Why So Blu?

Revolution: The Complete Second & Final Season (Blu-ray Review)

Farewell, Revolution! You may be missed by some, but I for one am thankful for your departure. Creator Erik Kripke and his writers had nowhere to go with the story, a common fate amongst many television series. Revolution would have been a fine film, or an effective miniseries, but stretching it out as they did makes for an unmemorable and frustrating viewing experience. Instead of actually spending the money with this pile of dreck, the writers could have just placed the actors in front of the television screen and scream things like, “your wife is fat,” or “your children are stupid,” or “you have no friends,” or (most appropriately) “you are stupid.” The outcome would have been just as insulting as the series, which revels in insulting its audience at every turn.

Season 

The plot is a carbon-copy of every mediocre post-apocalyptic you’ve seen, as if a high school student who loved The Postman and Transcendence decided to write a hybrid of the two. What’s worse is the look on all the actor’s faces, forced to spew this rubbish and try and make it sound convincing. The cast for the show is worlds better than it deserves, from Billy Burke to Giancarlo Esposito, Zak Orth, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Stephen Collins. There’s a sadness in the eyes of the cast, as if they are completely aware that this is the low point of their career (and remember, Billy Burke was in the Twilight series).

Part of the problem of the show lies with the time placement of the story. It’s been fifteen years since electricity has gone out, and society has been warped, now run by maniacal dictators. A more interesting approach would have been to introduce the show on the brink of the collapse, so we see this horrific event firsthand and witness the development of the dictatorships and the ways in which people cope with the destruction. We are provided with periodic flashbacks, but they are there to just pad out the 22 episodes. It serves to just provide the viewer with time to wonder, “how are they getting ice exactly?” and “with all these swords apparently being made, no one thought to manufacture bullets for the guns?” Speaking of sword fighting, Revolution has a lifetime’s supply of generic sword fighting. It’s relatively enjoyable at first, but by the end, you’ll never care to see another one ever again.

Kripke must have know the series was being cancelled; the pace of the show catapults from sluggish to rushed in its final episodes, unrewarding for the fan who tuned in every week. There are simply too many great television shows out there to recommend this one. Every detail is artificial, and the interactions are forced. For as many hours as the writers spent with these characters, it never feels as if they nailed anything honest. Perhaps next time.

The episodes for Season 2 are as followed:

BORN IN THE U.S.A.

After the devastating effects of the Surge, our heroes are trying to law low in Texas. But their world may be even more dangerous than ever.

THERE WILL BE BLOOD

Miles awaits death in the clutches of savage leader Titus Andover (Matt Ross), Charlie is determined to find Monroe, and Rachel and her father try to revive Aaron.

LOVE STORY

Rachel’s daring rescue of Miles triggers a massive Tribesmen assault on Willoughby, while Charlie and Adam (Patrick Heusinger) are at odds over Monroe’s future.

PATRIOT GAMES

Wounds heal while new bonds form for Miles and Rachel. Neville infiltrates the Patriot inner circle. Aaron’s brain goes into overdrive.

ONE RIOT, ONE RANGER

Aaron and Rachel speculate on the extreme effects of nano technology, and a Texas Ranger (Jim Beaver) from Miles’s rugged past comes to Willoughby.

DEAD MAN WALKING

Charlie, Rachel and Gene question Monroe’s true allegiance – though he may be key to taking down the Patriots – while Miles himself is wary of his former friend’s intentions.

THE PATRIOT ACT

With Willoughby on lockdown, Rachel learns some unsettling truths, and Miles does his best to overcome the obstacles before him and those he cares about.

COME BLOW YOUR HORN

Miles and the gang try to escape their perilous situation, Aaron’s deathly experience catches people’s attention, and Neville takes a gamble with the Patriots.

EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU

With the relationship between Rachel and her father strained, Charlie reveals how much she’s grown, and Neville and Jason surprise each other.

THREE AMIGOS

Miles leads Rachel and Monroe on a personal mission into Mexico, while Neville and Julia position themselves among the Patriots in D.C.

MIS DOS PADRES

Monroe must make a choice about his newfound son Connor (Mat Vairo), Gene leads Charlie into danger, and Jason gives Neville an ultimatum.

CAPTAIN TRIPS

When Willoughby undergoes an outbreak of typhus, Gene, Rachel, and Charlie feel compelled to save lives, while Miles and Monroe unite to survive.

HAPPY ENDINGS

Monroe leads Charlie and Connor on a dangerous mission in New Vegas. Meanwhile, Neville gets an assignment to hunt down Monroe, and Aaron reunites with an old friend.

FEAR AND LOATHING

Monroe and Connor face life and death in New Vegas. Back in Willoughby, Miles is wary of trusting Neville and Jason to take down the Patriots.

DREAMCATCHER

Aaron wakes up to his old life: with power, married to Priscilla (Maureen Sebastian) and running his tech company. As familiar faces appear, however, he realizes that is not all what it seems.

EXPOSITION BOULEVARD

Monroe, Charlie and Connor make their way back to Willoughby, and the Patriots step up their “re-education” initiative.

WHY WE FIGHT

While Gene and Miles venture into Willoughby in search of allies, Monroe surprises the Patriots, and Aaron and Priscilla continue on their journey.

AUSTIN CITY LIMITS

Determined to derail Patriot plans, Miles and Monroe rush to Austin with Jason, Charlie and Connor after Jason brings them crucial information.

$#!& HAPPENS

Rushing to escape Austin, a wounded Miles is separated from the group and must fight for survival. Charlie is confronted by Neville and demands to know Jason’s location.

TOMORROWLAND

After Miles launches a mustard gas attack to kill Miles and Monroe, Miles agrees to join Monroe in a ruthless plot to beat the Patriots at their own game.

MEMORIAL DAY

Neville and Monroe form an uneasy alliance to take down the Patriots, while Miles, Charlie, and Gene try to steal the Patriots’ supply of mustard gas.

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

Miles, Charlie and Monroe launch an attack on the Patriots but must improvise a risky new plan to halt the oncoming war between California and Texas in the highly combustible season finale.

Video 

Encoding: MPEG-4 AVC

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Clarity/Detail: The show looks outstanding on Blu-ray. Every frame is sharp, crisp and layered. You can see every detail of the sets, which at times is the show’s best quality.

Depth: A lot of time was spent preparing the framing of the episodes, as the structure and depth is pitch-perfect. It’s a beautiful show to look at.

Black Levels: There’s a lot of dark scenes in the show, and the black levels are clear and precise, never interfering with any other visual aspect of the show.

Color Reproduction: All the colors are vibrant and pristine. There’s a brown color palette that defines the series, and every shade is rich and beautiful.

Flesh Tones: Skin tones are consistent, with every facial feature clearly defined. You could count the wrinkles on the actors if you so desired.

Noise/Artifacts: Clean Clean Clean.

 

Audio 

Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0

Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Thai

Dynamics: This show is packed with action, and even though the score and explosions seem to be louder than the dialogue, it never is an issue. You won’t want to listen to the dialogue anyway.

Low Frequency Extension: Minor actions, like walking or picking up an item, pulse, which oftentimes teeters on comically amplified, but it creates a nice atmosphere.

Surround Sound Presentation: You’ll be proud of all your speakers with this show; it really gave my speaker setup a workout. You’ll feel every sword, every hit, and every explosion.

Dialogue Reproduction: As I said, at moments the action and score take precedent over the dialogue, but besides that, it’s clean and crisp.

Extras 

Revolution: Heading West (HD, 23 minutes) I was surprised at how much guff Kirpke throws at Season One, and his desire for a different path for the second season. Third time will not be a charm.

Impact Revolution: Conversations with the United Nations (HD, 12 minutes) The amount of research that went into developing the show is discussed, an aspect I can admire.

United Nations: The Mission Continues PSA (HD, 5 minutes) Apparently the show has a relationship with the UN, so here’s a PSA on power plants in Nepal.

2013 Comic-Con Panel (HD, 28 minutes) See all the fans enjoy a Q&A with the cast & crew

Deleted Scenes (HD) Omitted scenes accompany the episodes “Love Story,” “Patriot Games,” “The Patriot Act,” “Three Amigos,” “Mis Dos Padres,” “Captain Trips,” “Happy Endings,” “Fear and Loathing,” “Dreamcatcher,” “Exposition Boulevard,” “Austin City Limits,” “#!& Happens,” “Tomorrowland,” “Declaration of Independence.” None of them are interesting.

Gag Reel (HD, 3 minutes) A couple minutes of actors breaking character. I’d have a difficult time staying in character with this absurd show, too.

Summary 

RIP Revolution, you tried to present something special, you gave it your all. Unfortunately, in an era where we are seeing television at its finest, your best just didn’t cut it. The Blu-ray sound and picture quality is top notch, but the features leave a lot to be desired (although I can’t imagine there’s too much to say about this series). There are other, better shows out there to spend your hard earned money on, so if you must venture out and purchase this, all I have for you is pity.