Purchase Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – The Complete Second Season [Blu-ray]

Wow, I’ll be the first to admit I thought this was going to be a crap series. However, it’s anything but. Watching this really made me wish I had seen season one. Thankfully though, it did a recap of season one which I wish more often most TV series on home media would do. If it’s any true indication of what I really think about this series then let me say this, I’m now looking for a copy of season one. Admittingly, my first impression of looking at the actors on the inserts in the 5 disc set was .. “Man, what a bunch of lame cheese balls.” Yes, I did in fact say cheese balls.

It just seems to me that your typical TV actors don’t deliver as good as those in movies. (Well, big budget movies that is.) Wrong again I was with this cast though. The so-called cheese balls of the cast of Terminator SCC delivered on que. Oh and yes, that is Brian Austin Green from 90210 fame. Believe it or not, he delivered as well. The chemistry is definitely flowing in season two and that may be due largely to the fact that it’s just that, season two. Thomas Dekker who plays John Connor seems at one with his role just as Lena Headey does. (Lena plays Sarah Connor) The hot vixen Summer Glau who plays Cameron can be totally creepy and eerie at times as she is a terminator/robot who starts out as a villain only soon after to become sided with the Connors. Oh and I can’t forget to give a notable mention to Levin Rambin (What an odd name?) who stars as Connor’s girlfriend, Riley Dawson. She does a great job and is definitely some nice eye candy to look at what with being blessed up top. Hey, I call it like I see it.

Terminator The Sarah Connor Chronicles is a good TV show for those looking for some sci-fi action or long time fans of Terminator flicks in general. The show has blockbuster effects, great acting, and a good storyline. Albeit sometimes the storyline can be somewhat difficult to follow. Of course though not having seen season one could be my downfall in that department. In which case what I’m really trying to get at is, watch the show. Give the show a shot if you haven’t already seen it and make your own judgment on the matter. However, you wont be able to see it on the tube anymore as Fox dropped TSCC and its still up in the air if it will get picked up by another station.

The set is comprised of 22 episodes spanning out on 5 discs in one blu-ray case housed in a paper jacket sleeve that slides out from the side. Nice packaging and artwork.

Well I have Nothing but good things to say here. The picture quality on this blu-ray release is everything that I thought it should be. Being a new show on TV with new technology running rampant and HD cameras everywhere I expected to see a great transfer to blu-ray and I got just that. Awesome high budget special effects led to great action sequences and amazing explosions. Keep up the good work Josh Friedman. 1080p High Definition 16×9 1.78.1 wonderful transfer. And even though I will rave on this in the supplement section it’s awesome to see that their special features are in high-def as well! Albeit 1080i, but none the less Smallville didn’t get that treatment.

Great crisp clarity seen almost completely throughout with only miniscule areas of grain to be seen in really dark scenes. Top notch, thanks WB!

Since everything is great so far where it can it get worse or start to lack right? Well, what’s becoming the norm it seems in the TV series scene on blu-ray is the one sided choice of only one audio option. The ever so redundantly popular Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. If it’s any consolation I must say just like the Smallville season it does sound great for DD. In fact, it’s a superb mix and master but that doesn’t take away the fact that die hard fans of the series that have capable set-ups probably salivate at the thought of possibly getting a TrueHD track or HD Master. Until of course the movie is released and their bubble is burst by the normal Dolby Digital. Oh, and another kicker… remember those hi-def special features I bragged about? Not even a DD track for the special features but a stereo track. Ewwwwww!

Anyways, the clarity is super sharp and the best of the best for a DD track with great dialog reproduction. The fight scenes will quake your room through your bass. Your surrounds will go to work and make you feel like you’re there experiencing the action yourself and all the sound effects sound true to form.

First and foremost, don’t go looking for a special features disc as you’re not going to find one. They are however located on each disc. This can be either a great thing or a bad thing depending if you’re the type who likes to watch them as you go or wait till the very end. I think it’s a great idea personally since it’s a TV series and their isn’t any way you’re going to finish watching the entire series in a day anyways. That said, seems more fun and right to watch as you go so you can reflect back on the episode you just watched recently as opposed to trying to remember what the hell they’re talking about 3 weeks later if you took your time with the series.

Great news, the special features are in Hi-def 1080i. Bad news, no DD track accompanying – stuck with stereo. The special features are listed below.

Blu-ray Exclusive:

Collision with the future: Deconstructing the Hunter-Killer Attack
A 4-part multiple viewpoint experience with key creative personnel involved in the production, direction, visual effects and special effects of the Hunter Killer attack in the climactic season 2 finale.

Non Exclusive:

The Continuing Chronicles: Terminator – 8-Part Featurette Gallery

Write the Future: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – The writing process

Conceptualization: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – Visual effects challenges

Blood and Metal: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – Visit Almost Human Inc where realistic lacerations for cybernetic organisms are created

Designing Deconstruction: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – Combining real-world locations and futuristic sets

Choreographing Chaos: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – The teamwork among the stunt coordinator, the second unit director and the special effects supervisor

War Stories: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – Season two’s more exciting moments

Setting the Tempo: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – Composer Bear McCreary’s music making process

Motivations: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – The cast and producers analyze their approaches to playing and writing the characters

Overall the set is packaged well, has great video quality, great audio quality (besides the fact of it only being Dolby Digital) and has plenty of supplements to sift through. Your normal Joe who has a blu-ray player and loves this series or Terminator story lines in general will be more than happy with this purchase. Audioholics may cringe at only a DD track but unfortunately that’s becoming an apparent standard with a lot of TV series releases. If you can get over that, you’ll more than likely be just as satisfied as well. This season has plenty of awesome special effects that will look great coming out of your HDTV. Fans of the series who have seen this on TV will be able to relive those episodes plus more by watching this series. The cast of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles doesn’t disappoint and neither does WB. I personally recommend that all our readers if given the chance have a viewing of Series and support other online movements of trying to TSCC picked back up for prime time TV.

Purchase Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – The Complete Second Season [Blu-ray]