Customer Reviews

The 4400 - The Complete Second Season

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Finally!

Ever since the second season ended on TV, I've been scouring Amazon and Best Buy at least twice a month for the release date!

The second season of the 4400 begins a year after the events of season 1, not counting the small interlude with Richard and Lily in hiding, and Lily going into labor with her baby.

Since the end of season 1, Baldwin has been stuck behind a desk while Skouris, rotating through a number of incompetent partners, has made little to no progress investigating the 4400. Skouris is also adopting the clairvoyant girl Maia as her daughter, and Baldwin's son Kyle, out of his coma, has been in quaratine for the past year, much to his frustration. Jordan Collier, billionaire and 4400 member, is attempting to build a seperate nation or some such for the 4400, and he's not above breaking the law to do it. His search for Richard, Lily, and their six-month-old baby Isabelle also continues, while Richard & Lily are on the run from the US government, and zealots who believe the 4400 to be a harbinger of doom. The cast took a bit of a blow with the departure of Peter Coyote as boss Dennis Ryland, who was replaced by Samantha Ferris as the new boss, Nina Jarvis. Star Trek fans receive a bit of a treat this season with appearances by Jeffery Combs (DS9's Weyoun, Brunt & Enterprise's Shran) and Robert Picardo (Voyager's Emergency Medical Hologram).

With the third season set to begin this summer (with Combs appearing in half of the episodes!), I'm eager to see the second season again, without commercials.

The 4400 is the best sci-fi series on TV these days, IMHO, since the loss of Star Trek: Enterprise and The X-Files, which is why I'm proud to add this set to my collection.

Twelve episodes make up the 2nd season, and they're 12 good hours to spend. :-)

But if you plan to spend summer watching reality shows, I pity you.

This is one of the most innovative series to hit television since the days of the original Star Trek and the Time Tunnel. Rather than being the same ol' space alien stuff, the 4400 presents viewers with a genuine mystery -- Where have the 4,400 returnees been? Who, if anyone, took them? Why were they selected in the first place? And why have they been returned now?

The answers to these and other questions are not all revealed in the second season, but we do get some ideas about who took the 4400 and why. I won't give it away in case any of you have not yet seen the series, but suffice to say that the answers are not the standard space opera stuff.

I didn't happen to catch the first season of this series when it was originally broadcast, so ended up watching seasons 1 and 2 back to back on DVD. This is, in many ways, the best way to see the shows for the first time, as seeing them all in sequence makes the plot more sensible and also aids in helping viewers speculate about what is actually behind the "takings." If you like to puzzle out mystery stories and also enjoy top-of-the-line science fiction, The 4400 is for you.

My husband and I just finished a marathon viewing of Season 2, and it is FANTASTIC. While Season 1 seemed a bit slow in terms of telling the individual stories, the ending (especially with the trees bowing to the passing car carrying an in-utero Isabel!) held much promise.

What I found fascinating (this was in the Return of the 4400 Featurette) is that Season 1 was a mini-series and that it wasn't certain if it would become a TV show. In fact, a writer mentioned that it wasn't supposed to come out that the 4400 were humans sent back from the future until Season 5 or so...about 100 episodes into it! So when The 4400 was given the green light for the production, the writers had to figure out how to proceed with the proverbial "cat already out of the bag".

Personally, I'm glad the cat was let out of the bag! I have felt strung along by the show LOST and stopped watching it. But at least with The 4400, you know what you're dealing with. HOWEVER, we don't know who, exactly, sent them back...and what their motives are!

While the plot lines are solid, the characters and relationships (and, of course, the writing) are what really makes this show stand out. Season 2 shows plot elements I've not seen elsewhere (Tom and his new love!) and compelling scenarios. My husband and I were so blown away by Season 2 (especially Mommy's Bosses) that we've re-started our satellite subscription just so we can see the premiere of Season 3 on June 11th on USA!

I wish there were more extras on the Season 2 Discs, but it was interesting to hear what inspired The 4400 (9/11) and Jacqueline McKenzie's (who plays Diana) accent. I would have never guessed in a million years that she was Australian based on her preformance on the show! What an amazing actress...

I also enjoyed the Stitch in Time Featurette featuring astrophysicists talking about wormholes and the spacetime continuum--and how time travel could be possible.

Despite not having a lot of extras, Season 2 is worth getting just for the compelling stories and acting. I thought LOST (used to) have great writing, as well as The Shield, but honestly...I believe The 4400 is better than both of those shows!

