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Lost - The Complete Second Season (Blu-ray)
by Wee_Jackie_163
*N.B I am reviewing the DVD boxset of Lost Season 2. Dooyoo have asked me to put my review here.*
* THE BOXSET *
At the end of season one, the group have finally gained access to the mysterious hatch. What secrets lie within? A new character is introduced to the group, a character that seems to have a ... mysterious connection to the hatch, and an untold tale of how he ended up on the island in the first place...
When some of the group stumble across a man being held in a trap, he claims to be a fellow survivor on the island, but with a different arrival story than the rest of the group. Once he has been freed, his tale of survival arouses suspicion with some of the group, and he finds himself becoming their captive.
A second group of survivors - apparently from the tail section of the doomed airplane - are finally reunited with the original group. This allows for the rekindling of some relationships, but suspicion is present on both sides of the beach; can the original group trust the newcomers, or is there more to their story than they are giving away....? Trust is something that has to be taken for granted, at least in the meantime, as the two groups MUST come together to fight a common enemy. Well, if they want to survive, at least......
Michael is found by some of the other survivors, and once returned back to the hatch, needs nursed back to health by his friends. When he awakes, his tale of his days away brings new information about the 'others' that live on the island, and a subsequent ray of hope is given to the other survivors and his friends. But, is all what it seems with Michael's story, or is he hiding a secret from the rest of the group....?
* MY OPINION *
Having recently watched Season One of 'Lost' on DVD, I was looking forward to watching the second season, which contains 24 episodes, including a two-part season finale (episode 23 and 24). The season comprises of six discs containing the episodes (which are called volumes 1 - 6) as well as a disc featuring "Bonus Features".
To my mind, the plotlines in the second season were slightly more predictable this time around, whereas in the first season I found the story unfolding in a way that I had not expected at all. This clever 'plot-weaving' that was so evident in the first season allowed for a totally enjoyable viewing experience as the sense of anticipation whilst watching was extremely contagious, leaving me itching to watch the next episodes. I was extremely disappointed to discover that this was not going to be the case with the second season as I had previously felt it had been an important part of the show overall.
In comparison, I thought that some of the story in the second season was blatantly obvious as soon as the first hint of it was revealed. This is not true for ALL of the plot, just certain elements, but as they were rather important elements to the main storylines, I found it was disappointing to have been able to guess the outcome of these events, and I felt rather let down. Because I had managed to work out what was going to happen later in the season, I felt the first half of the boxset felt as if it was slightly 'dragging in' and the 'thrill' that I had been looking forward to was nowhere to be found.
Also, one of the things that I really enjoyed whilst watching the FIRST season of Lost was the way that all the different elements of the plot came together neatly, and so it felt like I was witnessing the construction of a very clever on-screen jigsaw. In the case of season two however, this smooth delivery didn't feel as easy somehow, and I felt that some of the plotlines were clumsily delivered in the midst of another, which led to a slightly confused storyline in some places. This 'jumbled' delivery did take something from the viewing experience in my opinion, and I didn't enjoy the second season as much as I had hoped I would as a result.
All was not LOST, however, as I did continue with the boxset regardless of my initial feelings of disappointment. What I found in the later episodes was a fairly intriguing outcome, albeit previously predicted in places. The final episodes in particular offered a fairly nail-biting finale, requiring much guesswork pertaining to the outcome of several of the main characters. This allowed for some anticipation towards the next season of the show, a feeling which went some way to compensating for the overly-predictable main threads in the run up to the ending.
In conclusion, the Season Two Boxset was watchable, and I would recommend it, but purely to answer some of the questions that were left 'dangling' at the end of Season One. If you enjoyed Season One of the show, and are looking for a second season that is packed with the same amount of mystery and anticipation as the first however, you may well find that you are left feeling disappointed.
* BONUS FEATURES *
The disc containing the Bonus Features contains three individual sections, called Phase 1, 2 and 3. Phase 1 is called "Observation" and contains three features such as "Lost on Location" and "The Anatomy of An Episode", which is for an episode called Fire + Water. I didn't watch any of these bonus features.
