Now that it is commonplace for current prime time network television shows to become available on DVD, one might wonder why you would want to view episodes already airing weekly. The answer is simple: bonus features! And fortunately for fans of “LOST”, the recently released Season 2 DVD set provides a multitude of goodies.

“LOST” on the surface has a simple premise: a plane crashes on a remote island, and the survivors must learn to adapt to each other, the island, and various unexpected situations. But as the second season drew to a close, the hour-long weekly show had become one of the most complicated on network television. Not only are there over a
dozen main characters, comprised of survivors of the Oceanic Airlines Flight 815, there are also several others already living on the island who aren’t particularly friendly. There are also remnants of 30 year old scientific outposts on the island, run by a group called the Dharma Initiative. So, various wild beasts populate the island in
forms both familiar and unfamiliar.
Each of the main characters brings with them a history that is explored on the show in great detail, in the form of flashbacks. Because they were on a flight from Sydney, Australia to Los Angeles, California, there are people of various nationalities. We discover many of them are not who they seem and that most have either caused or experienced a great deal of tragedy. None of them exist in a vacuum; in fact, one of the most entertaining aspects of watching “LOST” is finding out how each of the characters directly or indirectly interacted with one or more of the others, before the crash. Most are not aware of this, which is plausible. How many times have you passed a person in an airport and not taken notice of them? Or exchanged a glance or even spoken a few words only to forget all about it later? The main characters of “LOST” are the sort you might not have noticed in your day to day life, but each becomes fascinating when you discover their background.
The Season 2 DVD set contains all 24 episodes that originally aired. Five of these episodes contain optional audio commentaries featuring actors, directors, writers and producers of the show. They provide a great deal of insight as to where their ideas came from, which scenes were the most problematic to create, how some of the special effects were done, what material had to be left out, why they chose a certain location or angle or plot twist, and what was going on behind the scenes. Some of these commentaries are also funny.
Disc Seven is all bonus material. On it, they have an extremely in- depth documentary on one of the episodes, detailing the entire process from brainstorming plot to writing, from scouting locations to costume, makeup and set-building, from filming, editing and mixing the sound to delivering a rough cut to the network. I found it highly fascinating and recommend this to anyone interested in the creative process of television or for anyone who just wondered what is involved in putting together a show. I found this information enhanced my enjoyment of the show and gave me a newfound respect for all the hard work that went into making it.
There are also shorter behind the scenes features on several other episodes. I enjoyed seeing more of what happens on the set in between takes. One thing I found fascinating is that all the filming is done on Oahu, Hawaii. This would not be too much of a problem for the island shots, but they also have to use Oahu to stand in for various
character flashback locations; such as Los Angeles, Australia, England, Korea, Iraq and even Nigeria. I have to applaud their creativity in doing this.
Disc Seven also contains deleted scenes, flashbacks and a blooper segment. “LOST” is run on an extremely tight schedule, so there is not a lot of room for error, but the actors are human after all, and it is pretty amusing to see them fluff their lines once in awhile. Some of the actors on “LOST” are practical jokers, and a few of these
made it into the out takes, which was hilarious.
One item I found a bit tiresome was the interactive “connections” feature. It basically plays clips showing how various characters met before the crash. The idea is really cool, but my memory is poor, and I couldn’t remember where I had already been, so I inadvertently kept going back to the same clips, and I’m pretty sure there were some I
missed.
Other bonus material explores the various theories and secrets- behind the scientific experiments on the island, why the plane crashed, whether the survivors are truly random, etc. This is mainly for the people who have been following “LOST” quite closely and have been visiting the various websites which discuss the show in detail, but
you might find it interesting even if you are new to the show. The last item on the bonus disc shows how one of the interiors (under the island) sets was designed.
If you did not get to view Season 1 of “LOST”, it too is available on DVD, and it is just as worthwhile as the Season 2 set. It too contains 24 original episodes, optional commentaries, in-depth documentaries, deleted scenes and bloopers. I recommend it as the perfect companion piece to Season 2.
So whether you are unfamiliar with the show, a die-hard fan, or are somewhere in-between, the “LOST” DVD sets have something to offer to all.
Submitted by: Karen Brauer, Butyoudontlooksick.com, © 2006