Aug 042016
 

“Blindspot”: The Complete First Season doesn’t exactly harness its full potential and there is some predictability in Doe’s character arc, yet I can’t say each of these episodes at least were somewhat entertaining but I can’t say much more than that.

 

 

“Blindspot”: The Complete First Season
(2015-16)

Genre(s): Thriller, Drama, Mystery
Warner Home Video | NR – 978 min. – $54.97 | August 2, 2016

Date Published: 08/04/2016 | Author: The Movieman

 


MOVIE INFO:
Directed by:
Various
Writer(s): Martin Gero (created by)
Cast: Sullivan Stapleton, Jaimie Alexander, Rob Brown, Audrey Esparza, Ashley Johnson, Ukweli Roach, Marianne Jean-Baptiste
DISC INFO:
Features:
Episode Commentary, Featurettes, Deleted Scenes, Gag Reel
Digital Copy: Yes
Formats Included: Blu-ray
Number of Discs: 4
Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1)
Video: 1080p/Widescreen 1.78
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Disc Size: NA
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Region(s): A, B, C

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.


THE SEASON — 3.0/5


Season Synopsis: A mysterious Jane Doe (JAIMIE ALEXANDER) with no memories of her past is found naked in Times Square, her body completely covered in tattoos. Who is she? Who tattooed her? And how is she linked to hardened FBI Agent Kurt Weller (SULLIVAN STAPLETON), whose name is tattooed on her back? As Weller and his teammates — wartime vet Edgar Reade (ROB BROWN), secretive Tasha Zapata (AUDREY ESPARZA), tech whiz Patterson (ASHLEY JOHNSON) and Assistant Director Mayfair (MARIANNE JEAN-BAPTISTE) — decode the mystery of Jane’s tattoos, they enter a high-stakes underworld of deadly secrets, conspiracy and revelations. As Jane unveils surprising new skills and talents, Weller is drawn deeper into their complicated relationship.

Quick Hit Review: “Blindspot” is the type of show that seems to have a decent pull with a tatted-up woman with no memories and a cast that’s impressive, particularly Jaimie Alexander, and yet with each passing episode, in fact by the fourth one, I kind of lost interest but by the same token, there was enough action to keep my semi-engaged in the case-of-the-week episode (note I do like procedurals). But that’s kind of a problem. While it’s certainly not terrible, I can’t say it’s good enough that one should stick with it through the 23 episodes.

There are some OK twists and turns though perhaps too many, such as one episode the FBI tested Jane’s DNA against a missing girl from Weller’s childhood, it matched only to find out in the very next episode that a tooth (knocked out after an attack) was tested where its origins was in Africa putting into question whether she is this missing girl…

What kept my interest was this ensemble cast. Along with Jaimie Alexander, who was put on the map mainly from the Thor movies, Sullivan Stapleton (300: Rise of an Empire) serves well as the main lead and Marianne Jean-Baptiste is one of the bright spots as the boss and gives one of the more earnest performance in her limited role in each episode. The others, like Rob Brown, Audrey Esparza and Ashley Johnson, they each get their dues with backgrounds so while Doe and Weller’s relationship is obviously at the forefront, the others get just enough for the viewer to care, it’s just unfortunate the writing wasn’t in top form.

Episodes:

  1. Pilot
  2. A Stray Howl
  3. Eight Slim Grins
  4. Bone May Rot
  5. Split the Law
  6. Cede Your Soul
  7. Sent On Tour
  8. Persecute Envoys
  9. Authentic Flirt
  10. Evil Handmade Instrument
  11. Cease Forcing Enemy
  12. Scientists Hollow Fortune
  13. Erase Weary Youth
  14. Rules in Defiance
  15. Older Cutthroat Canyon
  16. Any Wounded Thief
  17. Mans Telepathic Loyal Lookouts
  18. One Begets Technique
  19. In the Comet of Us
  20. Swift Hardhearted Stone
  21. Of Whose Uneasy Route
  22. If Love a Rebel, Death Will Render
  23. Why Await Life’s End

 

SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.5/5


This 4-disc set is contained in a wide Blu-ray case and side-slides into a slip cover. Inside is an episode guide and redemption code for the Digital HD copy.

