Lost: The Complete Second Season – Blu-ray Disc Review

June 12, 2009 – 4:46 PM - Posted by: Justin Sluss

Tags: ABC, Cynthia Watros, D-Box, Damon Lindelof, Daniel Dae Kim, Disney, Dominic Monaghan, Emilie de Ravin, Evangeline Lilly, Ian Somerhalder, J.J. Abrams, Jack Bender, Jeffrey Lieber, Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Matthew Fox, Michael Giacchino, Michelle Rodriguez, Naveen Andrews, Season Play, Terry O'Quinn, Yunjin Kim

has an average rating of 9.1 on IMDb
1080p in AVC on SEVEN discs
DTS-HD 5.1 MA & Dolby Digital 2.0
with “Season Play“, D-BOX & more!
–
– 2005
– 1056 minutes
– Disney (ABC)
–
Street Date: June 16th, 2009

Overall Verdict – You’ll Get ‘LOST’ in This!

Buy it for $48.99 @ Amazon.com

— Review by: Justin Sluss & James Segars —

The Show Itself is created by J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, Bryan Burk, Carlton Cuse and Jack Bender.

— an introduction to LOST —

If you’re a fan of modern television, chances are that you’ve been accosted numerous times by friends or family as they attempt to impress upon you their new favorite show, claiming ‘it’s the BEST show EVER’. Oftentimes, the shows they’re “hooked on” never ending being anything special. Whether the show’s writing is hokey, or the acting talent is sub par, the simple fact is that most network television shows never strive for greatness — whether due to budgetary concerns, or lackluster concepts. They are, for the most part, content with mediocrity and melodrama. This is not the case with this decade’s finest network television show, LOST.

The show is so incredibly fresh, engrossing and complex that it’s almost impossible to resist popping in the next disc, or firing up another episode on ABC’s site once you’ve started. Reminiscent of the serialized mystery broadcasts of the olden days, LOST deftly blends the genres of drama, adventure, fantasy, romance, and science fiction into an unbeatable concept that thrills and delights to no end. Whether its the show’s in-depth character drama/studies, the survivors every-day struggles on the island, or questions about the mysterious nature of their new-found home, LOST is unrelenting and unlike anything you’ve ever seen. If you haven’t seen it, I can’t think of a better excuse to get started now than with this latest Blu-ray release. It looks, and sounds as good as any TV show out there — if not better — and I truly believe it’s one of the only shows you’ll ever want to, or need to, watch more than once to fully appreciate the intricacies and mysterious happenings littered throughout the show. I simply can’t recommend this one enough.

— Season 2: Summary —

With the hatch blown open, the discovery and exploration of the island’s mysterious past begins to come to light. A scientific commune, named the Dharma initiative once occupied the island, and the sole overseer of the hatch station (named “The Swan”) aids the survivors in their quest to get off the island. Simultaneously, our friends come to learn that there are more survivors of the plane crash, but that they aren’t the only ones living on the island. No, there appear to be other inhabitants, or natives, the motives of which are unclear. It isn’t until the rescue of a widowed balloonist, named Henry Gale, that the survivors learn about the true nature of the island natives, and their far reaching influence.

The full 24 (total) episodes for The Complete Second Season are included:

