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Robert Moore |
Date: 2007-05-24

Warning! Major spoiler alert!

I believe that Season Three of LOST is one of those seasons of a show that will have a significant impact on the dynamics of television quite apart from the merits or demerits of the season itself. This is mainly due to various tensions the networks have had in broadcasting serial dramas. Season Two of LOST provoked vast viewer anger over the seemingly endless repeats. All season long they would give us four or five new episodes, only to do three or four repeats. No one knew sometimes if they would be tuning into a repeat or a new episode. To counter this, ABC made the decision to broadcast six episodes in the fall to be followed by sixteen episodes shown without interruption beginning in January. Unfortunately, the six episodes they showed in the fall were almost universally perceived as the weakest group of episodes in the show's run. The results of all this I think will be threefold:

1. In the future, I think the trend with popular serial dramas will be to broadcast shows in uninterrupted hunks. We had already seen this happening with 24. I think after the Season Three debacle with LOST, which saw the show lose a huge number of viewers during its break, this will become far more commonplace.

2. The general perception of the first six episodes of the season was that they dawdled too much, provided too little plot development, and simply didn't advance the narrative sufficiently. Shows tend to learn from the mistakes and failures of other series. Damon Lindelhof of LOST has stated that the writers on the show have attempted to avoid the piling up of mysteries that occurred on TWIN PEAKS and the lack of focus on character rather than plot on THE X-FILES and to emulate the focus on character within the overall narrative that was seen in BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. I believe in the future that writers on other serial narratives will strive to make sure that the mysteries on a show are being revealed at a good pace. (Just as I think future writers will try to emulate the pace at which this has been done on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.)

3. There was also a widespread perception that in much of Season Two of LOST and the first six episodes of Season Three, the overall narrative was simply being padded out to ensure a long run for the show. From the beginning looked like a show that needed fewer rather than more seasons to be truly good, but it appeared that with the ratings monster it was in the first two seasons that the powers that be were hoping they could stretch it out to seven or eight seasons instead of five or six. Luckily, the huge backlash against the show following the first six episodes--a backlash that occurred both among everyday fans and among TV critics--seems to have created a reassessment and in the spring it was announced that LOST would be back for three more sixteen-episode seasons. I was delighted with how positively this announcement was greeted by fans and critics alike. I think the result has been for the networks to recognize that certain kinds of series have only a limited potential in terms of the number of episodes that can be produced, that there are certain series that you can really only produce if you anticipate their going four or five or at most six seasons. The other series this is happening with is BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, which like LOST is more or less telling a single story. Both of these are outstanding series that will benefit from a smaller number of series (the debate among the producers of BSG at the moment is whether they need to end the series at the end of Season Four or whether they will need a Season Five). As a negative example there is PRISON BREAK, which currently is threatening to fall apart for lack of any real plan.

The great news about Season Three is that after the long break the show came back as good as ever. If we were rating this as one would rate an ice skater, we'd have to give it a lower rating based on some slips and falls early in its routine. But it rebounded wonderfully and the frustration that most viewers experienced in the fall rarely if ever returned in the spring. Furthermore, they started giving us concrete answers to a host of questions that had been bothering us for ages. We found out all about the others (though not where they originally came from), about the lay out of the island, about the facilities on the island, and a few of -- though by no means all of -- the island's secrets. At the end of the season there were still things we'd like to know about -- Just who is Jacob? What's up with the black smoke? What makes the island so special? What was the genesis of the Dharma Initiative -- but there is no doubt that we knew vastly more than we knew before. There were also many new characters. Ben, whom we knew in Season Two as Henry, was back and became one of the most fascinating characters on the show. And we were introduced to the enigmatic Juliet, whose sad and wistful smile was as impossible to comprehend as the Mona Lisa's. We learned that following the decimation of the hatch at the end of Season Two Desmond experienced visions of the future and seemed doomed to reenacting events. The deep attraction between Jack and Kate was made more explicit even though she ends up furthering things with Sawyer. And as many fans suspected as early as Season One, Locke's father turned out to be the real Sawyer. Our Sawyer coming face-to-face with the real Sawyer was not only one of the highlights of the season but of the entire series.

I want to say something about the finale, but without giving away the details of how the last five minutes of the season changes absolutely everything we know about the series. The changes are, interestingly, not so much in new revelations as in ways that are open for the show to proceed narratively in the future. For the past three seasons the narrative has proceeded in the present with flashbacks to the past of various characters. That is no longer possible. In the future the narrative will of necessity either proceed on the island with flash forwards or will take place in the future with flashbacks to events following the end of Season Three. (Sorry to be vague here, but I really think that one should watch Season Three without knowing what happens at the end of the season to change everything so completely.) I honestly have no idea what way they will proceed. If I had to bet, I would say that the show will continue to use flashbacks, but that the main narrative will proceed in the present. The first three seasons took place pretty much exclusively in the calendar year 2004. I believe Season Four could well take place in 2008 with flashbacks to the previous four years. Regardless, the surprising ending changed everything.