Disc 1:
‘Pilot’ Episode Commentary
– Creator/Executive Producer Martin Gero and Director Mark Pellington give insights into the making of the series, casting and other tid-bits. Both seem like amiable commentators and they keep things flowing.

Deleted Scenes (12:06; HD) – ‘Pilot’, ‘A Stray Howl’ and ‘Cede Your Soul’. Time codes include intros by creator Martin Gero.

Disc 2:
Deleted Scenes (10:42; HD)
– ‘Sent on Tour’, ‘Persecute Envoys’, ‘Authentic Flirt’, ‘Evil Handmade Instrument’ and ‘Scientists Hollow Fortune’. Time codes include intros by creator Martin Gero.

Disc 3:
Deleted Scenes (3:15)
– ‘Rules in Defiance’ and ‘Mans Telepathic Loyal Lookouts’. Time codes include intros by creator Martin Gero.

Disc 4:
Casting the Team (9:54; HD)
is an inside look into casting the perfect ensemble for the lead FBI team.

Oscar: The Handler (5:15; HD) – Martin Gero and the creative team take a look at the importance of this appropriately mysterious character from Jane’s past.

Weller Takes Action (3:23; HD) – Sullivan Stapleton and Stunt Coordinator Stephen Pope take us inside the process of creating ass-kicking fights, orchestrating gun battles and the stunts involved in a day’s work for Kurt Weller.

Double Vision (3:39; HD) – Jaimie Alexander and her stunt double/best friend/roommate, Ky Furneaux, reveal their unique relationship and how it affects their approach to the rough-and-tumble work on the series.

Rich Dotcom (4:43; HD) – Creator Gero and the man responsible for the performance, Ennis Esmer, take a look at this awesomely-named villain.

Make it GO Boom! (4:55; HD) – The Special Effects Coordinator and his team reveal the process of designing and executing complex practical effects.

Tattooed Clues (7:08; HD) – Gero and the art department discuss the creation of the tattoos, while Jaimie Alexander discusses the process of donning the ink as being a crucial element in her portrayal of Jane Doe.

Deleted Scene (1:24; HD) – ‘Of Whose Uneasy Route’. Time code includes an intro by creator Martin Gero.

Bound and Gag Reel (4:26; HD) is your standard collection of line flubs.

2015 Comic-Con Panel (15:27; HD) is footage from a Q&A session with cast and producers; hosted by Kristen Baldwin of Yahoo TV.

 


VIDEO – 4.25/5


“Blindspot”: The Complete First Season slinks out of a duffle bag onto Blu-ray presented in its originally televised 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio. The 1080p high-definition transfer (MPEG-4 AVC codec) looks decent with natural-looking skin tones, well defined detail in most scenes and cleans, devoid of artifacts, aliasing and banding. Colors are generally bright and any darkly lit scenes are stark.

AUDIO – 4.25/5


Each episode comes with a solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which works on many levels from dialogue which comes through, primarily, the center speaker crisp and clear to the numerous action sequences which makes great usage of the front and rear channels. On the downside, the LFE doesn’t kick in or isn’t very effective but when considering this aired probably as DD5.1, it’s still a fine lossless track.

 


OVERALL – 3.5/5


Overall, “Blindspot”: The Complete First Season doesn’t exactly harness its full potential and there is some predictability in Doe’s character arc, yet I can’t say each of these episodes at least were somewhat entertaining but I can’t say much more than that; at no time was I compelled to binge watch. This Blu-ray released by Warner actually has some OK offerings of bonus features and the video/audio transfers were both above average.

 

 

 

 

Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.

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