The Staircase... Reviewed!

Thanks so much for checking out this review and shout out to Warner Brothers for providing us with a copy in order to review it for you. That said... my opinions are my own.

There are so many twists and turns revolving around... The Staircase, are you ready for this?

Story: Inspired by a true story, this limited series... goes hard in the paint from the very beginning. My guess is they wanted to showcase the scene of what was already known from the true story.

So that initial scene shows the lady of the home, Kathleen Peterson (played by Toni Collette), laying lifeless at the bottom of the stairs with the cops on the scene. They come from the angle of the son, Todd Peterson (played by Patrick Schwarzenegger) pulling up to the house and begging to get in. As soon as he enters the house he comes across his stepmother's body... before running forward to find his dad in the kitchen.

His dad was drenched in blood but at this time things allegedly point to her falling down the stairs until... they officially declare it a murder scene.

This isn't for the faint at heart, they display some extremely graphic scenes in this series, but... for those who are fans of court TV, documentaries, and suspenseful (situations I call) play-by-plays... you should enjoy this.

If I could sum it up in two words, they'd be... Brutal Brilliance. Certainly, this is graphic as mentioned, but it's brilliantly written.

So initially you get that... scene, followed by a backstory that leads up to that... scene. Michael and Kathleen are a blended family with a squad of adult children that represent... chess pieces on this board along with other family members and... associates sprinkled in here and there.

I won't explain the ins and outs, but you get to see the lives of all these members of the  Peterson household before and after the incident. Families have their ups and downs, and you see them play out like the average family in some aspects (i.e. Margaret Ratliff getting dumped on by her dad based on her bad grades in college)... while others showcase the downside of drugs and alcohol to a damaging degree (i.e. Todd Peterson). These aren't the only people who need to clean up their act... and Clayton Peterson had to learn the hard way in order to put his life back together. 

So you see glimpses of their individual dysfunctions leading up to the trial and afterward... which put the majority of the siblings on one side with their dad, and the opposition on the side with the prosecutor.

You get to see how these sides are formed, and reactions to the trial + certain details in general like the emotions the siblings and family deal with while trying to make sense of this potential murder at the hands of dear old daddy. You might end up scratching your head as well, but... keep your eyes on the screen because there are multiple details that you should find interesting. It's a tangled web to say the least.

You see the various avenues that this story comes from (past, present, and future)... and the future Michael may throw you for a loop initially when seen with Sophie Brussard (Juliette Binoche), but...  as the series moves forward the dots are connected for your viewing pleasure. At times you might get frustrated with the way they shift from date to date, and then... BAM, they hit you again.

It goes from you being geared up to going to trial, and then the trial, and then the... documentary... and then the roller coaster ride continues. I can say this 2 time Emmy nominated experience deserves at least the nominations. I think the biggest challenge for me was not jumping toward the end, and it wasn't because it wasn't interesting, but at times... I wanted to see what ultimately happened as soon as possible (since I wasn't aware of the story). Anyway, I think the overall story is interesting, yet... frustrating at the same time based on the timeline fluctuations and... other occurrences in the limited series (i.e. multiple arguments emerging and then vanishing). I think they did the timeline fluctuation to make things interesting and keep a good pace, and it works to a degree, but (for me) it comes with its frustrations. The Staircase... is rated MA for Mature Audiences.

Visuals: Visually speaking, you had some dramatic shots here and there. Aside from... the staircase, you also had dramatic visuals via the drive to court (which was probably the best), a few pool scenes, drunken scenes, and the last scene. The drive to court placed the family in a group of vehicles with the camera flipping from one vehicle, showcasing everyone inside, and on to the next. It wasn't just a transition, it went through... in a way where the camera flipped and had some upside-down angles as well.

The scenes are vibrant as expected and delivered close-ups, high angles, plenty of mediums, wides, over-the-shoulders, and birds-eye views tucked in there.

Audio: The audio was clean, and crisp throughout. Can't I say I noticed anything specific about the audio that really wowed me, although I liked how they played certain music tracks to showcase the hip hop from that time period. Even in the reenactments of the speculated occurrences on the staircase, you heard the unsettling sounds involved with Kathleen fighting for her life. The quality audio was delivered in Dolby Digital 5.1.

Price + Extras:  Pricewise, The Staircase, comes in at $24.98 on DVD. I can't argue with it, but... the sweet spot in my opinion would be $19.99 (the features help justify the extra $4.99). You get 8 episodes that run for about an hour per episode, but... you also get special features that include:

• 8 Inside the Episode Featurettes
• Peterson Home Set Tour
• The Art of Acting
• Sustainable Set Tour
• Georgia Public Locations
• The Owl Theory

If you purchase this, you should appreciate the extras like... The Owl Theory, especially if it's something that makes the most sense to you. I don't want to spoil it, so I tried to avoid speaking on certain things, I think the owl theory makes the most sense based on the way it looked. You can also enjoy the limited series digitally... here.

Story 4

Visuals 5

Audio 5

Price + Extras 5

4.75 out of 5 Cool Points

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Doom Patrol: The Complete Second Season... Reviewed!

Before I get started, shout out to Warner Bros for supplying a copy of Doom Patrol... Season 2 for this review. Now... let's get weird!

Story: Season 2 starts out with a little of Dorthy's backstory. She came to be because of the interesting relationship Dr. Niles had with a primitive woman named Slava, introduced in season 1's Doom Patrol: Hair Patrol episode. I'd call her Beast Woman. 

Needless to say... it wasn't love at first sight, they sort of grew on each other... like a beard. They're secret... hairy... love affair remained in secrecy thanks to Dr. Niles making the wise decision not to give her up, so now we have Dorthy today.

I'm still scratching my head about Dorthy's look though, but... I guess she could look like that as a result of having a prehistoric mom. Anyway, we got a glimpse of her (from behind) as season 1 closed out, which worked as far as hooking viewers for the second season.

That glimpse into Dorthy's backstory made me just want to give her a big hug and take her out for the best day ever (in a covid-free world), full of fun + shopping to update her look + new types of food... and even introduce her to gaming (because... it's awesome). She was a member of the circus forced to be a sideshow act (as the Ape Faced Girl) and was treated harshly by the ring leader because of her look & the same amazingly deadly abilities her mother had. The audience wasn't exactly the nicest group of onlookers either.

After a little justice took place, dear old daddy stepped in and took her home with him where she belonged. It's still a jacked-up relationship though because he feels that it's safer to keep her locked up... but it's a toss-up as far as agreeing or disagreeing with that. It protects her, but it also protects humanity.

One thing I liked seeing was Dorthy come out of her shell (to an extent) once she was with her daddy and the ever dysfunctional Doom Patrol. She was smiling, vibrant, and speaks a bit more when she feels comfortable. Her interaction with Cliff definitely has some comedic charm to it. Cliff Steele swears like he's trying to break a world record for most F-Bombs used in life, and you have Dorthy... this sweet little girl who tries to interact with him and join in on his activities. It's a funny dynamic.

Cliff was working on his car one day, swearing as usual... and in comes Dorthy saying she's never ridden in a car before. Clearly, he was annoyed, and she stood there with this smile on her face that he reluctantly gave in to (with an F-Bomb). It was just hilarious and delivered some much-needed comedy that shined through the clouds.

Season 2 continues to maintain the interesting titles for episodes that I like. Each episode has the main focus of the episode in the name... followed by Patrol (i.e. Fun Size Patrol). There aren't as many episodes in Season 2 as there were in Season 1, but I think they had to do that for the first season in order to introduce all the cards. Nevertheless... they could have found a cool way to keep the episode count somewhat consistent. We're talking 9 episodes compared to 15 in the first season. They had a few creative pieces tucked in there pairing Cliff Steele & Cyborg, and another with Rita Farr & Cyborg... which could have been extra added in to make up for it. It would've been great to see them create some standalone extras around these concepts, that would've made my day.

Beekeeper & Borg (by the way, does anyone else sense a bit of chemistry between these two?)

In season two, the Doom Patrol continues to battle their own demons while trying to figure things out to avoid pending... Doom (again... and again). So I guess the "Doom Patrol" is quite fitting. Dangers continue to pop up episode after episode (including the ongoing threat of Dorthy's demons), but I won't spoil it for you.

Oh... maybe one spoiler (minus details). The superhuman fight between Jane and Dorthy was pretty cool, and it was a breath of fresh air to see more action.

For the most part... even with the team taking on baddies, I can't say that I saw a lot of crime-fighting action going on. You might see a punch here or there, but... for the most part, I was left yearning for more. Season two for me... still feels like the team is dealing with growing pains. I'm not familiar with the Comic's storyline but... I look forward to the team coming into their own. 

Here are a few of the baddies you will see this season:

Red Jack is freaking... brutal.

