The sixth and final season of Lost came out on DVD today, and while it doesn't come with a board game like the Complete Collection, it was still packed with plenty of content, the most significant of which is the new epilogue, in which we supposedly "get some answers." And we do, kind of, but not really. Ben, Walt and Hurley all show up, as does Dr. Chang and the Hurleybird, but most of the big mysteries remain mysteries. However, if you love Dharma Initiative training videos, you're in luck, because that's like, half of it. We'll start off with the contents of the epilogue, then get into the other extras after that.
Epilogue: "The New Man in Charge"
Two Dharma drones print out labels and package up a shipment for delivery at a Dharma Logistics warehouse in Guam, although they stop once Ben Linus shows up and hands them their severance pay. It turns out that Dharma has been gone for 20 years, and the coordinates they've been getting have been sent automatically, from the Lamp Post station in Los Angeles. Seeing they're having trouble processing it all, Ben allows them -- meaning us -- to each ask a question before he leaves. The first question, "Where does the food go?" reveals that the location of the island is constantly changing, because the coordinates are different every time. The second question, "Why are we sending polar bear treats to an island in the Pacific?" prompts Ben to steal some granola bars and pop in a Hydra station orientation video, starring Dr. Pierre Chang. Although the first thing Chang says is not to tell anyone else his name, or he'll need to use an alias. J.J. Abrams reference, or an explanation for his various pseudonyms? You be the judge!
In the video, Chang shows us a bunch of caged rabbits, a covered cage apparently containing a Hurleybird and some stock footage of polar bears, then vaguely explains why the animals are there. (The Hurleybirds are hybrids, or "hy-birds," and they're seeing how they adapt to the environment. The polar bears are apparently perfectly suited to electromagnetic studies in colder climes.) He then explains that the trainee will have to wait for the bears to figure out the co-operative snack-dispensing device, then ship them off to the Orchid station on the main island, possibly for transportation to an Arctic location. Or, you know, a desert. But they need to make sure the females aren't pregnant, because the high levels of radiation there can affect the adorably unborn bear cubs. It is not explained if the bears could safely give birth on Hydra island or what. Then we get a tour of Room 23, where they explain that "Hostiles" are taken from the main island, sedated and brought there unwillingly for interrogation. Apparently, the Initiative really wants to know more about their origins, their way of life and this "Jacob" fellow they worship. Then the Hostiles are drugged and shown disturbing videos to induce amnesia, so as to preserve the truce. Lastly, Chang tells the viewer not to tell other members of the Initiative what goes on there. Or anyone who hasn't bought the DVD set. I may be in trouble here.
His presentation over, Ben leaves the now-unemployed workers -- who, like us, have even more questions -- and goes to the Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute, our favorite mental hospital. At the desk, he asks for Keith Johnson, and gives the nurse a note to pass along. Ben is immediately brought to a now-apparently-37-year-old Walt, who is playing Connect Four. He asks Ben what he wants, and Ben repeats his note, which is that a friend of Walt's sent him. Ben reassures Walt that he's not there to kidnap him again, then tells him that he needs to help his father. Yes, Michael is dead, but that doesn't mean Walt can't help him. Ben hands him a Dharma brand granola bar, pilfered from the warehouse, and the thought of delicious granola must cinch it for Walt, because thing we know Ben has gotten him discharged (was Walt there voluntarily, too?) and is leading him to a waiting Dharma-blue VW van. In the back seat is none other than Hurley, who reassures Walt he's not crazy, and that he just needs to get back to the island, where he's always belonged. Glossing over the fact that there will not be any more granola bars coming in via air drop, Hurley says he wants to talk to Walt about a job, then tells Ben to take them all home. As Ben aims the van towards the airport, the epilogue ends, and we're left wondering if Hurley is offering Walt a job as his assistant, or if Hurley is already looking to groom his replacement as island protector, which, given Walt's age, means that Hurley has gotten bored with the job very quickly.
All in all, we got a few answers to Dharma-related stuff, but no real clear vision of the island's future or Hurley's role as protector. And did anyone really care about the Hurleybird? It was fun, but kinda frustrating.
And now, the rest of the featurettes on the five-disc set...
Crafting a Final Season - Apparently, ending a beloved TV series is hard. Through a lot of interviews with writers, we learn that they realized that the viewers now partially own the show, and that some of them aren't going to be happy when you kill off favorite characters. But they also explain that they wanted to kill off major characters to show the stakes, and said that if more than half of the survivors made it through to the end, the Man in Black wouldn't be a very good villain. There's a lot of behind-the-scenes footage of the actors finishing their final shots, and talk about how little time they have left, and at one point Jorge Garcia actually cries reading the script for the last episode. Apparently, so did a random production assistant who we needed to hear from. And Evangeline Lilly is sad the show is ending, despite the fact that at one point she said she was going to quit acting.
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A Hero's Journey - Not only is every character on the show a hero in some way, they all have hero arcs, and they all come to terms with their flaws and shortcomings. It's a lot like Star Wars, really.
See You in Another Life, Brotha - Hey, weren't those flash-sideways crazy? Basically, it seems like they were invented entirely to play off of the flashbacks and flashforwards, and not because they really had any connection to the drama at hand, and while everybody had fun playing the new, slightly different roles, none of it really mattered in the end.
Lost on Location - In six different behind-the-scenes docs, we get a look at the construction of the temple, Sawyer's big fight with the Man in Black on the rock wall, Sawyer and Miles' L.A. cop chase scenes, Richard's scenes in the hold of the Black Rock, Desmond and Charlie's car crash, and the flooding submarine.
Deleted Scenes and Bloopers - Most of the deleted scenes are less than a minute long, and largely inconsequential. We get to see such gems as a bound Richard drinking water, Richard being led off the boat by the Man in Black, Desmond being visited at the well by Vincent, Desmond telling Eloise that he's waking them up, Sawyer finding out everyone on the sub is dead, and a few other transitional scenes. The bloopers are people making faces and forgetting lines, to wacky music. Nothing new here.
Commentary Tracks - Only four episodes come with an audio commentary, one per disk. Darlton comments on the first episode, "LA X," Michael Emerson and the writers comment on "Dr. Linus," Nestor Carbonell and the writers comment on "Ab Aeterno" and Darlton comments on "Across the Sea." There's no commentary on "The End," probably because everybody would have been crying too much at their own acting/writing/producing, nor did the DVD see fit to include the commentaries recorded for the ABC site by Prop Master Rob Kyker or the guy who played Leslie Arzt. What a waste.
Lost in 8:15 - A Crash Course - If you need a refresher on the first five seasons, this compressed explanation of everything you need to know in eight minutes is available on Disc One. Convenient, but you still have to watch Season 6 to get the whole story. They should update it with Season 6 and the epilogue and sell it on iTunes, so we don't have to watch any of it ever again.
Read our final interview with Michael Emerson here!
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