Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Smallville Season 9

 

The 21-episode ninth season of Smallville aired during the 2009/2010 TV season. It ended up being the second-to-last season of the series. It picks up a few weeks down the line after the events of the Season 8 finale, with both Clark and Oliver beating themselves up over Jimmy's death at the hands of Davis even after Doomsday had been separated from him. Chloe has thrown herself into the Watchtower persona, Lois is torn between her relationship with Clark and her infatuation with "The Blur," of course not knowing they are the same person, and Tess is playing a game of tug of war with Zod and the Kandorians who were released from the orb. But, there is a twist: the Zod from the orb is a younger version of the character, played by Callum Blue. I will not spoil how that came to be, but throughout the season, we find out what turned him into the traitor he would become. In the season premiere, it sets up that Lois had been missing for three weeks after she put on the Legion ring during her fight with Tess. And where exactly she was became a central plot point throughout the season.

This season saw its share of notable guest stars, including Julian Sands, Brian Austin Green, Pam Grier, Annette O'Toole (reprising her role as Martha), and Michael McKean, reprising his role as Perry White. The season ends on a few cliffhangers and definitely sets up some storylines for the final season.

The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc set. The show looks and sounds great in HD for those who get the Blu-Ray discs. The extras include deleted scenes for many episodes, commentary tracks on a couple of episodes, a feature on Zod, and a feature on the two-part Justice Society of America episode. A decent amount for those who enjoy going through the bonus material. Even though the show definitely felt near the end of its run, the fact that all the old storylines were finally wrapped up and the show is set more in Metropolis than in Smallville, it felt like some new life was injected into the series this season. Having Zod as the big bad throughout the season made Lex's absence less noticeable. Although, the show was still not the same after Michael Rosenbaum's departure. It is definitely worth picking up the set, though.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Smallville Season 8

 

The 22-episode 8th season of Smallville aired during the 3008/2009 TV season. It saw a lot of upheaval and change for the show, the largest being in the cast turnover, with original series regulars Michael Rosenbaum and Kristen Kreuk leaving the show (although Kreuk returns about halfway through the season in a recurring role to tie up her storyline). John Glover also left the show after Lionel was killed off at the end of Season 7, and Laura Vandervoort was bumped down to a guest-starring role after Kara was trapped in the Phantom Zone. The big addition to the cast this year was Cassidy Freeman and Sam Witwer. Witwer plays Davis Bloom, an EMT at the medical center who figures into the serial story arc of the season more and more throughout the 22 episodes. Freeman plays the acting CEO of Luthorcorp, Tess Mercer, who is looking for Lex who disappeared, along with Clark at the end of Season 7. 

The season picks up 4 weeks after the events of the season 7 finale with Lex having confronted Clark in the fortress. We find out that Lex and Clark are missing, with the members of the Justice League (with Justin Hartley now upped to series regular) searching for Clark and the new acting CEO of Luthorcorp, Tess Mercer (played by Cassidy Freeman), looking for Lex. We find out that Jor-el took away Clark's powers and destroyed the fortress so Lex could not control him. Needless to say, Clark is found and Lex remains a shadowy figure in the background for most of the season. I will not go into too much detail to avoid spoiling the season for the handful of people reading this who may not have seen it yet, but there is definitely a big bad that threatens everyone, and we get to see Smallville's take on the Legion of Superheros and the Suicide Squad (although the show calls them the injustice league). There are fewer notable guest stars this season than in prior seasons, although fans of the current Flash series will recognize Jessica Parker Kennedy, who played Barry and Iris' daughter Nora West Allen, and Tori Spelling reprised her role as Linda Lake in one of the episodes toward the middle of the season.

The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc set, and the show looks and sounds great in the HD format. The extras are much like the prior seasons. Deleted scenes for most episodes, commentary tracks on a couple of episodes, a feature on the season's big bad, a feature on Alison Mack's directorial debut, and a feature on the episode Legion. As was the case with the season 6 and 7 Blu-Ray sets, there is not an episode menu screen that will allow you to choose which episodes you want to watch. All the episodes play in a play-all mode when the disc loads, and then the extras menu loads once all the episodes play (or you hit the disc menu button). But, you can pick up where you left off even if you stop in the middle of an episode and turn your player off.

Overall, the season is very good. It ties up all the storylines from the Smallville setting and moves the story primarily to Metropolis. There are a handful of scenes at the Kent Farm and the Luthor Mansion, but most of the action occurs in the city. The acting and writing are both very good this season, with Cassidy Freeman doing an outstanding job in the role of Tess Mercer. The character was definitely a "replacement" for Lex, but the writers did a good job not making the character a carbon copy of Lex, and she did not try to emulate Rosenbaum's performance. While I still think the show was getting a bit long in the tooth, and any of the seasons from 7-10 could have ended the show, I think its direction in this season gave it a bit of new life. Erica Durance really expanded her role as Lois, including an episode where she had to play Chole in Lois's body and nailed it. Allison Mack was also great (again) in her role as Chole. She has been a standout really in every season, and everyone in the commentary tracks and bonus featurettes went out of their way to praise her acting and her work directing the episode she directed this season it makes her post-Smallville life choices all the more baffling.

Overall, if you liked the prior seasons, you will probably like this one unless Lex or Lionel Luthor were your favorite characters. The show suffered a bit without Michael Rosenbaum as Lex, but it pulled off his absence about as well as possible. The show continued to develop even the original characters and did a good job working the new characters into the story. Overall, I think season 8 was a much stronger season than seasons 6 and 7 and is definitely worth checking out.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Smallville Season 7

 

The 20-episode seventh season of Smallville aired during the 2007/2008 TV season and was the start of the show hanging on too long. The season was mostly good but definitely had its ups and downs. There were some "freak of the week" episodes here and there, but mostly, the season involved multiple intertwined storylines that spanned throughout the season, the biggest being Project Veritas, which was a group consisting of The Queens, Lionel Luthor, Virgil Swan, and the Teagues, all of whom knew that an alien was being sent to earth and set up a secret society to keep him safe. Of course, this all created numerous plot holes from the prior seasons, but it was a way to set Lex and Clark on a collision course. The other big storyline was Lana trying to get revenge on Lex after having faked her death and trying to pin the murder on him.

There would be more cast turnover this year, with Annette O'Toole leaving the series as a series regular at the end of Season 6. Her character became a federal senator and moved to Washington, DC. Aaron Ashmore was promoted to a series regular as Jimmy Olson, Justin Hartley continued as a recurring character playing Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, James Marsters recurred in his role as Brainiac, and Phil Morris recurred as Martian Manhunter. The big addition to the cast was Laura Vandervoort, playing Kara Zor-El, otherwise known as Clark's cousin Supergirl. This would also be the final season for both Michael Rosenbaum and Kristen Kreuk as well as showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. This season's notable guest stars included Dean Cain (the last live-action Superman/Clark Kent before Tom Welling), Christina Milian, Mark McClure (who played Jimmy Olson in the original movies), Sam Jones reprising his role as Pete, Aaron Douglas (of Battlestar Galactica playing a different role than his role in season 1), and Helen Slater, who was the first to play Supergirl in live action in the early 1980s movie. And, in keeping with the show's tradition, this year's visiting band was One Republic.

