Law and Order – Special Victims Unit (SVU) – Year
6: 2004-2005 (Universal DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: C+ Episodes: B
The Law and Order franchise (because that
is what it has turned into) now has five different spin-off series with probably
one of the most recognizable of all the series being Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. Recently released on DVD is the complete Sixth Year of the series with the 2004-2005 Season. The series has had an unusual release
schedule for its season sets, with the Fifth
Season being the next release after the First Season and there being more than a year between Third and Fourth Season releases. It seems, however, the series has got back on
track with its DVD releases and shows no sign of slowing down on television
either, now in its 9th Season.
This
reviewer, as do many, finds this to be the best incarnation of the Law and Order franchise. The series is dark, gritty, and has
captivating storylines that are never a bore.
The plot of the series centers on a special group of New York Police
Detectives known as Special Victims Unit in the (fictitious) 16th
Precinct. These detectives face some of
the most heinous crimes, offenses that mostly center on sex crimes. The lead actors of the series are Mariska
Hargitay (Det. Olivia Benson) and Christopher Meloni (Det. Elliot Stabler) who
are two of the best actors on television today.
Hargitay and Meloni bring emotion and action to the table like not many
series can and over the past nine seasons the audience has observed how they
allowed their characters to grow and keep the audience guessing. Unlike other crime oriented series, Law and Order: SVU is a character
driven series filled with emotion and heart; not purely relying on the ‘who
done it’ mentality that other series embody which in turn have caused them to
grow tired and old, like that of the CSI
Franchise. SVU hits especially close to home because many of the storylines
are ripped right from today’s headlines.
Being a series with a character driven edge, coupled with a large dose
of realistic drama Law and Order: SVU
has managed to capture the hearts and minds of viewers across the world as one
of the leading crime dramas to ever appear on television.
The
technical features on this 23 episode, 5-Disc set are on par with many other
series’ releases and remain simply adequate.
With the series being filmed in 16:9 aspect ratio HD since 2003 the
Widescreen 1.78 X 1 image looks very nice, but does still have some light/dark
and detail issues that could be fixed up.
The sound is more exciting and booming than previous releases in its
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surrounds, with little to no distinct issues and only the
occasional occurrence in which the voices sound distant. The extras are by no means plentiful only
offering fans of the series a Law and
Order: SVU pays a visit to Sesame
Street as Detectives Mariska, Meloni, and Munch search for the missing
letter ‘M.’ If you are wondering why two are the actors real names and one is a
screen name (Richard Belzer plays Sgt Munch), it is because they all start with
‘M,’ silly question right? Even with the
minimal extras the Sesame Street
appearance is way better than most boring and drawn out extras you find on many
sets today.
Though
the rewatchability of the series is lacking on DVD, especially since the series
is constantly on television as reruns, this reviewer would not say run out and
buy this particular season unless you missed most of the episodes or are an
extreme fan. But anyway you wrap it this
series is unforgettable from beginning to end.
- Michael P Dougherty II
