Lost - The Complete Third Season
Directed by Jack Bender et al
Studio: Disney
Year: 2006-2007
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 anamorphic
Running Time: 991 minutes
Rating: TV-14
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 English. French; 2.0 English, Spanish
Subtitles: SDH, French, Spanish
MSRP: $69.99
Release Date: December 11, 2007
Review Date: December 11, 2007
Directed by Jack Bender et al
Studio: Disney
Year: 2006-2007
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 anamorphic
Running Time: 991 minutes
Rating: TV-14
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 English. French; 2.0 English, Spanish
Subtitles: SDH, French, Spanish
MSRP: $69.99
Release Date: December 11, 2007
Review Date: December 11, 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 somewhat 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 (two), Hurley, Said, Ben, Claire, Charlie, 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 future date. 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
Video Quality
4.5/5
The show is broadcast in 720p on ABC, and these 480p down conversions are for the most part exceedingly beautiful, easily the best looking standard definition series currently on DVD. Sharpness is exceptional in close-ups and medium shots, and flesh tones are spectacularly true-to-life. Only a modest amount of edge enhancement and a little pixilation in a few fine line structures mar these beautiful 1.78:1 anamorphic images. Blacks are rich, and shadow detail is excellent. Each episode has been divided into 8 chapters.
Audio Quality
4/5
The Dolby Digital 5.1 track uses the front channels more consistently though it does contain a reasonable amount of sound filtered through the rear channels (though more use for ambient sounds would be preferable). There are some great uses of sounds panning from front to back. LFE can be very impressive when various island catastrophes occur.
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 seven in anamorphic video.
“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 two 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 the other 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 being done in both Hawaii and 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 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 this set include Desperate Housewives, What About Brian, The Game Plan, Brothers & Sisters, Ugly Betty, and Grey’s Anatomy. There is also a very brief introduction to the fourth season of Lost.
In Conclusion
4.5/5 (not an average)
Stephen King recently declared that Lost was the finest television series broadcast during 2007. On the basis of this wonderful third season set, I’d have a hard time arguing with him. For fans of the show, a revisit to the castaway island along with the rich selection of bonus features contained in this set is stupendously illuminating and primes the pump for the beginning of season four.
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC
