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Blu-ray Review: FROM DUSK TILL DAWN Season 2

Feb 03, 2016 Posted by in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

The first season of the El Rey network’s From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series was a ten-episode adaptation of the original feature film. It followed the adventures of the bank-robbing Gecko brothers, Seth (D.J. Cotrona) and Richie (Zane Holtz), as they made their way to Mexico, ultimately ending up at a strange strip club run by an ancient race of vampires known as culebras. However, the second season is a completely original story that takes these characters on new adventures and further expands/explores the world of the culebras.

The second season picks up three months after the events of season one, and the various characters have gone their separate ways. Newly-freed Santánico (Eiza González) and Ritchie are on a Bonnie and Clyde style mission to find and kill Lord Malvado (Esai Morales), the man who enslaved Santánico for decades. Elsewhere in Texas, Seth and Kate (Madison Davenport) are on a bit of a road trip, bonding over the loss of their brothers to the culebras. Seth has resorted to drugs to deal with what happened, but Kate believes God protected her brother and wants to head back to Mexico to find Scott (Brandon Soo Hoo). Meanwhile, Ranger Gonzalez (Jesse Garcia) has become a prepper/survivalist, obsessed with protecting his family from the culebras, fitting his home with steel shutters for sundown and stockpiling stakes, guns and other weapons. And back at the Titty Twister, Carlos (Wilmer Valderrama) has finally emerged from the labyrinth, with a plan to take control of the culebras empire for himself.

The second season also brings back fun characters like Sex Machine (Jake Busey) and introduces some great new characters like Uncle Eddie (Jeff Fahey), an old friend who helps out the Gecko brothers; Sonja (Briana Evigan), a tattoo artist/con woman who teams up with Seth; The Regulator (Danny Trejo), a bounty hunter sent to track down rogue culebras; and Paloma Gutierrez (Alicia Sanz), a woman Santánico is grooming to help her infiltrate Malvado’s operation. Plus Demi Lovato makes a guest appearance.

I really enjoyed this second season and found the writing and acting much improved over the first. The season’s episodes run the gamut of genres—action/adventure, heist, mob-like power struggle, monster/horror, etc.—with a lot of fun, humorous moments sprinkled throughout. The second season expands out the show’s universe, explains more of the culebra lore, and takes a look at some of the other lords who rule over culebra empire. The series also explores each of the characters in more depth, giving us more information about their past and their motivations. One of the things I didn’t really care for in the first season was all of the dream sequences/visions with Santánico in Ritchie’s mind, so I was glad to see that that doesn’t really come into play much in this second season.

My cable company doesn’t carry the El Rey network, so I had never seen the series before I received this Blu-ray for review. I binge-watched both seasons back-to-back, and I have to say this show works really well for binging as each episode picks up right where the previous left off. I really liked how the series takes its time to bring all of the various storylines and characters back together in the second season. It is very well paced, all leading up to an exciting and explosive final few episodes.

Viewers who have only seen the film could probably jump right in at season two. While several of the characters from the film end up with different fates in the series, this is quite evident rather quickly.

The show looks and sounds great on this Blu-ray. Every detail of the slightly washed-out look of the series is captured beautifully, giving the show a very cinematic feel. The visual effects are blended nicely and feel very natural, though sometimes a bit over the top, but in a fun, pulpy way. The audio track provides clear dialogue, while also allowing the soundtrack and effects to shine. The Blu-ray discs also contain a lot of great bonus features, including audio commentaries on the premiere and finale episodes, over 40 minutes of cast and crew interviews/behind-the-scenes featurettes, and the full 2015 New York Comic Con panel for the series.