• Episode 1 : “Man of Science, Man of Faith“
Writer: Damon Lindelof — Director: Jack Bender
Original Air Date: 9/21/05 — 9.4 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 2 : “Adrift“
Writers: Steven Maeda & Leonard Dick — Director: Stephen Williams
Original Air Date: 9/28/05 — 8.8 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 3 : “Orientation“
Writers: Javier Grillo-Marxuach & Craig Wright — Director: Jack Bender
Original Air Date: 10/5/05 — 9.1 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 4 : “Everybody Hates Hugo“
Writers: Adam Horowitz & Edward Kitsis — Director: Alan Taylor
Original Air Date: 10/12/05 — 8.9 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 5 : “…And Found“
Writers: Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse — Director: Stephen Williams
Original Air Date: 10/19/05 — 8.6 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 6 : “Abandoned“
Writer: Elizabeth Sarnoff — Director: Adam Davidson
Original Air Date: 11/9/05 — 8.9 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 7 : “The Other 48 Days“
Writers: Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse — Director: Eric Laneuville
Original Air Date: 11/16/05— 9.1 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 8 : “Collision“
Writers: Javier Grillo-Marxuach & Leonard Dick — Director: Stephen Williams
Original Air Date: 11/23/05 — 9.0 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 9 : “What Kate Did“
Writers: Steven Maeda & Craig Wright — Director: Paul A. Edwards
Original Air Date: 11/30/05 — 9.2 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 10 : “The 23rd Psalm“
Writers: Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse — Director: Matt Earl Beesley
Original Air Date: 1/11/06 — 9.3 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 11 : “The Hunting Party“
Writers: Christina M. Kim & Elizabeth Sarnoff — Director: Stephen Williams
Original Air Date: 1/18/06— 9.0 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 12 : “Fire + Water“
Writers: Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz — Director: Jack Bender
Original Air Date: 1/25/06 — 8.0 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 13 : “The Long Con“
Writers: Leonard Dick & Steven Maeda — Director: Roxann Dawson
Original Air Date: 2/8/06 — 9.2 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 14 : “One of Them“
Writers: Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse — Director: Stephen Williams
Original Air Date: 2/15/06 — 9.2 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 15 : “Maternity Leave“
Writers: Matt Ragghianti & Dawn Lambertsen Kelly — Director: Jack Bender
Original Air Date: 3/1/06 — 9.3 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 16 : “The Whole Truth“
Writer: Elizabeth Sarnoff & Christina M. Kim — Director: Karen Gaviola
Original Air Date: 3/22/06 — 8.9 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 17 : “Lockdown“
Writers: Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse — Director: Stephen Williams
Original Air Date: 3/29/06 — 9.5 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 18 : “Dave“
Writers: Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz — Director: Jack Bender
Original Air Date: 4/5/06 — 8.9 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 19 : “S.O.S.“
Writers: Leonard Dick & Steven Maeda — Director: Eric Laneuville
Original Air Date: 4/12/06 — 8.7 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 20 : “Two for the Road“
Writers: Christina M. Kim & Elizabeth Sarnoff — Director: Paul A. Edwards
Original Air Date: 5/3/06 — 9.5 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 21 : “?“
Writers: Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse — Director: Deran Sarafian
Original Air Date: 5/10/06 — 9.4 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 22 : “Three Minutes“
Writers: Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz — Director: Stephen Williams
Original Air Date: 5/17/06 — 9.2 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 23 : “Live Together, Die Alone (1)“
Writers: Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse — Director: Jack Bender
Original Air Date: 5/24/06 — 9.6 rating over at TV.com
• Episode 24 : “Live Together, Die Alone (2)“
Writers: Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse — Director: Jack Bender
Original Air Date: 5/24/06 — 9.6 rating over at TV.com

Overall, despite me talking trash about people extolling the virtues of various modern TV shows, I can’t help but recommend this series and perpetuate my own hypocrisy. I honestly believe that LOST is one of those shows that is so incredibly unique and engaging that you would have to try to dislike it. Sure, people have issues with unanswered questions here and there, but if you ask me, questions are what drive life, and TV programming is no exception.

Here in the second season, the show really comes into its own. So much comes to light through the discovery of the Dharma initiative, and yet more questions about the nature of the island, and its inhabitants drive the viewer to burn through each episode, hungry for more.

The bottom line is that LOST is THE show to own, to see again and again, so that you can sift through the layers of mystery and character connections, and here first the first time on Blu-ray, you can’t do any better than this audio/visual presentation. It is stellar. This is quite simply a “must-own” in every sense.

Video Quality on this release is 1080p in AVC MPEG-4 on SEVEN total Blu-ray Discs. The disc size configuration is a bit odd. It consists of SIX BD-50′s (50 gigabyte) and ONE BD-25 (25 gigabyte) Blu-ray Discs. Video is presented in full 1080p using the 1.78:1 aspect ratio. According to IMDb‘s technical specifications under aspect ratio, the show was shot on a unique combination of Panavision Gold II, Panavision Platinum Cameras, Panavision Panaflex Lightweight Camera (Steadicam) and lastly the Arri 35-3 camera for effects shots. The source here seems to be a combination as well of traditional 35mm film and digital intermediate HDTV but it makes for a very pleasant Hi-Def transfer that shows no real signs of switching between source material.

