Lost - The Complete Third Season (Blu-ray)
Directed by Jack Bender et al
Studio: Disney
Year: 2006-2007
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 1080p AVC codec
Running Time: 991 minutes
Rating: TV-14
Audio: PCM 5.1 English; Dolby Digital 5.1 English, French; 2.0 English, Spanish
Subtitles: SDH, French, Spanish
MSRP: $96.99
Release Date: December 11, 2007
Review Date: December 16, 2007
The Series
4.5/5
And the mysteries continue unabated on the third season of Lost, one of television’s most intricately perplexing and most fascinating dramatic series. Though the third season of this cult classic solved a few of the enigmas that fans have puzzled over since the inception of the series (the origins of Locke‘s injuries and Jack‘s tattoos, for example), new questions were raised and old problems were still untended. All the better to keep real fans on tenterhooks until new episodes can come along, promised for February 2008.
At the end of season two, Jack (Matthew Fox), Kate (Evangeline Lilly), Hurley (Jorge Garcia), and Sawyer (Josh Holloway) were captured by “The Others.” Though Hurley was let go to return to the survivors to warn them to stay away, the plans for the other three were not made clear until several episodes into the third season. Some fans complained at the time that the first half dozen episodes that were broadcast in the fall of 2006 paid too scant attention to the survivors and too much time with “The Others.” On this revisiting of the season, the criticism seems outrageously unfair. There is plenty happening with the original group, and the time spent with “The Others” was absolutely necessary in ratcheting up the tension between the two camps as the season progressed. We get to burrow under the skins of, most particularly, Ben (Michael Emerson) and Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell), both of whom cast such strong influences on season three that the time spent with them is indeed very worthwhile (and yet still not enough, their motives and allegiances remained shrouded in mystery).
This season, we get to learn a great deal more about the perplexing Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick), and we get to say goodbye to several islanders whose identities I’ll refrain from revealing lest any surprises be spoiled. The backstories for the characters remain a pivotal part of Lost’s appeal, and this season we’re treated to more information about Jack (three stories), Sun and Jin (two), Locke (two), Sawyer, Eko, Desmond (two), Kate (two), Juliet, Hurley, Ben, And in one of the most shocking developments in season three, we get our first flash forward to get a look at some characters at a specific date in the future. We also see changes in characters whose own objectives place many in jeopardy and alter perceptions as to their abilities to help or hinder the rescue operations for all who wish to leave the island. The series continues to be one of the most gripping and surprising dramatic series on television, and most astonishing of all, the episodes can have a commanding emotional pull that can wallop the heart almost before you know it‘s happening.
Here the rundown of episode titles for all twenty-three outings for season three. An asterisk (*) indicates an episode which contains an audio commentary with the participants in parentheses.
*1 - A Tale of Two Cities (Damon Lindelof, Elizabeth Mitchell)
2 - The Glass Ballerina
3 - Further Instructions
4 - Every Man for Himself
5 - The Cost of Living
*6 - I Do (Carlton Cuse, Evangeline Lilly, Josh Holloway)
7 - Not in Portland
8 - Flashes Before Your Eyes
9 - Strangers in a Strange Land
10 - Tricia Tanaka Is Dead
11 - Enter 77
12 - Par Avion
13 - The Man from Tallahassee
*14 - Exposé (Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis)
15 - Left Behind
16 - One of Us
17 - Catch-22
18 - D. O. C.
19 - The Brig
*20 - The Man Behind the Curtain (Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse, Michael Emerson)
21 - Greatest Hits
22 - Through the Looking Glass, Part One
23 - Through the Looking Glass, Part Two
A note on the Lost Blu-ray release and the PS3. I have my unit set to transmit 1080p/24, and my initial attempt to view disc one with this setting got me only through the opening Blu-ray promo and an introduction to the show on Blu-ray by producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. Then the unit hung up. Setting the PS3 to 1080p/60 got me through those two sections and straight to the main menu. However, I found if I had my unit set to 1080p/24 and skipped past the promo and introduction and went straight to the main menu, I had no problem watching the episodes on disc one. All of the other discs loaded at 1080p/24 with no problems.
Video Quality
4.5/5
The show is broadcast in 720p on ABC, and these 1080p transfers (AVC codec) supersede the quality offered on high definition broadcast television. The sharpness, depth, and dimensionality of the images are spectacular. Flesh tones are gorgeously true-to-life with every wrinkle, spot, freckle, and injury easily discernable. Blacks are very rich, and shadow detail is excellent throughout. Only a momentarily soft shot or a moment where contrast seems a bit off mar what are otherwise faultless transfers. Each episode has been divided into 7 chapters.
Audio Quality
4.5/5
The PCM 5.1 track (48 mHz/16 bit, 4.6 Mbps) gives new meaning to the quality of a broadcast television soundtrack. True, you’re not going to get theatrical levels of immersion with this track, but the strong, dynamic presence, the open and wide-ranging soundfield, and the thrilling use of LFE when special moments arise (the replay of the crash in “Exposé,” the smoke monster’s visits, to name two) delight and amaze in their depth and clarity. This is the new reference standard for TV soundtracks on Blu-ray.
Special Features
5/5
The four audio commentaries vary in quality from excellent and illuminating (episode # 20) to jokey and annoying (#1). All feature speaking during the entire episode with no dead spots.
Kudos to Disney for presenting all of the bonus features on disc six in 1080i.
The Blu-ray release contains two exclusive extras. The first is the BD-Java feature “Access: Granted.” This control panel offers up 20 topics which have baffled Lost fans since the inception of the series. Initially, producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse make some personal observations on the topic at hand. Then, the viewer uses his remote to find additional information about the topics from the remaining buttons on the control panel. Push the correct button and you’ll see a collection of film clips on that particular topic. Pushing another button will give you comments from four Lost “experts”: Paul Terry of Lost magazine, Shawna Malcom from TV Guide, Jeff Jensen from Entertainment Weekly, and talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.
“Blu-Prints” is a tour of five standing sets constructed for this season’s episodes: the cages of the Hydra station, Ben’s home, the operating theater, Othersville, and the Looking Glass station. The viewer can choose to view the featurettes on the tour separately or use the “play all” feature and watch them in a 16½-minute chunk.
All of the other bonus features on disc six have been ported over from the sDVD release.
“The World of the Others” is a 14-minute featurette detailing some of “The Others” who grow greatly in importance during season three.
There are three Lost flashbacks which run a total of 5½ minutes, deleted from their original episodes but which add an extra bit of information about the backstories of three characters. They can be played all at once or can be chosen separately.
Separate from those are nine deleted scenes which run a total of 18 minutes. The viewer can watch individual scenes or choose a “play all” function to see them all at once.
“Lost on Location” is one of the set’s best bonuses. In 58 minutes, we see behind the scenes work on 10 different episodes featuring both cast and crew during filming and between shots. Again, the choice of watching them all or choosing individual episodes is left to the viewer. These featurettes might have worked better, however, being paired on the individual discs with their respective episodes so they could have been viewed easily after watching the episode.
“The Lost Book Club” deals with the importance of classic books to the storytelling from the first season on. This feature runs 8 minutes.
“Lost for a Day” is another superlative bonus feature in this set. A 25½-minute documentary condenses the herculean work that goes into one 14-hour day in the preparation of Lost. During the time this filming crew was recording work in both Hawaii and in Los Angeles, seven episodes of the series were in various stages of production including concluding work on episode 16 and beginning work on episode 17.
“Cast in Clay” is a 5-minute puff piece on the creation of the toy action figures which have been fashioned for the show’s most popular characters.
“Next Level: Video Game” is a similar fluffy piece on the creation of the Lost video game by Ubisoft.
“Crew Tribute” has star Evangeline Lilly introducing the crew of Lost and describing their various duties. This piece runs 7 minutes.
“Terry O’Quinn: Throwing from the Handle” shows the Emmy-winning star practicing his knife throwing for a pivotal scene. This very brief piece runs 1½ minutes.
“The Orchid Institute Film” is the entire fictional Dharma training film for station #6 which gets seen briefly in one episode. This piece runs 2¼ minutes.
An average blooper reel showing the usual line and movement gaffes by the stars runs 6 ½ minutes.
Disney trailers on display in 1080p in this set include Dan in Real Life, The Game Plan, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.
In Conclusion
5/5 (not an average)
Stephen King recently declared that Lost was the finest television series broadcast during 2007. On the basis of this monumentally exciting and reference quality third season set on Blu-ray, I’d have a hard time arguing with him. For those who love the show, a revisit to the castaway island along with the rich selection of bonus features contained in this set is unquestionably illuminating and primes the pump for the beginning of season four. The Blu-ray set is pricy, but the major increase in picture and sound quality plus the solid slate of extras is worth the price for fans of the show.
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC
