Law and Order – Special Victims Unit – Year Eight:
2006-2007 (Universal DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: D Episodes: B+
Like most
great shows, you hear that opening music and you just know it is going to be
good; and the Law and Order theme
song tells you to glue yourself to the couch and be ready for anything. This reviewer still contends that all the
episodes of Law and Order: SVU have
begun to blend together, but that is not a bad thing. You can always tell what season you are on by
how good looking the actors are, by the 2007 season the detectives might as
well be GQ and Vanity Fair models; though this never detracts from the
series…just a funny aside.
The
series continues to be very emotionally focused as it delves into some of the most
heinous crimes in society. From rape to
pedophilia to violent murders it is all here as if it were ripped from today’s
headline. Perhaps that is the sickest
part is that we feel some kind of detachment from this supposed “fiction” when
in reality these crimes are all but knocking on our doorsteps; and for some
they are closer than we would like to say.
Just as
with last season’s review not much has changed in the world of SVU.
Sure there is the drama of each case and the back and forth banter
between Mariska Hargitay’s Olivia Benson and Chris Meloni’s Elliot Stabler, but
that has been going on for 9 years now.
The series has won a number of Golden Globes and Emmys; but if nothing
else proves how wonderfully written and performed the series is, it is that we
as an audience keep coming back for more.
This season does show one dramatic change after a fall out between
Detectives Stabler and Benson, forcing Stabler to get a new partner named
Detective Dani Beck, played by Connie Nielsen.
The true reason for this being that Hargitay went on Maternity leave.
Overall, Law and Order – SVU: Year Eight
accounts for another great year of crime inspired drama that has just as enough
emotion, action, and suspense to entertain even the most casual fan.
The technical
features in this newest release of SVU are
the same as previous releases, looking good but not perfect. The picture is presented in a clean and crisp
1.78 X 1 Anamorphic Widescreen that continues to demonstrate similar light/dark
issues from time to time, like previous seasons but no where near as bad. The series also does not demonstrate the
level of crispness that one would expect from a series on its eighth release on
DVD, so let’s hope for an upgrade on Blu-ray.
The sound is once again presented in a 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound
that has the occasionally issue with high/low errors and lack of full use of
surrounds, but overall gets the job done.
Once
again there are no extras on this newest season set of Law and Order: SVU, which is a shame because the show has so much
to offer…but obviously no so much in terms of extras.
For look
back at Season Seven please follow
the link below:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7333/Law+and+Order+-+Special+Victims+Unit
- Michael P. Dougherty II
