Why So Blu?

Key & Peele: Season 3 (Blu-ray Review)

Having just started its fourth season, Key & Peele continues its run as one of the more popular sketch comedy series on Comedy Central.  The Peabody Award-winning series features former MadTV stars Keegan Michael Key and Jordan Peele (who appear to be popping up everywhere these days, including the Fargo miniseries) working together to churn out consistently funny sketches that also happen to be impressively filmed.  This is reflected in the Blu-ray release of the third season of the series.  Not as much in the way of bonus content this time around, but a lot of laughs can still be found.  Continue on to read more about the third season of this hilarious series and its Blu-ray release.

Film:

As mentioned, Key & Peele is a sketch comedy show.  I mentioned this in my review of the Blu-ray set for the first two seasons, but while there have been plenty of sketch comedy shows on TV, as far as Comedy Central goes, Key & Peele is about as close as it has gotten to replacing the brilliant Chappelle’s Show from the early 00s.  I say that not necessarily in terms of how funny I find the comedy to be, but in terms of how Key & Peele is similarly sitting within the zeitgeist of the times.

Season 3 contains all the following episodes:

1. Les Mis
2. East/West Bowl Rap
3. Slap-Ass
4. LA Vice
5. Obama Shutdown
6. Cunnilingus Class
7. Sexy Vampires
8. High on Potenuse
9. Tackle & Grapple
10. Black Ice
11. The Power of Wings
12. East/West Bowl 2
13. Pussy on the Chainwax

While a lot of Key & Peele skits are played repeatedly on YouTube, Season 3 is the strongest yet, as it finds the guys (and surely all the writers involved) putting together consistently solid skits that flow well into each other, given the audience interludes, and play to the strengths of Jordan and Keegan.  Clearly these two are comfortable with pretty much anything and it is their decision to try and make things fresh, every time out, which really makes this show worthwhile.

Various recurring characters and sketches pop up here and there, but it is rare and when they do, they are still very funny.  Tackling subjects that move from societal commentary (largely race-focused) to just really silly, broad comedy continues to work well for this series.  Additionally, the cinematic quality of the series is as strong as ever.  Key & Peele continues to be the most cinematic of any sketch comedy show I have scene and that is a huge plus in my eyes.

I have plenty of favorite skits and some recurring characters that I look forward to seeing, but for the most part, Key & Peele does a fine job of making for a fun viewing experience fit for plenty of those who dive into Comedy Central shows featuring comedians.  There seems to be a bit of a change up in how Season 4 is playing out and while I am embracing it, I will continue to sing the praises for how this show began.  That said, I have enough confidence in these guys continuing to imbue their sense of humor into a variety of ideas and pulling it off very successfully.

Video:

Encoding: MPEG-4 AVC

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Clarity/Detail:  I emphasized the cinematic quality of a lot of the sketches in the review and it’s because it is true.  Key & Peele goes through great lengths to be a great-looking TV show and it pays off as far as this Blu-ray presentation goes.  Sure, some of the makeup and costuming looks obvious, but that is by design.  The show has been given a good look for this Blu-ray, with a great display of the details put into the various sets and sketches throughout.

Depth:  For a low-budget sketch show, the series has a good amount of depth going for it.

Black Levels:  The black levels are solid for a show that goes back and forth between being bright and poppy and dark and moody, depending on the idea of the skit.

Color Reproduction:  Colors are rather solid.  When there is a good amount of color in a sketch, it is well represented as far as this Blu-ray goes.

Flesh Tones:  Again, despite some fun with makeup, the flesh textures all look good as far as being portrayed in the way they were meant to be seen.

Noise/Artifacts:  Some rough areas in small moments, but very minimal overall.

 

Audio:

Audio Format(s): English Dolby True HD 5.1, English Dolby Digital Stereo

Subtitles:  English SDH

Dynamics:  As a sketch comedy show, there is a wide mix of sounds, but they often collide in a very good way that never makes things unclear in a scene with plenty of outlandish aspects.

Low Frequency Extension:  When the show digs deep into certain musical areas, it finds a good way to balance the amount of bass one may or may not need.

Surround Sound Presentation:  Again, the wild nature of the show allows for a variety of different types of audio sequences, but it works well for those with a home theater looking to capture the quality that this series has to offer on an auditory level.

Dialogue Reproduction:  I always heard the delivery of jokes that Key and Peele offered up.

Extras:

Unfortunately, not a whole lot of effort went into this department.  While the previous seasons had some commentary tracks and extended bits, here we just get a couple things. And no Liam Neeson bonus clip? Really?

Features Include:

Disc 1:

• The Van and Mike Show (HD): This is a web series featuring Key and Peele as characters that provide commentary on various episodes of Key & Peele.  7 shorts are included and it must be great for diehard fans, though I felt fairly indifferent about these overall.

Disc 2:

• The Super Episode: The Best of Seasons 1 & 2 (HD, 21:36): An episode that features highlights from the first two seasons, which aired on Comedy Central in the lead up to Season 3.
• Outtakes (HD, 5:32): Lots of moments of seeing these guys break.

Summary:

Key & Peele is a strong sketch comedy series.  Evolving into a series I look forward to seeing entire episodes of, rather than just the best skits, the show has strengthened considerably and I look forward to more.  The Blu-ray has a solid presentation, though skips on producing more in the way of extras, which is a shame.  Overall, if you want these episodes as a whole, rather than just seeing it piecemeal on YouTube, pick up this set.

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