I missed seeing more of Jordan Collier (found out in the Featurette that Billy Campbell insisted on sailing on a tall ship as a crewman!), but the actors playing Kyle, Tom, and Shaun are top-notch. Kinda neat seeing Kaj Erik-Eriksen (who plays Danny, Shaun's brother). Remember him from The Commish?. He played Scali's son in that show.

Highly recommended!

P.S. The final scene is amazing. Interesting that Jordan Collier's initials are J.C...

The second season of the 4400 packs a solid punch of entertainment. The ingenuity of the writing creates a plot that develops in unpredictable and refreshing directions.

The premise is that 4400 people have been disappeared over the last 80 years. They all return at the same time and place with no memory of having been gone and some have incredible powers--such as healing, esp and more.

Initially the public has a hard time with these returnees. They are frightened of their powers. Through the public relations efforts of a very wealthy 4400, Jordan Collier, the tide changes and a cult springs up around these gifted 4400's.

The first season was a mini-series consisting of the pilot and four episodes. This mini-series established the history of the 4400 and laid the groundwork for the episode formula--the focus of each episode is the two NTAC agents, Tom and Diana, who investigate issues resulting from an individual 4400. These two agents are also involved personally--Tom has a nephew who is a 4400 and Diana adopts a 4400 child. The series also focuses on the plight of a 4400 couple, Lily and Richard, and their possibly alien child Isabella who has many advanced, sometimes frightening, abililities.

The second season expanded to 12 episodes that continue to explore the ramifications of persons with these advanced abilities entering the population. The story unfolds in interesting and unexpected directions building to an excellent and surprising season finale. The actors are fairly good and all the regular actors settle into their roles by the second season. Patrick Flueger, who plays Shawn Ferrel, provides the most charismatic and relaxed performance.

If you are looking for an innovative Sci Fi program this is the one for you--highly recommended!

The 4400's sophomore season is good- they writers have managed to carry the storyline forward despite the fact that it was not intended to continue initially. For those new to the series, 4400 individuals abducted over time have all returned on the same day, without aging; hence the young girl Maya who was born in 1920 or sometime like that. Some of the 'returnees' have special powers, and they are struggling to adapt to their new lives, sometimes with persecution. The main story involves a Homeland Defense type duo (ala Scully and Mulder) who are assigned to various cases involving the mysterious powers of the 4400. At the conclusion of Season 1 we have learned that the 4400 were taken by humans from the future, seeded back into our time in order to save humanity from a future disaster of unknown origins. Additionally, the some of the 4400 are organizing into a new-age cult like 'movement' with an unknown agenda and the stated goal of saving humanity. But the 4400 are not always benign, some are criminals, and it is interesting to see how their drama plays out.

Overall, the acting is sometimes strained- and I'll put it in the same category as the scifi shows 'stargate'. The production value of season two is also a little weak, and at times you can really tell that they are on a sound stage. However, this is all compensated by the compelling story line. You'll keep watching to see what happens, and what they come up with. If season 3 can clean up the production and the acting, they this will become a first rate show.

I remember watching Season 1 of 'The 4400' and being absolutely engaged. I could hardly miss an evening until it was finished. I was smitten by the personal dramas the protagonists endured. I was intrigued by the tales involving guest characters. I was moved by certain relationships as they existed at the time, and fascinated by the overall story behind everything.

This season, however, is missing a lot of the heart that was previously there, and feels less moving.

Character:

One unfortunate change is that the bond between Diana and Maia -- the heroine and the young returnee she took in -- has been significantly strengthened. On the surface, that sounds like a good thing, but in execution, it's a different story. What was interesting about their relationship in Season 1 was the fact that there WAS a hint of a slight emotional gap between the two (hence Diana's skepticism), thus making it all the more gratifying whenever we saw them display affection. Now, after a year together, the two of them have been given a routine mother-daughter relationship -- a scenario that can be called realistic, but is ultimately far less interesting than before. This is complemented by the words "mommy" and "my daughter" being pushed into nearly every episode, which doesn't come across as touching, but forced. In short, their state at the end of Season 1 should have been maintained, not evolved. Maia and Diana shouldn't have been given this level of closeness until the end of the series, because in making things typical you naturally make them less fascinating.

Also unfortunate is that Maia herself has been made a lot more emotional this season. This could be called character development, but it's a development that makes for a less interesting character than the unusually collected, almost apathetic figure from Season 1. It's also confusing that, after so much devotion to them last season, not only does Shawn not see Nikki, but he barely ever refers to her (odd because a situation in the second half here would have lent itself well to a reunion).

On the positive side, there's a very notable character-driven episode devoted to Tom called "Life Interrupted," which presents an intriguing if somewhat absurd scenario. Also notable is the establishment of Kyle's character this season, his bond with his cousin Shawn, and the addition of Alana.

