seaQuest DSV Season 1 DVD (1 Viewer)

[todd s]

Season 1 was definitely better than the other seasons.

 

[Scott Kimball]

I've got it on order - my local retailers either sold out or didn't stock it.

I've been watching DVR'd episodes from SciFi's marathon last week. I remembered season one being the only one worth watching, and revisiting the episodes on SciFi have confirmed that. I won't be going beyond S1. Talk about a radical change...

-Scott

 

[Jason_V]

I dunno, Todd. I would have agreed whole-heartedly with you before watching the first half of S1. I remember loving the show when it premiered but now it seems to be all style and very little substance. The heavy-handed message of the week thawcks! you on the head every chance it gets. Those shows run like bad episodes of Trek.

That being said, I do remember S2 taking a noticeable dive in "reality" storytelling so the show became nearly impossible to seriously watch. I am looking forward to getting to the end of S1, though. Really solid storytelling, IIRC.

 

[todd s]

Jason, I said it was the better of the 3 seasons...not great tv. Season 2 becomes Baywatch meets the monster/aliens of the week.

 

[Christi P]

Anyone having problems with the discs? I am holding off on buying it, since Universal discs are famous for having problems.

 

[PeterTHX]

I felt Season 3 was much, much better.

 

[Jason_V]

Christi, I had a slight hiccup near the end of the pilot--the disc just froze on my portable player. I switched it to the "big" player and it worked fine. Put it back in the portable and not a problem. I've gotten through Side A of the fourth disc and there's nothing wrong. I've been playing them all on my cheap-o TruTech portable player.

 

[Mark Talmadge]

Me neither. I haven't had any playback problems with the set either. I finished watching the whole set a few days ago and it played fine on my Magnavox MRD-120 HTIB systsm. Can't wait for the announcement for Season 2. I hope they conbine Season 2 and Season 3 in the same set.

 

[Dave Mack]

How's the series hold up? I haven't seen it since the broadcast days.

 

[Jason_V]

^ David, I was enamoured with the show when it was first on, but I'm through the first half of the season and it's more style than substance. Everything is glitzy, fresh and snazzy looking, but the stories are just terribly lacking. They have no clue what they want to be. The show started out being a science discovery show (Treasure of the Mind, The Devil's Window), went haywire into action (seaWest, Nothing But the Truth) and ultimately ended up as pulpy sci-fi fare (Such Great Patience).

Almost every show has a big name guest star-Yaphet Kotto, Kellie Martin, Shelly Hack, Kent McCord, William Shatner, Charlton Heston-but the story always lets them down. Then there's the little matter of superfluous characters on the ship--Krieg could have been jettisoned without anyone missing him.

I still enjoy it because I like these kind of shows, but I'd never show to it to anyone who didn't see it before.

 

[todd s]

I always loved the episode where they found part of the Library of Alexandria. And the artifacts inside...never seen manuscripts, artwork, etc. I wish something like this happened in real life.

 

[Jason_V]

^ Todd, they did have some interesting ideas (like Alexandria, talking to dolphins) but too many times the "B" story just completely tanked the entire show. I'm talking the stock series cliches (crew getting sick, crew hostage, ship taken over) and that awful, dreadful, horrible, no good ending to "Treasures of the Tonga Trench"...need I say glowing...squid...poop? The show felt like it never knew if it was an adult action program or kiddie fare. You can't stradle that line and be sucessful.

 

[Randy Korstick]

Thats why I enjoy Season 2 and 3 more, they did away with all the preaching and just made it a fun show since it couldn't really be taken seriously anyways. Sure the production looked better in Season One but the shows were too talky in a talky Star Trek kind of way. Season One was just a little too pretentious. Sure the Season 2 and 3 shows were dumb but at least most of them were fun.

The colors on this set look really nice. I don't remember this show looking this good.

 

[Jason_V]

Absolutely. I watched the second half of "Brothers and Sisters" on the family room DVD player and was quite impressed with the quality of the transfer. No major issues to speak of.

One thing that keeps sticking in my head, tho, is an article I read between S1 and S2. Among other things, it said that a new producer or FX man came onboard halfway through the year. He commented about the underwater stuff always being murky and hard to see. Someone explained that seaQuest was X miles under the water and it would be murky. He shot back that seaQuest would sprout wings and fly if they wanted it to because it was in a computer.

Something tells me this guy was heard farther up the chain of command for S2.

I'd love to get my hands on a copy of that Sci Fi Universe article just to read it again.

 

[Randy Korstick]

Really enjoying this show again on DVD and have been taking it slow. I have finished more than half the season. Any word on Season 2 and 3? I believe the sales were good on this so I would think something should be announced soon.

 

[Jason_V]

I plowed through the first season before the end of January. I'm wondering what the plan for S2 and S3 is going to be? A full S2 set and then a third set for S3? Ya know, I'd like at least a feature on the S2 set about the changes (I'm guessing the trailers are too much to hope for...).

 

[Randy Korstick]

Considering Season 3 did have 13 episodes I think they will still be doing seperate releases for Season 2 and 3. They would probably have to price it too high for a combined set to get decent sales and Universal is doing split season 10 episode sets for Battlestar Gallactica.

 

[Jason_V]

I would think separate releases also, but when you consider the quality of S2 and the fast forward of S3, I can't imagine these will be huge sellers for Uni. I would think definately less than S1.

I also think the split season for BSG was more for promotional purposes than because the price point would be too high. I haven't heard anything for or against either of these ideas, tho...

 

[RogerH]

Before I buy season 1 I was wondering if there was any news on a possible season 2 release?