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Desperate Housewives: The Complete Fifth Season - The Red Hot Edition
R1 - America - Buena Vista Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Jeremiah Chin (29th September 2009). |
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The Show
 This show may honestly be the biggest surprise in my entire time reviewing. Usually I’ll hear about a show from friends, get the big critical buzz leading into a show or just know from the outset that the show isn’t my thing. From the outset I wasn’t interested in “Desperate Housewives” (2004-Present), first of all because Eva Longoria is married to Spurs point guard Tony Parker and as a Jazz fan I’m supposed to have nothing but ill will towards the organization (especially Manu Ginobli), but mostly just because it looked like a prime time soap that wouldn’t capture my interest. I never expected that the show would actually make me say “wow, that’s sort of neat.” After getting the fifth season to watch, I realized I wasn’t totally wrong on the show. It gets pretty soap opera-ish and cheesy in its comedy, but there’s a certain weird and morbid aspect of the show that really piques my interest. The fifth season of the show begins some years after the cliffhanger ending that saw Susan (Teri Hatcher) and Mike (James Denton) getting into a car accident with a mother and child, which we eventually find out has killed them. Back on Wysteria lane though, everyone has been undergoing changes. Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) is trying to deal with her less than fabulous livestyle after having two children, letting herself go (especially in comparison to her former self) and dealing with her daughter Juanita’s (Madison De La Garza) weight problem. Bree (Marcia Cross) is working towards publishing her cook book, with the help of her business partner Katherine (Dana Delany), though Katherine is learning that the partnership usually puts Bree at the center. Most mysteriously, Edie (Nicollette Sheridan) returns to Wysteria lane with new husband Dave (Neal McDonough) who is secretly out to hurt someone living on the street. Sure it sounds like a lot of gossip and cat fights, mixed in with interpersonal drama with wives, husbands, motherhood and friendship. And it is, only it’s a bit more interesting than I gave credit considering the weird mystery underbelly of the show that helps to tie together the entire season. I did my usual research on the show, reading up on the first season on Wikipedia before getting into it, finding out that the show’s narrator Mary Alice (Brenda Strong) is the omniscient voice of (slight spoiler though it’s worth it) a dead friend of the major characters who killed herself after being blackmailed for killing her child’s former herion addict biological mother and burying her underneath her pool in the backyard. Wow, that’s way more awesome than the sexual encounters that the show advertises. However the big disappointment is that this spice of the weird is really used as a spice, rather than a full blown ingredient in the mix of the show. However, the acting and the drama they put them through was fairly suprising in and of itself. Where I expected soap opera acting and plots, which are all fairly well there, it’s more about these older women trying to deal with their weird, well privileged and well off lives in suburbia with some disturbing moments of weird thrown in for spice in relationships, like when Orson (Kyle MacLachlan) demands Bree make him a pot roast because she promised it to him, even though it’s late at night and she’s been working. So he sits and reads the paper while she cries over making the pot roast. Tasty. Plus there are some comedy bits that hit too, but those are far more rare. Yet despite my incresead respect and moderate praise for the show, it doesn’t really elevate itself from the potential for a guilty pleasure show in my mind. I think it’s accepted that to a degree, even using that as it’s slogan in advertising the sixth season. It aspires for the kind of weird that I’ve loved in David Lynch movies, creating a very 50’s suburban life with weird sex affairs and buried bodies in the basement, but it really lightens it up for network television and injects some corny screwball comedy in the mix that comes close to derailing my interest completely. If anything, the show is a really neat idea that’s been covered with lots of gloss and polish to the point of nearly overlooking the dirty history that makes it interesting. Plus it’s nice to see Kyle MacLachlan working still, he’s a good actor, but he’s definitely aged from his “Blue Velvet” (1986) days. It’s still the biggest surprise I’ve had in finding a half decent watchable show in something I never would have given half a chance otherwise. It doesn’t make me want to watch the sixth season or go back and watch the rest of the show, but I still wouldn’t judge it as harshly or consciously and proactively avoid it like I did before. Plus it airs on Sundays opposite “Mad Men” (2007-Present), and it’s no where near the caliber to challenge the best show on TV that’s not “Lost” (2004-2010). (I thought I could go through a whole TV review without mentioning “Lost.” Whoops). Episodes in this season are: - “You’re Gonna Love Tomorrow” - “We’re So Happy, You’re So Happy” - “Kids Ain’t Like Everybody Else” - “Back in Business” - “Mirror, Mirror” - “There’s Always a Woman” - “What More Do I Need?” - “City on Fire” - “Me And My town” - “A Vision’s Just A vision” - “Home Is The Place” - “Connect! Connect!” - “The Best Thing That Ever Could Have Happened” - “Mama Spent Money When She Had None” - “In A World Where The Kings Are Employers” - “Crime Doesn’t Pay” - “The Story of Lucy and Jessie” - “A Spark. To Pierce The Dark” - “Look Into Their Eyes And You See What They Know” - “Rose’s Turn” - “Bargaining” - “Marry Me A Little” - “Everybody Says Don’t” - “If It’s Only In Your Head”
Video
One aspect that I didn’t mention in the main review is the visual style of the show, which takes it’s bright colors and sqeaky clean look in a 1.78:1 anamorphic aspect ratio in a pretty clean transfer. Many of the colors and contrasts are well constructed to pop off the screen and create a superficial image as a part of the show’s style that works for me, unfortunately in DVD the clarity just isn’t where I would hope for these kind of contrasts with some loosing a bit of their crispness due to grain. Still it’s a fine transfer that looks good for what it is with a few imperfections, but I think I’ve been spoiled by higher resolution formats.
Audio
The sound mix though is a little underwhelming in the English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound that’s provided. The soundtrack and the dialogue don’t need tons of polish or movement, but for some reason it feels a little flat, especially in scenes like the fire at the nightclub that would seem to have more going on in terms of sound movement with the crowd. Still, despite the flaws, it’s a good soundtrack that brings together the music, dialogue and ambient noises together effectively without really popping or loosing something in the transfer. I’m a little let down though by the lack of audio options, but there are still English, French and Spanish subtitles available.
Extras
The 7-disc "Red Hot Edition" of the fifth season comes equipped with a moderate amount of extras, including 2 audio commentaries, 8 deleted scenes, a blooper reel, 3 featurettes and some selected scenes with commentary. DISC ONE: The only special feature on this disc is an audio commentary on the episode “You’re Gonna Love Tomorrow” with director/executive producer Larry Shaw, and cast members Doug Savant, Kyle MacLachlan and James Denton. There are a fair amount of pause and watch moments in the commentary filled in with some of the usual banter about the episode and the different movements of the actors. MacLachlan is probably the biggest highlight of the track, since he doesn’t feature in the episode for more than maybe a couple of minutes in the episode, though neither does James Denton and the two make big jokes of it like “Did you get paid for the entire episode?” What’s there between MacLachlan and Denton is fairly entertaining, but the rest of it is pretty slowed down. Bonus trailers on the disc include: - “ABC on DVD and Blu-Ray” runs for 1 minute and 37 seconds. - “Brothers and Sisters: The Complete third Season” runs for 47 seconds. - “Grey’s Anatomy: The Complete Fifth Season” runs for 1 minute and 8 seconds. - “The Proposal” runs for 1 minute and 26 seconds. - “Disney Blu-Ray” spot runs for 1 minute and 2 seconds. DISC TWO: There are no special features on this disc. DISC THREE: There are no special features on this disc. DISC FOUR: There is an audio commentary on the episode “The Best Thing That Ever Could Have Happened” with creator Marc Cherry and actress Brenda Strong. It’s nice to hear the show’s creator’s voice when dealing with the 100th episode, and by the amount of conversation he has with Strong, it’s apparent that he’s really engaged to the show and likes the show he made. Cherry talks a bit about bringing in Beau Bridges to play the loveable handyman that factors in to people’s lives. For me it was a nice commentary talking about all the references to the older seasons and consistency with the show, though for people watching forever it may be more of an annoyance, but it’s a solid commentary. DISC FIVE: There are no special features on this disc. DISC SIX: There are no special features on this disc. DISC SEVEN: Here are the bulk of the special features, starting off with “‘What More do I Need?’ A Very good Read” which runs for 11 minutes and 15 seconds. This featurette goes through a table read of the script for “What More Do I Need?” supplemented with interviews from Marc Cherry and some of the major actors from the show. It’s a liettle odd that some of the faces are blurred out at certain segments in the featurette. They go into the script, the process and the general feel of putting together an episode along with the reading, as well as a look into the writers room. Not a bad featurette at all. “I Know Things Now: Desperate Housewives Celebrates 100” which runs for 20 minutes and 49 seconds. This more expansive featurette deals with the 100th episode and the path the show has taken in getting to where it is now. Tons of actors talk about their chemistry, how Cherry helped to bring them to the forefront again, speaking to their favorite moments in the show, the mixture of drama and comedy. There’s a lot of good behind-the-scenes material and it’s interesting to see what everyone thinks of their character evolution and the show itself through the eyes of the actors and creators. “So Very Teri” runs for 8 minutes and 4 seconds. In this featurette everyone involved in the creative side of the show, as well as Teri Hatcher, in speaking to her acting and comedic powers on the show. Lots of pats on the back and praise for Hatcher’s comedy in the show. “Cherry Picked: Creator Marc Cherry’s Favorite Scenes” is a collection of selected scenes from different parts of the season, along with optional audio commentary by creator Marc Cherry, they include: - “Gaby’s new Game” runs for 1 minute and 37 seconds, the scene where Gabrielle tries to make her overweight daughter run, Cherry talks about how he loves the scene and compliments the child actor who plays Juanita. - “Croquembouche” runs for 57 seconds, the scene where Bree tries to show her croquembouche skills off for television, Cherry talks about Cross having to do some physical acting. - “Pot Roast” runs for 1 minute and 46 seconds, Bree and Orson fight over the potroast he wants for dinner, Cherry talks about how much he likes the simplicity of the scene. - “Fire!” runs for 2 minutes and 13 seconds, a fire breaks out in the nightclub while the husbands are playing in a band, Cherry talks about all the special effects of the scene and getting a stand in for the scene due to a motorcycle accident to one of the actors. - “Edie and Eli” runs for 1 minute and 52 seconds, a scene out of the 100th episode where Edie and Eli have sex, Cherry repeats some of his earlier commentary, but adding in a bit more about loving the scene. - “Quite the Ad Wig” runs for 2 minutes and 34 seconds, Lynette and Tom argue in the main room, while Bree and Orson argue in the kitchen, Cherry talks about how he loves the unpleasantness of the scenes and the self destruction of the dinner party. - “Jackson?” runs for 3 minutes and 28 seconds, Jackson proposes to Susan and she doesn’t take it particularly well, Cherry talks about how they developed the scene in the writer’s room, praises Hatcher’s acting and talks about the meaning of the scene. "Bloopers" runs for 6 minutes and 24 seconds, sort of a long blooper reel, but still filled with the usual things of flubbed lines and misplaced props. Finally are the deleted scenes, 8 in all: - “‘What more Do I Need?’ Alternate Opening” runs for 33 seconds, Tom confronts his son, Lynette is convinced of an affair. - “Out in the Open” runs for 39 seconds, Mike loads up his truck before the show. - “Memory Lane” runs for 1 minute and 38 seconds, Eli visits Edie when she returns to Wysteria lane. - “Aversion Therapy” runs for 1 minute and 31 seconds, Bree confronts Dr. Bernstein in a parking garage about Orson’s treatment. - “Last Call” runs for 1 minute and 42 seconds, Lynette shows up late for chemotherapy, drunk, and throws up. - “Mike Takes The Blame” runs for 23 seconds, Susan talks about Mike taking the blame for her. - “Goo Goo Eyes” runs for 1 minute and 8 seconds, Susan gets ready to have dinner with Jackson. - “The Right Choice” runs for 1 minute and 4 seconds, Gabrielle comes home to talk to Evelyn about fabric samples. There are a number of bonus trailers on the disc: - “Extract” runs for 1 minute and 46 seconds. - “Life on Mars” runs for 1 minute and 4 seconds. - “Cheri” runs for 1 minute and 23 seconds. - “Brothers and Sisters” runs for 32 seconds. - “Ugly Betty: The Complete Third Season” runs for 55 seconds. - “Castle: The Complete First Season” runs for 1 minute 7 seconds. - “Old Dogs” runs for 2 minutes and 32 seconds.
Packaging
Packaged in a 7-Disc Digi-Pack inside a Plastic Sleeve.
Overall
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