Story:

The problem I found with the ongoing story line is that it feels like the show is desperately searching for direction, as though, already, there's barely anyplace left to go. A lot of what happens this season, to me, feels irrelevant and of little consequence -- from Richard and Lily on the run to the escapades of Jordan, Shawn, and their "4400 Center." This lack of consequence is why the occurrence of an event around the middle of the season comes off as a bit confusing. The show tries to include some of what worked previously (and should work now) by bringing in guest 4400s whose actions stir up trouble or controversy. However, this season we have scenarios like a 4400 who wants to build a strange monument, or a 4400 teacher who can increase her students' abilities. When one compares that to the sympathetic plight of Orson Bailey, the deranged Oliver Knox, or the vengeance of two mad brothers, the storytelling here just isn't as interesting as it was in Season 1, and neither are the antagonists.

What does manage to intrigue is the story with Kyle, though questions surrounding it still remain at the end.

Visuals:

First of all (and this is admittedly of minimal importance, but still...), the very look of the show seems to be slightly altered. I don't know the technical terms for the styles of film, but the first season had a more appropriate down-to-earth, up-close-and-personal look, while the second, right from the start, has a more detached, almost movie-like appearance. It becomes increasingly apparent, though, that the special effects have improved.

Extras:

Some very nice episode commentaries with cast and crew are included.

Season 2 of 'The 4400' is at times well done, but just a bit lacking when compared to the first. Still a good show though.

Earlier I mentioned that it took me nearly a year to get through the first season of "The 4400", a series that I thought had potential, but didn't fully grab my attention until later. Well, I jumped into this second season unsure of where the writers would take us - unsure of how the 4400 fit back into the existence of the world, and what "ripple" effect they may be having on the future. Having learned that they were returned, not from an alien race, but from our own kind in a future world, to stop a massive "catastrophe" from happening - I was hooked. I don't mean like I would casually pick up an episode here or there, it was a dedicated three hours every night until this second season was completed and then an immediate buy of the third season. My wife and I couldn't get enough of the duo of Tom Baldwin and Diana Skouris, Richard and Lilly's arranged marriage, and that father/son relationship between Shawn and Jordan Collier that teeters on madness - we gobbled it all up then asked for seconds.

The words direct from our mouths were, "This show is 100 times better than X-Files", and I will stay true to that thought and saying. What made the "X-Files" both enjoyable and irritable was the power of the individual episode, yet the overshadowing of the BIG government conspiracy. It was innovative at the time, but got old rather quickly. With "The 4400", the blend of both the individual episode (i.e. each character struggling with their own personal dilemma) as well as the HUGE underlying tone of "why" were these individuals brought back. Sides begin to develop due to the return of Jordan Collier, who wants nothing more than to create a shelter for these uniquely challenged. This poses both trials and tribulations for the Seattle NTAC team that want to control and survey whatever the 4400 may be doing. The "ripple" effect is explore further and with more detail and the slight idea that everyone involved from both those that are returnees to those that may be lending a helpful end (aka Tom and Diana) are also essiantial players in this fight for the future. The great element to all of this, the idea that surrounds every episode, is who is on the "good" side and who is on the "bad" side. A war is about to be waged, and what keeps me gripped to each episode over and over again, is that the lines of truth are not distinctly drawn. Is Jordan as bad as we think? Is Dennis Ryland really fighting the good fight? The trust has not been established yet, and that keeps me on the edge of my couch during each episode.

Then there is Isabelle - an entire paper could be written on what she is or isn't. I am afraid to tackle that subject even here, because knowing what I know about season three, she was a small hint of glory in this season.

I have two, very small, and very insignificant issues with this series. I hate to use these words because there are so many great elements to this series, but with every good there is always one very small bad. With "The 4400"it teeters upon the religious. I kept thinking of the "Left Behind" books for a bit, and giggled at the thought of Kirk Cameron suddenly appearing on screen, but it is such a small issue that it passes quite quickly. When you deal with faith, and the understanding of purpose, you can easily transform yourself into a deeply religious television series - and for a couple of episodes here it does just that, but it doesn't remain that long. Also, again small gripe here, but Jacqueline McKenzie has moments where she slips in and out of her character. Her facial expressions at times seemed forced or forgotten. Her interaction with the other characters seem like typical conversation or studied lines, she isn't the strongest player and at times it weakens the surrounding storyline or character development. Only two gripes I have, I will be quiet now.

