Plot: What’s it about?
One of the most popular shows on television, Duck Dynasty follows the Robertson family, who made a fortune selling duck calls and other outdoorsman related goods. Unlike most families featured in reality television, the Robertsons don’t have much drama and are faith based people. So the show isn’t about sex, drugs, and family strife, in fact quite the opposite. In this third season, we watch as the Robertsons continue to deal with the rapid growth of their business, as well as the rise to personal fame thanks to the wildly successful television show. By this third season, you can tell the producers have started to lean more on staged elements, but that doesn’t hinder the entertainment much. After all, all reality shows do rely on staged segments, though here they’re not as well performed, so they stick out more. But for a reality television show, Duck Dynasty manages to carve out a place for itself, with a focus on light humor and traditional family values.
While the absence of the drama and sordid elements has helped Duck Dynasty become a huge hit, it also has a way of dulling down the viewing experience. In other reality shows, the drama ensures that we move from one interesting situation to the next, with little downtime. But here, the “aw shucks” approach leaves us with stretches of rather plain material, as the pace slows between madcap moments and down home family values. When the Robertsons deal with normal life, the show works and the bond between them is always obvious. But when the focus shifts to Si and more manic situations, the show feels very staged and forced, though I doubt that bothers most of the show’s watchers. In the end, the focus on family values and faith have made Duck Dynasty a success, despite the dull scenes and poorly staged sequences. If you love the show, this third season is more of the same, so fans will want to add this to their collections.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. The show looks good here, though of course not as good as it does when broadcast in high definition. Even so, this isn’t really the kind of material where fine detail is a huge concern, so fans should be satisfied. The episodes look clean and clear, with no compression issues evident. In short, the show looks great here and no real problems surface.
Audio: How does it sound?
Not much to discuss in this department, as the audio is fine, but unremarkable. The show is driven by dialogue and all the vocals sound excellent, so no lines are lost here. The rest of the audio is low key as well, outside of a once and a while madcap moment. Those instances sound good as well, but this remains a basic presentation throughout. Not one to shout about, but the show gets all the needed coverage.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release includes deleted scenes, webisodes, and two music videos.