The Blu-Ray set is a six-disc set. The series continues to look and sound great in HD. The extras include commentary tracks on a couple of episodes, deleted scenes for most episodes, an animated feature on Supergirl, very similar to the one on Green Arrow in the extras for season 6, and a roundtable discussion with some of the different actors who played Jimmy Olson, including Aaron Ashmore, Mark McClure, Sam Huntington (who played Jimmy in the 2006 movie Superman Returns), and Jack Larson. Basically, all the actors who played Jimmy in live-action except for Michael Landes and Justin Whalin, who played Jimmy on Lois and Clark.

Overall, the season was good, with some great moments. But this was really the first season that it felt like the show was hanging on too long. It helped that some of the storylines got wrapped up, and the show definitely was set up to go in a new direction after the events of the season finale. The writing and acting were very good with both Michael Rosenbaum and Allison Mack shining in their portrayals of Lex and Chloe, respectively. I always thought Mack would go on to be a star after Smallville and definitely would not have pegged her for joining a cult. The show had really changed from the early seasons by this point, so if you were a die-hard fan of the first couple of seasons I cannot guarantee that you would like this one as much. But, generally, I would say if you have liked the show up to this point, you will probably like it this season.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Smallville Season 6

 

The 22-episode sixth season of Smallville aired during the 2006/2007 TV season. It starts off pretty much the moment season five ended, with Clark trapped in the Phantom Zone, Zod inhabiting Lex's body, and the computer virus released by Brainiac causing chaos everywhere (including downing the jet Lois and Martha were on). Of course, Clark manages to get out of the Phantom Zone and in the process, releases many of its inhabitants who wreak havoc on Earth, and one of the big storylines of the season is Clark hunting down the various "zoners." The other large storylines involve a Lex-Lana-Clark love triangle, Lex's continued turn toward evil, and the return of Oliver Queen (whose disappearance was shown in the newspaper Lionel was reading at the beginning of the pilot episode) as The Green Arrow, played by Justin Hartley. The show also adds the character of Jimmy Olsen as a recurring character played by Aaron Ashmore, whose brother Shawn, of course, played one of the "meteor freaks" in the first couple of seasons, as well as introduces the character of John Jones, played by Phil Morris, who would have a larger role in the later seasons. The notable guest stars this season were Lynda Carter, Tori Spelling, Bow Wow (having dropped the Lil' at that point), and WWF wrestlers Dave Bautista, Kane, Ashley Massaro, capitalizing on the popularity of the WWF in the 2000s.

I will not go into too much of the storylines to avoid spoiling the few people who may not have seen the series yet. The only hints that I will give are that there continues to be more cast turnover as Annette O'Toole would leave the show as a series regular after this season, and the show sets up her exit storyline about 2/3 of the way through the season. Overall, the show moves more and more away from the setting of Smallville to Metropolis, with the Daily Planet becoming more of a base of operations for Clark and Chloe.

The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc set. The A/V quality is very good, and the show looks and sounds excellent in the high-definition format. The extras include deleted scenes for most episodes, a feature on the character of Green Arrow, a series of very rough animated episodes detailing Oliver's turn into Green Arrow, and comic sequences that extended some of the storylines. A decent amount for those who like going through the bonus features. The only quirky thing about the Blu-Ray release is that there is no real episode menu that allows you to select the episodes one-by-one. The first episode on each disc starts playing once the disc loads and if you hit the menu button it just takes you to the screen with the bonus material. But, if you stop before watching all the episodes on the disc, it will allow you to pick up where you left off, even in the middle of an episode.

Overall, the season is very good. It is definitely a season that transitions from some of the old storylines to set up new ones. All of the actors do a great job with their characters, and the writers do a great job balancing the storylines for the large ensemble cast. Each of the main cast members gets at least one stand-out episode. Michael Rosenbaum and Tom Welling both take a turn at directing episodes this season. Allison Mack is yet again great in her role as Chole (again making the craziness that her personal life turned into after the series ended all the more baffling and sad), and Erica Durance does a great job making Lois her own. In fact, of all the versions of Lois that have been in live-action, hers has arguably been the best of them. The only storyline that I did not really care for was the Clark-Lana-Lex love triangle, but thankfully that was resolved by the end of the season. It is definitely worth picking up.

DVD/TV Series Review: Smallville Season 5

 

The 22-episode fifth season of Smallville aired during the 2005/2006 TV season. This season was a turning point for the show. Of course, the "kids" graduated high school at the end of season four, so this season really saw the transition to more adult storylines. There was more cast turnover with Jensen Ackles leaving for the show Supernatural and Erica Durance coming on as a series regular, playing Lois Lane, and James Marsters (best known for his role as Spike on Buffy and Angel) joining as the major recurring character of the season. Ackles' character was ignored in the season premiere, with the audience just leaving to assume he died in the meteor strike.

The show pays off on the prior season's storyline, showing the Fortress of Solitude payoff to the whole story of the cave and the key from Clark's ship, continues to work toward Smallville's version of the Justice League, with Aquaman making an appearance this season, and sets up the next major "big bad". And, of course, this is the season that Chole finally knows about Clark, although she is not the only person who has discovered Clark's secret. This season also sees the first major cast member departing and being written off (the second if you really considered Pete Ross to be a major character, I personally viewed the character as more of a high-school buddy/ sidekick of Clark as opposed to a major character). The 12th episode of the season also marked the show's 100th episode, and it marked a major turning point for the season and the series.

The DVD set is a six-disc set with the bonus features and episodes spread across the discs. The extras include deleted scenes for most episodes, commentary tracks on a couple of episodes, including the much-panned (even by the showrunners) "vampire" themed episode, and a thirty-minute behind-the-scenes feature on making the 100th episode. A decent amount of extras for those who like watching them.

Overall, the season is very good. There are some great and not-so-great episodes (see the aforementioned vampire-themed episode). Apparently, the network wanted the show to do more themed episodes during the season, and the vampire episode was one and pretty much a dud, while the Chrismas episode, which did a version of It's a Wonderful Life for Lex, was great. I would say that chances are if you enjoyed the prior seasons, you will likely enjoy this one. If you did not like the prior seasons, you may or may not like this one. It just depends on what you did not like about the prior seasons. If you were not a big fan of the "freak of the week" episodes from the first few seasons, those took a big step back this season. The show was much more about the large, intertwined story arcs. If however, you were not a fan of the main characters, then you will still probably not like the show this season.

