tvthatdoesntsuck

For the past two days, I’ve been discussing the “Lost” DVDs and deciding whether or not they’re worthy of your hard earned bread/cake/cheese/any other bakery term that means money.  The first two seasons have ranked high with 9/10s, and most of the fans would agree, but the third season is a bit more controversial among television watchers.  Not everyone liked the direction the season took, what with Locke’s ritual early in the season and the extremely eccentric “The Others” plot, but I thought…

Eh, I’ll let the review speak for itself.

This is the last “Lost” DVD review until December, so if you’re not really that interested in the castaways (which is dumb, because it’s one of the most compelling dramas on TV, so get your pointer out of your pooper and run to FYE!) then never fear.  We’re moving on to a whole ‘nother series tomorrow that may/may not be worth your baked goods.

LOST- SEASON THREE

“The common consensus with fans seems to be that the third season of Lost is the weakest. I have to, respectfully, disagree.

The genius writers and assorted crew behind “Lost” kept it fresh in the second season by focusing most of the action around the mysterious hatch. In the case of this season (the third), the main plot focuses on the conflict between the Oceanic survivors and the Others. Finally, after two entire seasons shrouded in mystery, some of the big questions start to get answers.

+ We learn how Ben came to be the leader of the Others
+ We learn what happened to the Dharma Initiative
+ We get a ’sort of’ origin story for the Others
+ We learn how Locke ended up in a wheelchair.

But that’s not it. This season has a tighter narrative than any of those previous. While the flashbacks sometimes felt a bit contrived (especially the “how Jack got his tattoo” story), the main plots of each of these episodes tied very nicely in to each other, creating a very focused story-arc for this season. Jack, Sawyer, Kate, Charlie, and Desmond get some great character development, while characters that seemed to be static (such as Hurley) start to play larger parts. As with any show, there were story lines that I wasn’t sure about (such as Locke becoming increasingly morally ambiguous), but the fact that I was constantly shocked and enthralled by this show is just a testament to how well-done it is.

Though the story is so continuous in “Lost” (particularly this season), it’s hard to pick out the episodes that really stand out, but there are a few I thought really solidified this series as one of the best I’ve ever seen. These are those episodes.

5. The Cost of Living: Tugs on your heartstrings, and opens up new questions.
4. Flashes Before Your Eyes: I was confused at the decision to make Desmond a permanent character, but this episode made him one of my favorites. Tragic, revealing, and the essence of “Lost.”
3. Tricia Tanaka Is Dead: Nearly perfect. This episode solidifies Hurley as a great character, and shows the characters having fun, which is great to see in the middle of so much drama.
2. Greatest Hits: As a penultimate episode, it is a perfect example of how to build up tension for an explosive finale. Also, it has the greatest usage of flashbacks (recounting the best moments of Charlie’s life) in the series, until…
1. Through the Looking Glass: This two-part finale is a roller coaster ride that will keep you tense up (with tears in your eyes, because not everyone makes it out alive) until the shocking end.

This show is brilliant. Simple as that. At this point, I trust the “Lost” team with any path they want to take us down, because this season and the two previous ones are proof that the yarn they spin is golden.

10/10 Classic.”

Whew! “Classic,” he says.  “10 out of–freaking–10,” he says.  High rating, eh?  Before we proceed, you should know what goes into my ratings.  Not only the episode-to-episode quality and diversity in writing, acting, and direction, but also how the story that was developed in the previous seasons progresses and if the story-arc plotting was on point.  Plain and simple, the quality of this season is the same, but the character arcs and story arcs come together in such a way that elevates the show to the next level.

VERDICT: Best show that’s currently on television.  Buy it with glee.

NEXT TIME: Shunned by the networks, praised by the critics, loved by the fans who threw metaphorical stones at the networks until they got a DVD… It’s “Wonderfalls.”  But is it any good?

*static*

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