LR's The Blu Room: LOST Season 5 Blu-Ray By Ron Henriques on December 18, 2009 LOST SEASON 5 (Blu-Ray) WALT DISNEY HOME ENTERTAINMENT 2009/Not Rated/ 731 mins Now Available – List Price $79.98 Lost is a television series that I came to know as a latecomer, catching the occasional episode here and there before finally becoming a (somewhat) consistant follower by season three. It initially felt to me as if the show's creators had a decent idea, but were unsure just where to take it. The series had some compelling episodes, but just when you felt the mythology was expanding in a fresh direction there would be stories that were undeniably designed as filler. That changed when ABC and the producers announced towards the end of season three that the show would continue for an additional three years and reach a definitive conclusion by it's sixth season. It gave them focus and a plan to craft stories that would put all the pieces of the saga into their proper places. The structure of the episodes changed as well. By season four the narrative no longer followed a flashback structure, but occasionally jumped into the future. Several of the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 apparently made it back to civilization and were having regrets about leaving many of their fellow castaways behind. Though events on the island took place in late 2004, the flash-forwards were several years later, where Jack (Matthew Fox), Kate (Evangeline Lily), Hurley (Jorge Garcia), Sayid (Naveen Andrews) and Sun (Yunjin Kim) were leading semi normal lives as “the survivors” of the doomed airliner. The entire season focused on their adjustment to civilian life as well as the events on the island leading up into their “rescue”. By season four's conclusion for perhaps the first time on Lost the past and future had finally met in the present. Well, sort of. Season five picks up where the previous season left off, with Jack and his fellow travelers escaping the island with the help of chopper pilot Frank Lapidus (Jeff Fahey) and Desmond's (Henry Ian Cusack) long lost love Penny Widmore (Sonya Walger). They've devised a cover story for the media to protect those they left behind as well as Claire's baby boy Aaron, who Kate has assumed guardianship of as her own. But as they departed the island, something mysterious occurred. Villainous, yet tragic figure Ben Linus (Michael Emerson) activated some ancient device within the Orchid station causing the entire island to disappear. Sawyer (Josh Halloway), who chose to stay behind, along with Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell) and Locke (Terry O'Quinn) have not only been displaced in space along with the island, but in time as well. In an effort to prevent Penny's ruthless industrialist father Charles Widmore (Alan Dale) and his minions from finding and retaking the island, Ben has conveniently moved it. He's also seemingly managed to escape from it as evidenced in a flash-forward last season, where Ben confronts a clearly on edge Jack and convinces him to return to the island before revealing a coffin that contains the recently deceased body of John Locke. Just when Locke actually died is revealed in time, but for the moment, he is on the island with Sawyer, Juliet and recent arrivals Faraday (Jeremy Davies), Charlotte (Rebecca Mader) and Miles (Ken Leung) trying to make sense of what has happened to them. Whatever Ben did, wasn't completely effective, since a series of whiteouts and atmospheric changes reveal the the island is randomly jumping through time. The castaways find themselves helping the mysterious Richard (Nestor Carbonell) and a young Widmore dispose of a hydrogen bomb decades in the past before jumping a few years into the future when the Dharma Initiative first arrived. These random jumps through time not only appear to be progressing, but also causing deadly seizures and nosebleeds, ultimately ending in the death of a group member. Meanwhile in the present, Jack and Ben have rounded up Kate and the others and convinced them to return to the island. To do so, they must all be present and simultaneously board a specific airline flight at a specific time. One time fugitive Kate, has been struggling with her plea bargain with prosecutors to remain in Los Angeles as well as the fact that Claire's mother suspects the maternity of baby Aaron. Hurley, suffering from much guilt has checked himself into an institution, while Sayid who has been working for Ben and eliminating Widmore's agents in sinister fashion is now in the custody of government agents. Whether by coincidence or choice, they all make it on that flight and back to the island. The kicker is that they find themselves in an era long before their original arrival where Sawyer, Juliet and even the presumed dead Jin (Daniel Dae Kim) have made themselves comfortable amongst the Dharma Initiative. In a much needed change of pace, season five of Lost takes much of its focus off the exploits of Jack and Kate and sets its sights on John Locke, giving actor Terry O'Quinn the opportunity to produce perhaps his best work in the entire series. Like Ben, Locke manages to make it off the island and locates all of the survivors