I dont think the season couldve been opened any better than it did, but still something was missing...maybe I need to watch the episode again, but it felt to me like Locke was an Other, if you know what I mean. He's no longer the one whom we see the viewpoint of, but now he's the one all the losties look at, and with some fear...
Maybe the beginning of the End refers to him at some level. The meeting with Hurly sure didnt look accidental, and he seems not to be motivated by some faith, but more like someone was guiding him. Also, the time when he looked at the monster the first season, when you could only see his expression but not what he looked at always seemed suspicious to me. Why see the encounter with the monster with every other person but him?
Am I getting too worked up over one episode?
The Locke-centric episodes are my favorite ones..I dont wanna see him turn to evil, or end up in a coffin.

Although Locke appears to be a jerk, I don't think he's evil. I think he's doing all he can to protect the island and the world at large. I think he really is one of the "good guys." The question is whether the ends justify the means for the greater good. This has been a theme all along.

Well I didnt really mean EVIL, but more like having a different agenda that he's just not telling everyone. He's still the man of faith, but it's more than just faith that guides him.

I didn't have the feeling that something was 'missing' because basically Locke is back to being Locke (after a lot of doubting in season2 and a lot of going back to his original self in season3).
He has his own agenda, he still has the special connection to the island, and whatever it is he's about to do, it's about him and the island. That's basically Locke as he has been since he started walking again after the crash. Only now it's gong to extremes it has not gone to previously.

I agree with you Kerstin80.
The new extremes that Locke is taking gives us a different side of him that we haven't seen before. It gives his character more depth and causes us to question his motives as well as what goes through his mind. These new extremes are essentially benifiting Locke's character and showing us just how far he is willing to go for the good of the island and the people.