DVD/TV Series Review: Smallville Season 4

 

The 22-episode fourth season of Smallville aired during the 2004/2005 TV season. It begins months after the ending of season three when Lionel (seemingly) executed a Godfather-Like plan to get revenge on everyone who put him in jail. The season starts with Clark still missing, Lex going after an ancient stone (which becomes increasingly important throughout the season), Lana in China with a new love interest (played by new series regular Jensen Ackles), and Chole presumed dead. Of course, Clark returns in the first episode, but as Kal-El and meets the newly arrived Lois Lane (played by Erica Durance) who was teased in season three, who ends up coming to Smallville to investigate Chole's death.

The season continues to interweave the story of the week episodes within the larger themes of the season, mainly being the story involving three stones with Kryptonian symbols on them. The series continues to get a strong lineup of guest stars including Michael Ironside, Eric Johnson (reprising his role as Whitney in a flashback), Peyton List, Cobie Smulders, Jane Seymour (who has a major recurring role), Sarah Carter (reprising her role as a powered love interest for Clark, and Chris Carmack who guest-starred in an episode which to sharp-eyed observers from MN used the Twin Cities skyline as a backdrop. The show also brought in Margot Kidder, who of course played Lois in the movies, for appearances in a couple of episodes. Her appearance in the first episode was supposed to be done by Christopher Reeve, who had a scheduling conflict during filming and then passed away early into the airing of the season. His death was written into one of the episodes with the character of Virgil Swann dying off-screen leaving a last message for Clark. And, for early 2000s music fans, the band Lifehouse, whose songs appeared more than once on the show, played the senior prom.

The DVD set is a six-disc set. The extras included for this season's release are similar to what was on the DVD sets for the first few seasons. There are commentary tracks on select episodes, deleted scenes for most episodes, a feature on Lois Lane, which included all the living actresses who had played Lois, except for Teri Hatcher, and a feature on the writers of the show and the process they go through to write an episode. A good amount for those who like to go through the extras.

Overall, the series continued to be very strong, weaving in elements of the Superman Mythos, yet keeping its own spin on things. Characters advanced, especially Lex and Chole, and the show managed to weave in a decent amount of humor (mostly in the Lois-Clark interactions). The show also moved away from the high school element with really only a few episodes really focused on the school at all. The show also got around the loose "no tights, no flights" rule again, this time more creatively than the first couple of times. Clark's secret was also discovered by more people, some who conveniently forgot others who unknown to Clark do not. There was a great Lex centric episode that really displayed Michael Rosenbaum's acting chops, and Allison Mack continued to shine as Chole all throughout the season (again making her post-Smallville life even more sad because she should have been able to use her role on the show to springboard to much more). The finale sets up the next season's "big-bad" and again leaves characters in some Jeopardy. Overall, if you were a fan of the first few seasons, this one is definitely worth checking out.

DVD/TV Series Review: Smallville Season 3

 

The 22-episode third season of Smallville aired during the 2003/2004 TV season. Season three picks up a few months after the events of the season two finale, in which Clark puts on the Red Kryptonite ring and speeds away from Smallville on his dad's motorcycle. We find out that he is living in Metropolis, financing a lavish lifestyle by knocking over ATM machines and the occasional bank. This brings him into conflict with a local gangster named Morgan Edge (played by Rutger Hauer), who has ties to Lionel Luther. Obviously, Clark ends up coming back to Smallville due to a deal between Jonathan and Jor-El (voiced by Terrance Stamp). The rest of the season focuses on Clark trying to protect his secret (mainly from Lionel and Lex) and resisting Jor-El's plans for him. The occasional "freak of the week" episode is mixed in during the season, but not as many as in the first couple of seasons.

The season again hosts a bevy of notable guest stars, including the aforementioned Rutger Hauer, as well as Jesse Metcalf, the returning Shawn Ashmore and Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Ian Somerhalder (who has a recurring role, mostly involving Lana), Missy Peregrym, Martin Cummins, Megan Ory, Sarah Carter, and a very young Adrienne Palicki. Christopher Reeve also makes what would be his last appearance as Virgil Swan. And, for those who were relatively young during the show's original run, most will appreciate the early 2000s soundtrack that the series boasts.

Overall, the series is clearly transitioning from the "high school" life of the characters (which ultimately is good given that Tom Welling was about 27 during the filming of the third season, 10 years older than Clark was on the show) to the early adult life of the characters. This season would see the first of the main cast turnover, with Sam Jones leaving at the end of the season. Really, his character is the only one that had very little to do and almost no development during the season. And, since the gig as Clark's sidekick was pretty played out, it was probably the right time for him to move on. The series gets a bit darker this season and closer in tone to today's DC series. The acting and writing are top-notch, and the special effects improved.

The DVD set is a six-disc set. For extras, there are commentary tracks on select episodes, with Michael Rosenbaum and Allison Mack being the standout contributors from the cast, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and volume 2 of The Chole Chronicles, which is part live-action and part comic book stills, going through a side story not seen in the show, and adding a bit to one of the episodes. As good as Mack is it still amazes me how her life spiraled after the show ended because looking at how much she contributed to the show and the extras, and how good she was at all of them, she was, of all the main cast members, the one who could be predicted to have a great post-Smallville career.

While I cannot say that the show will appeal to everyone if you are a fan of the Superman mythos or superhero shows or movies in general, it is definitely worth checking out. The extras are good enough that picking up the physical discs makes it worth it (for those who prefer physical media).

DVD/TV Series Review: Smallville Season 2

 

The 23-episode second season of Smallville aired during the 2002/2003 TV season. It picks up immediately after the events of the season one finale, with Clark obviously saving Lana from the tornado and then showing the aftermath of the tornado's damage and the threat to Clark from the reporter who found out his secret. Lana becomes suspicious of Clark and how he saved her but does not remember the exact details. After that, the show jumps forward in time a few months to the start of the new school year and continues on from there. In season two, there are some "freak of the week" episodes, but the majority of the season involves character-developing arcs that extend and intertwine throughout the season. Most of the cast is brought back, except Eric Johnson. The character of Whitney is mostly written out of the series, but Johnson does make an appearance during the season. The main "addition" to the cast is elevating John Glover (Lionel Luther) to a series regular. All of the characters get some amount of a story arc to give them depth, with Clark's arc being the largest. Clark's powers continue to develop, and his powers are less secret this season. As was the case in season one, there are several notable and recognizable guest stars, including Sean Ferris, Maggie Lawson, Martin Cummins, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Emanuelle Vaugier, Lizzy Caplan (reprising her season one role), Zachery Ty Bryan, and of course, the most notable, Christopher Reeve, who for many was their first Superman.

