The Equalizer - Page 2

Nick,

Hopefully Play.com will have larger 3D front cover artwork for the second season set.

The artwork has that dark and gritty look, capturing the feel of the show, and love the image from the title sequence with Edward Woodward standing in front of the car with the switched on headlights and open driver's door (iconic title sequence).

Keeping fingers crossed that the transfers are as good as those in Universal Playback's first season set, and that the discs won't be scratched inside what will be I assume a plastic DVD case with three discs on each side.

Was expecting it to say "The Complete Second Season" on the front cover and side spine, however Fabulous Films have stated that the set will contain the original music (and Universal Playback's first season set, which was titled "Season One", apparently had all or most of the music intact).

Out of the remaining two seasons it's the third season which I'm most looking forward to (assuming the Season 2 set sells well). Am going to be biased saying this (it's also one of my favourite TV series as well), but I never thought there was a bad season of The Equalizer. It retained the dark, sometimes depressing, gritty and scary look through the four season run.

Back in the days when American TV shows were shown on prime-time television, The Equalizer was shown for some time in the UK on ITV on Thursday nights at 9 pm. My earliest memory of watching an original run episode, was the episode "17 Zebra", in which someone was killing homeless people. The fourth season had an even more depressing feel to it, and frustratingly didn't have a proper ending.

FYI,

For those in Australia, Umbrella Entertainment will be releasing Season 2 on April 4, 2012.  Still no sign of S2 in Region 1- come on Universal RELEASE IT ALREADY!! 

The cover art is similar to Season 1 (which is the same as Region 1 cover art), except for a different color scheme.  Here is a look:

http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/p-3266-equalizer-the-series-2.aspx

Many thanks for sharing this Nick. Don't know about this Umbrella (Region 4) release, but I'm assuming this set will have the original music, like with the Fabulous Films release (as there seems to be less or no music clearance problems in the UK and Austrailia (although Universal Playback in the end haven't released the second season of The Equalizer).

Ahead of next Monday's UK release of the second season, started watching Universal Playback's release of the first season recently. The following is sketchy, a list of how many music tracks are in each episode of the first half of the first season (not including Stewart Copeland's music score. Also, any time stamps are at PAL speed):

Season One (1985-86):

"Pilot":

Classical music

"China Rain":

Between 13 and 17 minutes - two music tracks (scene inside a nightclub where McCall meets a contact)

"The Defector":

One music track, heard playing on a radio player/ghetto blaster

"The Lock Box":

Two music tracks - around 15 minute mark, and around 16 minutes and 15 seconds mark

"Lady Cop":

Five music tracks:

- Jazz music track, around 1 minute and 30 second mark (just after the 30 second teaser and title sequence)

- Jazz music track by 'The Count'

- Music track, around the 14 minute mark

- Music track, around the 14 minutes and 30 seconds mark

- Music track, around the 32 minutes and 25 seconds mark

"The Confirmation Day":

No music tracks

"The Children's Song":

Two music tracks:

- Music track, around the 5 minutes and 30 seconds mark

- Music track, around the 17 minute mark

"The Distant Fire":

One music track, around the 3 minutes and 48 seconds mark

"Mama's Boy":

Five music tracks:

- After teaser and title sequence - 1 minute and 30 seconds to 3 minutes and 50 seconds mark (instrumental music track)

- 21 minute mark (instrumental classical music track)

- 31 minutes and 30 seconds mark (heavy metal or rock music track)

- 36 minutes and 45 seconds mark (track called Suicide Magic?)

- 37 minutes and 25 seconds mark (music track)

"Bump and Run":

One music track (8 minutes and 47 seconds mark)

"Desperately":

Three music tracks:

- 27 minutes and 15 seconds mark

- 31 minutes and 10 seconds mark

- 33 minutes and 35 seconds mark.

The third season of The Equalizer (being released by Fabulous Films) has a release date of Monday 18th June (source: Amazon UK, HMV.com and Play.com).

The following music tracks list is sketchy, a list of how many music tracks are in each episode of the second half of the first season (not including Stewart Copeland's music score. Also, any time stamps are at PAL speed):

"Reign of Terror":

Two music tracks:

- 5 minutes and 8 seconds mark

- 17 minutes and 15 seconds mark

"Back Home":

Four music tracks:

- 9 minutes and 20 seconds mark

- 10 minute mark

- 11 minutes and 20 seconds mark

- 24 minutes and 10 seconds mark

"Out of the Past":

One music track (3 minute mark)

"Dead Drop":

Two music tracks:

- 18 minutes and 24 seconds mark (Freeway of Love - Aretha Franklin)

- 38 minutes and 10 seconds mark

"Wash-Up":

Two music tracks:

- 23 minutes and 27 seconds mark

- 27 minutes and 10 seconds mark

"Torn":

No music tracks

"Unnatural Causes":

Two music tracks:

- 6 minutes and 43 seconds mark

- 7 minutes and 45 seconds mark

"Breakpoint":

Two music tracks:

- 2 minutes and 43 seconds mark

- 5 minutes and 20 seconds mark

"No Conscience":

Seven music tracks:

- 4 minutes and 7 seconds mark (Addicted to Love - Robert Palmer)

- 12 minutes and 38 seconds mark (instrumental track)

- 16 minutes and 14 seconds mark

- 18 minutes and 50 seconds mark (music track with saxophone)

- 21 minutes and 55 seconds mark (classical music)

- 27 minutes and 4 seconds mark

- 42 minutes and 16 seconds mark

"Unpunished Crimes":

No music tracks

"Pretenders" (Season Finale):

No music tracks.

The BBFC added a listing to their website today for Fabulous Films' DVD release of The Equalizer: Season Three:

The Equalizer: Season Three - BBFC listing page

Am hoping with the third season premiere "Blood and Wine", that it will be the same as with "The Titans" in the Dynasty: The Sixth Season (Region 2) set, where the original feature length version was included in the set, but split up into two separate listings on the BBFC website.

Finished watching Universal Playback's first season set, and it looked to me like the music was intact.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Willis 


Thanks for the info on the upcoming R2 S3. for region-free players

No probs. Had to re-read your post for any traces of sarcasm.  

The run time for the first part of "Blood and Wine" seems too long for an episode on it's own, and the total run time for the second part is too short for an episode of a US TV show at that time of the 1980's at PAL speed. When watching the first season on DVD, any episodes which finished short, had longer end credits with a longer version of the theme tune. Most of the rest of the third season is around 46 minutes. A total run time of 92 minutes at Region 2 PAL speed for "Blood and Wine" at that point of the 1980's seems right.

It's a headache keeping things updated, but the majority of threads like this one are fun with keeping people up to speed on. No front cover artwork up yet for the Region 2 third season set.

     Quote:

Originally Posted by WaveCrest 

No probs. Had to re-read your post for any traces of sarcasm.  

I could have told you Jeff wasn't being sarcastic.  He enjoys not being restricted to only R1 releases.  I feel the same way.

Gary "I'll certainly consider this upcoming Equalizer release as well" O.

It's hard to tell sometimes. Especially when you've kept people up to speed on what's happening (I could just leave it, but it's something I enjoy doing), and there haven't been many replies. So to get a comment out of nowhere by people you didn't expect to reply to some news or an update on a DVD/Blu-ray release outside of the US, it's hard to tell if someone is being genuine (the whole PAL vs NTSC topic included). Have emailed Fabulous Films about the music, and was told if releases in the US did continue, the music would be stripped out.

Was surprised, but not too surprised that the BBFC gave the third season a '12' certificate. There was less action scenes as the series went on, but in the fourth season more real life issues were written into the stories/episodes.

Also, on a separate note, Fabulous Films' new website is now up and running.

Are you getting Fabulous Films' release of the Simon MacCorkindale series Manimal, Jeff?

Not confirmed yet which season set (or complete series set) these will be extras in, but Fabulous Films posted on their Facebook page a few days ago that they were filming interviews with Keith Szarabajka (Mickey Kostmayer), William Zabka (Scott McCall), Coleman Luck (show writer) and Robert Eisele (show writer), which have now been completed.