'Lost: The Complete Season 2'

Even the Easter eggs sprinkled throughout "Lost: The Complete Season 2" ($59.99, Buena Vista Home Entertainment) have their mysteries. In an early episode a shark passes ominously by when a character is foundering in the ocean. The internet was abuzz the next day when sharp-eyed viewers noticed the creature was branded with the DHARMA Initiative stamp.

The producers hadn't planned on anyone seeing that; in fact it was supposed to be a DVD extras item but somehow, when the scene was shot, the lighting in the water was brighter than expected.

These and about eight hours' worth of interesting tidbits make watching the newly released set well worth the time and scrutiny. Besides the intrigue of combing through 24 episodes for clues to the big picture (and that, according to creator J.J. Abrams and his crew, is still a work in progress -- "They're all in Disney's California Adventure!" says Bryan Burk, an executive producer), the set offers highly entertaining featurettes.

These include a mild exercise in Six Degrees of Separation, "Lost"-style; a look at "Sawyerisms"; the deconstruction of an episode; bloopers; that trippy UK promotional commercial directed by David LaChapelle and several episodes with informative, funny, commentary by directors and the stars.

After watching Josh Holloway's Sawyer cheerfully announce: "I'm done trading -- I've got enough food to open a chain of minimarts. Hey, you think Sayid needs a job?" director Jack Bender notes it's "one of the great racist lines [of all time]."

Come for the drama, stay for the intrigue, be impressed by the behind-the-scenes fun. Since the show is shot on location in Hawaii, nothing -- from shooting on the beach as crashing waves drown out dialogue, dealing with airplane noise overhead, or figuring out how to make street traffic mirror that of Sydney, Australia (no easy task) -- is simple, and you come away with a healthy appreciation for not just the creativity involved, but the everyday grunt work.

There is a scene in "Dave" where a jar of peanut butter falls from Hurley's backpack and breaks open over a rock. Bender, noting that it took seemingly forever to get the logistics right, adds: "It's times like that you can't believe they made Star Wars."

-- Maria Sciullo,
Post-Gazette staff writer

'SUPERNATURAL: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON'

Taking a road trip with your family can be a scary endeavor, but at least you don't run into Bloody Mary or the Hook Man.

"Supernatural" stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles as the Winchester brothers, paranormal experts who travel the country in their '67 Chevy Impala battling things that go bump in the night.

A six-disc set of the CW (formerly WB) series includes 22 episodes and a frightening amount of bonus materials (Warner Home Video, $59.98).

The documentary, "Supernatural: Tales From the Edge of Darkness," goes behind the scenes of the series with a depth that is rarely seen in TV DVD compilations. This is tailor-made for fans with explanations about the creation of the series, visual effects, how the characters were inspired by Luke Skywalker and Han Solo and more. If you like your featurettes frothy, "Day in the Life of Jared and Jensen" will satisfy those who watch the show for the eye candy.

There also is a funny gag reel, a still gallery, deleted scenes and insightful and humorous commentary on selected episodes from the stars and creator Eric Kripke, director David Nutter and producer Peter Johnson.

There even is hidden content on the special features disc (look for Ackles' glowing eyes).

And don't forget to toss the DVD into your computer for a ton of other cool features.

-- Brian Hyslop,
Post-Gazette staff writer