Brothers & Sisters – The Complete Third Season (ABC/Disney DVD)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: C-     Episodes: C-

 

 

Brothers & Sisters has lasted longer than anyone could have expected and it is more because of its cast than its writing.  Calista Flockhart, Sally Field, Patricia Wettig, Rachel Griffiths and Rob Lowe co-star in this melodrama that started out being not bad, but has lost what little steam it had.  For more on the show, here is our coverage of the first season:

 

One

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5972/Brothers+&+Sisters

 

Two

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7649/Brothers+and+Sisters

 

 

The third season of the trials and tribulations of The Walker Family has all 24 hour-long episodes.  This Complete Third Season has recaps for the first two seasons, which is OK, but not a way to play catch up when the earlier seasons were better, so watch those before you consider this set.  This is the kind of show networks and soap companies loved back in the day, but the show is just coasting at this point.  The actors still try to make it work, but only fans who liked the show in the first place are going to be able to invest themselves into this at this point.  Otherwise, it is like being at the funeral of a stranger.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image across the episodes are not as good as they were on the previous sets, with less detail, more motion blur and less depth.  The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is not as expansive and clear as the previous sets, despite this being dialogue-based.  The combination is disappointing.  Extras include audio commentary tracks on select shows, bloopers & outtakes, deleted scenes and three making of featurettes.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo