Lost: The Complete Second Season

Review By: Michael Dance
MichaelDance@TheCinemaSource.com

Before I jump headfirst into the Complete Second Season of the television phenomenon Lost (the DVD set vexingly subtitled “The Extended Experience”, I guess just because there are lots of special features), a little history. Consider it a warning of sorts. In the fall of 2004, I was trying for about the third time – and failing again – to get into Smallville on the WB. I had never been an avid television watcher, but I figured there was a lot of good untapped material out there, and what a better place to start than with Superman? During a commercial, I flipped the TV over to ABC. I had heard one of the hobbits from Lord of the Rings was in a new show.

I’m trying not to exaggerate when I say that might’ve been one of the top ten best decisions of my life.

Lost, then in its first season, drew me in like no other show had ever done before. A handful of people from all different walks of life must suddenly rely on each other to survive after their plane crashes on what seems to be a deserted island. There’s a doctor, Jack, who’s a hero but also a bit of a control freak. The main heroine, Kate, is actually a wanted fugitive. Their best hope for rescue is through the wits and technical prowess of Sayid, who fought in the Gulf War – for the Iraqis. And there are eleven other main characters, most of whom have stories just as compelling.

Unfortunately, on the island there’s also an unseen monster, a mysterious unopened hatch in the ground, and an old French woman who’s been stranded for sixteen years. Oh yeah, and sometimes if you listen closely, you can hear whispering in the woods.

I finally became obsessed with a television show. Certifiably obsessed. The floodgates opened as to fill my fix in between episodes, I got hooked on other shows – The Office, Veronica Mars, Entourage, anything.

Now, as a critic, it’s certainly not bias to love a television show. It’s our job to have opinions. But when that show is pretty much responsible for opening up an entire new medium for you – that’s something that might make me overlook or rationalize the flaws of said show’s second season. Like I said, just a warning – this review is coming from a die-hard fan.

That being said, Season Two is a complete success. Saying there were no flaws would be naïve, but overall the season built on the momentum of the first season while at the same time shrewdly keeping things fresh. If you don’t already know the general plotlines, I suggest you just skip the rest of this and buy the DVD. Plot details follow. You’ve been warned.

Whew, they’re gone. A few big plotlines reigned this season. One big ...