Phase 2 is called "Conditioning" and contains four features such as "Lost Bloopers" and "Deleted Scenes" as well as a "Channel 4 UK Promo." I watched the Bloopers which were quite funny, and contained most - if not all of the main characters - in a variety of funny sketches, showing them forgetting their lines, or mucking around whilst shooting various scenes. I thought it was worth a look, and would recommend having a look at it if this type of thing appeals. The rest of the items in the section didn't really appeal to me so I didn't watch them.
Phase 3 is called "Conclusion" and contains four features including "Lost Connections" and "Canine Castaway" which is the only feature in this section I watched. It features the story of the 6 year old canine star of Lost, a yellow Labrador retriever, and shows an interview with her trainer. It was quite interesting to find out about the training of the dog for the show, and animal lovers would find it an interesting watch I'm sure. The rest of the bonus features on this disc didn't really appeal as much, but I was impressed with the selection of bonus features provided with the box set overall, and felt that there was something to suit most viewers' tastes.
As @ June 2012, you can buy the DVD boxset of Lost Season 2 from www.amazon.co.uk for around £15, with prices for a used copy starting from £8.50.
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Lost: Season 1-6 (DVD)
by nicholaix
A truly special TV show for a number of reasons.
Please Note, I have tried my best to sum this whole TV show up without giving anything away such as spoilers.
*Plot*
Lost is based around a Plane crash, the survivors of the plane crash, their survival and the journey through discovering the island's secrets and the reason ... why they have all been brought together on one plane journey ending in a crash.
The plane crashes over 1000 miles of course with no reception. The survivors begin to know they may be here for some time. Mysteries about the island unfold around them, a man in a wheelchair can walk? Every action seems to have a reaction when it comes to this how, you solve all the mysteries and more come along to keep your mind challenged. It's hard to sum up the whole plot without giving it away. The character developments are fantastic and you discover along with the story-lines in Lost the characters actions, ambitions and reasoning has a much deeper meaning.
*Characters*
A doctor, A conman, A fugitive and a single mother are all included in the mix of the characters always touching on the most sensitive of subjects, you watch bad relationships shape them and you feel the warm buzz when you watch good relationships form and you genuinely feel their happiness and pain. The actors were all well picked for each role, each character can be a bit of a stereotype but each of them is loveable (Yes, even the villains)! With use of flashblacks, flashforwards and flashsideways A lot of secrets, motivators and personality traits are revealed to make you connect with each one of them and the whole six degrees of separation is always something to spot while watching.
The whole entirety of lost has many themes, it contains a lot of religious, philosophical, science related ideas. Rivalries, the rivalries for love and attention of somebody shape the main characters relationships (Love square anyone?) . Rivalries for leadership and respect. The old Fate Vs free will debate is huge in this series.
Series summarys: *DON'T READ CONTAINs SPOILERS*
One:
# Getting the survivors safe and well, looking for clean water and food.
# Character flashbacks, giving them stories.
# Making friendships and rivalries.
# Trying to leave
# Mysteries of the monster, the black rock, polar bear and the hatch.
Two:
# Tail section survivors
#The Dharma Inactive and its people (the others)
# The Dharma stations, numbers, pressing a mysterious button.
# Further character development.
Three:
# The character development of all the others, there households and society and jobs on the island.
# First contact with the outside world with a visit to the island from a freighter which could be rescue.
# Healing powers, future telling powers and pregnancies issues.
# The use of flash forwards
Four:
#some survivors leaving the island.
# The strongest leadership issues, are the people here to help them or not, who's going to leave and who is going to stay
# Time travel!
Five
# Alternative timelines, time travel.
# Being stuck in the early days of the Dharma, most of the mysteries are revealed finally in this series as the characters go back to the Dharma's origins.
# Survivors coming back to the island and another plane crash of Aijra airlines.
Six.
#Alternative realities happen as the team try to reverse, Flash sideways, trying to reconnect in the real world.
#The true history of the island and its powers is revealed
# Meeting again in a separate life and moving on.
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