Banshee – The Final Season Blu-ray Review
When we last left the fine confines of the town of Banshee, Pennsylvania, the former Cadillac dealership turned police station had been destroyed, the local D.A. was dead and Jobe (the amazing Hoon Lee) was being whisked away by bad guys on a helicopter. Deep breath!
It’s now two years later and we find the town Sheriff, Brock Lotus (Matt Servitto) wandering across some farmland. He is tracking the GPS of a car owned by Rebecca Bowman (Lili Simmons), whose mutilated body was found days earlier. Lotus approaches an old hunting cabin and goes inside, where he gets a big surprise when he discovers that former Sheriff Lucas Hood (Starr) has been hiding out here. Looking like he just walked off the set of THE REVENANT, Hood is saddened to find out about Rebecca. Later the two are approached by the town’s new mayor, Kai Proctor (Thomsen), who was also Rebecca’s uncle. Proctor ran – check that, still runs – everything that was illegal in Banshee and was grooming Rebecca as an associate. He and Hood begin to argue as Lotus comments, “This is just like old times. Only nobody’s bleeding.” He pauses, then adds, “Not yet.”
I have to give it to the creators of BANSHEE. They saved the darkest episodes for last. It’s a double-header here, with white supremacists and a satanic cult sharing the screen as the final season ticks down. Fearful that there is a serial killer on the loose (Rebecca was the third girl killed), Lotus calls in the FBI, who send in special agent Veronica Dawson (Eliza Dushku) who has a few problems of her own. Mayor Proctor is trying to be the go to guy for a major drug cartel, but he’s also having problems in town. He’s using his influence to force the new, inexperienced D.A. to drop charges and release many of the baddies that Lotus and his force are arresting. However, once they’ve been released, the majority of them are being hunted down, vigilante style. This doesn’t sit well with the Mayor, who suspects Hood of Rebecca’s murder. All in all, it’s one big, happy town.
The producers have pulled out all the stops for this final season. Not only has the police station moved to a former movie theatre, but there is actually a full staff. When season three ended, Hood had to hire a former white supremacist as a deputy. Now there appears to be a dozen uniformed officers as well as detectives and office help. A secondary story concerning the whereabouts of Jobe, and the gang’s efforts to secure his release is inter-spliced among the carnage. There are fewer episodes this season and the storytelling suffers a little as so much has to be crammed into two fewer hours. That being said, the show ends exactly like you thought it would, with the good guys getting what they deserve and the bad guys getting…well, you know! Sadly BANSHEE didn’t get the attention that shows like TRUE DETECTIVE did on sister channel HBO. But I’m pretty sure that in years to come it will be regarded as one of the better cable series to have aired.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: The film is presented in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio and the images are crisp and clear. I think this is the most the series has spent outdoors and the beautiful countryside – the show was filmed outside of Pittsburgh – fills the screen.
Audio: The soundtrack is presented with a DTS Master Audio 5.1 track and the sound is fine. There are a lot of background sounds that blend seamlessly with the dialogue without any distortion.
Like earlier sets, each disc comes with its own extras.
Banshee Origins (26:09): More of the short promo clips that Cinemax has run during the entire duration of the program.
Zoomed In (6:26): Cast and crew talk about the final season.
Deleted Scenes (00:45): Not even long enough to care about.
Audio Commentary: Episode 6: A very in-depth commentary from the show’s Creator, Writer, and Executive Producer Jonathan Tropper and Executive Producer and Writer Adam Targum.
Zoomed In (6:31): More of the above.
Deleted Scenes (7:44): These scenes are from Episode Four and don’t really add much to the story.
Audio Commentary: Episode 8: Tropper is joined by Executive Producer/Director Greg Yaitanes to give the final word on “Banshee.”
Zoomed In (5:09): The final behind the scenes piece.
Deleted Scene (1:03): A nice bit with Lucas Hood but nothing earth shattering.