Perhaps one of he most disturbing aspects of Season Three of the ABC suspense drama Lost is how it humanized the mysterious group known as The Others. Although Michael Emerson’s Henry Gale/Ben Linus benefited most from this, the actor who made it the most chilling was M.C. Gainey in his role as Tom.
When the man whose voice for so long had been identified with the unknown evil of The Others turns to Jack in the observation deck of the surgery room, where Jack and Tom are watching a soundless conversation between Ben and Juliet, and tells Jack, “They have a history,” it is at once disturbingly compassionate and equally disturbingly chilling. That kind of subtlety has rarely been offered M.C. Gainey, who has made a career of playing heavies, but he pulls it off masterfully, one of many fine moments Gainey has achieved in the role.
I think that’s why Lost has attracted such a fine and accomplished set of actors in this three-year run, be they established vets like Gainey, or virtual newcomers like Evangeline Lilly, who plays Kate Austen and became an overnight sensation. Series creators J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelhoff and Jeffrey Lieber simply know how to write compelling scenes that allow actors to shine and show off their range. The structure of the show, riddled with character-revealing flashbacks, allows even the darkest of characters to reveal sympathetic experiences that led them to be who they are in the present.
Season Three was certainly no letdown for this reviewer. From the Hurley episode “Tricia Tanaka Is Dead,” in which we learned about his absentee father who came back into his life only after he won the lottery, to the John Locke episode “Enter 77,” in which we finally learn how Locke came to be paralyzed four years prior to his arrival on the island, the season is filled with gripping episodes and instant-classic character moments and big reveals.
It’s clear why actors and actresses far prefer working on a drama like Lost as opposed to, say, a commercial promoting tonneau cover sales. It’s a rare case of television allowing an actor a showcase that boosts their career profile so much that not only can it lead to other, more prominent television roles, but can even lead to an improved movie career.
The show, of course, is even better when the episodes can be viewed in close succession. This makes the program ideal for DVD release, of course. Since it’s debut, complete season DVD sales have been strong for the show, and Season Three is no exception. In fact, it could be the best collection to date, not only featuring extras like episode commentaries on the regular six discs of episodes, but also sporting a seventh DVD devoted exclusively to special features.
Filled to the brim with documentaries, interviews, gag reels and other fan-pleasing content, Lost Season 3 is a great package to pick up, especially now that the WGA Writer’s Strike threatens to shorten Season 4 to a mere eight episodes, or possibly even delay broadcast of the season an entire year or more, depending on when writers and producers can finally bury the hatchet and come to terms.
Some critics claimed that Lost slowed pace a bit, and lost its way in the third season; this reviewer couldn’t disagree more. In pouring over the 23 episodes of Season 3 again, it was made clear to me that, apart from perhaps NBC’s Heroes, there simply is no one out there doing such compelling “novel for television” episodic drama today, and let’s be honest – were it not for Lost, there would be no Heroes. This full season package, of course, is a must-have for anyone remotely entertained by the show.
