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Getting On: The Complete Season One (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

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Check out our review of this dark, laugh out loud HBO comedy that chronicles the daily lives of a dysfunctional hospital staff caring for their elderly female patients under less-than-ideal circumstances.



The Review at a Glance:
(max score: 5 )

Film:


Extras:


Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )

82



Details:

Studio and Year: HBO - 2013
MPAA Rating: TV-MA
Feature running time: 180 minutes
Genre: Comedy

Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC
Video Aspect: 1.78:1
Resolution: 1080p/24

Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, French DTS 5.1, Spanish Stereo
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, German
Starring: Laurie Metcalf, Alex Borstein, Niecy Nash, Mel Rodriguez
Directed by: Various
Written by: Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer
Region Code: A,B,C

Blu-ray Disc release Date: November 11, 2014


"Caring for their patients even if it kills them"


My Take:

From creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer (co-creators of the acclaimed HBO series Big Love®), the show follows the staff at the Billy Barnes Extended Care Unit of Mt. Palms Hospital in Long Beach, Cal., as they attend to the needs of female patients who are often advancing in years, while dealing with the challenges of a health-care bureaucracy in need of an overhaul. Even as they attempt to serve their charges under less-than-ideal circumstances things are complicated by conflicting agendas, both professional and personal.

Getting On is set in a women's extended-care unit of a Long Beach, CA hospital, and follows the daily lives of a ragtag staff assigned to care for elderly patients who are, well, getting on. Nurse DiDi (Niecy Nash) is the no-nonsense newbie who spends her first day on the job being reprimanded for cleaning up unidentified feces left in the lounge. Unit veteran Nurse Dawn (Alex Borstein) is tasked with training DiDi, but winds up obsessing over a budding relationship with male Supervising Nurse Patsy (Mel Rodriguez) - a new hire who tries to implement a Disney-inspired, customer centric work culture, while fending off questions about his sexual orientation. Disgruntled Dr. Jenna James (Laurie Metcalf), appointed director of the ward thanks to a meltdown at the hospital proper, continues her above-it-all temper tantrums despite being given a fresh start. Dr. James and Patsy butt heads along the way, particularly when Patsy's surveys reveal that the whole lot of them are underperforming in this rundown, red-tape-filled hospital off-shoot.

Based on the BBC Television program of the same name this HBO series takes an offbeat, comedic look at the dysfunctional staff of a beleaguered hospital while taking sardonic potshots at the petty bureaucracies of modern medical practice, Getting On expertly blends humor with unexpected moments of tenderness, and the sometimes awkward realities of caring for the elderly in an overwhelmed healthcare system. I watched all six of season one’s episodes with my wife and we regularly chuckled aloud at the show’s biting commentary, quirky characterizations and situational entanglements that make for an entertaining half an hour of cable TV programming.

Season Two of Getting On airs on HBO beginning on November 9th 2014. If you have HBO and are interested in a comedy that is a little darker and different be sure to tune in.


Parental Guide:

The show contains language, sexual content and thematic material.


AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100/EXCELLENT = 83-91/GOOD = 74-82/AVERAGE = 65-73/BELOW AVERAGE = under 65

**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**



Audio: 80
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)


  • Dynamics:
  • Low frequency effects:
  • Surround Sound presentation:
  • Clarity/Detail:
  • Dialogue Reproduction:
  • Low frequency extension * (non-rated element): NA


Video: 84
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)


  • Resolution/Clarity:
  • Black Level/Shadow Detail:
  • Color Reproduction:
  • Fleshtones:
  • Compression:


Getting On: The Complete Season One comes to Blu-ray Disc from HBO Entertainment featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 22 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 2.3 Mbps.

This high definition video presentation offers clear, refined images that boast a noticeably de-saturated level of color. This is intentional and conveys the show’s thematic underpinnings. The rendering of fine detail can range from excellent to moderate. This leaves certain mid-level shots with less dimensionality but not to the point of appearing overly soft. Black levels fluctuate similarly however with the stable contrast and subdued chroma this wasn’t problematic and worked well with the visual style of the series. I didn’t see any signs of video related artifacts/anomalies.

The multi-channel lossless audio won’t test the limits of your surround sound system but it capably delivers the elements present in the show’s soundtrack. Dialogue is tonally rich with excellent room penetration and defining clarity. Dynamic range and bass response is appropriate in support of the track’s recorded elements. The front channels handle the bulk of the audio and presents an open two dimensional soundstage with the surrounds supplying ambient detail. I think the mix mates perfectly with the source material and sounds fine.


Bonus Features:
  • (HD) Gag Reel – 6 minutes
  • (HD) 4 deleted scenes
  • Ultraviolet Digital Copy





Final Thoughts:

Based on the BBC Television program of the same name Getting On is an offbeat and darkly comedic series that features biting commentary, quirky characterizations and situational entanglements that prove refreshingly funny. It makes its debut on Blu-ray from HBO Entertainment in this diminutive offering that includes fair albeit faithful high definition video, crystal clear lossless sound quality and a barebones supplemental package. For those looking for a way to scratch the itch for something off the beaten path Getting On may very well be the ticket. Season Two kicks off on November 9th on HBO.







Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews



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JVC DLA-RS4910 3D Ready 1080p High Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Calman 5 & C6 Meter from Spectracal)
Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Carada Masquerade Horizontal Masking System
Marantz AV8801 11.2 Channel Audio/Video Processor
Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier
B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 Seven Channel Amplifier
Oppo BDP-103D Universal Disc/3D capable Blu-ray Player (With Darbee video processing)
Panasonic DMP-BDT310 3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control
Canton "Ergo" Series speakers
Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers
SVS PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
SVS PC12-NSD
APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package
 
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