“Lost – The Complete Second Season” Blu-ray Review
Arguably one of the most groundbreaking, innovative, and mind-bending series to come out of television in decades, J.J. Abrams Lost wowed viewers in its early seasons with its sense of isolation and confusion as the survivors of the horrific plane crash attempted to figure out where they were. Now with the series having just completed its fifth season, viewers are no longer questioning where the island is…but when the island is. With a time travelling season that left viewers and critics on the edge of their season, Buena Vista has opted to take views back to the first couple seasons on Blu-ray, in an effort to not only complete the Blu-ray collections of those who picked up the previous two seasons on the format, but to also wow viewers once again with the early episodes that wrapped so many up in the series.
Synopsis
LOST: Season Two is the fascinating continuation of the Lost saga that series’ fans won’t want to miss. Revitalized in breathtaking Blu-ray picture and sound, see how the mystery of the Island deepens as the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 find they are not alone in their battle against the Island’s “Others” and discover the shocking secrets that lay hidden in the underground hatch. This second season earned nine 2006 Emmy® nominations, including nods for Outstanding Directing, Writing and Casting. Priced to own at $69.99 (SRP) from Touchstone Television and Buena Vista Home Entertainment, buy LOST: Season Two: High-Definition Edition and get lost even deeper in one of the most riveting mysteries in television history!
Ahh, Lost. Your first season was such a brilliant bit of entertainment, with one of the most expensive TV pilots ever eventually paying off for ABC as you skyrocketed in ratings with each episode. The first season posed a thousand questions to the viewer that we’re only just now getting answers to years later and it was with this first season that I truly became enamored with the idea that a TV drama can truly engulf you even more than a high-budget film. In a nutshell, the first season of Lost was just the tip of the iceberg for the story and aside from some early inclinations that something was amiss on the island with a mysterious black cloud, this first season may as well be a different story as it was nowhere near as sci-fi as the series now is.
Considering the high hopes that the first season presented in terms of questions and scenarios, it seemed impossible that the second season could ever live up to those hopes…and it really didn’t. To me, it completely made a fool of itself, with the new cast members and separate sets of stories all around the island, the season just became a whole ball of annoyance it proceeded to ignore every question the first season posed and just pile on more and more. I kept watching in hope that I would at least get some kind of vindication…but…alas, there just was nothing. There was very little during this second season that was redeemable to me and the continued insistence of such characters like Michael and Shannon on annoying the living daylights out of you just got to be too much at times.
Still, it’s also quite interesting to return to these earlier seasons now after so many years, as you get to see a veritable cornucopia of cast members that have been killed off. Hell, the entire second season may as well been never made as I think we only retained one member of the “tail end” cast, with the rest of them all being killed throughout the season. In a way the series just about wrote itself off with future seasons, as nothing that occurred in it seems to have any lasting impact on the series…Desmond’s character aside, at least.
Still as disappointing as this season was, it’s still Recommended viewing for the Lost enthusiast. It is, without a doubt, my least favorite season, but that’s still saying something as even Lost on a bad day is still entertaining. It may just frustrate you, but the brilliance of the second season now is that you can breeze through it on Blu-ray, making the little quirks and annoyances but a minor speck in the overall enjoyment of the series. In fact I daresay the second season works better without the week long breaks and mid-season hiatus that it suffered from. Still not perfect, mind you, but not a bad season.
The Blu-ray
Lost arrives on Blu-ray in the usual casing that past seasons have received, with a double-wide Blu-ray case housing all the discs of the series. Included is a reflective foil/embossed slipcover and inside is a series of inserts, including $20 mail-in-rebate if you upgrade to this set over the original DVD release. Included are the always fantastic menu systems that transition seamlessly, although I still take issue with the font size on the menus as it’s a giant image with a small space occupied. Slightly irksome.
While the first season stumbled a bit with its 1080p AVC encoded transfer, this second season does no such thing. The issues with the budget or whatever it was that made the first season so uneven has been settled and as a result this second season is simply sparkling. The lush greens of the forest mixed with the sandy beaches and blue skies and ocean just make for some breathtaking scenery to take in and its shows like these that remind you of why the Blu-ray format is so spectacular. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is equally as impressive, with an absolutely superb surround spread throughout the season as well as plenty of room shaking bass to accompany all of the creepy and scary island sound effects. If you are looking for the absolute perfect Blu-ray experience when it comes to TV shows, Lost is truly the cream of the crop. Full 1080p, lossless audio…simply fantastic.
Extras are all ported over from the previous DVD release and are all in standard definition, but the wealth of goodies are still delightful to watch regardless. Included:
• Audio commentaries (Five Total)
• Fire & Water: Anatomy of an Episode
• Lost: On Location
• The World According to Sawyer
• Canine Castaway
• Flashbacks
• Deleted Scenes
• Bloopers
• Mysteries, Theories and Conspiracies
• Secrets from the Hatch
Overall it’s a bit disappointing that nothing new was recorded for this, but it’s still a remarkable package nonetheless. Highly Recommended for all, as even if you own the DVD release it’s a fantastic upgrade, especially with the rebate. And that video and audio really just deserves another mention, as it is truly flawless in just about every way. You couldn’t ask for a better package (well aside from some new commentaries or something, but those are minor qualms).
Lost: The Complete First Season is now available on Blu-ray.