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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Blindspot-Season 1 (Blu-ray) (2015)

Blindspot-Season 1 (Blu-ray) (2015)

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Released 31-Aug-2016
Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General		Extras
Category	TV Drama Series	Audio Commentary-On pilot episode only, by creator and director Deleted Scenes-19 scenes on 11 episodes : Totalling 28:27 Featurette-Casting the Team (9:54) Featurette-Oscar the Handler (5:15) Featurette-Weller Takes Action (3:23) Featurette-Double Vision (3:39) Featurette-Rich Dotcom (4:43) Featurette-Behind The Scenes-Make it GO Boom (4:55) Featurette-Behind The Scenes-Tattooed Clues (7:08) Featurette-Behind The Scenes-Bound and Gag Reel (4:26) Featurette-Behind The Scenes-2015 Comic-Con Panel (15:27)
Rating
Year Of Production	2015
Running Time	980:07
RSDL / Flipper	No/No Multi Disc Set (4)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu	Cast & Crew
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Mark Pellington Steve Shill Marcos Siega Rob Hardy
Studio Distributor	NBC Productions Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Sullivan Stapleton Jaimie Alexander Marianne Jean-Baptiste Rob Brown Audrey Esparza Ashley Johnson Ukweli Roach
Case	?	Starring
RPI	$49.95	Music	Blake Neely

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	Auto Pan & Scan Encoded	English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	1080p
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No	Miscellaneous
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired French Dutch Spanish Danish Finnish Norwegian Swedish	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	Yes, Recap on previous episodes.

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

Blindspot is an American crime drama television series with a unique premise. As the series comes from creator Martin Gero, responsible for the brilliant Bored to Death, the unusual nature of the premise should not come as a surprise. From its premiere in September 2015, the show found considerable acceptance from US viewers, beginning with an audience of around eleven million. However by season end the weekly audience had dropped to under six million. Nevertheless, this audience share was deemed satisfactory enough for season two to be premiering in the US next month, exactly twelve months after the first season went to air. The local Warner Home Video release of the entire first season on Blu-ray will be good news to the many fans of this action filled, high quality show.

In the opening moments of the pilot we see an abandoned duffel bag in the middle of New York's Times Square - that amazing hub on New York life possibly never looking quite so glittering as it does in the glorious Blu-ray presentation provided by this set. The bag has a tag saying "Deliver to the FBI". A mysterious, tattooed woman emerges naked from the bag. We soon learn that she has lost her memory with absolutely no inkling of her identity. The FBI discover that each of the tattoos - and her body is absolutely covered with the inkings - contains a clue to a crime that they will have to solve.

The twenty-three episodes, including the pilot, are spread over four discs.
In the spirit of this riddle solving series, each episode title is an anagram which bears meaningful relationship to the plot of that episode.

Disc 1 : Ep. 1 : The Pilot : Woe Has Joined (Anagram : Who Is Jane Doe?) (43:09)
             Ep. 2 : A Stray Howl (41:52)
             Ep. 3 : Eight Slim Grins (42:04)
             Ep. 4 : Bone May Rot (42:57)
             Ep. 5 : Split the Law (43:00)
             Ep. 6 : Cede Your Soul (42:49)

Disc 2 : Ep. 7 : Sent on Tour (42:09)
             Ep. 8 : Persecute Envoys (42:12)
             Ep. 9 : Authentic Flirt (43:03)
             Ep.10 : Evil Handmade Instrument (41:31)
             Ep.11 : Cease Forcing Enemy (43:03)
             Ep.12 : Scientists Hollow Fortune (42:50)

Disc 3 : Ep.13 : Erase Weary Youth (43:13)
             Ep.14: Rules In Defiance (43:07)
             Ep.15 Older Cutthroat Canyon (42:27)
             Ep.16 : Any Wounded Thief (40:52)
             Ep.17 : Mans Telepathic Loyal Lookouts (42:45)
             Ep.18 : One Begets Technique (43:10)

Disc 4 : Ep.19 : In the Comet of Us (42:52)
             Ep.20 : Swift Hearted Stone (42:28)
             Ep.21 : Of Whose Uneasy Route (42:35)
             Ep.22 : If Love a Rebel, Death Will Render (42:54)
             Ep.23 : Why Await Life's End ? (43:05)

