Plot: What’s it about?
Every fall, we’re treated to a slew of new shows on the various networks. Some of these survive and others we never hear from again, save in a DVD or Blu-ray entitled “…the complete series.” My wife and I were sitting in front of the television last year and saw some commercials for Person of Interest. It looked interesting, had Emmy-Award winner Michael Emerson (Lost) and literally the man himself, Jim Caviezel who is best-known for portraying Jesus Christ in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. I looked at her and said “Ok, let’s watch this. Let’s get in on the ground floor and make it something we watch every week.” She agreed. Guess what? It never happened. It even became a running joke every time we’d see a promo for it as I’d say in jest “Hey, it’s our show!” As the last year has proven, Person of Interest was not only one of the shows that survived, but it prospered becoming one of the top-rated new television shows of the last year. Well now it’s come to Blu-ray and I’ve no excuse not to watch it. Here’s what to expect in season one.
For those that aren’t familiar with the show, the general plot of the series is rather simple or extraordinarly complex, depending on your point of view. In the post Septermber 11th world, things have changed. We all know that. But Finch (Michael Emerson) has built a machine that can track all of the would-be crimes in the United States. Every day it spits out a social security number and it’s up to Finch or his loyal co-hort, Reese (Jim Caviezel) to figure out if the number in question belongs to a potential victim or the criminal. To put it another way, think of Tom Cruise’s character in Minority Report and you’ll figure it out. And that’s it. Every episode follows this premise and though it requires a lot of suspension of disbelief on the viewer’s part, it evidently worked. With another CBS show, The Mentalist, we’re supposed to believe that simple observation can solve crimes. This is no different. It’s a solid storyline for a show and with top notch acting talent, is sure to please audiences for years to come.
Video: How does it look?
In somewhat of an unprecidented move, Warner has offered Person of Interest in a Blu-ray combo pack with Blu-ray and DVD versions of the season in one large box. Assuming you read the first paragraph of my review, you’ll know that I never actually watched an episode when it aired, but I will say that the 1.78:1 AVC HD image for this season is nothing short of spectacular. The episodes are consisten in regard to clarity and though there are several scenes that contain grainy video footage, it’s not a fault of the transfer. Detail is magnificent, showing the grey streaks in Caviezel’s hair, the pores on Michael Emerson’s face and the fine architecture found in the buildings throughout. Some of the episodes are a little more “natural” in that there’s more of a rougher edge to them. There’s a green hue to some of the scenes as well coupled with an industrial blue that makes it feel a bit more real. I’d put this up against a feature film anyday as this presentation is top notch.
Audio: How does it sound?
I admit I’m a bit biased when it comes to television shows in that I think they shouldn’t sound as good as regular movie. Well the line is constantly being blurred between the two and this first season has some of the best sound that I’ve heard from a television series. The DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack quite literally rocks. Dialogue is clear and crisp and what really surprised me were how active the surrounds were. There’s not shortage of shoot outs, things blowing up, car chases and anything in between. The LFE are heavily involved as well. I was amazed at how immersed I was in the episodes with this soundtrack in place. If this is any indication as to where the shows of the future will sound like – I’m pumped! A top notch effort here.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The supplements on this first season aren’t that extensive. There are two audio commentaries on the pilot episode, one for the original broadcast and the other for the extended one shown in this set. There’s a brief featurette, “Living in an Age of Surveillance” in which we get immediately paranoid as to how many times the average person is recorded each and every day. And lastly we have a gag reel. Now the real deal is that you get 10 discs. 4 of these are the Blu-ray, 6 are the DVD’s. And to top it off there’s also an UltraViolet copy. So yes, when you buy this combo pack you’re actually getting three different formats. I’m not sure if this will be the wave of the future or not, but suffice it to say – you get bang for your buck.
