TV Show Review: Lost - Season Two

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Strong acting; great story telling in the second half

Cons: First half too slow moving the story forward.

The Bottom Line:

Slower paced season

Still filled with intrigue and twists

Good, not first season

Still Enjoyable but a Step Down from Season One

Season 1 of Lost captured the imaginations and the remotes of millions of viewers. The show follows the survivors of a plane crash who are stranded on a mysterious island. Not only do they have to learn how to survive and live with each other, they must deal with an island full of monsters and mysteries.

Season 2 opens exactly where season 1 ended. Jack (Matthew Fox), Kate (Evangeline Lilly), and Locke (Terry O'Quinn) are about to enter the mysterious hatch they've been trying to enter for half the first season. Inside, they find only more mysteries, and a computer that requires their input every 108 minutes. What do they have to input? Those numbers that make Hurley (Jorge Garcia) so incredibly nervous.

Meanwhile, Michael (Harold Perrineau), Jin (Daniel Dae Kim), and Sawyer (Josh Holloway) are adrift in the ocean. "The Others," whoever they are, kidnapped Michael's son Walt (Malcolm David Kelley) and blew up the raft the three were on. When they land back on the island, they discover they aren't the only survivors of their plane crash. People from the tail of the plane are alive and hiding out for fear of "The Others." What does this group want? Why have they been tormenting the tailies?

Over the course of the season, even more questions are raised. Along the way, we do learn what Kate did that put her on the run from the law, where Claire (Emilie de Ravin) went when she disappeared last season, and why the plane crashed that fateful day.

While I loved this season and didn't miss an episode, I found myself disappointed with the first half. Twice in those twelve episodes, they led us up to an exciting point, only to spend the next new episode revealing back-story that we didn't need and only served to slow the story down. Then the next week they moved things forward again. I found these backtracks very frustrating, even for a show famous for their flashbacks.

Things definitely picked up in the second twelve episodes, however. The story began to move forward quickly, still giving us two questions for every answer. I don't find the lack of answers frustrating. I just hope my faith in the producers to answer everything before the show ends is justified.

Three new cast members joined the show this season. Cynthia Watros, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, and Michelle Rodriguez played members of the tailies. They proved just as compelling and interesting to watch as the returning cast members from season one. Everyone brings their A game to their role each week, making the story spring to life and drawing me further into the web.

And this DVD set proves just as wonderful as the set from season one. The video is once again sharp wide screen, and the sound is a very full surround. I haven't heard any other TV show make this kind of use of the sound. You are in the show. If I weren't so addicted to watching it every week, it would almost be worth waiting for the season sets, they're that good. All twenty-four episodes are presented on six discs. Along the way, there are five audio commentaries by various members of the cast and crew.

Then there's disc seven. Once again, it is packed full of great bonus material, including deleted scenes, bloopers, character back story filmed for this set, and the making of an episode, to name a few.

While Season 2 wasn't as good as the first season, it is still extremely entertaining and better then many shows on the air at the time.  Relive the intrigue or watch it for the first time.  Either way, you'll be captivated.