Blu-ray Review: Lost - The Complete Second Season

Release Date: June 16th, 2009
Running Time: 1056 minutes

The Show

The first season of Lost became an instant hit, offering viewers a level of mystery and intrigue not seen since The X-Files. With a slew of mysteries brought up in the first season, fans were beyond eager to see what answers, if any, the second season would bring. As would become the pattern for the series, the second season widened the mythology, exposing fans to things they never even imagined. If the second season could be summed up in two words, it would be “the hatch.” Presented in a reference-quality Blu-ray set, The Complete Second Season is must-watch material for veteran fans and newbies alike.

The first season ended with the raft exploding, Walt captured, Sawyer shot, and Locke and Jack opening the hatch. The second season picks up immediately after these events. Sawyer, Michael and Jin make their way back to shore and encounter a whole new group of survivors from the plane crash! These individuals haven’t been as lucky as the ones on the beach and many have passed away. Those that survived include: a Nigerian priest named Mr. Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje); Rose’s husband, Bernard (Sam Anderson); psychologist Libby (Cynthia Waltros); and temperamental police officer, Ana Lucia (Michelle Rodriguez), to name a few. An entire episode is dedicated to showing their experiences during the first 48 days on the island, and the beach camp seems like a resort by comparison. They eventually decide to head back to the beach with Sawyer and Jin, but Michael takes it upon himself to search for Walt, no matter what the cost.

Back at the beach Jack and Locke open up the mysterious hatch and discover that it is the Swan Station, one of the experimental places built by the Dharma Initiative that conducted scientific studies on the island during the 70s. It is a fully functional living space, complete with food, a shower, exercise equipment and an occupant named Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick) who has been living there for years. He has been tasked with entering a series of numbers (4 8 15 16 23 42) into an archaic computer every 108 minutes or something disastrous will happen. This magnifies the central conflict between Locke and Jack: Locke believes it is their destiny to enter these numbers and prevent the mysterious calamity, while Jack thinks it’s all a psychological joke and wants nothing to do with it. Meanwhile Sayid captures a man in the jungle calling himself Henry Gale (Michael Emerson) and suspects him of being an Other, despite vigorous protests from Henry. Little do they know just how large a role Henry will play…

In retrospect I enjoyed Lost: The Complete Second Season far more than when it first aired. At that time the structure for the show hadn’t been completely established—all we had was the first season to go by. Myself, and many others, were expecting far more answers, not realizing the deliberate pace that the showrunners were taking. When viewed as a whole a few seasons later, it is simply brilliant. The hatch was the perfect device to pit Locke and Jack against each other, the introduction of the tailies kept things fresh, and there is some serious development for a lot of the secondary characters. We also get introduced to the brilliant Michael Emerson who continues to turn in the most delightfully evil performances episode after episode.

The season ends with a sequence of events that would blow up the world of Lost to a scale no one could have imagined. Thus, the second season is basically the final season of ignorant, contained discovery—from season three on the show introduces audiences to plot twists that would have previously been inconceivable. Enjoy the mystery while you can, because after season two, the hatch is the least of the characters’ worries.

The 24 episodes are spread over six Blu-ray discs with the seventh reserved for special features.

The Discs

The video is presented in a 1.78:1, 1080p High Definition transfer. While the first season looked great, there were a few flaws. That has all been rectified here in what is one of the best TV Blu-ray transfer I have seen to date. Colors remain gorgeous and vibrant in the jungle and beach scenes and are appropriately muted and dirty in the hatch. Banding and bleeding are not a problem. Black levels are deep and inky with stellar shadow detail. Fine detail is insane, whether it is in the actors’ faces and costumes, or the grimy aged look of the hatch. Depth is impressive as well, particularly in the outdoors scenes. Compression artifacts and video noise are never a problem while the intended level of film grain is preserved. In short, this transfer is a benchmark that all TV shows should aspire to.

The audio is offered in an English DTS Master Lossless audio track, English/French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, and Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital Surround Sound with English/French/Spanish subtitles. Like the video, this is setting a new standard for television sets. Atmosphere permeates from every speaker, accentuating the reality of the jungle, the mechanical noises of the hatch, and even the eerie whispers of the Others. Sound effects are pristine in their clarity and meticulously placed around the soundstage for an engrossing experience. Panning effects are flawless and not gimmicky at all. Dialogue is crisp and balanced in the overall mix as well. The mix is so good that it sounds more like a theatrical experience.

The Extras

Like the first season, all of the special features here are ported over from the DVD release. That’s not necessarily a bad thing since the spread of extra content is still far better than most releases.

Commentary is offered on five episodes: “Man of Science, Man of Faith” with Executive Producers Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse, and Bryan Burk, and Director Jack Bender; “23rd Psalm” with Lindelof, Cuse, and Burk; “Dave” with Bender, and actors Jorge Garcia and Cynthia Watros; “What Kate Did” with Director Paul Edwards, Director of Photography Michael Bonvillian, and actress Evangeline Lilly; and “The Whole Truth” with Writers Elizabeth Sarnoff and Christina Kim, and actors Daniel Dae Kim and Yunjin Kim. Lost has some of the best commentary tracks out there, choosing participants who are directly involved with the episode and offering an excellent balance of story analysis and production information.

“Fire + Water” (32 minutes) is an astonishing documentary that looks at the creation of an entire episode from the writing to the post-production editing. It literally begins with script work in LA before moving to the actual production, and eventually to the final touches in post production. If you’ve ever wondered how a TV episode is made, look no further.

“Lost on Location” is a series of 5-minute featurettes pertaining to specific episodes with behind-the-scenes footage. The pieces cover a wide variety of topics such as character, story, and structure on the following episodes: “Adrift,” “Everybody Hates Hugo,” “Abandoned,” “The Other 48 Days,” “Collision,” “What Kate Did,” “The 23rd Psalm,” “The Whole Truth,” “Dave,” “S.O.S.,” “Two for the Road,” and “Live Together, Die Alone.” Essentially this is one giant Season Two behind-the-scenes documentary.

The “Lost Connection” is an interactive feature that allows you explore the numerous connections between the characters. I wasn’t fond of the interface, but less detail-oriented or less hardcore fans are sure to discover many revelations hidden within the show.

“Mysteries, Theories, and Conspiracies” is a 10-minute featurette looking at the obsessive fan community and their theories, as well as featuring interviews from the cast giving their own thoughts on the mysteries of Lost. Unfortunately this featurette is pretty moot now that many questions have been answered over the past five seasons.

“Secrets from the Hatch” is a 16-minute piece dissecting everything about the hatch, from its set design and construction, to its importance in the season.

“The World According to Sawyer” is a 5-minute montage of classic Sawyer moments, focusing mainly on his nicknames and backtalk. A must-watch or Sawyer buffs.

“Canine Castaway” is a 7-minute featurette on the dog who plays Vincent in the series.

23 minutes of Deleted Scenes adds some fun character moments but nothing that will shed any light on the mysteries of the show. There is also a 4-minute Blooper reel.

Three Deleted Flashbacks run just under four minutes: two from “Abandoned,” and one from “Lockdown.”

A “Channel 4 UK Promo” is a 2-minute unique commercial advertising the show.

Lastly, the Blu-ray has a “Season Play” option that tracks your progress.

Final Thoughts

Lost: The Complete Second Season ups the ante with stellar Blu-ray HD transfers and lossless audio along with a slew of extra content that are all worth watching. Any self-respecting Lost fan should pick this up ASAP.