LOST: SEASON THREE (PART 1)

Lost: The Complete Third Season (Episodes 1-8)
Starring: Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Terry O’ Quinn, Elizabeth Mitchell, Josh Holloway

****

Season Four of “Lost” starts on January 31. There’s a promo out already which hypes up the new adventures. As you may know the end of the series is set – a final 55 episodes spread over three seasons. With the end in sight it’s exciting to know the producers and writers have planned out the descent back to reality and finish off this unique TV experience with a bang.

A month should give you just enough time to watch, or rewatch the Third Season which is out on DVD right now. I’m a complete “Lost” fanatic who just can’t get enough. Having watched each of the episodes on network television throughout the year I was excited to rewatch the episodes back-to-back, without commercial interruptions and at my own viewing schedule. The traditional method of 45min of a series once a week interrupted every 8 mins with commercials seems archaic after watching a series straight through. “Lost” is no exception.

And don’t believe cynics and naysayers about the third season. From top to bottom it’s as beguiling as the other two seasons, with thought-provoking twists with that tinge of existential philosophy. Slowly pieces are fitting together, but with every question answered a new one is asked. As a complete whole it’s as good as any piece of celluloid cinema out there.

When last we left the Losties Desmond, Locke and Charlie had just blown up the hatch. Jack, Sawyer and Kate were captured by the others. Sayid, Jin and Sun were on a sailboat looking to rendezvous with Jack. These first eight episodes concentrate heavily on the imprisonment of Jack, Kate and Sawyer. The key new character we get to know is Juliet, played by the phenomenal Elizabeth Mitchell. In fact she gets the opening shot of the first episode. It’s a clever scene of misdirection. We see Juliet put on a CD and hum along to Petula Clark’s pop song “Downtown” and then prepare for her book club meeting. After the sound of an earthquake Juliet runs outside to see Oceanic Flight 315 exploding in midair. When the camera pulls back to reveal the island, it’s a rare awe-inspiring moment for television. It’s a perfect example of the series. The audience is kept in the dark until the precise moment to reveal what’s actually going on.

Juliet turns out to be one of the evil “Others”, the original inhabitants of the island who kidnap children and perform mysterious medical tests on our Losties. Juliet and Ben (Michael Emerson) have specific plans for Jack whom they keep separate from Kate. Their plans climax in an operation procedure Jack performs on Ben. In the best episode of the first half (#6 “I Do”) Jack operates on Ben but turns the tables in an effort to rescue Kate and Sawyer.

During it’s network run, after each show, with my friends I debrief our thoughts and predictions for the upcoming shows. Neither I nor my friends have ever guessed what would happen next for any of the plot threads that have emerged over the course of the show. It’s a testament to the storytelling skills of the producers to be able to stay fresh and unpredictable yet grounded in the ‘reality’, rules and tone of the world they have created.

These first 8 episodes especially have a remarkable pace and momentum, something which is lost (no pun intended) on the weekly television format. It’s impossible to watch just one episode and you often find yourself stuck on the couch for hours unable to turn away from television. “Just one more episode…”. In my mind it’s still the best show on television.

“Lost: The Complete Third Season” is available on DVD from Buena Vista Home Entertainment. Buy it here: Lost - The Complete Third Season