The person that caught my attention more so in Season 2 was... Rita Farr. You can see Rita Farr (aka Elasti-Woman) progressing as she begins to embrace her abilities more so than treating them like flaws... in part because of Cyborg training her. I didn't really see it from anyone else, Rita's on the road to being a true superhero. She's saying, she's training, and... she's taking action. I love that.

You see a glimpse of what could be as far as the other is concerned, but... it's not on that level. I know that they were working through things mentally and emotionally, but I'm talking about superhero training. So I appreciate the fact that they wrote this in, and I want to see more from the others in season 3... which includes Cyborg. I don't just want to hear about Cyborg's greatness... I want to see what makes him great. I want to see the Cyborg opening cans of whip ass left and right, the Cyborg that pulls off the W with a second left on the clock.

The writers are able to deliver, they just have to do it. It's not like he's just a new hero on the block, and the baddies are there... so I'd like to see more fighting. They could have stretched some of the situations out with the villains and not only showcased his abilities but also gave him a chance to work with the rest of the team on fine-tuning their own more. I wish they gave Red Jack at least 3 episodes, it was like... dang, this guy is brutal and he had personality.

Anyway, regardless of not training to be superheroes (apart from Rita Farr), the Doom Patrol gets some training in the field. As far as the story goes... Dorthy was the main focus of the season, even when her story was on the backburner... she remained in their mentions. Ultimately the season is wrapped up with Dorthy as things come to a head with her mother, father, and her most deadly demon. I don't know what they plan on doing in Season 3 but my fingers are crossed that it starts with a bang stemming from the end of Season 2... there should be a huge battle because all of the heroes were in situations with a baddie.

Update: It dawned on me, we're in the middle of a pandemic. So after doing a little digging, I found out that actress Abigail Shapiro reported that the season is an episode shorter because of Covid-19. Makes sense, so season 3 should start with a battle... I assume.

Visuals: Visually speaking, Doom Patrol Season 2 delivers episode after episode. The costumes are solid (even if I wish they would adjust Cyborg's eye up just a little to make it even). From Red Jack to Dorthy's demons... the designers did a solid job. Crazy Jane's transformation was even awesome when she went supernatural and flamed on (I was like... wow). The thing I appreciate most about most of the visual effects... is that they didn't look cheesy. It doesn't have to be over the top to look good, it just has to look believable and I feel like they nailed that.

The camera angles were solid too, unusual angles were thrown in there when needed for those trippy scenes. Although a film enthusiast may focus on specific angle types more than I would, I did notice the low angles + bird's eye view to give off the impression that some of Dorthy's demons were huge (that's just the name I call them).

Audio + Extras: As far as audio goes... I know (I know... I know) the show's theme music is fitting, I'm just not crazy about it. Other than the theme music, I loved the sound effects from the misadventures + the show concepts like Steele & Stone. You get 5.1 surround sound which delivered... but nothing really jumped out to me outside of when the action was high + explosions.

The extras include Doom Patrol: The Magic of Makeup... which was pretty cool, and I think is a feature that would actually appeal to the cosplay fans in the house + those of you into costume and make-up in general. Dorthy's stunt double looks just like her once all the makeup is on. Seriously... just like her. It's an interesting segment, which also showcases some of the other characters like... Larry (unbandaged).

This segment of the show lets me know that Cliff wants to fight crime, and he does at one point... in a very awkward messed-up way that ended with someone giving him... the finger.

I kid you not... Cliff Steele reminds me of my Brother-In-Law to an extent.

Doom Patrol 2: Come Visit Georgia PSA... is pretty much what you'd expect.

Price: Pricewise, Doom Patrol: The Complete Second Season, comes in at $29.98 for DVD and... $39.99 for Blu-ray. I don't know about this one, I'd price it at about $30 to $35 tops for Blu-Ray and $25 for DVD. It didn't end bad, it definitely makes you want to find out what the freak is going to happen in season 3... but they have to remember that the pandemic robbed the fans of an episode.

You can get it at the WB Shop for the MSRP or Walmart which prices it at my ideal price. Your call.

Overall, Doom Patrol: The Complete Second Season isn't bad... but I really want to see them do more. Rita is moving forward, I really liked that... but they really have to get their act together and bring it in season three. Maybe I'm speaking from an action movie junkie's perspective... but I want more episodes where butts are handed to them with a 48-Pack of whoop-ass and a double order of knuckle sandwiches.

Story 4

Visuals 5

Audio + Extras 5

Price 3

4.25 out of 5 Cool Points

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