The DVD set is a six-disc set. The extras include deleted scenes for select episodes, a gag reel, two commentary tracks on the Red Kryptonite episode (one with the showrunners and one with Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum, Kristen Kreuk, and one of the writers), and a commentary track with the showrunners on the episode that Christopher Reeve appeared. There is also a feature on the Superman mythology and multiple short featurettes under the heading "The Chole Chronicles," which basically features Chole investigating/interviewing background characters.

Overall, the season is a solid follow-up to season one. All the actors are more seasoned and the show shifted slightly away from the weekly high-school drama. There is the obligatory love triangle story between Chole, Clark, and Lana, with the writers trying to stretch out getting any characters into an actual relationship as much as possible. Allison Mack continued to do a great job as Chole, which makes her post-Smallville life even crazier as she should have gone on to have a much longer career after the show ended. Sam Jones is given a bit more to do other than just being Clark's sidekick, and Jonathan and Martha are given more extensive storylines, which are independent of just raising Clark. Michael Rosenbaum continues to shine as a version of Lex, who is somewhere between a loyal friend who wants to be a good person and the evil mastermind he is destined to become. Ultimately, I would say that if you liked season one, you will likely like (or love) this season even more. If you were a bit lukewarm to season one, the second season improved on the first season enough that it is worth sticking with the show.

DVD/TV Series Review: Smallville Season 1

 

Smallville is a superhero show that lasted ten seasons from 2001 to 2011. The 21-episode first season aired during the 2001/2002 TV season and starred Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum, Kristen Kruek, Eric Johnson, Sam Jones III, Allison Mack, Annette O'Toole, John Glover, and John Schneider. It is a show about Clark Kent's teenage years in Smallville, long before he becomes Superman, while he is discovering his powers.  Welling plays Clark Kent, and Kreuk plays his high school crush, Lana Lang. Rosenbaum plays Lex Luthor, Johnson plays Whitney, Lana's boyfriend, Sam Jones III plays Pete, Clark's sidekick and best friend, and Mack plays Chole Sullivan, Clark's friend, and editor of the school newspaper who keeps tabs on all the weird stuff that goes on in Smallville. Schieder and Annette O'Toole play Clark's parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent. Of course, O'Toole has ties to the franchise, having played Lana Lang in Superman III opposite Christopher Reeve).

The pilot starts with Clark's ship crash landing, but the twist is that it occurs as a part of a metro shower in which the remnants of Krypton fall to earth and decimate the town. It also spreads meteor rocks (aka Kryptonite) all over Smallville, which is basically the cause of all the weird happenings in the town since that day. The first season is about establishing the characters and Clark's role as a protector. It was basically him going against a Kryptonite-powered "freak of the week," but there was a larger arc involving Clark and Lex. Lex has been banished to Smallville to run a Luther Corp fertilizer plant by his father Lionel (played by John Glover) after Lex has been in too much trouble in Metropolis. In this version, Lex and Clark are friends, with Lex being an "older brother" type of influence on Clark, who also believes that Clark is hiding something.

In addition to the main ensemble cast, the show boasts a host of guest stars, including many who would go on to be quite famous before they made it big. Some recognizable guest stars in the first season include Lizzy Caplan, Amy Adams, Tony Todd, Kelly Brook, Azura Skye, Shawn Ashmore, Evangeline Lilly, and Adam Brody. Fans of the Battlestar Galactica remake will also recognize Aaron Douglas and fans of The Wonder Years will recognize Dan Lauria, the dad from that show.

The DVD set is a six-disc set. The extras include commentary tracks on the pilot and second episodes of the season from the show's creators, deleted scenes on those two episodes, and an interactive tour of Smallville showing the main locations in the show. It is not an extensive amount of extras, but what was included is good.

Overall, the show is well-written and acted, especially given how many unknown actors made up the main cast. In my opinion, Michael Rosenbaum did the best job of all the live-action Lex Luthors, having a balance of wanting to be a good person but being so ambitious he will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. So, he does not just have to play an evil mastermind like Hackman in the movies, John Shea in Lois and Clark, and even Jon Cryer in Supergirl has to play. Allison Mack also did a great job as Chloe, making her post-Smallville life even sadder because she had the potential to have a great career based on her work on the show, especially in later seasons. While those two really stood out to me, the entire cast does a great job. Welling plays a young Clark well, doing a similar balance that Lex does, but in his case, he has to balance wanting to use his abilities to help people against wanting to have a normal life and be a normal kid.

It can be argued that this show launched the "Arrowverse" currently playing on the CW. Of course, there have been many live-action superhero shows from the 1950s (Superman), 1960s (Batman), 1970s (Wonder Woman), and 1990s (Flash and Lois and Clark). But unlike Smallville, which had a 10-season run, most of those shows only lasted a few seasons (at most). Had Smallville not been as successful as it was (given on a smaller network, the WB, which eventually became the CW), Arrow would not have been made. The Arrowverse should really be called the Smallvilleverse. While you do not get the whole Superman effect (there was a strict "no-tights, no-flights" policy that the showrunners stuck to for most of the show's duration (especially in the early seasons), so Clark is not flying around the town in a cape. The show also sports a great early 2000s soundtrack.

If you are a fan of the current Arrowverse group of shows, this is a must-watch. Likewise, if you are a fan of the Superman mythology overall, it gives a good backstory that is really only glossed over in the movies. I definitely recommend it.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Titans Season 1

 

Titans is a superhero series that aired for four seasons from 2018 to 2023. The 11-episode first season aired during the fall and winter of 2018. The first season starred Brenton Thwaites, Teagan Croft, Anna Diop, Minka Kelly, Ryan Potter, Alan Ritchson, Curran Walters, Connor Leslie, and Rachel Nichols. It is one of the handful of live-action DC shows not on the CW or directly tied into the Arrowverse. However, it was brought into the Arroverse as a part of the Crisis on Infinite Earth's crossover event with one of the very quick cameos. It was adapted from the "Teen Titans" comic book series (which has also been animated). However, they skipped the teens part of that (mostly) to tell a much more adult story. This is definitely not family-friendly as the CW shows are. There is a lot of swearing, some partial nudity, and some sex scenes, although you never see anything more than butt shots or side-boob. I would say it is a very hard PG-13, but not quite an R if it were going to be on the movie ratings scale. They often drop the f-bomb, so it is harder than a regular PG-13 or 14-type show.

The first season is really all about character development. Brenton Thwaites plays Dick Grayson, who works as a detective in Detroit after leaving Bruce Wayne. He comes across Raven, played by Teagan Croft, who, unbeknownst to her, is part demon. Anna Diop plays Starfire, Minka Kelly plays Dawn/Dove, Ryan Potter plays Beast Boy, Alan Ritchson plays Hank Hall/Hawk (he also played Aquaman in Smallville), Curran Walters plays Jason Todd/New Robin, and Conor Leslie plays Donna Troy/Wonder Girl. Rachel Nichols (from GI Joe and Alias, among others) has a significant role in the season as well. The show also introduces the Doom Patrol characters and teases Krypto and Superboy.

