Why So Blu?

Nashville: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray Review)

Behind the music of Nashville lies a captivating web of betrayal, heartbreak and rivalry.  Rayna Jaymes is the reigning Queen of Country, yet hot young diva Juliette Barnes is poised to knock her off her throne. Adding more fuel to the fire is Rayna’s rich, scheming father, whose political ambitions for Rayna’s husband hide sinister ulterior motives. Surrender to a seductive mix of music, intrigue and passion with “Nashville: The Complete First Season,” including all 21 tantalizing episodes, and exclusive, never-before-seen bonus features, in a spectacular 5-disc set. “Nashville” was created by Callie Khouri and stars Connie Britton as Rayna Jaymes, Hayden Panettiere as Juliette Barnes, Charles Esten as Deacon Claybourne, Eric Close as Teddy Conrad, Clare Bowen as Scarlett O’Connor, Jonathan Jackson as Avery Barkley, Sam Palladio as Gunnar Scott, Robert Ray Wisdom as Coleman Carlisle and Powers Boothe as Lamar Wyatt.

Show  

Rayna James (Connie Britton) is the reigning “Queen of Country.”  While Rayna has enjoyed a significant amount of success, she isn’t getting any younger.  Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere) is the young new up and coming diva on the charts.  Rayna’s record sales begin to dwindle and Juliette’s career is rocked by scandal.  To save their careers, the two rivals are forced to work together.  As if the two women didn’t have enough reason to be at odds, Juliette is trying to steal Rayna’s lead guitarist, Deacon Claybourne (Charles Esten) – who was also Rayna’s former lover. Rayna and Juliette fight like true divas on stage and off.

Rayna and Juliette do not have a monopoly on the drama as a love triangle brews between Deacon’s niece Scarlett (Clare Bowen) who is caught between her boyfriend Avery (Jonathan Jackson)and her writing partner Gunnar (Sam Palladio). Further complicating live in Nashville is Rayna’s husband Teddy’s run for mayor, against her wishes but with her father’s backing.

“Nashville” is an ABC drama that my DVR just didn’t have room for even though I really wanted to watch the show. The show’s Writer/Creator/Executive Producer Callie Khouri knows Nashville well and has created a show with a real country feel using local musicians and historic locations. It’s great that “Nashville’s” first season was released on DVD in time for people like to me catch up by doing a “Nashville” binge session to prepare for season Two which will premiere Wednesday September 25.

“Nashville” certainly offers a lot of drama but most importantly the focus is on the music.  The show’s creators were smart and/or lucky enough to find actors who can actually sing.  The show would have fallen apart had every good actor been lip syncing to a Leann Rimes-type voice on stage.   Fortunately, that isn’t the case as the actors can clearly sing and play their instruments convincingly and it makes for a very believable show.  Even the younger cast members can act and sing.

If you can’t stand soap opera-ish drama then Nashville’s First Season certainly isn’t going to thrill you.  If you’re only in it for the music, you’ll probably end up irritated by the varying story arcs.  But, if you are looking for a good drama with plenty of good music, this might be the show for you. Just be warned that this is a running story-line and I wouldn’t recommend jumping in at season two if you haven’t seen the first season.  Far too much happened during season one to skip past it.  Although there are 21 episodes this season, a very dedicated viewer could take care of that in a weekend.

Video  

“Nashville,” the Complete First Season’s feature content is presented in widescreen format with a 1.78:1 ratio. On DVD the show looks pretty good and without a blu ray to compare it to I found few complaints. When you watch some of the special features you are able to appreciate the episode quality even more. With a country feel, the show has many warm tones. Skin tones are even and I noticed some of the most detail in the lines and texture of the actors faces.

Audio  

With a show full of music, the dolby digital 5.1 surround sound doesn’t disappoint. The listener is always able to clearly understand both lyrics and dialogue and volume does not need adjustment for transitions. The DVD also offers English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.

Extras  

The special features on the DVD set are meaningful and well thought out. You can tell that some effort went into them and I enjoyed watching them.

The DVD contains the following extras:

• Nashville Comes to Nashville (Disc One) – Cast and crew discuss the historic locations they are privileged enough to film in. The show is films in Nashville and every song in the show is written by a Nashville song writer.
• Stellas Go On “Tour” (Disc Five)– Spend a day with real life super talented sisters Maisy and Lennon Stella (Daphne and Maddie Conrad) as they go through hair, makeup, and wardrobe, meet the cast and tour the sets.
• On the Record: B-Side (Disc Five), Available individually or with a play all option are “Consider Me” and “If I Didn’t” with the musicians/writers responsible for the songs.
• Deleted Scenes (Disc Five) – Available individually or with the play all option – Pilot “Photo Op Threat”, Someday You’ll Call My Name “Please tell me it’s Refundable”, Move It On Over “Let’s Play Hookie”, You’re Gonna Change (Or I’m Gonna Leave) “Life’s Too Short”, Lovesick Blues “Strange Behavior”, You Win Again “Just One Drink”, and I’ve Been Down That Road Before “Another Advance”
• Bloopers – Stars trip, mess up lines, crack up and have fun filming Nashville’s first season in a lengthy blooper reel.

Summary  

“Nashville” The Complete First Season was a show I took a chance on after completely skipping it’s prime time airing.  I’m already hooked on other ABC shows like “Castle” and “Once Upon a Time”, so there is already a constant a fight in my house about the available DVR space and which shows will fill it.  Not a country music fan, I was right to assume that my husband would not get on board with this type of drama.  Since I am a fan of both country music and drama – this show is right up my alley and I’m sorry I waited so long.  It’s got good, admittedly soap opera-like story-lines and some great music written by Nashville musicians and performed by capable singer/actors. “Nashville” is a guilty pleasure that  I’m securely on board with.

Order your copy today!