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Blu-ray Review: THE WALKING DEAD Season 6

Aug 24, 2016 Posted by in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

As the sixth season of The Walking Dead opens, our group of survivors face an imminent threat as a massive horde of walkers is headed in the direction of Alexandria. Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) is back in his familiar leadership role, and has come up with a plan to divert the flow of the undead away from the settlement. While this may be familiar ground for Rick’s crew, it’s a trial by fire for the Alexandrians as they get thrown right into the deep end without much training or warning. We learns of the events that took place during the season gap via black and white flashbacks, and the events of this plan take place over the first three episodes, each covering the same time period, but at different locations and following different groupings of characters. There are certain tent pole moments that happen in all of these episodes that allow the viewer to piece the events together like a puzzle. It is easily the biggest, most epic season or mid-season premiere the series has ever pulled off.

Throughout much of the season our group remains fractured, and that means a lot of stories centered around a smaller portion of the characters. While I do like seeing the group as a whole, I think this approach works well for a show with so many characters as it gives more time to explore the characters and relationships in detail rather than dividing up the time so much that you just get a quick check in with every character in every episode. The sixth season introduces some great new characters including a few Alexandrians we have somehow managed to never see up until now, like the delightful Doctor Denise (Merritt Wever), supply runner Heath (Corey Hawkins) and Carter (Ethan Embry)—who doesn’t seem to care for Rick or his methods all that much. And along the way the group meets the mysterious but resourceful Jesus (Tom Payne) of the Hilltop Colony, Paula (Alicia Witt) of The Saviors, and of course the wicked-but-somewhat-charming Neegan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan).

Over the course of the season the series explores the relationships between the characters as new romantic pairings arise, friendships are tested and new bonds are created. My favorite character at the start of the season was Carol. I really enjoyed how the series has taken this weak, beat down person from the first season and has evolved her into this sly, calculating, kick-butt woman. She is so good in the first half of the season! However, I was disappointed by the turn Carol takes in the second half of the season. But, on the flip side, somehow this season managed to make me actually like Father Gabriel, so there’s that! I also enjoyed how the season puts Rick in his place. While we always see him as the good guy since he’s part of “our group”, some of his choices and methods are maybe not all that honorable, and as the season goes along he must face the consequences of his Ricktatorship.

For the most part I found this season to be really strong. The second episode of the season, “JSS”, is quite possibly my favorite episode of the series, period. I think I forgot to breathe at times as it was so intense, brutal and shocking. The sixth season is filled with lots of amazing effects and hordes of zombies that rival that of big budget Hollywood blockbusters. It’s truly astonishing at times what they are about to do on a TV budget! There are lots of close calls and scares, but our extended Alexandria family quickly learns that their biggest threat isn’t the walkers, but rather the other humans who wish to do them harm—and we see two of these groups, the Wolves and The Saviors, wreak havoc on our group. The world of the series is expanded as our survivors meet folks from the neighboring Hilltop Community, agreeing to trade protection for food—a deal that leads to some drastic repercussions later on.

I like that the series is willing to kill off characters without warning, sometimes for shock factor and other times to move along the story. This provides real stakes to the show as anyone is fair game, and you have no idea who is going to make it (this is especially true in the season finale). Some may argue that the writers sort of copped out in this regard in the first half of the season, but I had no issues with how that particular storyline played out. My two main issues with the season are with two of the season’s extended-length episodes, 604 “Here’s Not Here” & 616 “Last Day On Earth”. While there were certainly episodes that I would have loved to see extended, these episodes didn’t need to be any longer than a standard-length episode. The former gives viewers pacifist Morgan’s origin story, which I found to be quite slow and boring, and a badly-timed tangent that brought things to a screeching halt right as the action and suspense of the season was ramping up. And while the last 15 minutes of the season finale were so tense and amazing, the preceding 50 minutes just felt way too long and repetitive. The episode could have easily been edited way down—there was no need to make this an extended episode. The season’s cliffhanger of an ending was also a bit divisive at the time it aired on TV, but I think that was mainly due to how it was promoted—and at least those watching on Blu-ray won’t have to wait too much longer for a resolution!

The Blu-ray presentation is really well done. The Walking Dead, by design, has never been a crisp, clean looking show—it has a very grainy, dirty look, and that is maintained for this Blu-ray. The audio track is quite good, providing not only clear dialogue but also utilizing all of the various channels to bring the creepy ambiance of the series into your living room. It also does a great job of adding direction and depth to the action on screen. As always, the discs are loaded with bonus material including 7 episode commentaries, an uncensored “extended” version of the season finale, almost 2 hours of behind-the-scenes featurettes and six deleted scenes. The usual “Inside The Walking Dead” featurettes are not included on the Blu-ray disc but, according to the press release, are included on the DVDs. I found this a bit annoying as these have always been a part of the Blu-ray releases, however, the good news is that all 16 of these featurettes are available via the included UltraViolet Digital Copy.