The bulk of the first season is spent introducing the characters and providing backstories for everyone to set up how they got to where they are. That, along with advancing the "main" storylines about protecting Raven from people hunting for her and herself. Dick is trying to deal with his own past as Robin. I will not go too much into the story to keep from spoiling anything, but there are a lot of characters and story setups in this season packed into a handful of episodes.

The Blu-Ray set is a two-disc set. The show looks and sounds great in HD. The bonus material includes some deleted scenes and several short (around 10 minutes, give or take) making-of and character-based featurettes. A decent amount of material for a MOD blu-ray set, for sure. It is well-written and very well-acted. I cannot say how closely it sticks to the comics or cartoons since I have not read or watched either of those, but it was very well done for what it was trying to be. It is definitely not for everyone, but it is worth checking out if you are a fan of the genre.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Doom Patrol Season 1

 

Doom Patrol is a comic book adaptation that aired for a total of four seasons from 2019 to 2023. The 15-episode first season aired in the Spring of 2019. It starred Diane Guerrero, April Bowlby, Alan Tudyk, Matt Bomer, Brendan Fraser, Timothy Dalton, Phil Morris, and Jovian Wade. It is what you get if you crank the weirdness of Legends of Tomorrow up about 10 notches, add in a bit of shows like Dark Angel and Supernatural, and add a lot of swearing. The Doom Patrol is basically a collection of tortured losers who have all experienced some kind of tragedy in their lives only to be "saved" by a Professor-X-like patriarchal figure they call Cheif (played by Timothy Dalton). Some of the characters from the group were introduced in live-action on the first season of Titans, which in turn was tangentially brought into the Arrowverse through cameos on Crisis on Infinite Earths. They include Elasti-Girl/Rita Farr (played by April Bowlby) who is an actress from the 1950s who was exposed to something during an on-set accident that causes her to turn into a blob-like creature when she gets too emotional, Crazy Jane (played wonderfully by Diane Guerrero from Orange Is the New Black), a character with 64 different personalities whom all have their own powers, Robotman (voiced by Brendan Fraizer from the Mummy trilogy of movies) who is a racecar driver who is injured in a non-racing accident whose brain gets implanted into a robot, and Negative Man (voiced by Matt Bomer from Chuck and White Collar), a test pilot during the 1960s who is exposed to radiation in low-earth orbit and horribly burned when he crashes back to earth, yet lives, and Cyborg, played by Jovian Wade, who in this version is trying to get into the Justice League. The cast is rounded out by Alan Tudyk, who plays Mr. Nobody, the villain of season 1, and also hilariously narrates some episodes, constantly breaking the fourth wall, and Phil Morris (who played Martian Manhunter on Smallville) as Silas Stone. There are also many strong supporting actors, some recognizable, some not.

The first season is all about character development and telling the backstories of the various characters, all while playing out the arc that Mr. Nobody has captured the Chief, and the team is trying to get him back. The show jumps time periods often, with Bomer and Fraiser appearing out of costume in the flashback sequences. It also jumps dimensions and even has characters jump inside other minds and bodies (human and otherwise). It is definitely a very adult show, with a lot of swearing (f-bombs are constantly dropped) and some nudity basically involving Fraiser's human character and his kid's nanny. There is a butt shot from Fraiser, who has not aged very well, and bare breasts by the actress playing the nanny.

The Blu-Ray set is a three-disc set with the 15 episodes equally spread over three discs. The extras include deleted scenes for most episodes, a gag reel, and a short feature on filming the series in Georgia. Kind of hilariously, the swearing is bleeped out in the bonus material, which, given that anyone watching them probably just watched the episodes, has heard anything as bad as what would get bleeped out in the bonus stuff. Overall, the show is well-written and very well-acted. Within all the craziness, it does touch on themes like child abuse, being gay, and closeted, among other real-world themes. It is definitely not a show that is going to be everyone's proverbial "cup of tea", but if you are a fan of comic book shows and movies, it is definitely worth checking out, with the caveats that it is in no way family-friendly and can go out of its way to be offensive.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Black Lightning Season 2

 

The 16-episode second season of Black Lightning aired during the 2018/2019 TV season. It picks up shortly after the events of the season one finale and the attack on the school by Tobias and Painkiller. The second season starts with the fallout from that, expands the ASA storyline and experiments on metahumans, and continues Jefferson's crusade to take down Tobias. Much of the season is also dedicated to Jennifer's transition into lightning. She is basically a battery that, where Jefferson absorbs energy, she generates it. Many episodes in the middle of the season revolve around her balancing being a rebellious teenager and coming into her powers.

For those not familiar with the characters, the show is set in the city of Freeland, which is a majority-black city that is struggling with gang violence from a gang called The 100, which is headed by a former corrupt politician named Tobias Whale, who has powers of his own. Jefferson Pierce (played by Cress Williams) is a former Olympic athlete and is now the principal at Freeland High School. His oldest daughter, Anissa (played by Nafessa Williams), is a medical student, part-time teacher, and social activist. She is also the superhero known as Thunder, possessing invulnerability and super strength for as long as she can hold her breath. Jefferson's youngest daughter, Jennifer (played by China Anne McClain), inherited a version of Jefferson's powers. Lynn (played by Christine Adams), Jefferson's ex-wife, is an expert in metahuman medicine. They are joined by Jefferson's version of Alfred, named Gambi (played by James Remar), who helps Black Lightning and Thunder fight crime in the city.

The show definitely has a different feel from the other superhero shows on the CW, and it is the only one that is not directly tied in with the other shows like Arrow, Flash, and Supergirl. That is primarily because those shows are filmed in Vancouver, while Black Lightning is filmed in Atlanta. Supergirl was named dropped in Season One of Black Lightning, so it is tied into the Arrowverse tangentially, but we don't know if it is set on Earth 38 or one of the other Earth's that was established in the multiverse. Each of the episodes is titled "Book of ____________," and each book has individual chapters. Each time the storyline shifts to a new main focus, the book title changes. The season ends on a cliffhanger of a looming threat to Freeland that sets up at least a part of the storyline of season three.

The show also has a political bent (while not referencing any real politicians), playing off of real-world themes like the Black Lives Matter protests, the rash of white people calling the police on black people that happen to be nearby, as even plays off things like the Tuskegee experiments. That said, it has a very diverse mix of characters; some good guys are white, some bad guys are black, and it is much more nuanced than just one group is good, and one group is bad.

