Three months and a few Emmys after the end of the first season, fans were (quite reasonably) expecting the second year of Lost to begin in a satisfactory way, especially in regards to answering the question that had kept many people awake following the finale cliffhanger: what's inside the hatch? Naturally, this being Lost, answers are provided one slow bit at a time. The rest, however, is far from filler: once again, this is amazing television.

Bravely enough, the episode (written by series co-creator Damon Lindelof and directed by Jack Bender) begins inside the hatch, with a brief introductory scene showcasing the routine of a mysterious man working there. These proceedings are interrupted when he hears noises outside - Jack and Locke opening the hatch door and looking inside. Jack decides it's best to wait until morning, while Locke politely disagrees. On his way back to the camp, Jack is warned by Hurley about the numbers but refuses to believe him, while Sayid and Shannon have their own peculiar experience in the jungle.

The flashbacks are, like in the previous season premiere, Jack-centric, this time depicting his first, rather tragic, encounter with Sarah (Julie Bowen), the woman he later married (and divorced). She comes to the hospital with a serious back injury after a car crash, and Jack tries his best to restore her lower body function, with disappointing results. After a discussion with his old man (John Terry), he goes for a run and bumps into a stranger, an optimistic Scotsman named Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick).

Continuing as it always has, Lost kick-starts its second season by introducing new intriguing mysteries (Walt in the jungle) and characters (Desmond), while slowly but confidently getting to the bottom of older subplots. The one notable aspect of this season premiere is the raft and the fate of its passengers is completely sidelined in favor of the hatch storyline, but that's no big problem: the cliffhanger ending of this episode makes sure viewers will want to stay tuned...