reviewed Today at 5:24 pm
THE BORDER SEASON TWO DVD SET
Studio: Video Service Corp.
Year: 2009
Rated: Unrated
Film Length: 10 hours
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Subtitles: None
Release Date: August 25, 2009
The Series
The Border is the story of the elite Immigration and Customs Security (ISC) squad operating out of Toronto, Canada. The job of ICS is to regulate the longest undefended border in the world, which is the border between the United States and Canada. The dramatic problems of enforcing border security include terrorism, espionage, organized crime, and smuggling of everything from uranium and firearms to drugs and people.
The ISC Squad is headed by Major Mike Kessler (James McGowan), a former Canadian Army soldier who served as a peacekeeper in Bosnia in the 1990s. Superintendent Maggie Norton (Catherine Disher) is Kessler’s second in command who served in the Army with Kessler. Detective Sergeant Gray Jackson (Graham Abbey) is often Kessler’s eyes and ears on the ground as he goes out into the field, sometimes undercover, sometimes in uniform. Gray is often teamed up with Sergeant Layla Hourani (Nazneen Contractor), a Muslim ICS officer who speaks seven languages, and who has some romantic involvement with Gray. Detective Sergeant Al "Moose" Lepinsky (Mark Wilson) served formerly with the Toronto Police’s Fugitive Squad, and now acts as the liaison with local police agencies. Inspector Darnell Williams (Jim Codrington) is an ex CSIS (Canadian Security and Intelligence Service) agent who was formerly stationed abroad in Africa. Agent Heironymous Slade (Jonas Chernick) is the squad’s resident computer expert who accesses surveillance feeds and satellite links to provide intel, and hacks into other mainframes according to the squad’s needs at any given time. Special Agent Bianca Lagarda (Sofia Milos) is an American stationed in Toronto as the local head of the Department of Homeland Security. Agent Liz Carver (Grace Park) joins the cast in season 2 as an agent of the Department of Homeland Security who works with ICS and who is an attraction for Gray Jackson. The United Kingdom is also represented as the ICS team deals periodically in season 2 with MI6 agent Charlotte Bates (Daisy Beaumont).
The second season has more of an international flavor than the first since the new cast members have allegiances to the United States and the United Kingdom. This setup is ripe for conflict as the different nations and agencies often have different goals. This creates some interesting dynamics among the characters as their personalities and professional objectives come into opposition. Some conflict arises between Kessler and Special Agent Lagarda, since the Department of Homeland Security sometimes has different priorities from their Canadian counterparts. Kessler also butts heads with Andrew Mannering, a CSIS spook who has his own agenda, and with whom Kessler has a history going back to his service in Bosnia. The involvement between Agent Jackson and his American counterpart creates conflict between them due to their respective allegiances to their countries.
This set consists of 13 full length episodes on 3 discs, with the special features located primarily on disc 3.
Video
The video is anamorphic wide-screen 1:78:1 enhanced for 16 x 9 monitors. The colors are deliberately muted as an artistic decision to create a documentary atmosphere. The picture is intentionally out of focus at times, and the camera is constantly moving similar to NYPD Blue or Law and Order to convey that sense of handheld cameras filming everything as it actually happens. The color scheme is also muted on the special features even though they appear to be recorded on video rather than film.
Audio
The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track is adequate to convey ambient sound but it would be nice to have a Dolby 5.0 soundtrack for this show. Most audio comes through front and center with minor enhancement from the rear speakers for incidental sounds of traffic and the like. The first season’s special features had a flaw in the audio resulting in the actors’ voices come through all of the speakers in surround sound instead of from the center channel. This has been corrected on the special features for season two.
Special Features
Disc 3 contains all of the special features, with the exception of the audio commentary on the fifth episode, which is on Disc 1. Graham Abbey (Gray Jackson) and Jonas Chernick (Heironymous Slade) provide audio commentary on the episode "Peak Oil". Their commentary is informative and entertaining as far as these things go, making one wish that commentaries were included on more than one episode.
The special features on Disc 3 are as follows:
Stunts (4:43): Cast and crew talk about filming stunts and explosions for the show.
The Stars Talk About Seduction (5:23): Features interviews with some of the cast members talking about their love scenes.
Working With Guns (6:25): Cast and crew discuss using all types of firearms in filming The Border.
On Set (5:08): Executive producer Peter Raymont hosts a behind the scenes featurette on the set of The Border.
A Look At Cast and Crew (6:11): The technicians working behind the scenes are given their due in this featurette.
Conclusion
The second season of The Border builds well on the framework established in the first 13 episodes in season one. The Border has all of the action and intrigue that I always enjoyed on shows like 24 and MI-5. I know that I would watch this show every week if it were airing on American television. Since the U.S. networks are airing other Canadian shows like Flashpoint and Corner Gas, I hope that someone picks up The Border for the American market. The second season ends on a cliffhanger which will be resolved when the third season premieres on the Canadian Broadcasting Channel on September 16. Until this excellent show is aired in the U.S., I will have to wait for the anticipated release of Season 3 on DVD in another 12 months to see the resolution of the season-ending cliffhanger.