The Blu-Ray set is a three-disc MOD set. The episodes are spread over the three discs, and unlike most MOD sets, this includes a couple of extras. One is a featurette on the character of Tobias, and one is a cheesy featurette about filming the series in Georgia. There are no commentary tracks, cast interviews, or the like. Overall, if you liked season one of the show, you will probably like the second season. I cannot say that everyone who is a fan of the other Arrowverse shows will automatically like Black Lightning, especially if you love that the other shows are more closely tied together. But if you are a fan of superhero shows, it is definitely worth checking out.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Black Lightning: Season 1

 

The 13-episode first season of Black Lightning aired during the winter and spring of 2018. The show starred Cress Williams (who was probably best known for his role in the series Hart of Dixie), Nafessa Williams, China Anne McLain, Jordan Calloway, Krondon, Christine Adams, Damon Gupton, and James Remar (who was probably best known for his role in the series Dexter). The show is set in the fictional city of Freeland, centered around the character of Jefferson Pierce (played by Cress Williams), a metahuman with the power to control electricity who had been the superhero known as Black Lightning. Pierce was retired from the superhero (and Principal at the local high school) gig at the beginning of the series and only to get sucked back in when his daughters were in danger from the local gang. There is also a shadowy government organization in the background hunting down metahumans and putting Black Lightning and his family in danger.

When the show premiered, it was the newest in the slate of superhero shows airing on the CW. During the first couple of seasons, aside from a somewhat throwaway Supergirl reference early in the season, it was not clear whether it was actually tied into the Arrowverse shows. It is also unclear if the show was set on Earth 38 (meaning the version of Supergirl being referenced is the same as on the show) or some other Earth where she exists. 

The show is definitely written with the modern-day political and racial climate in mind. There are references to Black Lives Matter, the orange genital wart's brand of politics, events like the Charlottesville riot, etc. Unlike some of the one-star reviewers on Amazon, I do not think the message of the series is all white people are bad or, as one suggested, that all black youth carry guns. The point was to show part of the modern-day experience centered around a successful and respected black family trying to improve things in their city. It should be noted that one of the good guys in the show is a cop trying to ferret out corruption in the police department, and Black Lightning is assisted by a white character. So, to say any race in the show is all of one thing or the other is overly simplistic and generalizing.

The Blu-Ray set is a two-disc set. The A/V quality is very good, and the show looks and sounds good in the high-definition format. The extras include two features with the crew about shooting the show in Atlanta (which are included on the first disc), a feature on the scene from the pilot when Jefferson is pulled over, which was a take-off on a real-life incident experienced by the show's executive producer, a gag reel, about 30 min of deleted scenes, and about 20 minutes of the comic-con panel discussion. Just to warn anyone who watches the bonus material first, the comic-con panel does spoil a lot, so if you want to avoid spoilers, do not watch it before you watch the episodes.

Overall, it is a show that is still finding its legs. Much of the first season (as you would expect) is developing the characters and the environment they live in. It definitely has a take on political, racial, and social issues, so if you are easily offended by or uncomfortable with shows that do that, whether you agree with the takes or not, this is definitely not the show for you. That said, I think it was a good first season, sets up what is likely to be an even better second season, and hopefully will get worked into the larger universe of shows down the line. The cast comprises mostly character actors and relative unknowns, which I think works for the ensemble nature of the show. Cress Williams definitely pulls off the conflicted superhero who does not want to get back into the fight or create waves with the police very well. I think the show is well-written and acted, and the first season packs a lot into the 13 episodes. Some of the storylines get resolved to set up what is likely to be the main conflict in season two. It is definitely worth the time to watch.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Flash: Season 4

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from the prior season, but no major spoilers from season 4+++

Season four of The Flash aired during the 2017-218 TV season. The show picks up six months down the line from the end of season three in which Barry exiled himself in the speed force to maintain balance after his defeat of Savatar. Iris is leading team Flash from Star Labs, with mixed results, and Cisco eventually finds a way to get Barry out of the Speed Force without destabilizing it. Of course, once Barry is back, not all is right with the world. This season finally moves away from the speedster "big bad" instead bringing in the character Devoe, who was mentioned by Savatar during season three. The show does still have a bit of the case/villain of the week procedural aspect to it, but it has become, like the other Arrowverse shows, a show with a serial story arc that spans throughout the course of the season. The big Arrowverse crossover, Crisis on Earth-X, occurs eight episodes into the season and includes episodes from Supergirl, Flash, Arrow, and Legends. The season ends on a huge cliffhanger reveal that will have a big impact on season 5.

For those who get the blu-ray set, the A/V quality is the same as it has been for the prior season releases and for the other WB/DC shows. The 23 episodes (plus the three other crossover episodes from the other shows) are spread across four discs, and there is no "play all" feature, so you cannot pick back up from where you stop. For extras, you get the episodes of Arrow, Supergirl, and Legends of the crossover so you can watch it all at one time. Then there is a featurette on the crossover and the 2017 best of DC TV at Comic-Con that are common to all of the Arrowverse DVD and Blu-Ray releases from that season, a gag reel, deleted scenes, and a handful of other featurettes specific to the show.

Overall, the season is strong. There are a lot of recognizable guest and recurring actors this season including Katee Sackhoff (from Battlestar), Jessica Parker Kennedy, Jessica Camacho, Kim Engelbrecht, Neil Sandilands, Bill Goldberg, and Danny Trejo. And, of course, actors from the other Arrowverse shows make appearances throughout the season. I do think it was nice to mix the main bad guy up a bit this year and not do another evil speedster storyline while still giving the team a challenge. So, if you have liked the show up to this point, it is definitely still worth watching.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Supergirl: Season 3

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from the second season, but no major spoilers from season three.+++

The third season of Supergirl aired during the 2017-2018 TV season. This season mostly does away with the villain of the week (as have the other Arrowverse shows) and basically has interweaving serial arcs. The season starts out with Kara still reeling from the loss of Mon-EL after the defeat of the Daxamites at the end of season two.  Kara has to deal with a new threat in the form of an industrialist named Morgan Edge (played by Heroes Adrian Padsar) who wants to take out Supergirl and buy Catco, which is being run by Jimmy since Cat is now the White House Press Secretary. Then, the series shifts to a threat from a rouge Kryptonian named Reign, who wants to take over Earth and form a new Krypton, and Kara learns a surprising truth about her mother Alura, now played by Erica Durance, who of course played Lois Lane in the series Smallville. Eight episodes into the season, the big Arrowverse crossover happens with episodes of Supergirl, Flash, Arrow, and Legends each devoted to the crossover. Supergirl's episode is the first episode of the crossover (Crisis on Earth-X), and more characters from Supergirl are included in the event this year than were included in the prior season's crossover. The season ends on a big reveal that sets up the storyline for the next season.

