Five years ago, a little show called Lost aired on ABC. It was unlike any other show that we had seen on TV. The first season became so well-loved that many believed the series could never last, either because of the hype surrounding it or its continuing storyline. You had to pay attention to this show, and that frustrated some viewers who couldn’t just jump right into the middle of the season and understand what is going on. Even hardcore fans grew tired of the “question upon question” games that the writers seem to give fans every week, especially during seasons 2 and 3. The fourth season seemed to turned things around, but fans were still apprehensive about the show’s future. Now season five of Lost is finally on DVD. Can it continue the upward trend?
If you want me to explain the series up until this season, I’m sorry, but you would just be, um, “lost.” But here’s a basic premise. Lost is about a plane that crashes down on an island. The plane had a bunch of interesting characters on it. We quickly learn that they, along with the island and the people already on it, all have their own secrets and mysteries to be revealed.
Now on to the facts that we know from the end of season four. When the fifth season begins, Jack (Matthew Fox), Kate (Evangeline Lilly), Ben (Michael Emerson), Sayid (Naveen Andrews), Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick), Sun (Yunkin Kim), and Hurley (Jorge Garcia) are not on the island. Meanwhile, Sawyer (Josh Holloway), Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell), Daniel (Jeremy Davies), Charlotte (Rebecca Mader), and Miles (Ken Leung) are still on the island. John Locke (Terry O’Quinn) and Jin (Daniel Dae Kim) are supposedly dead, but you never know for sure with this show. Then add to that the fact, that at any given moment, the characters could be at any point in time between the 1950s and the present day. The rest you will have to find out for yourself.
Lost has always been a lot of different genres wrapped into one show. It can be mostly confusing to watch, but it never really dived in deep into the “science fiction” pool. that is until season five. Time travel is pretty much the running constant in this season. As I previously mentioned, the first half of the season is comprised of two very distinct storylines. You have Jack desperately trying to attempt to reunite the Oceanic 6 survivors in order to return to the island, and then you have everyone else left behind on the island jumping through time. Everyone wants all of the characters they know and love back on the island, so the storylines dealing with the Oceanic 6 off the island aren’t as interesting as what is happening on the island. That is probably the only real negative this season. It takes a little bit to build to the more interesting parts.
Fans of this series know that there has been a lot of questions about what is going on during the first four seasons. The majority of those fans likely got tired of the writers answering one question, but then throw out five more questions at the same time. You got the feeling that the writers didn’t know where they were going with everything. Fortunately, fans everywhere will be happy to know that season five is mostly full of answers. Sure, we get new questions, but since time is running out on this show, there is plenty of answers. They come fast and furious, so you better pay close attention. While this may all sound confusing and hard to watch, season five of Lost never really gets too complex to frustrate fans all together. That’s mostly due to the strong cast, who take everything that is thrown at them and runs with all the way to the end.
This is the best season of Lost since the premiere, and you pretty much have to watch it if you’re going to watching the final season. Even those that stopped watching a few seasons ago, should stick it out and watch this season, if nothing else. Despite the many answers that we are given this season, there are still plenty of questions yet revealed. So the intrigue and mystery is still there for the final season, with this DVD release being the perfect setup.
Episodes:
Disc One:
Episode 1 – Because You Left
Several of the Oceanic 6 survivors come to grips with their need to return to the island…on their own terms.
Episode 2 – The Lie
Hurley and Sayid are hunted down by the cops. Jack and Ben try to bring everyone together as a team. Kate receives help from an old friend to hide the truth.
Episode 3 – Jughead
Desmond searches for a mysterious woman that can help them stop the island’s movements in time. Locke uncovers the person responsible for the attacks on the victims.
Disc Two:
Episode 4 – The Little Prince
Kate discovers that someone knows the secret of Aaron’s true parental lineage. Meanwhile, the dramatic shifts through time are placing the lives of the remaining island survivors in extreme peril.
Episode 5 – This Place is Death
Locke takes on the burden to stop the island’s increasingly violent shifts through time. Meanwhile, Ben hits a roadblock in his attempt to reunite the Oceanic 6 and bring them back to the island.
Episode 6 – 316
The way back to the island is revealed to members of the Oceanic 6, but there’s trouble ahead when not all of them wish to return
Episode 7 – The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham
Locke’s fateful mission off the island as Jeremy Bentham is revealed.