There is one beef I want to make with the show. As much as I love this series, it has to handle the death of characters worse than just about any I have seen. The first series to kill off a substantial number of central and beloved characters was BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. There had been other deaths on television series, to be sure. The death of Deep Throat at the end of the first season of THE X-FILES was close to unprecedented at the time. Previously characters largely died because they wanted to leave a show, like the death of Edith on ALL IN THE FAMILY or Denise Crosby's departure from STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION. But BUFFY created the habit of killing off key characters. I'm not sure I've ever been so completely shocked at the death of any character on TV as I was when Angel killed Jenny Calendar in Season Two of BUFFY. It shattered the hallowed tradition on TV that you simply don't kill off characters you like. It ushered in a new era on TV to great effect. Suddenly, a new sense of danger was introduced to TV. Before you always knew that all the characters would survive any catastrophe, no matter how dire, simply because that was the nature of TV. But after BUFFY and the way that other series so quickly picked up on its willingness to kill characters, a new sense of precariousness extended to almost every show on TV. And TV was certainly the better for it. One thing that made the deaths on BUFFY so compelling was that each one carried such a great price and had such enormous consequences. All the deaths were exceedingly well done. But this has not been the case on LOST. Perhaps the deaths will be made less meaningless by developments in the final three seasons, though I somehow doubt it. Characters were killed off in almost random fashion. At least there was no real sense about why they were killed off. It seems like someone said, "Well, we need to kill someone off." And some of the deaths seemed to be caused by off screen activities. Michelle Rodgriguez's death in Season Two was thought by many to be in response to a violation of probation that might have required some jail time and impinged on the shooting schedule (she claims she only signed up for one season). In Season Three Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje's great character Mr. Eko was killed reportedly because he was hated by all his fellow cast members and he hated them all in return (some anonymous cast members reported that he was dictatorial to the extent of telling other actors what they should do or how to speak their lines--all reports are that no one was sad to see him leave the set). But even so his death felt like he had been ripped from the show prematurely. And a major death in the season finale felt equally unnecessary. I believe that this will also influence future shows. I think "the body count" is a permanent fixture in any series with an adventure element, but I think that future shows will strive not to make the death of characters as superfluous as they have been in LOST.

The final three seasons will all begin in the winter and be broadcast for sixteen straight weeks with no interruptions. I love this not merely because it means no dead times between episodes but because it puts definite limits on how much time they have left to finish the story. I think most fans of the show feel a lot better about how things are going now than they did last fall. Then the series seemed moribund and seemed almost to be drifting. Now it feels like it is heading somewhere definite. And it ended the season by doing something that all the really great shows do: it took a gigantic risk that changes everything. I look forward with excitement to what happens next.

SUZANNE D'AMATO |
Date: 2007-04-29

(This review is being entered after watching until episode 18 out of 23)

The third season of Lost introduces brand new amazing characters and great surprising flashbacks. Previous story lines are covered with exciting revelations and the entwining series of events leads to new astonishing connections eventually raising new questions to other mysteries. Some readers will find themselves sympathetic with whom they thought were bad people, while others will reconsider their opinion about some original character. Episodes of the 3rd season delight us with a new locations, new vehicles and new super-powers leading to an incredible number of twists and turns completely unprectitable.

Below is the episode-centric list
01 - A Tale of Two Cities (Jack)
02 - Further Instructions (John)
03 - The Glass Ballerina (Sun)
04 - Every Man for Himself (Sawyer)
05 - The Cost of Living (Eko)
06 - I Do (Kate)
07 - Not in Portland (Juliet)
08 - Flashes Before Your Eyes (Desmond)
09 - Stranger in a Strange Land (Jack)
10 - Tricia Tanaka is Dead (Hurley)
11 - Enter 77 (Sayid)
12 - Par Avion (Claire)
13 - The Man from Tallahassee (John)
14 - Expose' (Nikki & Paulo)
15 - Left Behind (Kate)
16 - One of Us (Juliet)
17 - Catch-22 (Desmond)
18 - D.O.C (Sun & Jin)
19 - The Brig (John)
20 - The Man Behind the Curtain (Ben)
21 - Greatest Hits (Charlie)
22 & 23 Finale - Through the Looking Glass (Jack)

H. Heavens |
Date: 2007-08-28

Let me just start by saying i have never liked movies about being stranded on an island. Blue Lagoon, Castaway etc etc, i avoid those movies like the plague, why? Lets just say growing up in Chicago i have become used to urban enviroments and movies in general with a lot of stuff going on. How much can possibly go on when stranded on an island, fish? Swim away from sharks? Building a fire? Don't get me wrong, i like character development as much as the next person (never seen a lord of the flies movie but i read the book and did enjoy it, but thats the only stranded scenario i have ever gotten into) but i just couldnt buy the old grass huts and spear fishing cliche over and over again.

