Standard disclaimer … I’m no audio or video expert, and I can’t tell a hi-def from a 4:3. My observations on this and future DVDs aren’t meant to be full reviews, just my opinions on what I’ve seen.
Spoiler Alert: If you haven't seen Season 4, you don't want to read this. There are plenty of spoilers.
There are only three shows on TV that I must see every week, and only two of those are good enough for several repeat viewings. One of those is so intriguing I not only watch the show but I listen to podcasts about it and peruse its fan sites. Lost is simply the most intriguing television show I’ve ever seen with each show an anticipated event and the season premieres and finales Superbowl level events. And with a little over a month to go until season five premieres, the Lost: The Complete Fourth Season DVD is just enough to tide me over until then.
The fourth season of Lost absolutely did not disappoint. After an unbelievable first two seasons season three began as quite a disappointment with shows that seemed to do little to move the overall storyline along. Happily, the Lost producers got the message and put a definitive end date on the series (Season 6) allowing the show to get back on track towards the end of season three and continue that path throughout season four.
As is typical with the show, each season brings something completely new – in this case the realization that (at least some) of the castaways will be rescued and flash forwards to their lives off the island. And despite the writer’s strike-shortened season, there were several standout episodes this season. The Constant is a favorite of many but the time travel was a little too much for me. But The Economist, Ji Yeon, Meet Kevin Johnson and the finale, There’s No Place Like Home are my favorites.
In addition to the episodes, there are many commentaries and special features on the DVD. Rather than list the Commentaries in order, I've listed them in order (favorite to least favorite)
Commentary on There’s No Place Like Home (Part 2) (Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse)
Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse are the two showrunners for Lost. As such, they know everything going on with the show and are two of the few people who know exactly where all this is headed and how it will get there. While they've done commentaries before, this was the first time they were able to do a commentary on a season finale. While they're always careful not to say more than they should, it's good to know that what they do say can be trusted. If you've listened to the official Lost podcasts you've heard Damon and Carlton before. Their style is very funny, loose and light and they have a great rapport. Here's some of the fun stuff learned in this commentary:
- How they handled a growing Walt
- Freezing a bomb battery with liquid nitrogen will not really keep it from going boom
- Back stories for the freighter folk got pushed back from season four because of the writer's strike
- At the start of each season there is a three week mini-camp with the writers
- Sun's scene in London was one of the rare scenes shot in the actual location, inthis case to accommodate Alan Dale (Charles Widmore) who was performing in Spamalot there.
- The final coffin scene was short with three different actors to help keep the finale a secret
- And I did earn a Red Robin
Commentary on The Constant (Editor Mark Goldman, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse)
Another great commentary with Damon and Carlton and no episode needs it more than The Constant. I've heard many people who call this the best Lost episode ever. I'm not among those people but after watching it with the commentary, I do appreciate it much more (and almost understand it). Among the highlights are Damon and Carlton's explaining how they ultimately came up with the method of handling the transition from one time period to another.
Commentary on The Beginning of the End (actors Evangeline Lilly and Jorge Garcia)
A typical actor-only commentary with the two discussing some of the challenges and fun of shooting Lost and memories of certain scenes. I've always been a big fan of Hurley (Jorge Garcia) but not so much Kate (Evangeline Lilly) but this commentary helped that a lot. Lilly comes off as a very nice, fun person and this this was much more enjoyable than most actor's commentaries are. The highlight was when Lilly has to go to the bathroom.
Commentary on Ji Yeon (Director Stephen Semel, actors Daniel Dae Kim and Yunjin Kim)
This was the first episode of Lost Stephen Semel directed and it was fun to hear him talk about that. Also great to hear two of the more likeable people in the cast – Daniel Dae Kim and Yunjin Kim – discuss their roles and processes. There's nothing particularly insightful here, just likeable people talking about a subject I love – Lost.
Again, I've listed the special features in order from my favorite to least favorite
The Oceanic Six: A Conspiracy of Lies (21:13)
Among a group of fantastic special features, this one stands out above them all. This is a "documentary" produced after the rescue of the Oceanic Six that wonders if all is not as officials are claiming. It's typical of the conspiracy theory type documentaries produced on UFOs or the fake moon landing, except this time, they might be right. I don't want to spoil it, but this is a must-see.