What’s Included:

Episodes: (448 min)

  • All 10 Episodes of the Second Season:
    “Opening Night”, “In a Dark Time”, “Attack of the 50 Ft. Sex Machine”, “The Best Little Horror House in Texas”, “Bondage”, “Bizarre Tales”, “Bring Me the Head of Santanico Pandemonium”, “The Last Temptation of Richard Gecko”, “There Will Be Blood”, “Santa Sangre”
  • 1080p / Widescreen 1.78:1
  • Audio: English DTS HD-MA 5.1
  • Subtitles: English SDH

Extras:

  • Audio Commentaries
    Executive produce/director Robert Rodriguez and cast members D.J. Cotrona (“Seth Gecko”), Zane Holtz (“Richie Gecko”), Eiza González (“Santánico Pandemonium”), Madison Davenport (“Kate Fuller”), Brandon Soo Hoo (“Scott Fuller”) and Wilmer Valderrama (“Carlos Madrigal”) provide entertaining and informative audio commentaries on the second season premiere and finale episodes. They have great chemistry, and give a lot of fun behind-the-scenes stories about the production.

    • “Opening Night” (45:31)
    • “Santa Sangre” (44:46)
  • After Dusk: Inside the Episode (16:16)
    In these postmortem featurettes, series creator Robert Rodriguez, executive producer/writer Carlos Coto and executive producer Diego Guitierrez recap the major events of each episode. Play All or select by episode.
  • Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes (24:25)
    These short featurettes include behind-the-scenes footage, clips and interviews with executive producer/director Robert Rodriguez, executive producer/showrunner Carlos Coto, executive producer Diego Guitierrez, and cast members D.J. Cotrona, Eiza González, Wilmer Valderrama, Zane Holtz, Jesse Garcia (“Freddie Gonzalez”), Danny Trejo (“The Regulator”), Madison Davenport, Brandon Soo Hoo, Jake Busey (“Sex Machine”), Esai Morales (“Lord Malvado”), Briana Evigan (“Sonja”) and Jeff Fahey (“Uncle Eddie”). Play All or select from:

    • Overview (3:03)
      The cast and creators talk about the show’s second season.
    • Pulp Origins (1:54)
      A look at the pulp novel crime stories the series uses for inspirations.
    • Mythology (1:37)
      A look at the Mesoamerica/Mayan mythology the series uses at its core.
    • The Talent (1:54)
      A look at the new and returning cast/characters.
    • Costumes/Makeup (1:45)
      Costume designer Nina Proctor and makeup department head Jenny Lin talk about giving the characters their looks.
    • Robert (1:17)
      The cast and creators talk about working with Robert Rodriguez.
    • Effects/Stunts (1:06)
      Special FX supervisor Bob Trevino, stunt coordinator J.J. Dashnaw talk about some of the stunts and practical effects used this season.
    • The Titty Twister (2:22)
      The executive producers talk about blowing up this iconic location and exploring new locations.
    • Danny Trejo (:59)
      A look at the character of The Regulator, and the actor who plays him.
    • Jackknife Jeds (1:46)
      A look at Malvado and his new base of operations.
    • Eat About It (1:33)
      The executive producers talk about this concept of “Eat About It” and how the Geckos use it to hash out their problems.
    • Culebras 101 (1:39)
      A rundown of the basics of culebra lore.
    • Demi Lovato (1:38)
      The executive producers talk about creating the character of Mya specifically for Demi Lovato.
    • Jake Busey (1:44)
      The executive producers talk about the unexpected charm of Sex Machine, which is all due to the actor who plays him.
  • 2015 NYC Comic Con Panel Discussion (44:35)
    Watch the entire 2015 New York Comic Con panel for the series as the cast and creator talk about the first two seasons of the show. The panel is moderated by Clarke Wolfe and the panelists include Robert Rodriguez, D.J. Cotrona, Zane Holtz, Eiza González, Jesse Garcia, and Madison Davenport.

    (The back cover and case insert both state that the Comic Con Sizzle Reel is also included, but I could not find this on any of the discs.)

 


Final Thoughts:

My Rating
Episodes:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Recommended

From Dusk Till Dawn is a fun, action-packed show which transcends many genres. The second season is a really nice departure from the first season, which was basically a retelling of the 1996 feature film. The second season builds off of the events and characters from the first, and really shines when it gets into its own original material and storylines. The second season ends in a way that leaves the characters in an interesting place for the upcoming third season, which I look forward to checking out. The Blu-ray looks and sounds great, and includes a nice selection of bonus material. I recommend checking out this release.