including a teenaged Walt (Malcolm David Kelley). He connects with not only the present day Charles Widmore, but also a younger and more aggressive version of the man in the past and slowly begins to realize the destiny that Richard and the infamous Jacob have always said awaits him. Locke also manages to mysteriously conquer death, surviving not just a murder arranged to look like suicide, but a second crash landing on the island from which he is apparently reborn. O'Quinn's portrayal is not just that of a steadfast and determined leader, but a man who overcomes basic human frailties and occasionally doubts what's been laid before him as well as his own sanity. In addition to Locke there is also intriguing character development amongst the other castaways. Sawyer and Juliet become an item during their time living amongst the Dharma Initiative and just when she thinks she's found the love of her life, Kate arrives to once again stir the pot. Sayid who is also trapped in the past with them, is captured by the Initiative as an outsider, becoming an interrogation victim at the hands of a torturer much like himself. His befriending of a small boy named Ben Linus actually sows the seeds of who the child will become when Sayid attempts to kill him. And then there's Jack who also feels he can change history, wiping out their entire ordeal on the island by destroying the past, leading the the season's exciting finale. Time travel is a tricky story device and although it's introduction in the series initially feels like a gimmick, once the various timelines and stories converge mid-season it becomes one of the best in the history of the show. Video & Audio: Lost is not only one of the best looking shows on television, but amongst the best looking shows on blu-ray. There has been a consistency between seasons and the fifth is no exception. This 1080p AVC encoded transfer is a crisp, clean presentation. In addition to the splendid video, the DTS 5.1 Master Audio track is incredible. Unlike most shows, Lost is mixed like a feature film, with strong dialogue presence, timbre matching amongst the various channels and impressive ambiance providing an active and realistic soundfield. It's nice to know that with such a successful series, the producers are using the tools available to them to create a state-of-the-art presentation. Extras: For season five there are sadly only two audio commentaries available on discs one and three for the episodes "Because You Left" and "He's Our You". Respectfully featuring executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse and Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz both commentaries can be revealing and engaging as well as occasionally flat and not very extensive. The lack of additional commentaries may be a deal breaker for some consumers, but with the additional supplements on the set as well as the fact that the producers are currently racing to wrap up the series with season six, I'm willing to cut them some slack. Like previous seasons, this blu-ray set contains the unique feature Season Play which enables viewers keep track of their progress through a season. Lost Starter Kit (Disc 1, HD, 5:00 mins): Basically a recap of the entire series so far. Lost 100 (Disc 4, HD, 19:00 mins): Sort of a self-congratulatory documentary focusing on the success of the series and the creation of the 100th episode. Lost University (Disc 5, HD): There's a lot to find here, but the wealth of content justifies the purchase of this set. Lost University involves a registration process where you enroll in your first semester and choose classes enabling you to explore a variety of streaming videos, key topic lectures, and numerous lessons about the concepts, themes, and history of this mythology. It takes more than just a few hours to even scratch the surface of this material, but worth it for die-hard fans as well as newcomers. Mysteries of the Universe (Disc 5, SD, 26:00 mins): A clever mockumentary intentionally presented in VHS quality as a 1980's TV special that investigates the mysterious Dharma Initiative. Making Up for Lost Time (Disc 5 HD, 14:00 mins): A closer look at season five with Lindelof, Cuse and key members of the cast and crew discussing the various challenges, production and effects design as well as the time travel aspect of this penultimate season. An Epic Day with Richard Alpert (Disc 5, HD, 12:00 mins): A day spent with actor Nestor Carbonell as he prepares for his last shots in season five. Building 23 & Beyond (Disc 5, HD, 12:00 mins): A brief tour of the Burbank, California production offices for the series with actor Michael Emerson. Lost on Location (Disc 5, HD, 38:00 mins): A deeper behind-the-scenes look at the filming of seven episodes: "The Lie," "The Little Prince," "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham," "Namaste," "He's Our You," "Whatever Happened, Happened," and "The Incident." Deleted Scenes (Disc 5, SD, 14:00 mins): Eight deleted scenes that in the end add little, but are still a welcome addition. Bloopers (Disc 5, HD, 4 minutes): Funny at times, but the goofs wear out their welcome rather quickly. Source: Tags: Blu-Ray, Walt Disney Pictures, News