Lost can be found on Sky One on Sunday
Like the cool guy turning up late to the party, Lost finally premieres its fourth season on Sunday night on Sky One and I could barely be more excited. Ever since its jaw-dropping pilot, no show has handled its big episodes with as much flair and assurance as Lost. Season three finished stronger than ever with a brilliant finale setting up this season just lovely.
It is one of those shows like The Prisoner which lingers in the imagination of its fans long after they stop watching. Sites and forums discussing the mysteries and philosophies of Lost abound and the huge ever-growing mythology around the show demonstrates that it remains a triumph of the imagination.
However, I'd be lying if I said my relationship with Lost had been without its troughs (and I'm not the only one). For much of season two, Lost and I were more Sid and Nancy than John and Yoko. It seemed to be perpetually hitting wrong notes, cynically spinning out the franchise, happy to ride the wave created by the impact of season one. It was dogged by a flatlining religious allegory played out between Mr Eko and Charlie that allowed the producers to give us more unbearable Driveshaft flashbacks. (The band who definitively answer the question: "What if Oasis were really annoying?" )
But season three saw the show regain its mojo. We finally got to know some of The Others in depth and there was some terrific island backstory with the revelation of Ben's slaughter of the Dharma initiative confirming the diminutive tyrant as the island's very own Idi Amin. Then they rounded it off with one of the best season finales in living memory with murders, fake-outs and an apparent rescue from the island for at least some of our intrepid Lostaways. Now it's the viewers' turn to be rescued from their eight-month wait for closure.
So will you be tuning into the next chapter in the Craphole Island saga or has it tried your patience once too often? How long can the show keep going? And just how many people will Sayid be torturing this season?
