Timothy E
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[SIZE= 24px]EASTBOUND & DOWN [/SIZE]
[SIZE= 24px]The Complete First Season BLU-RAY[/SIZE]
Studio: HBO Home Entertainment
Year: 2009
Rated: TV-MA
Film Length: Approximately 3 hours
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French DTS Surround 5.1, Spanish DTS Digital Surround 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
Release Date: August 2, 2011
The Series
"When my ass was 19, I changed the face of professional baseball." Has there ever been a lead character on a TV series with such arrogance and stupidity in the same proportions as Kenny Powers? Eastbound & Down tells the misadventures of Kenny Powers(Danny McBride), a talented Major League baseball pitcher who played in the World Series in his teens and has been headed downhill ever since. Kenny suffers from the delusion that he is an epic hero when, in reality, most of the world is indifferent to him and his dwindling talents. Much dark humor and many interesting moments in the series derive from this premise.
Eastbound & Down begins with Kenny returning to his roots in North Carolina as he accepts the position of a substitute teacher in physical education at the school he attended as a child. Kenny finds himself moving in with his brother Dustin(John Hawkes) and his family. Kenny’s ex-girlfriend April(Katy Mixon) works at the same school, as does April’s fiancé Terrence(Andrew Daly). Kenny also has a sycophantic friend, Stevie(Steve Little), who subscribes to the delusion that Kenny can do no wrong.
Eastbound & Down was created by Ben T. Best, Jody Hill, and Danny McBride following their collaboration on The Foot Fist Way(2006). Will Ferrell and his producing partner Adam McKay(The Other Guys) collaborated with these principals as executive producers on Eastbound & Down. Ferrell also appears as an owner of an auto dealership sponsoring Kenny in this first season. The quality of acting, production values, and scripts make each episode seem like the continuation of an interesting film, rather than a TV series. Kenny Powers may be one of the great anti-heroes of series television, and his failures and successes make interesting viewing.
Video
Eastbound & Down appears on Blu-Ray in 1080p in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio as originally filmed and shown on HBO. Video has the appearance of film with a fair amount of grain, vibrant colors, and excellent clarity of image. This set presents an excellent video presentation of the series that surpasses anything that you might have seen of this series in high definition on HBO.
All 6 episodes from the first season are included in this 2-disc set. The first three episodes are on disc 1 with the final 3 episodes and most of the special features on disc 2. The episode run-times are as follows:
Chapter 1(29:46)
Chapter 2(26:08)
Chapter 3(26:36)
Chapter 4(27:10)
Chapter 5(29:54)
Chapter 6(29:31)
Audio
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks make excellent use of directional audio. This is not far off reference quality, and much higher standard than we might reasonably expect from a TV series.
Special Features
There is a wealth of special features which include all of the following:
The Making of Eastbound & Down(12:13): This featurette includes interviews, episode footage, and behind the scenes footage and was shown originally on HBO to promote the series.
Kenny Powers’ Greatest Hits(2:39): This is the faux trailer purportedly created by Stevie to promote Kenny’s comeback within the show.
Schaeffer Motors Commercial 1(1:23): This is the first of two commercials created for Will Ferrell’s character in the show.
Schaeffer Motors Commercial 2(1:23): This is the second of two commercials created for Will Ferrell’s character in the show.
Deleted Scenes aka Sweet Sh*t We Didn’t Use(9:13): These are deleted scenes from the first season.
Outtakes aka All The Times Someone F***ed Up The Show(13:03): These are some amusing flubs by the cast members.
Stevie’s Dark Secret: This is an amusing and twisted deleted scene that did not air.
Audio Commentaries: Writer Ben T. Best, actor Danny McBride, and directors Jody Hill and David Gordon Green provide informative full length commentaries on Chapters 1, 4, and 6.
Conclusion
Eastbound & Down The Complete First Season arrives on Blu-ray on the same date as The Complete Second Season. (The first season was previously released only on DVD.) The video and audio presentation are excellent and the set has many special features, all in high definition, for fans of the series. If you enjoyed The Foot Fist Way(2006), you are probably going to appreciate this series. Eastbound & Down The Complete First Season on Blu-ray comes recommended to everyone who missed the series when it aired originally as well as those who want to spend more time with one of the most interesting scoundrels on series television.
