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Homicide Life on the Street
The Complete Fifth Series
When a TV series is in
its 5th year, you are guaranteed some quality viewing. Of course, this
is also the time when series sometimes become a little repetitive and
may lose some of its viewership. The fifth season of Homicide borders on
this concept, however it's writers have actually done something
interesting with their characters, more particularly with character
Frank Pembleton (Andre Braugher) who is the main focus of this season and
how his return to work after a stroke is anything from easy.
Not only
must he prove himself to his colleagues, including his partner Tim Bayliss (Kyle Secor) but also himself who was the ace detective of the
series. The other storyline that flows through the series is that of
Detective Mike Kellerman (Reed Diamond) who is facing corruption charges
and as more evidence is uncovered, his future seems very uncertain.
With
series 5, we also see some new faces join the cast that include
Detective Paul Falsone (Jon Seda), Terri Stivers (Toni Lewish) and Chief
Medical Examiner Julaina Cox (Michelle Forbes) who do add some new life
into this series. With that said, can the series be watched by a
newcomer? The answer is yes and no. As most stories are standalone,
there are common themes that flow through the episodes and a history on
the characters and cases are sometimes needed to put the pieces together.
Given that, this release is definitely for the fans.
Featuring all
22 episodes of series 5, Homicide is a very well made TV series that is
definitely American drama at its best. The series begins with a bang
with a two-parter called "Hostage" that is another great insight into
Detective Frank Pembleton as he decides to stop taking his medication in
order to help solve a case. It's these small moments that have such a
powerful impact of the stories.
From murders to drug lords, prisons and
more human inspired storylines such as relationship breakdowns, secrets
and finding your place in the world, Homicide boasts some amazing
writing in this series. Of
course, the excellent acting by all involved almost makes Homicide feel
like a TV reality police series because everything is so real and is
almost a snapshot of the real-world that we live in. However with that
said, a few of the episodes are a little bit of a hit and miss affair
but fortunately, this is a rare occurrence.
Video, Audio
The visuals of Homicide are amazing and give quite a gritty appearance
to the series. The video quality looks great, even on a FULL HD TV with
sharp image and deep blacks. There was some artifacting here and there
but overall, it is a very good looking US series. Add in a decent audio
soundtrack, powerful musical scores and this truly enhances the overall
Homicide experience.
In the end, this is as good as American TV can
get and if you have never seen Homicide: Life on the Street, I would strongly suggest you
check out series 1 - 4. Recommended! |