Once the season is under way it does tend to look like a series that could have been called "Tattoo of the Week". If we stop to think, the premise set aside, there is nothing very different here from a number of slick shows that have been on our home screens over the past few years. There are hints of The Blacklist, 24 and Alias amongst others. However the episodes move at a breakneck speed, with frequent spurts of very physical action, all expertly staged. It will come as no surprise that the mysterious Jane Doe discovers very early on that she is a martial arts expert! Performances are strong, particularly from Australian actor Sullivan Stapleton (300 : Rise of an Empire) as FBI agent Kurt Weller and his American co-star Jaimie Alexander (Thor : The Dark World). The supporting cast is also strong, and as we get further into the season the emphasis shifts a little from Jane and her tattoos and allows other characters to share some of the limelight. This modest shift in emphasis greatly increases the enjoyment of each episode, with increasing depth added to the minor characters while allowing mutiple layers to the developments on screen. The entire supporting cast is first rate, and includes Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Broadchurch), Rob Brown (Treme), Audrey Esparza and Ukweli Roach. But perhaps the best of the talented ensemble is Ashley Johnson, former child star of Growing Pains, as blonde Special Agent Patterson She is extremely fine in Episode 17, while Audrey Espanza as "Zapata" comes into focus in "Rules in Defiance" (Anagram : "Find a Secure Line"). While there are occasional excursions from the precincts of NYC, as in "Sent on Tour" (Anagram : "Trust No One"), which benefits greatly from an impressive baddie provided by Lou Diamond Phillips, mostly we find ourself amongst the skyscrapers of New York. The city looks fantastic in high definition, with some absolutely stunning aerial shots of the streets and the skyline. Every episode incorporates magnificent vista shots of New York which have me wanting to reach for the remote to freeze a frame so I can soak in the detail. These are breathtaking shots, quite literally.

I have to say that there were episodes when I was bothered by the manic tone and speed of the show. Characters and performances are strong and more than capable of sustaining interest, yet the episodes invariably concentrate on frantic action sequences. This frantic tone is emphasised by the incredibly nervous editing style. Whenever there is a halt in the action for a few dialogue exchanges between the investigating team, the editing continues to slash while, even worse, the camera wobbles nervously on and around the characaters as they speak. Some sequences were so unstable that I felt physically ill. I deplore "wobble cam", and cannot see the rationale for the employment of this infantile technique. That personal complaint aside, the show looks great. Beautiful image, well choreographed action scenes, some massive special effects which are of cinema complex quality and solid performances. The plot of each particular episode is generally interesting, and the season provides encompassing arcs for individual characters which are intriguing and more than sustain interest. Of course we get quite a few "twists" as we advance through the season, with even an unexpected exit or two of quite important characters. You will occasionally find a recognizable face in a guest spot, such as Debra Monk (only on screen for seconds), and the aforementioned Lou Diamond Phillips. In the final two episodes the season comes to an exciting climax which brings character, plot and action together in a feast of action, impressive pyrotechnics and dynamic audio.

This is a big, exciting show. Before the final credits there is a hint of what may come in Season Two. I don't know how they'll justify it all, but no doubt Martin Gero and his cohorts have that well in hand. I'll be looking forward to more of Blindspot.

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Transfer Quality

Video

Warner Home Video have released Season 1 on four Blu-ray discs which deliver a most satisfying visual experience. Perhaps nothing else looks quite as startling as the opening shot of Times Square, but that is undoubtedly due to the subject matter itself. There is a remarkably solid consistency to the images throughout the twenty-three episodes. Colours are rich and saturated, without ever being garish, and skin tones are top notch. There is a frequent use of intense close-ups, and the detail on the faces of the actors is amazing. Every blemish, pore, eye lash and trace of stubble is crystal clear. The tattoos on the heroine's body are incredibly detailed and we are able to examine the inkings in minute detail. There is not a blemish to be seen on the four discs which provide a great viewing experience.

There are subtitles available in English, white and centred at the foot of the image.

