The
Following: The Complete Second Season
(2014/Warner Blu-ray/DVD set)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B+ Extras: B Episodes: B-
The
Following
is a hit new TV series starring Kevin Bacon as Ryan Hardy who is an
FBI Agent and his attempts to re-capture serial killer Joe Carroll
(James Purefoy) following the latter's escape from prison. In Season
One
(reviewed elsewhere on this site), Hardy soon discovers that Carroll
has surrounded himself with a group of like-minded individuals, whom
he met while teaching and while in prison, and turned them into a
cult of fanatical killers, including his right-hand, Emma Hill
(Valorie Curry). When Carroll's son Joey Matthews (Kyle Catlett) is
abducted by his father's followers, Mike Weston (Shawn Ashmore),
Debra Parker (Annie Parisse) and the rest of the FBI discover that it
is the first step in a wider plan for Carroll to escape custody,
humiliate Hardy, and be reunited with his ex-wife Claire Matthews
(Natalie Zea). The show is cleverly written and acted and full of
great suspense and interesting characters that puts it a grade above
other similarly produced shows.
The
second season centers on former FBI agent Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon)
and his niece Max Hardy (Jessica Stroup) and their attempts to find
serial killer Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) following Joe's faked
death. After a new group, led by Lily Gray (Connie Nielsen) and her
sons Mark and Luke (Sam Underwood), begins to develop and make public
statements to lure Joe out of his hiding, Mike Weston (Shawn Ashmore)
is re-recruited in order to find the new potential cult and teams
with Ryan and Max to track down Joe and Lily. Meanwhile, Joe is back
to his old ways as he, along with his right-hand Emma (Valorie
Curry), begin to draw plans to turn a new group of followers to his
will. Things take a turn when Joe's ex-wife and the woman Ryan had
an affair with, Claire Matthews (Natalie Zea), again enters the
picture after Ryan and Joe believed her to be dead.
There
are fifteen episodes in this second season including:
1
- Resurrection
2
- For Joe
3
- Trust Me
4
- Family Affair
5
- Reflection
6
- Fly Away
7
- Sacrifice
8
- The Messenger
9
- Unmasked
10
- Teacher's Pet
11
- Freedom
12
- Betrayal
13
- The Reaping
14
- Silence
and
finally 15 - Forgive
Sound
and Picture on the disc are solid and up to standards, which is no
surprise considering how great of a job Warner handles its titles.
The image is in 1080p high definition preserving the original
widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and the sound is a powerful English
5.1 DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless track that outshines the show's
original television broadcast by leaps and bounds. Also on the disc
is a Dolby Digital French 2.0 and Spanish 2.0 track and Subtitles in
English SDH, French, and Spanish. Total running time for this season
is 649 minutes in length.
The
DVD transfers are at a high standard for the format but don't quite
match the details that the DVD delivers with the visual clarity. The
sound is a passable lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track and the transfer is
in standard definition.
Extras
and plentiful and include:
14
Behind the Scenes Featurettes
4
Featurettes including Following Marcos Siega, The Religion of Joe
Carroll, Bound by a Common Foe, and The Joe Mask.
There's
also a Season 2 alternate ending, a Sneak Peek at Silence, 2013
Comic-Con Panel, Severed Scenes, and a Gag Reel.
If
you are into psychological thrillers then this show may be for you
and there's no better way to experience it then through this great
release by Warner.
Recommended.
For
more thoughts on the first season, try this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/12543/Comedy+Bang!+Bang!:+The+Complet
-
James Harland Lockhart V
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv
