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Book Of Daniel (The): The Complete Series (TV)
R1 - America - Universal Pictures Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak and TJ McDonald (5th November 2006). |
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The Show
 “The Book of Daniel” was a show that I was destined to enjoy. The reason? Because it was cancelled due to the outrage of knee-jerk reactionary, small-minded, bible bashing, redneck American Evangelical Christians and, frankly, anything that pisses those people off is fine by me. And why was it cancelled? Because the main character talks to Jesus. Someone explain THAT to me! Apparently, unless Jesus is being portrayed through the ultra-violent artistry ofMel Gibson (or any other drunken Australian anti-Semite) it's not gonna play well below the Mason-Dixon line. Christians, eh? Boy, I don't know. The Reverend Daniel Webster (Aidan Quinn) is a priest with problems. First off his brother in law has absconded with the $3 million new school fund, a situation that is only exacerbating Daniel's addiction to painkillers. On top of that he's got his wacky family to contend with: Judith (Susanna Thompson), the martini guzzling wife, and three crazy kids: The gay one, Peter (Christian Campbell), the adopted Asian one (Ivan Shaw), and the drug-dealing, manga-drawing one, Grace (Alison Pill). How does he deal with all these problems? By chatting with Jesus (Garret Dillahunt), who appears to him in full sandal wearing, bearded hippie mode (one suspects they made the casting choice on a who-looks-most-like-Jim-Caviezel basis). Let the hilarity ensue! Unfortunately, the hilarity never ensued quite so much as I would have liked. At first I put this down to my expectations. After having read a brief synopsis and an article or two about the show's cancellation, my head filled with visions of cutting-edge comedic blasphemy. What I was not quite prepared for was this more middle-of-the-road comedy drama. Upon second watching, I came to realize the reason why this show never quite fulfilled its potential - it wasn't quite sure exactly what it wanted to be. It oscillated between comedy and drama without really being prepared to step too far in either camp and failed to find the that ethereal comedy/drama middle ground that so many shows seek. Consequently, the humor brought out chuckles but never belly laughs, and the emotional moments fell short of gripping. That aside, there are still a great many reasons to get into the first (and only) season of "The Book of Daniel". Not the least of which are the truly outstanding performances. Aidan Quinn as the sometimes-high priest is absolutely fantastic. His mild-mannered character belies the dominance with which he commands the screen and by himself he is enough of a reason to watch the show. Thompson, Campbell, Shaw and Pill all give wonderful performances - their dinner table banter is beautifully written and exquisitely executed. Dillahunt narrowly avoids the Jesus cliché and deadpans lines like "feel free to quote me" is such an off-hand fashion that you can't help but smile whenever he's on screen. The show also has a powerhouse supporting cast that includes Dylan Baker, Ellen Burstyn and James Rebhorn - all of whom never fail to deliver. A marvelous script accompanies the stellar performances. Although (as has been previously mentioned) the writing tends to suffer from the 'Am I a comedy or a drama?' dilemma, it is still maturely written and very snappy. The Sunday dinner conversations - a mandatory scene in every episode - tend to be the most well scripted moments of the show. It is banter worth listening to at least a few times. The soundtrack is eclectic and quaint, its bubbly nature tending to reinforce the mild feeling of style before substance that one may sense from watching the show. "The Book of Daniel" is a show that did not deserve to be cancelled. It was by no means outstanding, but it was enjoyable enough in its way. Great casting and some obviously decent writers deserved more time to see what they could make of the story. As it stands, this show is a fun way to pass the time if you're spending the night in and there is nothing good on the box. So take a look at this DVD; after all, if enough people watch it they might bring the show back - and that will really piss off those bible thumpers. This complete series DVD includes all the episodes that were produced before the show was cancelled including 4 unaired episodes, they are: Episode 1: "Temptation"/"Forgiveness" (2 episode pilot) The path of the righteous is strewn with obstacles, as Reverend Daniel Webster discovers when his daughter is arrested for possession of marijuana and his brother-in-law goes missing with millions of dollars in church funds. Meanwhile, Daniel's father, Bertrum and Bishop Congreve reveal their hidden longing for each other. Episode 2: "Acceptance" Daniel struggles with making a deal with the devil when he hears that the stolen church money will only be returned if he gives the construction contract for the new St. Barnabus School to a crew with mob connections. Episode 3: "Revelations" Daniel has taken Jesus' presence in his life as a matter of faith, but he's shocked when a young girl claims to be able to see him. Meanwhile, Judith visits Daniel's estranged brother, Worth, about finding her way back into politics. Episode 4: "Assignation" The groundbreaking ceremony for the new school reveals more than meets the eye when one of the crew confides in Daniel that he's gay, Roger spots Judith and Worth in an intimate spot, and Adam gets caught without clothes. Episode 5: "Withdrawal" With his Vicodin dependency increasing, Daniel attempts to quit the drug while still confronting his meddlesome brother, deciding what to do about his mother's Alzheimer's disease, and dealing with school's troublesome construction. Episode 6: "God's Will" Peter's in critical condition after falling victim to an unexpected attack, and the family find themselves reflecting on Jimmy's last days battling leukemia. As Daniel struggles to keep everyone together, he terrifies himself by his own brutality when he lashes out at Peter's attacker. Episode 7: "Betrayal" The annual Easter brunch has more secrets waiting to be uncovered than eggs hiding in the grass: Daniel's murdered brother-in-law appears from beyond the grave with a warning, Peter's grandfather opens a closet and stumbles upon Peter's real sexual identity, and Judith and Grace reveal some of Worth's sinister actions.
