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| by Cochaman Peef with additional writing by Bridget Petrella | ||
| BVHE's 'Lost: Season 3’— The Benchmark for Writing, Acting, etc. | ||
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Despite a number of short-term
unwarranted arrests for a virtual plethora of misdemeanors,
which, for some odd reason, remain "classified", Cochaman Peef
has continued to let his beloved hemp play a substantial role in
his ever-waning life. Whether he’s smoking from a hand-blown
glass pipe while studying Eastern religion and Woody Harrelson
philosophy, or just smoking Jamaican sticks and watching Kung-Fu
with David Carradine on DVD [he claims to know Carradine
personally, a fact we've yet to dispute]. |
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Let
me preface this entire review by saying that Lost remains the
benchmark for filming, writing, acting, and directing for a network TV
drama. And you really owe it to yourself to make sure you're HDMI'd to
the max so you can fully appreciate the vibrant colors and engulfing,
immersive soundtracks that are S.O.P. for this series. Some fans weren’t
crazy about the first eight episodes of the show, which focus
exclusively on Jack, Kate and Sawyer and just about ignore the rest of
the cast. This was a major departure from the past two seasons, where
each episode focused on a different character, but these episode still
do a lot: they set the stage for what is to come, they introduce us to
The Others and give us some insight into the truth about the island. The
series starts off great, with a shockingly suburban scene, and the first
half of the season ends great as well, with the amazingly tense scene
where Jack holds Ben hostage and orders Kate to run. From there, the
show returns to its more ordinary format, focusing on different
characters as it sees fit to develop the story. Still, there are a lot
more of The Others, and now, instead of making them an elusive shadow
people, they are themselves people and characters who just happen to
have twisted morals. The introduction of Jacob (if you can call it that)
is terrific, and there are plenty of other highlights in the series as
well. While there are a few stumbles (Hurley’s van episode), but hey, no
one’s perfect. The DVD, as you might imagine, has a lot of little bonus
features, all of which are gathered onto Disc 7. Much like with Lost
itself, you have to work to find the features, as the DVD lacks labels
for the most part. While I normally don’t like this approach, it fits in
with the theme of the show, and also gives you a chance to explore for
Easter eggs, of which there are several. Some of these Easter eggs are a
bit elongated (one where various cast and crew members talk with
sentiment to everyone who has made the experience so great), but there
are a few that are entertaining.
The
real meat of the special features are these: The World of The
Others— An in-depth look at different aspects of the revelations about
the bitter enemies of the survivors. Fans will be delighted that the
cast and crew reveal a lot of little tidbits you may not have thought
about. The Lost Flashbacks— Nothing all that incredibly spectacular
here. There are a couple additional flashbacks that provide a little
more detail into certain stories, but there’s nothing that wasn’t
removed without a purpose. Lost On Location— This is an entertaining
featurette that explores several episodes from behind-the-scenes. There
are a lot of cast and crew interviews and looks at how sequences were
filmed. The most interesting part is where we see how the original crash
scene is reconstructed to add in new actors that weren’t around in the
first season. The Lost Book Club— Watch this one. The writers reveal
that every book shown in the show has significance, and they let slip a
few details about what’s to come. There are definitely a few things in
here that had me wanting the fourth season to come along right now. Lost
in a Day— This is a look at 24 hours in the day of the production. I
honestly can’t remember if I found this one insightful or not, but I
think I did. Deleted Scenes— There are a few decent deleted scenes, but,
of course, there’s nothing too spectacular to be found here. Bloopers—
Hey, who doesn’t like bloopers? I’m not quite sure where this is on the
DVD— it may be a bit of an Easter egg hunt— but the best part of the
features is a brief instructional video a la the Dharma Initiative. Does
this explain the truth behind Lost? 
What’s
so strange or notable about these events are these: The bunny rabbit
that the scientist is holding has a “15? branded on its side. When the
other bunny appears, it too has the number “15? on its side. The
scientist then shouts in desperation, “Keep them away from each other!”
The scientist then asks an assistance how far “the shift was set?” She
responds, “Minus twenty.” Um… so what the hell does this mean? Cloning?
That would explain the “15? on both bunnies. But “keep them away from
each other”? Does that mean alternate realities? Time travel? This
instructional video definitely raises some questions and possibly
answers them, but of course we won’t know for sure. Near the end of
Season 3, it is revealed that rescuers found an airplane they believed
to be the survivor’s flight at the bottom of a deep underwater chasm,
with all bodies on board. If this airplane is indeed the correct flight,
then how are the survivors still alive? Are they alternate versions of
themselves? What gives? Anyway, I’m intrigued... and THAT in itself is
worth spending some quality research time with this DVD set.
Lost
commentaries are usually rather insightful, and the four are no
exception. (Okay, only four? That's the one actual knock I can give to
this extras mix.) On Episode 1, "A Tale of Two Cities," co-executive
producer Damon Lindelof and new cast member Mitchell serve-and-volley
quite well, even getting a little silly at times. (Lindelof: "It
wouldn't be Lost without chains and sweat— and Band-Aids.") But we learn
a good bit about how a strong character and a top-drawer actress
immediately make an impact on an established show. For Episode 6, "I
Do," co-executive producer Carlton Cuse, Evangeline Lilly (Kate), and
Josh Holloway (Sawyer) dive into the star-crossed Kate/Sawyer dynamic,
with Cuse driving the train. Listen for when Lilly's Canadian accent
pokes through and for Cuse's revelation about why Sawyer really wears
glasses occasionally. On Episode 15, "Exposé," writers Edward Kitsis and
Adam Horowitz have good rapport in explaining how they salvaged the
storyline of two much-disliked new characters and turned it into
something that ultimately served the greater good of the show. And for
Episode 20, "The Man Behind the Curtain," Cuse, Lindelof, and Michael
Emerson (Ben) dissect this pivotal installment, which steers the season
toward its shocking finale (including one of the best season-ending
twists ever). Cuse and Lindelof, who also co-host a regular Lost
podcast, are commentary pros, and they pose all the right questions (at
just the right times) for Emerson to explain his thought process and
acting choices. What are you waiting for? You should have no problem
powering through your own personal Season 3 marathon as you continue to
savor all-new Season 4 episodes on Thursdays. So get Lost already, okay? UB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0411008/