Following Lost’s
incredible success, this new season is chock full of sci-fi themed
mysteries. And while it’s too early to tell if any of them will
come close to matching Lost, what is clear is that Lost is as refreshing a show as 24 was when it premiered in late 2001. The
show’s premise is simple enough: a commercial airplane crashes on
an uninhabited island, stranding its forty-eight survivors in the
middle of nowhere. While the survivors struggle to come to terms with
the fact that a search party may never come, they encounter strange and
bizarre things when they discover that this island isn’t an
ordinary island: it’s so much more. It’s difficult to
write about this show when so much has already been said. For fear of
beating a dead horse, or revealing any important plot points, I’m
going to try to be as discreet as possible here. Throughout the
24 episodes that comprise season one, we’re introduced to 14
major characters, partly through flashbacks detailing events that led
to their getting on the plane, and partly through their actions on the
island. Some men and women prove heroes while others prove to be
scoundrels and unreliable. While mysteries abound—strange
monsters, polar bears, a mysterious hatch, and people, or things, known
as the Others—Lost is as much, if not more, a character drama as it is a plot driven show. The
characters run the gamut from sympathetic to loathsome, but all are
engaging and, in their own way, endearing. And the respective actors
bring more to their roles than should be expected in an hour long,
weekly drama featuring 14 characters. This is a show that should be
muddled by its own concept, but it’s handled with so much skill
and subtlety—at times—that it is as engaging as a human
drama as it is when the mysteries take the center stage. But that
virtue is also its greatest weakness. The island’s mysteries are
the most compelling aspect to the show, and while so much is set up, so
many questions presented, the series focuses on its characters to such
a large extent that the mysteries and questions take the backseat
through most of the show. The show hints at mysteries, then puts them
on the back burner while alternative story arcs, sometimes spanning
multiple episodes, are given precedent. The writing, however, saves Lost from becoming another Twin Peaks. While that show became detached from its central plot, Lost
manages to swing back around to it and, while no juicy answers are
given, the mysteries become deeper and deeper, and we’re left
wanting more, more, more. Ultimately, the show’s premise will become its downfall. While Lost
is the most fascinating and compelling show on television, we’re
living in an age in which audiences don’t want to wait week after
week, year after year, for a show as complex as Lost to
slowly unravel. They want it now, now, now! But the problem is, once
all of the secrets are revealed, there’s no show. So, unless
audiences can learn to have some patience, Lost may prove
to be a show that wears out its welcome in its second or third year.
And that would be a damn shame, because right now it’s one of the
smartest, most compelling shows on television. EXTRAS
While the 24 episodes are spread throughout six discs, the seventh
disc is full of supplemental material. With a wealth of featurettes
focusing on the actors, the genesis of the show, and featuring plenty
of anecdotes and behind the scenes moments, the set, as should be
expected, reveals nothing about the mysteries surrounding the island,
or the upcoming season. And that’s how it should be. As I die-hard fan
of the show, I don’t want to learn any of the secrets until they’re
aired. The bottom line is that Lost: the complete first season
is a thorough set with enough commentaries and background information
to satiate any fans cravings. This is one of the best DVD television
sets, and any fan of Lost shouldn’t be without it.
Conclusion:
Movie 90% Extras: 80%
Click Here: Exclusive Interview With Lost's Josh Holloway
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