The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
85
Studio and Year: Warner - 2012
MPAA Rating: NR
Feature running time: 630 minutes
Genre: TV Drama
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 1.78:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, French/Spanish Dolby Stereo
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Starring: William H. Macy, Emmy Rossum, Cameron Monaghan, Jeremy Allen White, Justin Chatwin, Steve Howey, Emma Kenney, Joan Cusack, Laura Wiggins, Zach McGowan, Shanola Hampton, Ethan Kutkosky,
Directed by: Mark Mylod
Music by: iZLER
Written by: Paul Abbott & John Wells
Region Code: A,B,C
Blu-ray Disc release Date: December 18, 2012
" The Gallaghers, Absolutely, Wildly, Unapologetically…Shameless."
Film Synopsis:
Season Two of Showtime’s boldest, bravest series dives headfirst into the sweltering heat of a Chicago summer, grabs Gallagher family life by the throat, and never lets go. Boozed-up Frank’s scams constantly fizzle. Grammy Gallagher visits after a stint in prison. Bipolar Monica returns to fan Frank’s flames. Hard-working Fiona plays the field…until Steve comes back with a hot new wife. Lip drops out to care for his and Karen’s baby. Ian’s gunning for West Point. The Gallaghers may lack rent money and toilet paper, but there’s never a shortage of heart or a moment of shame in this acclaimed drama starring William H. Macy, Emmy Rossum and a brilliant ensemble cast.
My Take:
Meet Frank Gallagher (Macy), a proud, working-class, patriarch to a motley brood of six smart, spirited and independent kids who, in all honesty, would probably be better off without him. In Frank’s booze-addled view, parenting just eats into his hard-earned, bar-crawling and carousing time — so he leaves it up to eldest daughter Fiona to hold down the fort. After the departure of their mother, life appointed her as the unofficial matriarch of the family and she’s fiercely determined to keep her dysfunctional family happy and whole, even if it means sacrificing her own personal needs.
Phillip “Lip” Gallagher the second oldest, is an extraordinarily intelligent high school student who helps to support the family by taking other students’ SAT’s in exchange for money. Fifteen-year-old Ian, who is full of secrets, also pitches in by working at a local grocery store. Sweet Debbie, one of the middle kids, has a good heart and collects money for charity all year long -- some of which, she winds up keeping for herself. Carl the second youngest is a cherub-faced troublemaker who moonlights as the family’s sergeant at arms.
Last but not least is the youngest Gallagher, Liam an adorable toddler who’s just happy to be along for the ride. The Gallaghers don’t apologize for who they are -- they are way too busy finding clever ways to pay for the electric bill, put food on the table and keep their heads above water despite living hand to mouth. They are irreverent, endearing, resilient, and most definitely, unapologetically shameless!
Shameless is based on the British TV series of the same name and revolves around the Gallagher’s a working class family residing in Chicago’s south side. Season Two ratchet’s up Frank’s penchant for unforgivable behavior as he sinks to new lows to achieve his ultimate end, more booze, more money, self indulgence, less responsibility and less humanity. We also see more emphasis on the escalating effects of the Gallagher’s innate familial dysfunction and how it subsequently affects those around them.
Fiona tries to move on after Steve’s departure but new friend Jasmine’s idea of fun/the dating scene leaves much to be desired. Her attempts at reconnecting with an old flame have fiery results. Steve makes his return to Chicago however the excitement is short lived as he returns with baggage other than his suitcase. Seeking a promotion at work Fiona decides to go back to school for her GED. Deb inadvertently makes a discovery about Steve but opts to keep it in her pocket until she can find the right time to bring it to Fiona’s attention.
Ian is still working for Kash and Linda, whose marriage is deteriorating despite her pregnancy; Ian also expresses interest in attending West Point, and Lip agrees to help him with his application and grades; street tough Mickey gets released from jail after which he and Ian resume where they left off. Ian has a fling with an older man who later turns out to be…
Lip wants to continue seeing Karen, who is now attending Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings and in a sex-free relationship with a fellow group member; however, he is also preoccupied with summer courses, running a fighting ring, and selling pot and alcohol out of an ice cream truck with Kevin. His feelings for Karen prove to be a constant distraction which culminates in a series of shocking events.
Meanwhile Deb and Carl begin to have growing pains while managing to successfully run their babysitting service out of the house. The re-emergence of two women from the Gallagher family past has a significant impact and ultimately dire consequences that will shake the already weak foundation Fiona has spent years trying to reinforce.
This is a character driven program that is rich in irony, darkly comedic and speaks to the human condition from a brutally frank perspective based upon familial dysfunction of the highest order. The show is expertly written with a functional form factor set on a dysfunctional scale where the purposefully underlying humanity ingratiates these characters that otherwise would be pretty unlikable. Outside of the Gallagher clan there are neighbors/friends, Veronica and Kevin, Fiona’s bad boy love interest, “Steve”, Lip’s best friend (with benefits) Karen, who could have an entire series derived from her bizarre life/family.
The 12 episode season is chock full of clever rhetoric, tawdry sex, saucy behavior, and several plot twists that you may or may not see coming. Through it all is the disturbing but reassuring family connection shared by Fiona, Lip, Ian, Deb, Carl, and Liam along with their supporters, counterbalanced by Frank’s boundless lows that make for a compelling and thoroughly entertaining adult program. We have been fans since season one commend the creator’s, cast, production team and Showtime on a well crafted and edgy TV series. I look forward to season three which kicks off on January 13, 2013. Shameless season two comes in this two disc set that splits the episodes and bonus material equally on two BD-50 Blu-ray Discs.
Parental Guide:
The show contains language, drug content, sexuality, graphic nudity, and adult themes.
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)
Video: 90
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Shameless: The complete second season comes to Blu-ray Disc from Warner Home Video featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 16 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 3.6 Mbps.
By choice I would say that season one of Shameless isn’t bright or overly colorful. The chromatic palette consists mainly of cooler tones and muted secondary hues with the occasional interjection of primary colors that don’t offer much in the way of visual stimulation. This makes for a rougher visual style that works quite well with the show’s thematic tone. Resolution is excellent but the nature of the photography isn’t always lent to the high gloss definition that provides an infinite sense of depth. There are many instances where detail is clearly resolvable with discerning visual perspective and rich clarity. On the other hand there are times where delineation and sharpness is less tangibly defining. Close ups tend to be outstanding and offer plenty of appreciable refinement in the physical features and weave of the fabric in the clothing worn by the cast. Contrast is stable over the course of the presentation and blacks, while not inky, have good dynamic range and are gradationally satisfying. I didn’t note any overt signs of video related anomalies and thought that this presentation as a whole was excellent.
Being a dialogue driven show the ability to clearly render that aspect is an important element. This DTS-HD Master Audio presentation had no problem in that regard. Voices are reproduced with transparent realism and lucid texture that appropriately holds sway over the front soundstage. The surround mix makes apropos use of the surround platform as it subtly recreates the many acoustic sounds associated with the environments portrayed onscreen. The soundstage offers a balanced mixture of ambience and music. There aren’t any sub bass frequencies contained in the mix however the subwoofer is used to provide low bass emphasis where appropriate. The end result is a solid audio presentation that capably supports the source material.
Bonus Features:
Final Thoughts:
The Gallagher’s are back! Based on the popular British TV series of the same name Shameless is familial dysfunction on steroids. This is a character driven program that is rich in irony, darkly comedic and speaks to the human condition from a brutally frank perspective. The show is expertly written with a functional form factor set on a dysfunctional scale where the purposefully underlying humanity ingratiates the characters.
Season Two ratchet’s up the show’s penchant for clever rhetoric, tawdry sex, and saucy behavior while tossing in eye opening storylines and plot twists that you may or may not see coming. Through it all is the disturbing but reassuring family connection shared by Fiona, Lip, Ian, Deb, Carl, and Liam (along with their supporters), counterbalanced by Frank’s boundless lows, that make for a compelling and thoroughly entertaining adult program. Season Two comes to Blu-ray from Warner Home Video featuring excellent high definition video quality. Crystal clear lossless sound and a decent supplemental offering that lets us hear from the cast/crew about what it’s like to be a part of the show. Season Three airs January 13, 2013 on Showtime. Don’t miss it!
Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS55 3D Ready 1080p High Definition Front Projector
Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Onkyo PR-SC5508 THX Ultra 2 Audio/Video Processor
Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier
Oppo BDP-103 Universal Disc/3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
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
SV Sound PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package
The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
85
Studio and Year: Warner - 2012
MPAA Rating: NR
Feature running time: 630 minutes
Genre: TV Drama
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 1.78:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, French/Spanish Dolby Stereo
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Starring: William H. Macy, Emmy Rossum, Cameron Monaghan, Jeremy Allen White, Justin Chatwin, Steve Howey, Emma Kenney, Joan Cusack, Laura Wiggins, Zach McGowan, Shanola Hampton, Ethan Kutkosky,
Directed by: Mark Mylod
Music by: iZLER
Written by: Paul Abbott & John Wells
Region Code: A,B,C
Blu-ray Disc release Date: December 18, 2012
" The Gallaghers, Absolutely, Wildly, Unapologetically…Shameless."
Film Synopsis:
Season Two of Showtime’s boldest, bravest series dives headfirst into the sweltering heat of a Chicago summer, grabs Gallagher family life by the throat, and never lets go. Boozed-up Frank’s scams constantly fizzle. Grammy Gallagher visits after a stint in prison. Bipolar Monica returns to fan Frank’s flames. Hard-working Fiona plays the field…until Steve comes back with a hot new wife. Lip drops out to care for his and Karen’s baby. Ian’s gunning for West Point. The Gallaghers may lack rent money and toilet paper, but there’s never a shortage of heart or a moment of shame in this acclaimed drama starring William H. Macy, Emmy Rossum and a brilliant ensemble cast.
My Take:
Meet Frank Gallagher (Macy), a proud, working-class, patriarch to a motley brood of six smart, spirited and independent kids who, in all honesty, would probably be better off without him. In Frank’s booze-addled view, parenting just eats into his hard-earned, bar-crawling and carousing time — so he leaves it up to eldest daughter Fiona to hold down the fort. After the departure of their mother, life appointed her as the unofficial matriarch of the family and she’s fiercely determined to keep her dysfunctional family happy and whole, even if it means sacrificing her own personal needs.
Phillip “Lip” Gallagher the second oldest, is an extraordinarily intelligent high school student who helps to support the family by taking other students’ SAT’s in exchange for money. Fifteen-year-old Ian, who is full of secrets, also pitches in by working at a local grocery store. Sweet Debbie, one of the middle kids, has a good heart and collects money for charity all year long -- some of which, she winds up keeping for herself. Carl the second youngest is a cherub-faced troublemaker who moonlights as the family’s sergeant at arms.
Last but not least is the youngest Gallagher, Liam an adorable toddler who’s just happy to be along for the ride. The Gallaghers don’t apologize for who they are -- they are way too busy finding clever ways to pay for the electric bill, put food on the table and keep their heads above water despite living hand to mouth. They are irreverent, endearing, resilient, and most definitely, unapologetically shameless!
Shameless is based on the British TV series of the same name and revolves around the Gallagher’s a working class family residing in Chicago’s south side. Season Two ratchet’s up Frank’s penchant for unforgivable behavior as he sinks to new lows to achieve his ultimate end, more booze, more money, self indulgence, less responsibility and less humanity. We also see more emphasis on the escalating effects of the Gallagher’s innate familial dysfunction and how it subsequently affects those around them.
Fiona tries to move on after Steve’s departure but new friend Jasmine’s idea of fun/the dating scene leaves much to be desired. Her attempts at reconnecting with an old flame have fiery results. Steve makes his return to Chicago however the excitement is short lived as he returns with baggage other than his suitcase. Seeking a promotion at work Fiona decides to go back to school for her GED. Deb inadvertently makes a discovery about Steve but opts to keep it in her pocket until she can find the right time to bring it to Fiona’s attention.
Ian is still working for Kash and Linda, whose marriage is deteriorating despite her pregnancy; Ian also expresses interest in attending West Point, and Lip agrees to help him with his application and grades; street tough Mickey gets released from jail after which he and Ian resume where they left off. Ian has a fling with an older man who later turns out to be…
Lip wants to continue seeing Karen, who is now attending Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings and in a sex-free relationship with a fellow group member; however, he is also preoccupied with summer courses, running a fighting ring, and selling pot and alcohol out of an ice cream truck with Kevin. His feelings for Karen prove to be a constant distraction which culminates in a series of shocking events.
Meanwhile Deb and Carl begin to have growing pains while managing to successfully run their babysitting service out of the house. The re-emergence of two women from the Gallagher family past has a significant impact and ultimately dire consequences that will shake the already weak foundation Fiona has spent years trying to reinforce.
This is a character driven program that is rich in irony, darkly comedic and speaks to the human condition from a brutally frank perspective based upon familial dysfunction of the highest order. The show is expertly written with a functional form factor set on a dysfunctional scale where the purposefully underlying humanity ingratiates these characters that otherwise would be pretty unlikable. Outside of the Gallagher clan there are neighbors/friends, Veronica and Kevin, Fiona’s bad boy love interest, “Steve”, Lip’s best friend (with benefits) Karen, who could have an entire series derived from her bizarre life/family.
The 12 episode season is chock full of clever rhetoric, tawdry sex, saucy behavior, and several plot twists that you may or may not see coming. Through it all is the disturbing but reassuring family connection shared by Fiona, Lip, Ian, Deb, Carl, and Liam along with their supporters, counterbalanced by Frank’s boundless lows that make for a compelling and thoroughly entertaining adult program. We have been fans since season one commend the creator’s, cast, production team and Showtime on a well crafted and edgy TV series. I look forward to season three which kicks off on January 13, 2013. Shameless season two comes in this two disc set that splits the episodes and bonus material equally on two BD-50 Blu-ray Discs.
Parental Guide:
The show contains language, drug content, sexuality, graphic nudity, and adult themes.
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 extension:
- Surround Sound presentation:
- Clarity/Detail:
- Dialogue Reproduction:
Video: 90
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Resolution/Clarity:
- Black level/Shadow detail:
- Color reproduction:
- Fleshtones:
- Compression:
Shameless: The complete second season comes to Blu-ray Disc from Warner Home Video featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 16 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 3.6 Mbps.
By choice I would say that season one of Shameless isn’t bright or overly colorful. The chromatic palette consists mainly of cooler tones and muted secondary hues with the occasional interjection of primary colors that don’t offer much in the way of visual stimulation. This makes for a rougher visual style that works quite well with the show’s thematic tone. Resolution is excellent but the nature of the photography isn’t always lent to the high gloss definition that provides an infinite sense of depth. There are many instances where detail is clearly resolvable with discerning visual perspective and rich clarity. On the other hand there are times where delineation and sharpness is less tangibly defining. Close ups tend to be outstanding and offer plenty of appreciable refinement in the physical features and weave of the fabric in the clothing worn by the cast. Contrast is stable over the course of the presentation and blacks, while not inky, have good dynamic range and are gradationally satisfying. I didn’t note any overt signs of video related anomalies and thought that this presentation as a whole was excellent.
Being a dialogue driven show the ability to clearly render that aspect is an important element. This DTS-HD Master Audio presentation had no problem in that regard. Voices are reproduced with transparent realism and lucid texture that appropriately holds sway over the front soundstage. The surround mix makes apropos use of the surround platform as it subtly recreates the many acoustic sounds associated with the environments portrayed onscreen. The soundstage offers a balanced mixture of ambience and music. There aren’t any sub bass frequencies contained in the mix however the subwoofer is used to provide low bass emphasis where appropriate. The end result is a solid audio presentation that capably supports the source material.
Bonus Features:
Disc 1:
- (HD) Behind the scenes: The complicated life of Fiona Gallagher – 7 minute featurette
- (HD) Behind the scenes: The art of getting drunk – 7 minute featurette
- (HD) Deleted scenes – 3 minutes
Disc 2:
- (HD) Behind the scenes - A Shameless discussion (5 segments):
- The Ghetto girl and the car thief – 8 minutes with Justin Chatwin and Emmy Rossum
- Sibling Rivalry – 8 minute with Cameron Monaghan and Jeremy Allen White
- The bartender and the sex-cam worker – 7 minutes with Steve Howey and Shanola Hampton
- Juvenile delinquents – 6 minutes with Ethan Cutkosky and Emma Kenney
- The agoraphobe & the beautiful mess – 6 minutes with Joan Cusak and Laura Wiggins
- The Ghetto girl and the car thief – 8 minutes with Justin Chatwin and Emmy Rossum
- (HD) Behind the scenes: A look at season 3 – 3 minutes
- (HD) Deleted scenes – 5 minutes
- Ultraviolet Digital Copy
Final Thoughts:
The Gallagher’s are back! Based on the popular British TV series of the same name Shameless is familial dysfunction on steroids. This is a character driven program that is rich in irony, darkly comedic and speaks to the human condition from a brutally frank perspective. The show is expertly written with a functional form factor set on a dysfunctional scale where the purposefully underlying humanity ingratiates the characters.
Season Two ratchet’s up the show’s penchant for clever rhetoric, tawdry sex, and saucy behavior while tossing in eye opening storylines and plot twists that you may or may not see coming. Through it all is the disturbing but reassuring family connection shared by Fiona, Lip, Ian, Deb, Carl, and Liam (along with their supporters), counterbalanced by Frank’s boundless lows, that make for a compelling and thoroughly entertaining adult program. Season Two comes to Blu-ray from Warner Home Video featuring excellent high definition video quality. Crystal clear lossless sound and a decent supplemental offering that lets us hear from the cast/crew about what it’s like to be a part of the show. Season Three airs January 13, 2013 on Showtime. Don’t miss it!
Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS55 3D Ready 1080p High Definition Front Projector
Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Onkyo PR-SC5508 THX Ultra 2 Audio/Video Processor
Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier
Oppo BDP-103 Universal Disc/3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
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
SV Sound PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package