Disc Three:
Episode 8 – LaFleur
Sawyer perpetrates a lie to protect the remaining survivors from the mistakes of the past.
Episode 9 – Namaste
After meeting old acquaintances Sawyer is forced to continue lying to protect them.
Episode 10 – He’s Our You
Everyone on the island is at risk when one of the survivors decides to go against them and take matters into their own hands.
Episode 11 – Whatever Happened, Happened
Kate, Sawyer and Juliet try to save Ben. Kate starts to tell the truth about the lie in order to keep Aaron from harm.
Disc Four:
Episode 12 – Dead is Dead
To atone for sins of the past, Ben must attempt to summon the smoke monster in order to be judged.
Episode 13 – Some Like It Hoth
Suspicions about a possible breach intensify after Ben is taken from the infirmary, and a reluctant Miles is forced to work with Hurley when he’s asked to deliver an important package to a top DHARMA official.
Episode 14 – The Variable
The time of reckoning has begun when Daniel Faraday comes clean regarding what he knows about the island.
Episode 15 – Follow the Leader
Jack and Kate find themselves at odds over the direction to take to save their fellow island survivors, Locke further solidifies his stance as leader of “The Others,” and Sawyer and Juliet come under scrutiny from the DHARMA Initiative.
Disc Five:
Episode 16 – The Incident
Jack’s decision to put a plan in action in order to set things right on the island is met with some strong resistance by those close to him. Locke assigns Ben a difficult task.
The video is given in widescreen color with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The transfer is great with colors generally looking bright and vivid details everywhere. No major or minor problems at all here, and on par with previous seasons.
The audio included is available in English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound, or French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound. There are subtitles available in English, French, and Spanish as well. The dialogue and music come out loud and clear. No major problems here either, and the same good quality as previous seasons.
Audio Commentaries – There are two full-length audio commentaries for two separate episodes from this season. Creators, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse comment on the “Because You Left” episode. Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz comment on the “He’s Our You” episode. They are both pretty insightful, but they contain spoilers, so watch the season first. Not really that entertaining, though.
“Mysteries of the Universe” Featurette –
This runs 26 minutes and it’s more of a fake documentary that is set in the 1980s. It focuses on the bizarre stories that keep infiltrating the media about the Dharma Initiative. Nothing too revealing here, though, but likely still entertaining enough for fans.
“Making Up for Lost Time” Featurette –
This runs 14 minutes and it features the cast and crew discussing the task of putting season five together. This includes explaining how one of the major themes of this season was developed, taking a look at how special effects were integrated, and set design talk.
“An Epic Day with Richard Alpert” Featurette –
This runs 13 minutes and it features Nestor Carbonell, the actor behind the mysterious Richard Alpert character, as he preps for his last day of shooting for the season. Probably for fans only.
“Building 23 and Beyond” Featurette –
This runs 12 minutes and it features Michael Emerson, who plays Benjamin Linus, as he gives a tour of the California based offices where a lot of the behind the scenes stuff happens. Another good look into how this show is made.
“Lost on Location” Featurette –
This runs 38 minutes and it’s an in-depth look at the filming of seven of the episodes this season. This is definitely worth checking out for hardcore and casual fans alike.
Deleted Scenes –
There are 8 scenes that didn’t make the final cut of the season, and they total 14 minutes. About half of them are “must-watch” for fans, but they were all cut for time reasons.
Bloopers –
This runs 4 minutes, and it’s the usual mistakes and gags from filming this season. Not really funny, though.
If you are a hardcore fan of the show, this DVD set is a “must-buy” for you, unless you want to shell out more cash for the special edition DVD release or Blu-ray Disc. But if you don’t need A TON of extra stuff, then this standard DVD set will work just fine. If you gave up on Lost or are new to the show, then give this season a watch. You might be a little “lost” but stick with it. Some of the best episodes happen here.
Buena Vista Home Entertainment presents Lost: Season 5. Created by J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, and Carlton Cuse. Starring Matthew Fox,
Evangeline Lilly, Josh Holloway, Terry O’Quinn, Michael Emerson, Elizabeth Mitchell, Naveen Andrews, Henry Ian Cusick, Yunkin Kim, Daniel Dae Kim, Jorge Garcia, Jeremy Davies, Rebecca Mader, and Ken Leung. Running time: 731 minutes. Rated: NOT RATED. Released on DVD: December 8, 2009. Available at Amazon.comJ.
