The Hour 2
(2012/BBC Blu-ray)/Southland: The
Complete Second, Third & Fourth Seasons (2009 – 2012/Warner DVD Set)
Picture: B-/C+ Sound: B- Extras: C/B- Episodes: B/B-
Here are
two TV shows that have growing audiences, but still deserve and should have
wider ones, both of which I liked from the start…
The Hour 2 (2012) is the unexpected sequel
to the remarkable The Hour which
became a surprise hit for the BBC and we covered on Blu-ray at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/11321/Big+Love:+The+Complete+Collection
I had
really enjoyed it, so it was with great surprise that it started to become a
big hit worldwide and that lead to this new series (or season as U.S. companies
say) once again here on Blu-ray. Without
ruining anything, the main characters eventually come together, but things have
changed and like Mad Men, more
history is going by as new unexpected personal and professional challenges face
these very well-written and performed parts.
It is
amazing they could find a way to continue at all, but they did and though I was
apprehensive in the beginning, the makers manage to pull it off showing the
further challenges of making the title news show happen and though nothing can
match the first season, this is pretty darn close.
A Behind The Scenes featurette is the only
extra.
Southland: The Complete Second,
Third & Fourth Seasons (2009 – 2012) expands the online-only release of The Complete Second Season we covered at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/11002/Breaking+Bad+%E2%80%93+The+C
Though I
also thought the Second Season was
not as strong as the first in this case, the show manages to hold together and
since I last watched, it still stays consistent, is not just another police
procedural and finally got an audience on the TNT Network, et al. That is not easy as the glut of such shows
continues and that situation (including on British TV) is worse, so the fact
that Southland stands out is a
victory in creative television it is not getting enough recognition for. Nice Warner is giving it a wider release
after thinking it might not last.
Extras
are the same as the previous Second
Season set, but more unaired, unedited footage for the Third and Fourth Seasons have been added. The previous extras include Backing The
Badge scene specific audio commentary and featurette A Crime Tour:
Southland’s Crime Map – Revisiting Shooting Locations. For more on the show, check out my original
review for the debut season at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/9505/Southland+%E2%80%93+The+Comple
The 1080p
1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image transfers on episodes of The Hour 2 are purposely styled down to
reflect the late 1950s colors of modernism, fashion, architecture and the
like. It works, but it is not always
realistic or as sharp or clear as I would like and marks no change from the
first Blu-ray set. The anamorphically
enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on Southland
is as good as the previous sets and it is also consistent, but is styled down
more, but that too it’s the look of the show and it works for it as well. I see no major difference between the older
and newer DVDs for the Second Season
to my surprise, either.
The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Stereo lossless mix on The Hours 2 plays very well on its own and when decoded in Pro
Logic or the like, as rich, warm and well recorded as the previous season. It is also often quiet or with limited sound
reflecting an earlier analog time. The
lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 on all episodes of Southland
sound good and have more engaging surrounds than just about any crime drama on
TV and I give the sound recordists and mixers credit for top rate work. Hope the show makes Blu-ray sometime soon.
- Nicholas Sheffo
