Welcome to LOST- Season Five. Please keep your hands and arms inside of the review at all times or you might not make it to the island alive (or to the time you were expecting). Jack, Kate, Sayid, Hurley, Sun, and baby Aaron have tried to resume normal lives off the island, but they can't escape fate. John Locke has made his way off the island as well to bring back everyone who left…or the other survivors are doomed! Season 5 was a wild ride for viewers and we finally got answers to some looming questions that have been plaguing us since the very beginning. Gone are the individual character flashbacks, replaced by jumping to the past or future to see the status of our favorite characters! In order to fully take in the LOST Season Five experience, we at ComicsOnline marathoned all 17 episodes and the list of special features in under 24 hours.
The following review contains spoilers on LOST Season 1-5. Be warned.
Over the course of Season Four, viewers learned which of the castaways would eventually make it off the island…but it wasn't until the finale that we saw how they accomplished their rescue. The Oceanic Six made it back to civilization but viewers were left wondering what the fate of the remaining cast would be. Thanks to the actions of Ben Linus, the island disappeared in a giant ball of light, moving through time and space! Sawyer and the remaining survivors and freighter crew (now consisting of Juliet, Miles, Daniel Faraday, and Charlotte) try to find a way to stop the island from jumping through time, and get a new perspective on some events that we have witnessed over the first few seasons. John Locke is also jumping through time and eventually catches up with the other survivors and with Daniel's knowledge, they are able to finish the job that Ben Linus started…but this action causes our heroes to become trapped…in the 1970's! This might make rescue a little more…complicated.
Highlights:
Season 5 had a ridiculous amount of highlights and I wanted to mention a few:
-"Because You Left"- The season opens with Dr. Marvin Candle starting to record the Orientation film for the Dharma Station "The Arrow", when he is interupted by a urgent call to come and visit the site of the Orchid because there has been an accident. Great way to start the season off. Oh and someone very unexpected is there too…Daniel Faraday! How and why is he there? Only time will tell…Jumping back to the present, we see the aftermath of the Locke reveal from the season finale. Now Ben and Jack must work together to bring everyone back to the Island.
"The Little Prince" / "This Place is Death"- For those of us who were very concerned about never learning Rousseau's back story can rest easy. Thanks to the power of time travel, Jin meets a young Danielle Rousseau! Some big reveals in this episode about a very mysterious character.
"The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham"- Those nagging questions of how did Locke die and how did he get off the island get answered in this episode! Get ready for a few cameos and some new information about the Oceanic Six.
-"LaFleur"- After being thrown back in time to the 1970's, Sawyer and the gang must act quickly to fit in with the current inhabitants of the island: THE DHARMA INITIATIVE! The status quo has been changed and we learn how they came to join this mysterious organization and what they have been doing to find their friends.
"Whatever Happened, Happened"- Sayid decides to take advantage of his situation and attempts to change history by attacking a young Ben Linus. Jack refuses to help save young Ben and the gang are forced to take drastic measures to save his life. Will this event change time or lead to the creation of the evil Ben that they have come to know?
"Some Like it Hoth"- This episode once again goes to show how great Hurley is. What has he been writing the entire episode? The Empire Strikes Back. If you were trapped in the 70's wouldn't you want to leave your mark?
"The Variable"- Following up on last season's "The Constant", Daniel Faraday returns to the island with a new plan to change history! During this Daniel heavy episode, we learn a lot more about our favorite Physicist and his connection to some major LOST players.
"The Incident"- Since Season Two, fans have heard hints about the Incident which was tied to the Dharma Station "The Swan", and we finally get some answers! Also, after reuniting with the Others, John Locke sets off on a mission to find (and kill) the mysterious Jacob! This Jacob themed episode shows us a full glimpse of the 4-toed statue, revelations about the new and improved Locke, and Jacob's connection to the castaways.
Special Features:
Blu-ray Exclusives:
-BD Live
–LOST University- Enroll, take classes, and immerse yourself in this interactive collegiate experience
–LOST 100- Go in depth as the cast reflects on the first 100 episodes and be a part of the cake cutting ceremony with Duff Goldman of "Ace of Cakes".
-SeasonPlay- Matt's Note: Honestly made watching this set that much more enjoyable. It was fast and easy to get from disc to disc.
Standard Definition Features:
-"LOST on Location"- Get the inside stories from the cast and crew of LOST.
-"Building 23 & Beyond"- Join Michael Emerson as he infiltrated the secret offices of LOST
-"An Epic Day with Richard Alpert"- Follow Nestor Carbonell across the island on the last day of the season finale.
-"Making Up For LOST Time"- A look at how the writers, producers and cast view time travel. Matt's note: This was my favorite special feature on the set. Totally hilarious moments.
-Mysteries of the Universe"- A 80's style TV special about the mysterious Dharma Initiative.
–LOST Bloopers
-Deleted Scenes
-Audio Commentaries
Overall:
Season Five brought LOST back to consistently telling great and entertaining stories. The missing ingredient has been found: ANSWERS! Every episode this season is full of answers and the writers balanced out those answers by posing new and interesting questions. Using time travel to fill in the missing pieces from the last few season was genius. There were so many loose ends left from the last few years and getting to revisit dead characters and focus on more of the show's history made this season truly impressive. Season Six is building up to be a great final year and if you missed out on any of Season Five then make sure to check this set out!
ComicsOnline gives LOST Season Five 5 out of 5 chances to write The Empire Strikes Back.
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