By Ned Jordan
Expectations ran very high for LOST as it entered its final season. The
show's large and loyal fan base was eagerly awaiting the answers to the
mysteries and questions it had followed and pondered for half a decade, and
there was a lot of pressure on the show's writers to deliver a satisfying
conclusion to the saga of the survivors of the crash of Oceanic flight 815. Did
the writers deliver? Well, that depends a lot on who you ask. The conclusion was
touching to some, a complete cop-out to others, and all that is certain about
the show's legacy is that it will be hard to discuss the show without the
conversation quickly turning to the final episode. I side with the disappointed
when it comes to the manner in which the show was ended, ranking it right up
there with Seinfeld's series-ending misfire. The writers opted for a sentimental
and sappy ending that was surprising only in that it was a sentimental and sappy
ending. Just about all of the most interesting questions were left unanswered,
and you could easily cut three seasons out of the middle of the show without
impacting the ending they decided to go with. As for the rest of the final
season, it was a bit of a roller coaster ride with some really good episodes
immediately followed by weak ones during the seasons sixteen episode run.
One area in which the final season of LOST does not disappoint is in the
quality of this Blu-ray release. This is a show that is obviously planned and
filmed for hi-def viewing and it shows. The picture is crystal clear and the
vivid colors bring the steamy jungles and sweeping vistas of The Island to life.
The sound is also top-notch, with sound levels perfectly mixed and the entire
surround sound field fully exploited.
The quality of the LOST Blu-ray releases doesn't end with the video transfer
and sound. Theyre usually packed with extra content, and not the typical
throwaway collection of bloopers or promos you find on most television home
releases (although a blooper feature is indeed included with Season 6). That
being said, theres a fair amount of bonus content in this release, but not
quite as much as with previous seasons. I dont really think this is a fault so
much as a consequence of the fact that theres no more mystery to the series.
One piece of bonus content does somewhat acknowledge the fact that there were a
lot of unanswered questions in the series by attempting to answer the questions
of the origins of the polar bears and whatever happened to Walt, although I
cant really say that youll likely find said answers satisfactory. Other
features look at the filming of the last season (your typical exchanging of pats
on the back all the way around) and the locations used in the final season.
Making a return are Season Play, which automagically remembers which disc,
episode, and scene you left off on even if you remove the disc from the player,
and LOST University, a rather cool web-enabled feature that lets you enroll in
courses related to just about every topic touched on in the series. This time
out, though, youve moved beyond undergrad and are in the masters program.
Overall, the biggest knocks against Season Six are the unsatisfying
conclusion and some weak link episodes. Still, LOST is LOST, and this Blu-ray
set provides a satisfying conclusion to your LOST collection if not your hopes
for the series ending.
Final Rating:
(minus two
stars for the last episode)