Video
Presented in a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen image, this transfer quite solid, the image is generally sharp and clear. Colors are well rendered and appear natural, especially skin tones and blacks are deep and bold. I did notice very minor grain and also some moire patterns but these were isolated occurrences, overall this is a very good transfer.
Audio
A single English Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround track is included on these episodes. The dialogue was clear and distortion free, a spacious amount of depth was given considering this is a 2.0 surround track, with the music and occasional directional effects in the mix. For a 2.0 surround track this is a very good effort that doesn't disappoint but could have been much more dynamic. Optional subtitles are also included in English for the hearing impaired.
Extras
DISC ONE: The first disc includes some deleted scenes, these can be viewed individually or with a 'play all' function, these scenes are for: - "Temptation"/Forgiveness" which runs for 32 seconds, and features an alternate version of the rude dinner table conversation between Peter and Adam. Much harsher dialogue is used instead of the watered down for TV dialogue used in the actual episode. - "Acceptance" which runs for 3 minutes 53 seconds, Kevin and his wife ask Daniel to turn away their father from the church for marrying a teenage girl, later as Kevin's dad and his new wife argue with them in Daniels office, they eventually make amends in these minor scene extensions. Rounding out the extras on this disc is a series of bonus trailers for: - "Revelations" which runs for 1 minute 6 seconds. - "The Office: Seasons 1 and 2" which runs for 1 minute. - "Monk: Seasons 1-4" which runs for 44 seconds. - "Conviction: The Complete Series" which runs for 1 minute 3 seconds. - "Amazing Stories: Season 1" which runs for 53 seconds. - "The Incredible Hulk: Season 1" which runs for 1 minute 2 seconds. - "Fear Factor: Season 1" which runs for 17 seconds. - "The Best Of Saturday Night Live" which runs for 1 minute 1 second. - "Magnum P.I.", "The A-Team" and "Knight Rider" Season sets which runs for 59 seconds. - "Battlestar Galactica: Season 3" which runs for 31 seconds. - "Coach: Season 1" which runs for 1 minute 2 seconds. The first four listed above are start-up previews and can be skipped. DISC TWO: More deleted scenes are included on this disc and also include a 'play all' function for: - "Assignation" which runs for 2 minutes 22 seconds. Daniel tries to convince Jesus that he's not nervous about the ceremony he is going to preside over, but is disturbed by Congreve as she confronts him about Peter's actions towards her niece. - "Withdrawal" which runs for 59 seconds includes a scene with Daniel at a bar after playing golf with Roger as he hears about his wife's political dealings for the first time. - "God's Will" which runs for 33 seconds, Bertrum tells Grace to go to the hospital immediately. With a series that has had its fair share of controversy it would have been nice to hear from the creator of the show, or perhaps if Universal could have been a little bit creative they could have used that controversy to produce a series of commentaries by actual church representatives to give their 2 cents worth, much in the same way the Wachowski brothers did by asking critics to record commentaries on "The Matrix" films in the Ultimate Collection release and also DVD producers included a commentary by a Feminist critic on the "Basic Instinct" DVD but alas Universal decided to dump this release with only a few minor extras.
Overall
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