Lost - The Complete Third Season

**This review will cover both the Blu-Ray and standard DVD versions of this release.**

Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from season three of Lost. Sure, season two ended with a bit of a bang, but most of the season felt wasted, focusing too much on the characters from the tail section of the plane, only to kill pretty much all of them off before the end of the season. It all seemed very sloppy to me, and while the ending did redeem the show a bit in my eyes, it wasn't really enough to get me pumped for season three. I just had a feeling that, in typical Lost fashion, the show would take what seemed like impending action and grind it to a slow, boring halt.

Well, in some respects, I was right. Season three of Lost starts off pretty terribly, and slower than even I anticipated. However, about midway through the season, the writers apparently were given a much needed kick in the behind, and from that point on the action and drama on the show ramped up considerably, all leading up to a finale that actually had me back on the show's bandwagon, and waiting very impatiently for the recent premiere of the fourth season.

***SPOILERS for the end of season two follow, as well as minor spoilers for season three. If you haven't seen season two, skip to the END SPOILERS tag below.***

Much like in season two, the Lost writers made the infuriating decision to spend the first few episodes focused on a select group of characters, rather than on all of them as I had hoped. Unfortunately, the first episode centers itself around everyone's favorite crybaby, Jack, and on Sawyer and Kate as well, but to a slightly lesser extent. Now, while I was certainly interested in the fate of those three characters after they were kidnapped by the Others, I (and probably most of the show's fans) was much more interested in the fate of Locke, Eko, and Desmond, and what happened within the hatch.

Again, I'll never know why the writers made that decision, and it may have been to spite the fans for their criticism of season two. Who knows. All I do know is that it made for some horrible television, with me feeling angry at the end of the first episode rather than begging for more.

Unfortunately, the second episode is even worse, focusing on Jin, Sun, and Sayid, in one of the most boring episodes of the season. Sure, there was a bit of action, but nothing to write home about, and the episode left me even more frustrated that the show still hadn't answered any questions about the real mystery from the end of the second season.

Finally, the third episode arrived, promising to focus on Locke, Eko, and to a lesser extent, Desmond. Sadly, though, this episode really failed to answer any questions either, and all it left me wondering was why no one from the beach went to see if something was wrong with the people in the hatch after there was clearly a massive explosion (implosion?) from that area. Instead, the writers opted for a throwaway plot where Locke had to connect with the island in order to save Eko from a polar bear. It's even more ridiculous than it sounds when you actually see it played out.

Further, the writers decided to introduce two new survivors from the plane crash this season: Nikki and Paulo. Strangely, they took the approach that these two were simply always there, we'd just never noticed them before, which is hard to believe seeing as Nikki is very, very noticeable (whereas the rest of the extras are much more boring when it comes to looks). For their entire run on the show, they just feel out of place, and their existence seems artificial. Their story culminates in a pretty satisfying ending for all the viewers that hated them (which was pretty much all the viewers), so I guess I can't complain too much, but it would have been nice had the writers just left them out altogether and not wasted countless minutes of screen time that could have been put to better use just about anywhere else.

We also get a much more in-depth look at the Others this season, although we still have no idea just why many of them were on the island to begin with, and even less of an idea of what they're doing there (aside from a few tidbits that stem more from a problem the Others are having rather than why they were originally on the island). While I can't say I wasn't frustrated by how little was revealed, it was nice to get a little more familiar with the Others, particularly Ben, who is obviously going to play a huge role in the show's future.

***END SPOILERS***

Overall, season three of Lost seemed almost like a mixture of the first two seasons. It got some of the bad from season two, but it also received quite a bit of the good from season one. The story also had a much greater sense of direction (unlike the second season, which meandered around far too much), particularly during the second half of the season. It all leads up to a great finale, and also a new narrative style for the show that will undoubtedly be of great interest in the fourth season.

The picture quality in the Blu-Ray version of season three will absolutely blow you away. This is one of those rare titles that will totally justify the purchase of a Blu-Ray player, and is a great showpiece for your friends. The colors are brilliantly vibrant, and almost seem to jump off the screen. The fact that much of Lost takes place on the beaches and in the jungles of Hawaii makes that fact even more significant. You'll be hard-pressed to find a better-looking Blu-Ray title.

The standard definition DVD release looks great as well, but after watching the Blu-Ray version, there's really no desire to ever go back.

The sound is similarly well-executed. While my home theater system does not support uncompressed audio, the 5.1 mix already packs a hefty punch, and at times (although not often, since Lost is more about talking than explosions) rocked my living room. Naturally, there are movies and shows that will make better use of your home theater system, but Lost does its job well.

Much like in the first two DVD releases, season three of Lost is no slouch when it comes to extras. There are commentaries on four of the season's twenty-three episodes, along with a slew of documentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and more. Unless you just can't get enough Lost, you won't be disappointed.

The Blu-Ray release of Lost also adds an additional major feature to the extras called Access: Granted. Basically, this feature allows you to select any of a wide variety of topics, and two of the show's producers will talk about it (there are also episode clips and interviews thrown in).

All in all, season three of Lost is a definite winner. While it starts off in the frustrating and slow manner of the second season, it builds up a lot of steam over the course of twenty-three episodes, and ends in a spectacular finale that will leave you begging for more. If you have a choice, get the Blu-Ray edition of the release. You'll be glad that you did. Regardless, when you take all of the extras into account, this is an easily justified purchase.