Sometimes a television show comes along that instantly becomes water cooler talk. That show that is so unusual and different that it will have people talking about it to their friends, family, co-workers, and even strangers on the street the next day. It’s hard to keep up a hot streak over a long period of time, though. Over the years, Lost has gone from the IT show to an afterthought. Along the way, some early fans have gotten frustrated with the too many questions and so little answers they were given. Those that have stuck around, and even those that came back just for the final episode, have been talking about the finale for months. Now the sixth and final season of Lost is on home video, and it might finally give us all the answers you could ask for. Or maybe not.
If you don’t know what Lost is about at this point, don’t let someone try to explain the series to you – you’ll just be lost. The nuts and bolts of the show is basically a plane that crashes down on an island and the survivors, a ragtag bunch of interesting and diverse characters, who learn over time that the island already has inhabitants, also with their own secrets and mysteries.
The series has always been big on flashbacks and in the most recent seasons even flashforwards. But at the of beginning of the sixth and final season, we get introduced to the “side-flash.” The first episode of this season introduces the idea and new twist of a parallel universe where Oceanic Flight 815 never crashed. This season is mainly about what would have happened if the plane never crashed in the first place. Apparently this new universe is occurring at the same time as everything that is going down on that island. The main problem with that is you are bringing up some many new questions with so little time left. It also doesn’t help that start of this season is dragged out. The pace is so slow in the beginning that towards the end the writers have no choice but to speed things up and start throwing answers at viewers at a breakneck pace. That also means that some of the more interesting answers to the most central questions aren’t given enough time at the end.
Whether you think the sideways world really mattered or not, you can’t deny that it did provide some more depth to the characters of Lost. Sure, you could argue that we basically got the same backstory to these characters told in a different way. But really the sideways world storylines just gave the great actors more time to shine in different ways. Ultimately, the reason why Lost worked as well as it did was because all of the characters were interesting and all of the actors brought those characters to life. Matthew Fox and Terry O’Quinn still get the most screentime this season. If you really think about it, though, Jack and Locke have always been the most central characters on opposite sides of thinking about the island and why they crashed there. The sideways world also allowed fans the opportunity to see old familiar faces from seasons long ago.
Over the years, Lost built up such a large fan following with so many mysterious questions that the ending could never please everyone. This season does not answer all the mysteries, but that should prevent you from enjoying this season nevertheless. The end of the series does feel a little rushed, though, and that’s the main complaint. But you do have to credit the writers for not playing it safe. They could have easily spent every episode answering every question this season, but they decided to switch things up once more and provide another plot twist. They took a risk and it mostly worked on an emotional level to provide greater depth to the characters. Love it or hate it, in the end Lost made you think and laid the groundwork for more interesting television to come.
Episodes:
Disc One:
Episode 1 – LA X
The aftermath from Juliet’s detonation of the hydrogen bomb is revealed.
Episode 2 – What Kate Does
Kate finds herself on the run, while Jack is tasked with something that could put a friend’s life at risk.
Episode 3 – The Substitute
Locke goes in search of aid to further help his cause.
Disc Two:
Episode 4 – Lighthouse
Hurley must convince Jack to accompany him on a mission, and Jin comes across an old acquaintance.
Episode 5 – Sundown
Sayid faces a difficult decision, and Claire sends a warning to the temple inhabitants.
Episode 6 – Dr. Linus
Ben deals with the consequences of an uncovered lie.
Episode 7 – Recon
Locke trusts Sawyer with a mission.
Disc Three:
Episode 8 – Ab Aeterno
Richard Alpert faces a difficult choice.
Episode 9 – The Package
Sun and Jin desperately continue searching for each other. Meanwhile, Locke confronts his enemy.
Episode 10 – Happily Ever After
Desmond wakes up and discovers he has returned to the island.
Episode 11 – Everybody Loves Hugo
Hurley worries over what the group should do next, and Locke is curious about the new arrival to his camp.
Disc Four:
Episode 12 – The Last Recruit
Alliances are made and broken as the Locke and Jack camps merge.
Episode 13 – The Candidate
Jack’s suspicions about Locke make his decision more difficult after he is asked to complete a difficult task.
Episode 14 – Across The Sea
The story behind Jacob and the Man in Black is revealed.
Episode 15 – What They Died For
Locke carries on with his plan while Jack’s group searches for Desmond.
Disc Five:
Episode 16 – The End
The battle lines are drawn as Locke puts his plan into action, which could finally liberate him from the island.
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 four full-length audio commentaries for four separate episodes from this season. Creators, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse comment on both the “LA X” episode and the “Across the Sea” episode. Co-executive producers, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, and actor, Michael Emerson comment on the “Dr. Linus” episode. Finally, writers, Melinda Hsu Taylor and Gregory Nations, and actor, Nestor Carbonell comment on the “Ab Aeterno” episode. The ones featuring the creators are both pretty insightful, while the other two are fairly lackluster but still interesting. None of them are really that entertaining, though. Still must-listen to for fans.
“New Man in Charge” Featurette – This runs 12 minutes, and it is being marketed as the answers to all of your unanswered questions. They do answer a few minor questions, but nothing too major. There are still plenty of unanswered questions out there. Nevertheless, this is “must-watch” viewing for sure. This is the epilogue for Lost.
“Lost in 8:15: A Crash Course” Featurette – This runs 8 minutes and 15 seconds, and it’s basically a quick summary of what has happened in the first 5 seasons of this series. Not everything you need to know, if you are new to the series, but still a good starting point.
“Crafting a Final Season” Featurette – This runs 40 minutes and it’s your basic behind-the-scenes featurette. But this one is not as fluffy as most of these pieces tend to be. So fans should definitely check this out foe on-set interviews and
“A Hero’s Journey” Featurette – This runs 9 minutes and it takes a brief glimpse at the story and characters over the entirety of the series to answer “who exactly is the hero?” It’s somewhat interesting, but only watch if you need to know what makes a hero in Lost Land.
“See You in Another Life, Brotha” Featurette – This runs 9 minutes and it takes a closer look at the alternate reality as seen during the “sideways world”. There are various interviews with cast and crew about this. This one is definitely “must-watch”.
“LOST on Location” Featurette – This runs 29 minutes and it focuses on all of the locations and sets that various episodes from this season was shot from. Fairly interesting.
Deleted Scenes – There are 10 minutes of scenes that didn’t make the final cut of the season. Nothing really stands out as “must-watch”, though.
Bloopers – This runs 4 minutes, and it’s the usual mistakes and gags from filming this season. Not really funny, though.
The last season might not be the best season, but it’s still the final season and casual fans will want to check out how the show ends. NOTE: The only thing that is different from this standard edition DVD set and the Blu-ray DVD set is the slightly improved audio and video quality, and the BD-LIVE Lost University: Master’s Program. feature. Basically, you learn more about the theology of Lost, among other topics. Is that really worth spending an extra $10 or so? Probably not, as the standard edition DVD set will please most fans.
Walt Disney Pictures Home Entertainment presents Lost: The Complete Sixth and Final Season. Created by J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, and Carlton Cuse. Starring Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Josh Holloway, Terry O’Quinn, Michael Emerson, Naveen Andrews, Henry Ian Cusick, Yunkin Kim, Daniel Dae Kim, Jorge Garcia, Jeremy Davies, Rebecca Mader, and Ken Leung. Running time: 714 minutes. Rated: NOT RATED. Released on DVD: August 24, 2010.
