Monster"
Skeptics of the rush to war keep alive the debate over "how war might affect the troops"
- Desmond repeatedly ensures that Charlie stays alive
Terrorists stage a surprise attack on the USS Cole while it is in port [NOTE: This event shown out of historical sequence, as technically it should have preceded the crash]
- Sun shoots a surprised Cole (i.e. Colleen) while on a boat that is in port
The International Community tries to step in
- The multilingual Naomi, who is from a ship offshore, arrives on the Island
Neoconservatives try to show Colin Powell the importance of protecting Israel, whose very existence is under threat
- Ben introduces Locke to Jacob (who, in the Bible, later changes his name to "Israel), but it is unclear whether Jacob actually exists or not
Debate over "what war might do to the troops" comes to an end, in part because of the influence of Right-Wing Commentators
- Charlie meets his end, in part because of Mikhail (who controlled radio and television equipment at his hatch, and wore an eye-patch like the one that Right-Wing Commentator Ann Coulter once did)
Colin Powell, once a proponent of mulitlateralism, suddenly becomes less inclined to work with the International Community
- Locke, once eager to negotiate with others, suddenly stabs Naomi in the back
Neoconservatives start to convince America that they are under the threat of mass destruction
- Ben gets the castaways to wonder if the Freighter Folk have come to kill them all
SEASON FOUR OVERVIEW (NOT INCLUDING THE FINALE)
Some members of the International Community try to get America to turn away from Neoconservative views, but they are regarded with suspicion
- More people from the Freighter (Daniel, Charlotte, and Miles) arrive on the Island, ostensibly to "extract" Ben, but the castaways aren't sure if they can be trusted
Colin Powell becomes an outcast within the Bush Adminstration
- Locke becomes an outcast, and Jack tries to shoot him
Powell thinks he's charting his own course, when really he's being manipulated by the Neoconservatives and Vice-President Cheney
- Locke thinks he's making his own decisions, when really he's being conned by Ben and Alpert
America's ideal of being a place that can "defy history" becomes a subject of debate
- The Island appears to be able to "defy time", yet events that have been foreseen and averted keep finding ways of making themselves happen eventually
President Bush becomes increasingly inflexible and determined to prove his leadership
- Jack becomes increasingly inflexible and determined to fulfill his promise to save the castaways
The Republican Party becomes increasingly protective of Christian Conservatives
- Sawyer becomes increasingly protective of Claire
The threat from Radical Islamist groups (like Al-Qaeda) gets forgotten, as various factions pursue their larger agendas
- Danielle is shot and buried in the ground by one of the Island's competing factions
Neoconservatives believe they know how to save Moderate Muslims, when in fact their plans will cause many Moderate Muslims to die
- Ben believes he can save Alex, but his plan ends up bringing about her death
Liberals try to act tough, but continue to play into the Neoconservatives' hands
- Michael comes back and is adamant that he isn't working for Ben, when in reality he's doing Ben's bidding
Conservative "Realists" try to get President Bush to be more cautious and not "go with his gut", but the President does not take their advice
- Juliet tries to get Jack to recouperate after an operation on his "gut", but Jack does not take her advice
The "Shadow Government" claims to represent Christian principles, thereby winning the support of Christian Conservatives, who are seeking to fulfill the will of their heavenly Father
- Someone posing as Christian Shephard wins over Claire, who wants to be close to her "father"
Evangelical Christian leaders (like John Hagee) claim that they can speak of Israel's behalf, and they then make efforts to influence American foreign policy
- Someone claiming to be Christian says that he can speak on Jacob's behalf, and uses his position to influence the castaways' actions
Neoconservatives (and others who share their agenda) convince Colin Powell that America's enemies have hidden biological weapons plants
- Ben convinces Locke that there is danger lurking amid the Orchid's "plants"
Neoconservatives (and others) set their plan in motion to move America toward war, but neglect to account for the possible emergence of an armed insurgency
- Ben starts his plan to "move" the Island, but hasn't figured out how to deal with the problem of Keamy's mercenaries (the so-called "psychos with guns")
***
And that was the extremely-short version! Hopefully that will be helpful with tonight's big finale. Take care, and enjoy the show!
Wow...Sean, you're going to have a field day with that finale. I'm very curious to see what parts caught your eye, as I saw several things that popped right out to me. In particular:
- Locke being unable to find the entrance to the Orchid until Ben's return. The whole "not finding what you're looking for" screamed WMD to me.
- Locke's entire conversation with Jack, but especially, "You're going to have to lie to protect the ones who are still here."
- Locke chastising Ben for killing innocent people, and Ben not caring.
- Locke in the casket, preserved in death as Jeremy Bentham is to this day, and how Colin Powell's political career has gone since being ousted.
And, in a non-allegory related comment -- Michael Emerson had better get at least an Emmy nomination for playing Ben. There aren't many actors on TV who do it better.