*Video Ratings Summary*
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

There is one audio track, English DTS - HD Master Audio 5.1 encoded at 48K.
There is a second audio track only on The Pilot on Disc 1 which contains the audio commentary by the creator and the director of the first episode.
The series is often dialogue centred and this is presented front and centre and brilliantly clear for every syllable. There is quite a dynamic use of the surrounds where front and surround channels really expand the action. Gun shots fly, cars race and explosions really pound. Especially impressive is the solid use of the subwoofer channel. It is never really bone shaking, but there is a solid ground to many of the action scenes. Also impressive is the musical score from Blake Neely. This composer has been responsible for dozens of film and TV projects, including Everwood, Arrow, Supergirl and The Mentalist. The list is extensive. At first I was unimpressed by the music, thinking it sounded like library muzak plucked off a shelf. However, as the episodes rolled on I became more and more impressed. The orchestrations are small, but there is great separation of instruments, particularly across the front, with the bonus of sharp and detailed reproduction. In the penultimate episode there is a use of brass - trumpets or French horns? - that was so interesting that I had to rewind to have a second listen. The musical bass is also extremely powerful. Althogether this is an outstanding soundtrack by any standard.

*Audio Ratings Summary*
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

There is quite an impressive list of extras here, although closer inspection shows everything to be rather light and fluffy.

Pilot Audio Commentary :
This is a fairly standard chat from creator/writer/producer Martin Gero and director Mark Pellington. The duo provide a screen specific commentary covering most aspects of the production of the pilot. The joviality and self-praise become a bit too much, and I was grateful that it was just for forty minutes. It's passable, but overall a fluffy disappointment.

Deleted Scenes :
There is a total of nineteen deleted scenes, accessible from the menu for each applicable episode. Each scene is introduced by creator Martin Gero, who gives justification why the scene was ultimately cut.
All scenes are of the same video quality as the episode itself.

"Pilot" : 1 scene (0:52)
"A Stray Howl" : 3 scenes (5:36)
"Cede Your Soul" : 4 scenes (5:38)
"Sent on Tour" : 1 scene (1:27)
"Persecute Envoys" : 1 scene (2:19)
"Authentic Flirt" : 3 scenes (3:35)
"Evil Handmade Instrument" : 1 scene (1:36)
"Scientists Hollow Fortune" : 2 scenes (1:45)
"Rules in Defiance" : 1 scene (2:43)
"Mans Telepathic Loyal Lookouts" : 1 scene (1:32)
"Of Whose Uneasy Route" : 1 scene (1:24)

Featurettes :
These nine featurettes are all presented in high-definition and are of excellent quality.

Casting the Team (9:54) :
Creator Martin Gero, poducers and cast members examine the characters and their performances. This is very slight, self-congratulatory fluff.

Oscar : The Handler (5:15) :
Here we get some interesting character notes on Francois Arnaud's performance as "Oscar", and on the character himself.

Weller Takes Action (3:23) :
This gives us a look at the stunts and a brief analysis of what is involved, but it is mainly just a vehicle for more praise of Sullivan Stapleton.

Double Vision (3:39) :
We get a glimpse into the relationship between Jaimie Alexander and her stunt double Ky Furneaux.

Rich Dotcom (4:43) :
Here the focus is on the performance of Ennis Esmer and the character he portrays. This is very similar to the "Oscar" featurette, but there is a little more substance.

Make it GO Boom (4:55) :
This one takes a look at the creation of the special effects, so much a feature of the series, with concentration on one specific explosion. This is reasonably interesting, but very superficial.

Tattooed Clues (7:08) :
This is the best of the bunch, taking a reasonably detailed look at the design and meaning of the tattoos which cover the body of "Jane".

Bound and Gag Reel (4:26) :
This is a fairly standard "goof and giggle" collection, although it is refreshing to see the usually sombre cast breaking up in front of the camera.

2015 Comic-Con Panel (15:27) :
A panel comprised of creator Martin Gero, his star Jaimie Alexander plus executive producers Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter examine the origins of the series and its development. A more interesting aspect is the discussion of the fans of the show.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

The Region 4 Blu-ray release is identical to the Region 1 release.

Summary

Blindspot is an exciting series. The performances are excellent and the production values are extremely high. I am not fond of its choice of photography technique, but this is a personal gripe. The disc quality is outstanding, with beautiful high-def picture and dynamic sound. This is a series that is well worth a second look.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Review Equipment
DVD	OPPP BDP-103AU, using HDMI output
Display	LG 60UF850T 4K. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
Audio Decoder	Built in to DVD player. Calibrated with THX Optimizer.
Amplification	Onkyo TX-DS777
Speakers	VAF DC-X fronts; VAF DC-6 center; VAF DC-2 rears; LFE-07subwoofer (80W X 2)

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