Rewatching Lost: Season 4. Dear God, Why, Season 4?

Previously on Rewatching Lost:
Rewatching Lost
The First 20 Episodes
Season 2, Episode 3
Stuff That I Don't Want to Forget to Notice
Analucia and Mr. Eko
Season 2
Season 3
I Don't Remember A Lot Of This

First of all, season 4 is only 14 episodes. But thank goodness for that. Season 3 ends with the helicopter and the Not Penny's Boat out in the ocean somewhere. The entire next season is about how the 6 people come to leave the island. This is Lost at its worst. Absolute worst. I didn't think season 3 was terrible in aggregate, though the first half dragged. Season 4 in total is just bad. Tons of new characters, tons of new plot lines, no answered questions, even a new Dharma Initiative orientation video for the orchid station, when Locke and Ben go to move the island. Oh yeah, they moved the island, that was a thing.

Again, the whole entire season was about the boat showing up and all the shit that happens until the 6 of them leave the island and the rest of them get moved when the island moves. Lord, Jesus, it's a fire. Ain't nobody got time for that. Charlotte is a useless character. Frank Lapidus is useless save for the fact that he's a pilot. Miles is probably useless, I don't really remember what he does later. Everything that they established in the first three seasons is irrelevant. The numbers, the Dharma Initiative, like everything.

Also, at least 10 different people on at least 20 different occasions had the opportunity and the motive to kill Ben Linus and no one ever did. And Occam's Razor says he should be dead by now, and then much of this nonsense would have been avoided.

The whole thing where "the island won't let you die", like with Michael and what not is utterly ridiculous. Also Ben has the ability to call the smoke monster, which he does when the army guys attack his house, but not until after they kill Alex. And then the smoke monster comes and appears to devastate the 6 to 10 army guys, but only one of them dies. So the smoke monster has killed 3 people in 4 seasons.

It's entirely unclear what the Others are doing there in the first place. I think they address that in season 5, but as for now, nothing. It's also unclear why they're taking people from the wreckage and not announcing their presence and being more friendly with the people who crashed on the island accidentally.

John Locke has been targeted since birth by Richard who doesn't age. Relatedly, a lot of shit happens by chance that also seems to be destined to happen. Locke ending up on the island and also Claire. Jack crashing on the island when Ben has a tumor. The dude from the Wire (awesome show) visiting a bunch of the people and being the guy who suggested Locke go on a walkabout. I feel like in the future Jacob is going to be visiting people either before or after they've gone to the island.

They've finally set up the time travelling, island moving, Jacob is in charge of the island, and Ben Linus vs. Charles Widmore things. Although that last one is another red herring. Useless. They haven't set up the smoke monster vs. Jacob yet. Also if the smoke monster is all the ghost people on the island, like Jack's (and Claire's) dad for instance, then he was the one in Jacob's cabin talking to Locke.

In conclusion, season 4, wherefore art thou?

On the next episode of Rewatching Lost:
Spit it Out, Farraday