So what made me start watching Lost, i hate to say that into the third season i saw a commerical with Evangeline Lily in it and thought to myself, a show with a girl that fine in it has to be at least decent, if anything maybe i could catch some rainy scenes with her in it. So i downloaded the season premiere of season 3, a tale of 2 cities. When i saw the airplane going down after the others (didnt know at the time) came out of their houses i was just blowned away. For one, i thought it was just about a deserted island, instead i get people walking out a neigborhood that looks like surburbia in any ol city. So i thought to myself after watching the episode only one thing....."I have to get the first 2 seasons Now".

Now after being completely won over by the cast of lost for 2 seasons i jumped right back where i left off, the second episode of the 3rd season. Now i heard many reviews about how weak the first 6 episodes are. While it was nothing compared to the second half of the season, it was just basically giving a little insight into who the others really were. The whole dynamic between Jack and Julia is particularly fascinating, simply because Jack never truly falls for Julia like he has fallen for Kate, Julia however falls head over heels for Jack. The fact that they shared the most important bond (getting off the island) drew them closer together.

I enjoyed the episode when Ben shows jack the footage of the world series with Boston winning and the Look on Jack's face is probably the most stunning/revealing Look on the entire run of the show, You feel Jack's Pain that he can't get home but he realizes the world is still going on and it fuels him to do whatever is neccesary. The season picks up like a runaway train with the return of Lost that came on at 10:00pm est. Now, Lost is one of the only shows that can get away with coming on so late..10o'clock at night on the east coast, i am usually in bed by 9:30 and you want me to stay awake till 11:00pm. But you know what...i did it anyway, they could show this show at 3:00am and i would set my alarm clock to watch this outstanding show. Honestly, in my humble opinion their was not one weak episode in the whole season, even the episode "expose" which people seem to loathe for some reason i found enjoyable, sure not as much as others but the ending alone made a chill just go up my spine.

Lost is like crack to me, if i miss an episode i am downloading it the next day just so i can watch it, i am addicted and i will be addicted until my friends get off that darn island, and when they do, thats when i'll be in tears because this show that has brought me so much entertainment will finally be over.....thank goodness for dvd's.

B. Smith |
Date: 2007-08-11

With a show like Lost where there are so many vivid colors and beautiful beaches (not to mention women) it needs to be in high-def to fully appreciate it! Thank you disney for stepping up and releasing it on Blu-ray, I just pre-ordered it. I had the enjoyment of watching season 3 of Lost in HD and let me tell you it rocked my socks! sadly I don't own a tivo so I only got to watch it once when it aired on HD. I'm looking forward to finding out what exclusives with be on the Blu-ray version because I read they are putting extra things that won't be on the DVD version. And of course I am drooling at the thought of season 1 and 2 on Blu-ray in the near future! but for now December 11th can't come soon enough!

Porfie Medina |
Date: 2007-12-27

Lost is the perfect show to showcase the amazing picture and sound only blu-ray high def can offer. Seeing Lost on blu-ray takes the show to a whole new level. With 6 times the resolution of DVD, everything just seems to pop out at you in this amazing 6 disc set. From the grass and trees on the island to the blue sky and the facial expressions (including seeing the actors pores), every detail just pops out like nothing you have seen before in a TV show. Lost Season 3 blu-ray is truly breathtaking and is one amazing experience to see it in blu-ray high def. This is one of the best TV shows to come out in a long time, and is one of the few shows that hook you in, gets you addicted, and takes you on this emotional journey with the characters. Sometimes after each episode you are lost yourself by what is going on, but it is that mystery and suspense that keep fans coming back for more. In season 3 we find out more about the others along with some answered questions on some of the characters pasts. Disney/Buena Vista put a lot in their DVD and Blu-ray sets and Season 3 is no exception. Lost The Complete Third Season -- The Unexplored Experience blu-ray is presented in 6 blu-ray discs with all 23 episodes and is presented in full 1080p high definition with a 1.78:1 widescreen transfer. This blu-ray looks even better than the over-the-air high definition transfer which is broadcast in 720p. This is without a doubt the best looking TV show ever in high definition to date. The audio for Lost is great as well. You get a PCM track which sounds the best and has more impact than the 5.1 dolby digital track. The sound along with the pristine picture just make this set that much more enjoyable. Lost is one show that was truly meant to be seen and appreciated in high definition.


The bonus material is as follows


· "The World of the Others," which explores the crucial role of "The Others" in season 3 and what the world of Lost holds for these characters in the future.

· "Lost Flashbacks" - Never-before-seen glimpses into the past lives of the castaways

· "Lost in a Day" - Fans of Lost will have a chance to see what it really takes to create the show each season.

· "Lost on Location" - A behind-the-scenes look at the making of 10 episodes from season 3

· "The Lost Book Club" - Learn about the role of literature in the story of Lost in this exploration of the books featured in the series.

· Deleted Scenes

· Bloopers

· Audio Commentaries

· Exclusive, interactive BD-Java Feature - Fans will rethink what they know about Lost and change the way they watch the show. Viewers decipher truth from conjecture through an interactive control panel unlocking the mysterious world of Lost.