Why So Blu?

Glee: The Complete Second Season (Blu-ray Review)

As the third season of the Fox hit makes its debut on TV, so does season 2 on Blu-ray. While the latest season will feature the final seasons of stars Lea Michele and Chris Colfer, you can relive their junior years in high school on the latest Blu-ray addition. Of course the show doesn’t stop there. There’s the Dalton Academy, Sue’s incessant antics to abolish the glee club, relationships gone awry and the list goes on. Still, as bubblegum as some of these topics come across, there is a great deal of reality the show contends with. It can be a lifestyle choice or a disability and whatever the case, has no fear in addressing the matters in an entertaining and sometimes educational fashion. No, not PBS educational. I mean look-at-people-around-you educational. It is truly unique and is tough to compare it with anything else out there now on the airwaves. Get ready for the complete second season of…Glee!

Film

Season 2 of the musical-comedy powerhouse is now available on Blu-ray and conveniently contains all 22 episodes in a 4-disc set.  The sophomore year of Glee featured the addition of three new key characters including the attitude-laden Lauren Zizes (Ashley Fink), lead warbler Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss) and football star Sam Evans (Chord Overstreet).  There were multiple highlights to season 2, some of which were very profound.  I’m not going to give away too much here, but they ecompassed a wide array of topics and events such as religion, marriage, recreating Rocky Horror, being handi-capable, and of course, competing at Nationals.

As usual, cheerleading coach and devious mastermind Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) plots and surmises as she continues in her attempts to cleverly usurp the glee club…or just make them not exist.  While humorous, Lynch also excels at portraying one very unlikable character on the show.  Her plotting ways seem mere second nature and though they’re expected with each episode, it’s just too hard to get sick of Sue.  Then again, I’m not Mr. Schuester, or “Schu,” as he’s sometimes affectionately referred to by his students.  The well-to-do teacher does his best to maintain the guidance and sense of belonging when it comes to his group of high school social misfits.  Whether it’s building chemistry amongst the students or paving the way toward Nationals, Schu’s the captain at the wheel.

One very noticeable change to from season 1 to 2 is the subtle switch of focus off of Rachel (Lea Michele).  Yes, she is still the star of the show, hands down.  However, as co-creator Ryan Murphy said, he doesn’t plan on having Glee run 10 years with the same actors still in high school the entire time.  With that in mind, the show has no choice but to shine a little more of the spotlight on Glee‘s other cast of characters.  This way, once Lea Michele and Chris Colfer depart from the cast of the show, audiences will be more than familiar with the performance value of other names and it won’t be such a shock to lose one of them.  It’s all in an effort to retain audiences in the long run.

As usual, the show’s delivery blends the comedic with the dramatic as well as over-the-top and does so in a seamless manner.  The combination of the show’s very different characters and its writing gel effortlessly, allowing it to become one of the most highly viewed programs on television today.  Fox struck gold with this series and the sophomore season of Glee did not disappoint.  Its multiple attributes continue to culminate into a five-star performance amidst the backdrop of McKinley High.  Kurt continues to wrestle with the trials and tribulations of being the only openly gay kid at school, Finn always finds himself in relationship ping-pong, and Puckerman, well he just does his best to keep on impressing the ladies and being a general tough guy.

Video

Why would anyone in their right mind buy this show on dvd?  The Blu-ray does the show a complete justice in its 1.78:1 aspect ratio as the colors jump out in with an eye-appeasing 1080p vividness.  Grain is kept to an absolute minimum which enhances the viewing experience all the more.  Fine details on clothing and skin surfaces are easily obtainable in an optic sense, with no visual distractions to speak of.  This is easily a reference-quality example of just how good Blu-ray is when it comes to video.

Audio

This department wouldn’t hold as much value if the subject being reviewed was a soap opera.  However, with the song and dance spectacular that Glee is, it is almost as vital as an action film to have those rear channels chime in for sound.  While the show succeeds on Blu-ray in the music department thanks to the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio soundtrack, it is pretty much a front-driven channel delivery when regular dialogue or hall roaming takes place.  What I mean is, you don’t pick up a lot of background sound during most of the show.  Is it a deal-breaker when considering buying this?  Of course not.  When the musical numbers commence, however, you can expect a more proficient use of those back speakers.  Again, some points are lost here, but it’s not a buzz kill when it’s all said and done.