First thing you’ll notice in comparison to the DVD is a huge amount of detail just as I stated in my review of “LOST: The Complete First Season“. This time around, the second season has a lot more action visually and a lot more (as well as impressive) subtle usage of CG in flashbacks. It’s new faces and places to the show mainly means the introduction to the survivors from the rear part of the plane. These folks get separated from the rest (front) of the plane and and end up in a different location which makes for a totally different backdrop to the viewers. This part of the season itself has a very nice production value to it’s appearance. **SPOILER ALERT** This is also the case in the bunker that we see after they open the hatch in the first episode of the season. That’s one of the very beautiful things of this show is that it has production value of something comparable to a big HBO series when it’s only a prime time network television show. Plus the fact it is shot on location in Hawaii just makes it that much more beautiful, I mean seriously! This isn’t as much me talking about the video quality here on this as much as it is about the show itself and it’s visual presentation which I’m telling you is EXCELLENT. So now I’ll elaborate more on the actual video quality itself and some technical specifications.

Again, just as I said for the first season, there are no signs here of any problems what-so-ever in the video transfer like compression flaws, use of filters such as (DNR or EE) or so forth. This is the BEST you have ever seen “Lost” in it’s first season ever look. The Hi-Def version broadcast originally in 720p back in the day is finally worth deleting if you recorded it somehow off-air. This is a definite must in terms of deciding to “double dip” if you owned it previously on DVD. Speaking of which, Disney is offering a limited-time rebate on both this season and the second season of the show if you previously owned them on DVD and decide to buy the Blu-ray Disc versions to replace them. There is a very tad bit of film grain and noise present in the 35mm film source material but it doesn’t really make for any problem in terms of the consistency in the presentation itself all to often. I’ll admit it’s at times noticeable the switching between camera types as well a few issues with dim lighting conditions in interior shots but it’s not really bothersome. “Lost: The Complete Second Season” earns itself an impressive “4.5 Star Rating” just as the first season did. This is going to leave fans of the show extremely pleased and new fans of the show (like myself) having a great time getting to finally see the show in it’s early seasons in excellent Hi-Def.

DISC USAGE:

Disc 1 uses 45.2GB total. Disc 2 uses 44.0GB total. Disc 3 uses 44.4GB total. Disc 4 uses 42.5GB total. Disc 5 uses 42.7GB total. Disc 6 uses 43.7GB total. Disc 7 is used for bonus materials and uses 22.5GB total.

Each disc in the seven disc set contains 4 episodes, except for disc seven which only contains bonus materials. Episodes themselves average around 9GB each.

Audio Quality on this release is in both DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio and also in Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo @320kbps. Obviously my recommendation goes with the DTS-HD 5.1 MA track if you are capable but it is nice to have a studio mixed stereo track as an option if you are watching the show on a 2.0 (Stereo) setup such as the speakers on your HDTV — which honestly aren’t that great. Still, it’s nice this is included as an option for that reason and even for the purists out there too. I will personally say I tried this 2.0 mix just for fun and I really couldn’t ever see myself listening to the show that way. I’ll stick with the 5.1 mix which has much more dynamics, bass and most importantly dialogue isn’t drowned out by other noises.

Speaking of which, the dialogue is more the focus of the show(s) as well as the beautiful music composed by Michael Giacchino and the intense sound effects. The dialogue, music and sound effects ALL make excellent use of the 5.1 soundscape, all 360 degrees of it. For dialogue, it’s primarily mixed through the front center channel, with occasional chatter or voices making use of the rear channels in a few instances. Subtle and at times intense sounds of background noises like birds chirping, animals or who knows what approaching in the jungle all sound very convincing and are sure to leave you on the edge of your seat throughout. The original music by Michael Giacchino sounds amazing here, making wonderful use of the 5.1 to help deliver a very fitting vibe to the emotion of the show itself. All of the above and sound effects themselves make for some very impressive audio presentation that is sure to leave your subwoofer roaring with loud monstrous bass throughout all of the first season of “LOST“. Disney (ABC) has really done a superb job here and is very much worthy of a perfect “5 Star Rating” for overall audio quality. Fans of the show are going to be extremely excited when they get the chance to hear this.

Bonus Materials are presented in 480i Standard Definition video using MPEG-2 codec with Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound @192kbps.

• D-BOX motion code is included for all 24 episodes of this show. This requires the consumer to have D-BOX equipment and such, for more information on that we suggest you visit D-BOX.com. Be sure to tell them to send us review units too, while you’re there so we can actually review the D-BOX motion codes on these titles and not just offer a vague description of the feature and have to link to their website.
• “Season Play” is a feature exclusive to the Blu-ray Disc releases of TV shows from ABC (Disney). This (presumably) BD-Java feature allows you to never have a problem keeping track of where you are (which episode, disc, time stamp) on a season of the show. In a literal sense, no pun intended, it keeps you from getting “Lost” while watching a show, in this case a show that just so happens to be “Lost“. This feature has evolved over the past year or so and now allows you to create multiple “Season Play user accounts so your significant others can have their own personal account that will not interfere with yours – which we know, is the most important! I can’t begin to describe exactly how AMAZING this current version of this feature really is and how useful it is. I have seriously watched the entire season this way and have never had a problem yet! What’s really cool is that when you finish watching the 4 episodes on most all (except one) discs, it gives you a cue to insert the next disc. When you insert the next disc in the Blu-ray Disc Player (in my case PS3), it starts up the next episode on the next disc – without you ever having to hit a single button on the remote control. I’ll end my praise of “Season Play” with making a very bold statement. If I had to seriously judge right now (as of June 2009) the most innovative feature on the Blu-ray Disc format that could be considered “bonus material” — this would easily be the winner. This is extremely innovative and a very convenient way to be able to watch a season of a television show that is over 1000 minutes and seven discs in length (size).

Disc 1 includes:

• Audio Commentary on Episode ‘Man of Science, Man of Faith‘ by Executive Producers Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse, Bryan Burk & Jack Bender

Disc 3 includes:

• Audio Commentary on Episode ‘What Kate Did‘ by Director Paul Edwards, Director of Photography Michael Bonvillain and Co-Star Evangeline Lilly
• Audio Commentary on Episode ‘The 23rd Psalm‘ by Executive Producers Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse and Bryan Burk

Disc 4 includes:

• Audio Commentary on Episode ‘The Whole Truth‘ by Co-Stars Yunjin Kim and Daniel Dae Kim Along with Writers Elizabeth Sarnoff and Christina M. Kim

Disc 5 includes:

• Audio Commentary on Episode ‘Dave‘ by Director Jack Bender and Co-Stars Jorge Garcia and Cynthia Watros

Disc 7 is comprised of the following:

• “Fire & Water: Anatomy of an Episode” (32 minutes)
• “LOST: On Location” (45 minutes)
• “ The World According to Sawyer” (5 minutes)
• “Deleted Scenes” & “Flashbacks” (23 minutes)
• “Bloopers” (4 minutes)
• “Mysteries, Theories and Conspiracies” (10 minutes)
• “Secrets from the Hatch” (16 minutes)
• “Channel 4 UK Promo” (2 minutes) is a short commercial done for the show by Director David LaChapelle.

Overall, the bonus materials we get here are obvious DVD ports mostly but do include some Blu-ray Disc exclusive features such as “Season Play” which is just so awesome in many, many ways and there is even D-BOX motion code included for every episode — which is nice for those fortunate enough to have the equipment to enjoy it. Even the five commentary tracks included prove to be worth listening to if you’re a huge fan of the show. Either way, fans will definitely agree with me that they get enough to keep them very busy after they finish watching the first season of the show, which is itself over 1000 minutes length (runtime). That, I think is a pretty good point to end the bonus section and overall review. Hope you have enjoyed this review and enjoy the release come street date (June 16th, 2009).

Blu-ray Disc packaging:

Screenshots:

NOTE: The full-sized 1920×1080 files are in a .PNG file format and uncompressed. Bare with the slow loading times, keep in mind these files are at least 1MB (1 megabyte) in size each.

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