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Our Girl: Series 1 (TV)
R2 - United Kingdom - Acorn Media Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (19th October 2014). |
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The Show
 ***This is a technical review only. For reviews on the show from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** Following the hit one-off drama which set up the story of one young woman who finds meaning in life by joining the army, Lacey Turner (EastEnders) returns in the role of Molly Dawes in the new five-part series: Our Girl. Hot off the helicopter, Molly finds herself dropped into battle in unpredictable and explosive Afghanistan. Trying to make friends with the hardened soldiers around her and reaching out to the locals some of whom are suspicious, some open and some not to be trusted – but which are which? – Molly faces challenges unlike any she has known before. Life and death situations that are literally life or death for her and her companions. Unexpected and extraordinary, Our Girl takes TV drama into a new world where anything can happen, through the life of one girl, to whom everything will.
Video
Acorn Media have released the first series of the BBC drama "Our Girl" on to DVD using the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The transfer is anamorphic, and is as good as expected for a new reasonably budgeted BBC drama. Episodes 1-3 are on disc one, whilst episodes 4-5 are on disc two. Straight from the get go, you can see that the transfer here is of very strong quality, and identical to that of the original broadcast (if watched in SD). The show uses a colour scheme that you would forecast considering the locations, with many yellows and camouflaged browns and greens showing great depth. More vivid blasts of colour do make themselves known at appropriate times, and the transfer never suffers from colour bleeding or blooming of the lighter colours. Some occasional crush can be found, but nothing too noticeable. The levels of detail are very positive, especially in the many facial close-ups, but it is the long shots that can surprise, with background details showing good clarity and sharpness. Aside from the minor crush I've mentioned, there was also some light banding in a couple of scenes, and negligible aliasing. There are no signs of damage, and no obvious compression issues. The episodes are all uncut.
Audio
Acorn Media have provided a single English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track here, which is the same as the original broadcast. Not having a 5.1 track doesn't really bother me when it comes to TV releases, as it is widely accepted as the norm, but on this occasion, an upmix would've been a welcome addition due to the environmental aspects of the show. However, the stereo track still feels as though it exhibits a good amount of depth, and although the channel separation is minimal, it is noticeable. Volume levels are consistent, with the score by Ben Foster never overpowering the dialogue. Speech is clear and concise at all times, and there was no damage to the track such as drop outs or scratches. No background hiss was detected. Optional subtitles are available in English for the hard of hearing.
Extras
All extras are to be found on disc one. The main extra included here, is a featurette entitled "Boots on the Ground: Behind the Scenes with Our Girl" (18:56). It's a very typical featurette which features behind the scenes footage interspersed with interview snippets from various members of the cast and crew. Although not particularly in-depth, there are enough interesting tidbits here to keep you watching. A welcome addition to the set. Aside from the featurette, we get a "Behind the Scenes" photo gallery (0:57), and a regular photo gallery (0:57).
Overall
Unfortunately the pilot episode/movie is not included, but it has been released separately by IMC Vision. Still, this is a solid drama series, with a great technical presentation. Recommended, and I look forward to a second series.
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