Soundtrack of Survival: Composing for Character, Conflict and the Crash (26:20)
I have to admit, I put off watching this until last because nothing bores me more than score. But I underestimated how important the Lost score was in the show's effectiveness. As Carlton Cuse mentions in the piece, Lost is one of the few shows you can identify by its music alone. This feature uses the occasion of a September 22, 2007 (the 3rd anniversary of the crash of Flight 815) live performance of the score with readings by Terry O'Quinn (Locke) to delve into the creation and importance of the music of Lost.
Composer Michael Giacchino has lots to say about his process. My favorite is his explanation that he doesn't look at the script before hand. Instead he watches an episode from beginning to end and where there should be music, that's where he writes music. It was also fascinating to learn that real airplane parts were a big part of the percussion setup in the first season's music. By my absolute favorite thing was watching close-ups of musicians playing a familiar note or two on brass or strings and instantly being transported back to the island even though the only thing on the screen is a musician in a studio. If I weren't writing this article I probably would've never watched this feature, but boy am I glad I did.
Lost on Location (41:56 minutes)
Here you go on location for pivotal scenes in eight episodes from season four including the season premiere (The Beginning of the End), The Constant and the season finale (There's No Place Like Home Part 2). You'll learn how Hurley crashed the fruit boxes, how the producers kept track of who was where in the finale to make sure they all ended up on the helicopter (including shots of the whiteboard) and much more. The segment on The Constant is a great companion to the audio commentary on the episode. There are lots of cast and crew interviews in this awesome special feature for us Lost fans.
Course of the Future: The Definitive Flash Forwards (56:02)
A quick look with some cast and crew about the concept of flash forwards followed by a chronological presentation of all season four's flash forwards. On a show like Lost with all its cast divisions and timelines (and with my mind that has trouble keeping everything straight) a presentation like this is a great idea. I'd love, when Lost is all said and done, for them to release a special collection with things like this – maybe all the flash backs or Lost from start to finish following a certain character. So many possibilities…
The Island Backlot: Lost in Hawaii (17:52)
This is a fascinating look at how the producers of Lost created Sydney, Tunisia, Korea, an Iraqi prison and even exotic beaches out of various locations in Hawaii. It's a testament to the location scouts, set dressers, background actors and the visual effects (but not as much as you might think). Another great special feature.
Lost in 8:15 (8:15)
If you've never seen Lost before, you can get caught up in only 8 minutes and 15 seconds. This is very funny for us fans, and if you've really never seen the show, this won't help at all.
Lost: Missing Pieces (Mobisodes) (31:21)
These 13 short stories from Lost were originally available on the web. Some are interesting character studies ("King of the Castle"), some spooky ("Room 23") and some funny ("So It Begins" which looks at the series start from Vincent's perspective). All the mobisodes are created with the regular writers and director and consequently are of very high quality. While most hard core Lost fans have seen these already, it's very nice to have them on the DVD.
The Freighter Folk (21:39 minutes)
So you've got the original survivors, the tailies, the Dharma people, the Others and now the Freighter Folk – the group of people on the ship including those sent to the island. Nothing particularly special here but fun for fans nonetheless.
Offshore Shoot (7:50 minutes)
Somewhat interesting look at what it took to shoot the scenes on board the freighter. The highlights were the admission that the helicopter couldn't really land on the freighter (the blades would hit the structures on the ship) and the line of puke buckets (it is a real, floating boat after all).
Deleted Scenes (9:31)
These are nine (as best as I can tell, fully completed but without score) deleted scenes presented without commentary. I like deleted scenes when they're presented with the director explaining why they chose to leave them out. I also like them when they're integrated into the episode so you can branch and watch them in context. But by themselves like this, they're not particularly interesting. There were a couple of highlights though – "I Know Chicken" with Hurley and Sawyer doing a very funny scene and "Church Arrival" which is an intriguing part of a flash forward. By the way, does anyone know if what happens in deleted scenes is considered Lost canon?
The Right to Bear Arms (11:14)
There are lots of guns on Lost and this short feature takes a look – with plenty of humor – at how they keep track of who has what gun.
Lost Bloopers (3:22)
A typical DVD blooper reel.
Bottom Line:
If you're a Lost fan, I can't recommend this DVD highly enough, even if you have seen all the episodes. The two Damon and Carlton commentaries plus The Oceanic Six: Conspiracy of Lies documentary are worth the price alone. Enjoy!
BTW, the other two shows mentioned above – in order – are 24 and The Office.
Lost: The Complete Fourth Season DVD
The Series: Rating: 10 out of 10 stars
DVD: Rating: 9.5 out of 10