What’s Included:
Episodes: (12:34:02)

  • All 16 episodes of the sixth season:
    Disc 1: “First Time Again”, “JSS”, “Thank You”, “Here’s Not Here” (3:35:21)
    Disc 2: “Now”, “Always Accountable”, “Heads Up”, “Start To Finish” (2:53:43)
    Disc 3: “No Way Out”, “The Next World”, “Knots Untie”, “Not Tomorrow Yet” (2:51:45)
    Disc 4: “The Same Boat”, “Twice As Far”, “East”, “Last Day On Earth” (3:13:13)
  • Blu-ray:

    • 1080p / Widescreen 1.78:1
    • Audio: English Dolby TrueHD 7.1, French Dolby Surround 2.0
    • Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

    Digital Copy (Redemption Deadline 12/31/2018):

    • UltraViolet Digital HD copy redeemable via Vudu or Flixster

Extras:

  • Audio Commentaries
    Audio commentaries are provided on seven of the season’s episodes. In general these are really well done. The participants provide a lot of interesting and entertaining behind-the-scenes production stories and insight into the characters and story development.

    • Episode 601: First Time Again (42:59)
      audio commentary by writer/executive producer Scott M. Gimple, executive producer/special effects make-up artist/director Greg Nicotero and actor Norman Reedus
    • Episode 604: Here’s Not Here (1:04:40)
      audio commentary by writer/executive producer Scott M. Gimple, co-executive producer Denise Huth and actor Lennie James
    • Episode 608: Start To Finish (44:44)
      audio commentary by director Michael E. Satrazemis and actor Danai Gurira
    • Episode 609: No Way Out (42:56)
      audio commentary by executive producer Scott M. Gimple, executive producer/special effects make-up artist/director Greg Nicotero and actors Michael Cudlitz, Lennie James and Josh McDermitt
    • Episode 612: Not Tomorrow Yet (42:59)
      audio commentary by co-executive producer Denise Huth and actors Alanna Masterson and Steven Yeun
    • Episode 613: The Same Boat (42:53)
      audio commentary by writer Angela King and actors Lauren Cohan and Melissa McBride
    • Episode 616: Last Day on Earth (1:04:31)
      audio commentary by executive producer Scott M. Gimple, executive producer/special effects make-up artist/director Greg Nicotero and actor Michael Cudlitz
  • Episode 616: Last Day On Earth — The Extended Version (1:05:40)
    This “extended” cut of the season finale is only a minute longer than the version that actually aired. The main difference seems to be language—Neegan drops a lot of F-bombs. This version of the finale is exclusive to the Blu-ray release, so DVD purchases will need to double-dip in order to get this—but if they had the ability to watch Blu-rays n the first place, it’s likely they already opted for this release!
  • The Making of “The Walking Dead” (55:03)
    Go behind-the-scenes of each episode with the cast and crew to get a look at the sets and at how some of the effects, stunts and scenes came together. Includes interviews with co-executive producer Denise Huth, executive producer/special effects make-up artist/director Greg Nicotero, stunt coordinator Monty Simons, VFX supervisor Victor Scalise, property master John Sanders, director Jennifer Lynch, executive producer Gale Anne Hurd, location manager Mike Riley, executive producer/writer Scott M. Gimple, production designer Grace Walker, fight coordinator Steven Ho, Daryl stunt double Dalton Simons, director Kari Skogland, special effects supervisor Darrell Prichett, costume designer Eulyn C. Womble, executive producer Tom Luse, construction coordinator Roger Scruggs, director/director of photography Mike Satrazemis, and actors Lennie James (“Morgan”), Andrew Lincoln (“Rick Grimes”), Norman Reedus (“Daryl”), Ethan Embry (“Carter”), Sonequa Martin-Green (“Sasha”), Michael Traynor (“Nicholas”), Steven Yeun (“Glenn”), Lance Tafelski (“Black Bearded Wolf”), Melissa McBride (“Carol”), Alexandra Breckenridge (“Jessie”), Danai Gurira (“Michonne”), John Carrol Lynch (“Eastman”), Ross Marquand (“Aaron”), Lauren Cohan (“Maggie Greene”), Michael Cudlitz (“Sergeant Abraham Ford”), Josh McDermitt (“Dr. Eugene Porter”), Austin Nichols (“Spencer”), Alanna Masterson (“Tara”), Seth Gilliam (“Father Gabriel”), Tom Payne (“Jesus”), Xander Berkeley (“Gregory”), Keith Harris (“Dr. Carson”), Corey Hawkins (“Heath”), Alicia Witt (“Paula”), Jeananne Goossen (“Chelle”) and Christian Serratos (“Rosita Espinosa”).
    Unfortunately each episode must be selected individually as there is no Play All option.