For those who get the blu ray set, the 23 episodes (plus the three other episodes from the other shows of the crossover event) are spread across four discs. The A/V quality is on par with the prior season releases, and the releases of the other Arrowverse shows. The extras include a featurette on the character Reign, a gag reel, and deleted scenes. Then, there is a featurette on the crossover event (which is the same one that was included in the release of the other Arrowverse shows from that season) and a best of DC TV at Comic-Con, which was included on all of the season releases for the DC TV shows. 

Overall, this is another strong season. There are more changes to the cast, some of which would be permanent and others that are not. This season's additions to the cast include Odette Annable, Andrea Brooks, Carl Lumby (from Alias), and Jessee Rath. This would be the last season with Jeremy Jordan as a series regular, and Floriana Lima had a reduced role this season. Helen Slater makes another appearance as Eliza Danvers, and Katie McGrath is upgraded to a series regular as Lena Luthor. Ultimately, if you liked the second season of the show (which is much different from season 1) then you will probably like this season. If you preferred season 1 of the show over season two, then you may not like this as much, but it is still good and fits better into the Arrowverse.  

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Arrow Season 6

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from season 5, but no major season 6 spoilers+++

Season six of Arrow aired during the 2017-2018 TV season. The season begins five months after the events ended season 5 with Adrian Chase detonating the bombs on Liyan Yu. Of course, we get a flashback to see who made it out and who did not. From there, the season involves Oliver struggling to keep his vigilante identity a secret, and then the team has to deal with a couple of different "big bads" throughout the season. The season ends on a quasi-cliffhanger and is resolved very differently than the prior seasons have been. Eight episodes into the season, the big Arrowverse Crossover event happens, with a big storyline that crosses between Supergirl, Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow. This one involves a version of Earth, called Earth-X in which the Nazis won World War II and the heroes have to face evil doppelganger versions of themselves. 

For those who get the blu-ray set, the 23 episodes are spread over four discs. The A/V quality is on par with the prior season releases and the releases of all of the Arrowverse shows. The extras include each episode of the crossover from the other shows, so you can watch the crossover straight through without having to get discs from the sets of the other shows, then there are featurettes on Slade Wilson, whose arc was basically wrapped up this season, a featurette on one of the big bads, and then two featurettes that are the same as on the releases for the other Arroverse series from that year. One is a featurette on the crossover event, and the other is a Best of DC at Comic-Con.

Overall, the season is very good and takes the show in a new direction, which I think was necessary. The cast pretty much remains the same, really the only big change is that some cast members are upgraded to series regulars, including Katie Cassidy, who was a recurring character in season 5 after Earth 1's Laurel died and she started playing Earth 2's Black Siren. She has a very good arc with Paul Blackthorne this season and does a good job playing an evil character that is starting to show hints of good. The series also brings back characters from previous seasons, including a pretty nice surprise return. Some of the recurring and guest cast members include Kirk Acevedo (from the series Fringe), Michael Emmerson (from the series Lost), Manu Bennett (reprising Slade Wilson), and Katrina Law (reprising Nyssa). The acting and writing both continue to be very good, and the writers do a good job of keeping the show relatively fresh, even after 138 episodes. This season also sees the end of the flashbacks from the island which were getting harder and harder to make realistic as Stephen Amell got older. So, if you have been a fan of the prior seasons of the show, this is definitely worth watching.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Legends of Tomorrow: Season 3

 

+++Warning, this contains very minor season two spoilers, but no major spoilers from season three+++

Season three of Legends aired in the 2017-2018 TV season and is again a mix of a monster/demon/"weird thing"-of-the-week procedural and a serial with a Big Bad that the group has to deal with by the end of the season. This season, the big bad is a demon named Mallus (voiced by John Noble) who was released when the Legends tried to travel through time with two versions of themselves at the end of season two. This also created anomalies called anachronisms, which are basically people or objects displaced in history. Rip (Arthur Darvill) has created a Time Bureau to replace the time masters to hunt down the anachronisms and try to restore the timeline, forcing the Legends to retire. Of course, they do not stay retired, and the usual shenanigans of the show ensue. Eight episodes into the season we get the big crossover event, Crisis on Earth-X (which includes episodes of Supergirl, Flash, and Arrow), of which the Legends installment is the final one. The crossover has major implications for all of the shows, including Legends.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the release is pretty much on par with the prior season releases, both in terms of A/V quality and bonus features. The extras include all of the episodes of the crossovers from the other shows, so you can watch in total without having to get the discs from the other shows, deleted scenes, and a gag reel. Then there is a featurette specifically on the crossover event and a best of DC TV at Comic-Con, both of which were released on all of the DC show's DVD and Blu-Ray releases that year. 

Overall, the season is good, both in still developing the existing cast members and introducing new cast members, some of whom would eventually become series regulars. Those include Jess Macallan, who plays Ava Sharp, a member of the Time Bureau, who can't stand the Legends, Adam Tsekman, who plays Gary Green, a member of the Time Bureau who loves the Legends, Courtney Ford (Brandon Routh's wife), who plays Nora Dhark, the daughter of Damien Dhark, and Matt Ryan, who reprises his role as John Constantine, who was brought into the Arroverse during one of the flashback sequences on Arrow. The show continues to be the more offbeat of the Arrowverse shows and can get downright silly (especially in the season finale, when the silliest thing the show has ever done is pulled off). That said, it works for the show, and the actors seem to have a lot of fun with the material, and with each other. So, if you have liked the more offbeat nature of the show in the first couple of seasons (especially in season 2), this is definitely worth watching. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Arrow: Season 5

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from the prior season of Arrow, but no major season 5 spoilers.+++

Season 5 picks up with Oliver still reeling over Laurel's death at the hands of Damien Dhark while still discharging his duties as mayor. He is encouraged by Felicity to work with a new team of vigilantes, including Rene Ramirez/Wild Dog (played by Rick Gonzalez), Evelyn Sharp/Artemis (played by Madison McLaughlin), Rory Regan/Ragman (played by Joe Dinicol), Curtis Holt/Mister Terrific (played by Echo Kellum), and Dinah Drake/Black Canary (played by Juliana Harkavy). There is a bit of a swerve in the identity of the season's big bad, with a reveal that occurs later in the season. The season flashbacks to the fifth (and last) year of Oliver's life before being rescued. That portion of the story heavily involves Oliver in Russia working with Anatoly against Konstantin Kovar, a tyrant played by Dolph Lundgren. The season ends on a major cliffhanger with the fate of many of the team members in limbo.