Special Features

Glee: Season 2 did not shortchange us in the extras department.  There are over 60 minutes worth of goodies on here, and that doesn’t even include the isolated musical numbers you can watch by themselves.  In addition, all but three of the extras are in high definition (denoted by the SD or HD).  This is one of the best special feature lists I’ve seen compiled on a Blu-ray in a great while.  You get a great mixture of entertainment and behind-the-scenes education when it comes to putting a set or episode together.

Disc 1

• Glee Music Jukebox – The musical numbers from the episodes on disc 1 (HD).
• The Making of The Rocky Horror Glee Show – A look at what went into to putting together last year’s Glee Halloween special (HD, 6:47).
• Exclusive Bonus Song: “Planet, Schmanet, Janet” – With nothing more than a solid black background and a pair of disembodied lips, a song from The Rocky Horror Picture Show in Glee style (SD, 1:11).

Disc 2

• Glee Music Jukebox – The musical numbers from the episodes on disc 2 (HD).

Disc 3

• Glee Music Jukebox – The musical numbers from the episodes on disc 3 (HD).

Disc 4

• Glee Music Jukebox – The musical numbers from the episodes on disc 4 (HD).
• Building Glee‘s Auditorium with Cory Monteith – Known on the show as Finn, actor Cory Monteith walks viewers through the set construction of McKinley High’s auditorium.  Also part of this featurette are the show’s production and set designers lending their expertise on the matter (HD, 5:31).
• A Day in the Life of Brittany – Actress and dancer extraordinaire Heather Morris stays in character as Brittany S. Pierce when she absent mindedly guides viewers around the set and sound stages of Glee (HD, 5:46).
• Shooting Glee in New York City – Season 2’s finale took place on location in NYC.  This extra shows the experiences of the cast and crew shooting in the city that never sleeps (HD, 10:31).
• Guesting on Glee – Sometimes a show can struggle to get more starpower on its series.  Not the case with Glee.  People ask to be on it.  Actors such as Gwyneth Paltrow, John Stamos and the great Carol Burnett talk about their experiences guest starring on the show (HD, 8:06).
• Stevie Nicks Goes Glee – Fleetwood Mac frontwoman Stevie Nicks provides dialogue on being on set for an episode that paid homage to some of her music.  Cast regulars also offered their thoughts and appreication of having Nicks on set (HD, 3:34).
• Sue’s Quips – Cheerleading coach and general villain Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) gets a dedication to her one-liner sarcasms and in this video montage of cut-downs she’s unleashed the last two seasons (HD, 2:15).
• Santana’s Slams – Matching Sue in content, Santana (Naya Rivera) gets her own medley of clips that show her verbal barrages she’s thrown around the halls of McKinley (HD, 2:51).
• The Wit of Brittany – For somebody who was only getting a line or two an episode, Brittany’s airheaded dialogue provides a solid punch of comic relief in this collection of the sayings she’s become so well known for (HD, 2:20).
• Getting Waxed with Jane Lynch – No, this has nothing to do with her legs.  Actress Jane Lynch gives us the low-down on getting scanned and sculpted into a was figure.  Crew from the famed Madame Tussaud’s near London show us what went into the whole process (HD, 6:08).
• Glee at Comic-Con 2010 – I am kicking myself  for not attending this last year.  But hey, at least myself along with everyone else that wasn’t there get to experience a Q&A between the audience of fans and co-creator Ryan Murphy with cast members Naya Rivera, Heather Morris, Jenna Ushkowitz, Kevin McHale, Amber Riley and Chris Colfer (SD, 14:54).

Final Thoughts

I’m always cautious of a hit TV show after its first season.  There’s always that chance that it could be a flash in the pan, a fluke, if you will.  That was certainly not the case with Glee‘s second season, and here it is brilliantly presented on Blu-ray.  There aren’t too many drawbacks here and I have to say, the whole thing was impressively put together.  Sure, the audio can be a step higher and the extras weren’t exclusively 1080, but they came close.  All in all, this is a no-brainer to fans of the show as well as those not familiar with Glee but curious to what it’s all about.