    • The Making of Episode 601: First Time Again (4:33)
    • The Making of Episode 602: JSS (3:26)
    • The Making of Episode 603: Thank You (3:58)
    • The Making of Episode 604: Here’s Not Here (3:59)
    • The Making of Episode 605: Now (3:34)
    • The Making of Episode 606: Always Accountable (3:56)
    • The Making of Episode 607: Heads Up (3:00)
    • The Making of Episode 608: Start To Finish (3:57)
    • The Making of Episode 609: No Way Out (3:27)
    • The Making of Episode 610: The Next World (2:35)
    • The Making of Episode 611: Knots Untie (4:49)
    • The Making of Episode 612: Not Tomorrow Yet (3:34)
    • The Making of Episode 613: The Same Boat (2:57)
    • The Making of Episode 614: Twice As Far (2:23)
    • The Making of Episode 615: East (2:43)
    • The Making of Episode 616: Last Day on Earth (2:12)
  • In Memoriam (10:04)
    The cast and producers talk about some of the characters who didn’t survive the season, and the impact of losing characters in general. Includes interviews with co-executive producer Denise Huth, executive producers Scott M. Gimple, Gale Anne Hurd, Greg Nicotero and Tom Luse, and actors Andrew Lincoln, Tovah Feldshuh (“Deanna Monroe”), Danai Gurira, Alexandra Breckenridge, Norman Reedus and Christian Serratos.
  • 601: Out of The Quarry (7:46)
    The cast and producers talk about shooting the epic season premiere like a big budget Hollywood film, utilizing black & white, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with executive producers Scott M. Gimple, Gale Anne Hurd and Tom Luse, executive producer/director Greg Nicotero, co-executive producer Denise Huth, and actors Norman Reedus, Ross Marquand, Sonequa Martin-Green, Steven Yeun, Andrew Lincoln and Josh McDermitt.
  • Guts & Glory: The Death of Nicholas (5:03)
    The cast and producers talk about Nicholas’ journey towards redemption and his ultimate demise. Includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with executive producers Gale Anne Hurd, Greg Nicotero and Scott M. Gimple, co-executive producer Denise Huth, and actors Michael Traynor (“Nicholas”) and Steven Yeun.
  • Strength in Bonds (11:07)
    The cast and producers discuss the bonds and relationships between the core characters. Includes episode clips and interviews with executive producers Scott M. Gimple, Tom Luse and Gale Anne Hurd, co-executive producer Denise Huth, and actors Ross Marquand, Steven Yeun, Andrew Lincoln, Lennie James, Melissa McBride, Danai Gurira, Michael Cudlitz, Sonequa Martin-Green, Christian Serratos and Josh McDermitt.
  • Negan: Someone to Fear (5:18)
    The cast and producers talk about the looming threat of the mysterious Negan and his ominous introduction. Includes interviews with executive producers Scott M. Gimple, Greg Nicotero and Tom Luse, co-executive producer Denise Huth, and actors Ross Marquand, Sonequa Martin-Green, Lauren Cohan, Michael Cudlitz, Josh McDermitt, Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus.
  • The Face of Death: Iconic Walkers of The Season (3:39)
    The cast and producers talk about some of the season’s most notable walkers and walker deaths. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, clips and interviews with executive producers Gale Anne Hurd and Greg Nicotero and actors Lauren Cohan and Ross Marquand.
  • Deleted Scenes (8:40)
    A total of six deleted scenes across four episodes. While I like what was included, it seems odd that there is nothing from the second half of the season. Play All or select from:

    • Episode 601: First Time Again (1:03)
      Scene 38: Nicholas talks to Glenn
    • Episode 603: Thank You (1:02)
      Scene 15: Glenn starts preparing Nicholas
    • Episode 605 Now (2:46)
      Scene 8: Morgan thanks Deanna; Scene 30: Jessie Digs a Hole
    • Episode 607: Heads Up (3:48)
      Scene 24: Deanna has breakfast with Spencer; Scene 56: Deanna meets with Maggie while on watch.

  • Inside “The Walking Dead” (DVD/UV ONLY)
    Unfortunately and inexplicably, this mainstay bonus feature was left off the Blu-ray release this time around. The good news is that these 16 episode recap featurettes are still available via the UltraViolet Digital Copy. According to the original press release these are actually included in the DVD release, so fans will need to double-dip if they want these on physical media.

 


Final Thoughts:

My Rating
Episodes:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Highly Recommended

Overall I really enjoyed the sixth season of The Walking Dead. The series somehow manages to top itself year after year in the scope and size of what it’s able to accomplish each season, and this year was no different. From the amazing visuals, to the character development, to the shocking twists and turns, the sixth season will definitely keep viewers entertained. The second episode of the season was one of the most amazing hours of television I watched last year, plus the final 15 minutes of the season are so intense, and will have viewers anxiously awaiting the show’s return this October! The Blu-ray looks good and sounds great and is packed with some great bonus material. This release comes Highly Recommended for fans of the series as well as just fans of the genre in general.