For those who get the blu-ray set, the A/V quality is pretty much the same as it has been for the prior season releases. The 23 episodes are spread across four discs, and the set includes the crossover episodes for the "Invasion" crossover event which includes episodes from Flash and Legends of Tomorrow and brings in Melissa Benoist's Supergirl character. Arrow's episode of the three-show crossover (which also happens to be Arrow's 100th episode), is the middle chapter of the crossover event and brings back some of the actors such as John Barrowman, Susana Thompson, and Manu Bennett, who have appeared on the show. They also include a clever line about Tommy being a doctor in Chicago as a nod to Colin Donnell being on the show Chicago Med, (even though he does not physically appear in the episode). The other extras include deleted scenes for select episodes, a half-hour portion of the show's 2016 Comic-Con panel, a 5-minute gag reel, and a few making-of featurettes, one devoted to the crossover and a couple devoted to the show's storylines.

Ultimately, if you have liked the prior seasons of Arrow, you will probably like this one. The show continues to develop the main characters, and the addition of the new team brings some new life into the show. Stephen Amell does a very good job playing Oliver, keeping his brooding, moody roots but branching out from that. The season has a good guest cast including pro wrestler Cody Rhodes and the aforementioned Dolph Lundgren. And, of course, characters from the other shows appear throughout the season, not only for the crossover but in small cameos in other episodes. It is definitely worth watching.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: DC's Legends of Tomorrow: The Complete Second Season

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from the first season, but no major season two spoilers+++

The second season of Legends picks up with the team dealing with the time aberrations that they released because of their actions during season one, especially toward the end of the season. And, they are still reeling from the loss of Snart after he sacrificed himself in the season one finale. The first episode of the season is basically a crossover with Arrow and introduces a new main character, Nate Heywood, played by Nick Zano, who is a historian trying to find the Waverider. The season premiere also introduces the Arrowverse's version of the Justice Society of America and introduces the character of Amaya Jiwe, played by Maisie Richardson-Sellers, who also becomes a series regular. In addition to the time aberrations storyline, the other main story arc of the season involves a team-up among former Flash and Arrow "Big Bads" Damien Darhk (played by Neil McDonough), Malcolm Merlyn (played by John Barrowman), and Reverse Flash (played by Matt Letscher). The team basically has to visit different time periods, to usually hilarious effect, and correct something that went wrong and/or thwart the plans of Darhk, Merlyn, and Thawne. Just before the halfway point of the season is Legends' installment of the big Arrowverse crossover event, Invasion, which includes characters from Supergirl, Flash, and Arrow. The season then ends on yet another cliffhanger with time being messed up and setting up the season three storylines.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, it is pretty similar to the sets of all of the other Arrowverse shows in terms of A/V quality and extras. The extras include the crossover episodes of Flash and Arrow so you can watch the entire crossover event without getting discs from the other shows, then you get some deleted scenes (about 11 minutes between them all), a 6-minute gag reel, a 10-minute featurette on the Invasion crossover (that is the same as what is on the Flash, Arrow, and Supergirl sets if you have those), and an approximately 30-minute portion of the show's 2016 Comic-Con panel.

Overall, the show is good but different. It is much more quirky than the other Arrowverse shows, which they can play up a lot because of the time travel aspect. The cast seems to have good chemistry with each other, and while losing Wentworth Miller as a series regular did change the dynamic of the series a bit, I think the new additions to the cast fit in well. So, if you are a fan of the other Arrowverse shows, this is definitely worth watching as well, even though the storylines and to some extent the tone of the show are quite different from the first season.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Supergirl - Season 2

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from season one, but no major spoilers from season 2+++

The second season of Supergirl marks a major shift in the direction of the show. This is largely due to the shift from CBS to the CW, which had plusses and minuses. The big plus is that the show could be brought into the Arrowverse more easily because the show moved the filming location from Hollywood to Vancouver British Columbia where the other Arrowverse shows are filmed. Of course, the show was brought into the Arroverse by a crossover with The Flash during the show's first season in which The Flash (Grant Gustin) ended up on Earth-38 and ended up in National City, and Supergirl was shown as The Flash was running in the speed force in one of the season-two episodes of The Flash. The big drawback to the network and filming location switch is that there was a lot of cast turnover. For example, Peter Facinelli ended up leaving the show, so the entire Max Lord storyline was dropped. Also, Callista Flockhart went from a series regular to a recurring cast member, with Cat appearing in just a handful of episodes. 

The season picks up immediately after the crash of the ship that ended the season one finale. Supergirl finds an unconscious man in the pod and takes him to the DEO. Meanwhile, in the first episode, the Arrowverse's version of Superman is introduced, played by Teen Wolf's Tyler Hoechlin as he helps Supergirl save a commercial rocket that experiences engine failure and falls back to Earth. They discover that Lena Luthor, Lex's sister (played by Merlin's Katie McGrath) was on the rocket Kara begins a complicated friendship with Lena. The rest of the season is a mix of alien of the week and a couple of serial storylines. One involves a version of the project Cadmus, and one that involves the mysterious man in the ship (played by Melissa Benoist's now husband, Chris Wood). In the eighth episode, Supergirl is recruited to help in the big Arrowverse Crossover, Invasion. Although Supergirl did not get a stand-alone episode in the big crossover, there is another crossover later in the season with The Flash which is partly a musical episode. The season ends with a couple of big cliffhangers that set up season three.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the show looks and sounds great, as all of the Arrowverse blu-rays do. The extras include several behind-the-scenes featurettes, including one on the Alien "fight club" episode, another that details the different kinds of aliens the show features, then you get a portion of the 2016 comic-con panel, a conversation with Kevin Smith and the series creator Andrew Kreisberg discussing the series, and a commentary track on the episode Supergirl lives (which Smith directed) featuring the two of them. Then there is a series of seven short trivia featurettes that are anywhere from about 30 seconds long to just under two minutes. 

Overall, the show is good but takes a decidedly different direction this season, and almost has to start over. While most of the cast returns, including Mechad Brooks (whose role as James is expanded in a couple of ways), Chyler Leigh, Jeremy Jordan, and David Harewood, the loss of Calista Flockhart, Peter Facinelli, and Laura Benanti definitely hurt. Plus, actors like Jenna Dewan and Italia Ricci, who may have had additional guest-starring roles would not return. Although in season two, Teri Hatcher, who, of course, played Lois Lane in the 1990s series Lois and Clark, had a major guest starring role, and the show got other notable guest stars like Helen Slater (reprising her role as Kara and Alex's mother Eliza), Lynda Carter (who played the live-action version of Wonder Woman in the 1970s), Dichen Lachman (from Dollhouse), and Darren Criss. The show most definitely incorporates elements of the real-world political climate into the storylines, and the political leanings of the showrunners and cast are very apparent. Some people will definitely be triggered by that, others will like it, and others will ignore it. In terms of tone, the show is somewhere between The Flash (which tends to be a bit more lighthearted) and Arrow (which is darker). So, while I cannot say that everyone will like it, I definitely think it is worth watching.