“LOST” : 1: not made use of, won, or claimed 2 a: no longer possessed b : no longer known 3: ruined or destroyed physically or morally 4 a: taken away or beyond reach or attainment 5 a: unable to find the way b : no longer visible c : lacking assurance or self-confidence 6: not appreciated or understood These are the various meaning for the word “LOST” as offered up by the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. I would like to add two more. 7. The ridiculously popular TV series that just recently wrapped its final season on ABC. 8. How audiences of said series felt after watching the 1st season finale…… and again after the entire 2nd season and the 3rd, 4th and 5th.

When “Lost” originally began airing, I was one of the many who jumped on board to catch the very first episode. I was already a fan of the work of series creator J.J. Abrams, the master mind behind the often brilliant, yet often times puzzling “Alias.” Not entirely sure that lightning would strike twice for Abrams, I figured I’d at least have to give it a try. After all, the concept alone sounded intriguing. In the series, a plane has crashed on a deserted island, stranding a fairly large group of survivors. As opposed to re-hashing “Gilligan’s Island”, Abrams opted to populate the island with all manner of mysterious creatures, apparitions and bogeymen. And as if that wasn’t enough, each of the main characters appeared to be hiding something about their past.

In the opening of the first episode, we saw the main character, Dr. Jack Shepard (Matthew Fox), regaining consciousness. We followed him as he stumbled through brushes, totally disoriented. Within seconds he was plunged into the nightmarish scenario of a beach covered in plane wreckage and strewn with bodies, both alive and dead. I was ‘sucked’ into the series almost immediately, especially when (within the first few minutes) a survivor is shockingly ‘sucked’ into a still spinning plane engine.

I continued to watch “Lost” throughout the first half of the season, and was amazed at how intricately each of the main character’s stories were woven together. On top of that I was kept on my mental toes by trying to track all of the mysterious events that were happening, hoping I could somehow figure out the “Big Picture.” Were they all dead an in some purgatory? Were they part of some experiment? I couldn’t figure out what was going on, and so it seemed was the way of things for most viewers. The answers to all the questions posed by the series has continued to be the ‘water cooler’ talk of the nation, and now even as we have finished up the 6th season… we are still no closer to finding them all out.

Recently, the 6th and final season DVD set came across my desk (though I wish it could have been a Bluray version, which has a lot more extras) and I settled in to watch the 16 episodes that made it up. (The producers opted to make these last couple of seasons much shorter to allow for the overall plotline to remain tighter.) Wondering where the series could possibly go after the 5th season’s unjustly maligned ‘time travel’ storyline (I rather enjoyed this particular season), this final season actually found a way to top it.

As is usually the case with reviews like these, I prefer not to spoil it for you because I know there are those like me who wait to watch shows when the DVD comes out. No pesky commercials or maddeningly annoying scrolls at the bottom of the screen. So with that in mind, Season 6 delivers on all cylinders, offering up a handful of answers to some of the burning questions, only to come to an end with most remaining a mystery… and a handful of new ones to add back to the list.

Yet, even though the ending is less than satisfying, I was reminded that it is not always the ending that matters, but the telling of the tale (as Stephen King always puts it so eloquently), and this tale has been told well. The intricate weaving of stories rarely wavered from the path of the tale as a whole. Events that happened in the past, which were only alluded to in earlier seasons, were stunningly brought to life with few mistakes. “Lost” was a journey, not a destination.

What I can tell you is there are a fair number of decent special features offered up on this 5-disc set. There seems to be a little bit less than what has been included in sets past, but still, they are worthwhile.

“The New Man in Charge” is a nice little wrap up to the series, bringing the story to its close. “Crafting the Final Season” allows the show’s cast and crew to talk about how they pieced together this final season and speak fondly of the experience of making the show as a whole. “A Hero’s Journey” focuses more on this timeless myth and how it relates to the series. “See You In Another Life, Brutha” delves a little deeper into this season’s arc and the ‘Flash Sideways.’ “Lost on Location” gives viewers a glimpse at some of the island sets, while a handful of deleted scenes do little more than add to the questions. Finally, there are some bloopers to bring a little levity to the “Lost” experience.

Now that I’ve finally caught up with the final season and am still as confused overall as the rest of the country… I feel satisfied if for no other reason than there’s no more twists to figure out.

Episodes:
LA X
What Kate Does
The Substitute
Lighthouse
Sundown
Dr. Linus
Recon
Ab Aeterno
The Package
Happily Ever After
Everybody Loves Hugo
The Last Recruit
The Candidate
Across the Sea
What They Died For
The End

Starring: Naveen Andrews, Matthew Fox, Jorge Garcia, Maggie Grace, Josh Holloway, Yoon-jin Kim, Daniel Dae Kim, Evangeline Lilly, Terry O'Quinn
Extras: The New Man in Charge - the 12 minute epilogue to Lost; Crafting a Final Season; A Hero’s Journey; See You In Another Life, Brotha; Lost on Location; Deleted Scenes; Bloopers
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Buena Vista
Release Date: 8/14/2010
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
http://video.movies.go.com/tvondvdhits/lost_s6/index.html

We'll give Lost: Season 6 a B.