Favorite episodes from this series:

"Wake-Up Call" - a prime example of the "ripple" effect in full swing.
"Life Interrupted' - my personal favorite episode of the series - just the fact that a lifetime can happen in just a few moments impresses me.
"Lockdown" - just loved the way this episode was shot cinematically.
"Mommy's Bosses" - just the title of this episode alone gave me shivers up my spine. Season 3, here I come!

Let the birth of the catastrophe begin!

Grade: ***** out of *****

Season 2 of the 4400 is even more fascinating than the first season and lets the characters develop more. It was already a great show but the first season only had like 5 episodes. After everything that happened in the first season, a year went by. Since Sean chose to leave his family and join Jordan (Bill Campbell), Jordan has had him healing people secretly. With the money they get going to Jordan's 4400 foundation. While Tom has more and more trouble with his son Kyle. Kyle may be himself again since waking from his coma but he starts having blackouts with whatever is inside him taking over his body. Meanwhile baby Isabelle keeps showing her parents that she's not a normal baby and that she has dangerous powers.

While Diana's sister shows up and discovers Maia's future telling abilities and uses her to win some money. Which is a little mean but not really a bad idea lol. Maia's abilities really get put to the test when she sees that Jordan will get killed. Sean has to realize that if that happens he has to take over as the new face of the 4400. In the finale an ingenious doctor (an excellent Jeffrey Combs) that didn't talk for 6 years until mysteriously getting cured is the only hope for the 4400 when they start to get really sick.

The show manages to even get better in this season. There's not one bad episode. While the whole cast is solid. Joel Gretsch (Tom) and Jacqueline McKenzie (Diana) are good Mulder and Scully type team. They have great chemestry without ever teasing us that they could get together. They're just strictly partners. While Peter Coyote is equally good as their on and off again boss Dennis. They think they can trust him but he basically wouldn't mind getting rid of all the 4400. The only bad thing about the show is that you have to wait a whole year to see another season after one ends.

I only caught a few episodes of the "4400" on television. I liked them so much I ordered the first season and enjoyed it more than any recent sci-fi program on air. When I saw the second season was coming out I pre-ordered it too. The second season is as good (if not better) than the first. This series is a welcome addition to my DVD collection. It will be interesting to see how the writers develop and keep this program unique and intriguing.

A terrific second season for "The 4400" the best kept secret on cable. At the conclusion of the first season of "The 4400" we found out why 4400 people from various points during the last century and were abducted and returned to Earth in the present. It seems humanity is dying and these people hold the key to changing the time line for the future insuring the survival of our species. One woman Lily (Laura Allen) returns pregnant with the child of Richard (M. Ali) who had an affair with the woman's mother during World War II. The only problem is that she wasn't pregnant when she was abducted. Isabelle their child may be a savoir or not but the three of them are being hunted by others with their own agenda. Many of these people such as Sean the son of government agent Tom Bishop (Joel Gretsch) have the ability to heal sick people while a little girl has the ability to see the future. Bishop and his partner Diana Skouis (Jacqueline McKenzie) keep tabs on the 4400 trying to protect them from those seeking to kill them. Diana adopts Mia the little girl who can see the future when the two bond. Jordan (Bill Campbell) a wealthy member of this exclusive club sets up a philanthropic organization to help others. Jordan has his own agenda though as he establishes a cult surrounding the individuals that come to live in the exclusive community he establishes for members of the 4400. We meet a new member of this club Tess (Summer Glau from "Firefly" and "Serenity") who diagrams a device made of common household items. She's committed to a mental institution when she begins hearing voices. The blinding headaches that Jordan began experiencing after touching Libby's abdomen while she was pregnant continue. It also seems that the baby has some supernatural powers that allow it to manipulate the minds of others and kill just with a look.

Produced by "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" writer Ira Steven Behr and created by Scott Peters ("The Outer Limits") and Rene Echevarris ("Deep Space Nine", "Star Trek: The Next Generation","Medium" and "Dark Angel") "The 4400" seems the natural successor to "The X-Files". While the show's premise will probably lead to the same limitations that hemmed in "The X-Files" the fact that most of the 4400 (if not all) have unique gifts allows the story arc to develop naturally and with a lot of story potential. While the Scully and Mulder of this show Tom Bishop and Diana Skouris have their own issues with each other and their agency the two actors have nice chemistry that insure the appeal of the series.

The anamorphic presentation looks extremely good with a crisp presentation. The 5.1 and 2.0 presentations of the sound doesn't take advantage of the format all that well but the show does sound terrific even if the sound mix doesn't take advantage of the format.

Unlike the first season set the second season has some very good extras. We get commentary tracks on three episodes featuring actors Jacqueline McKenzie, Joel Gretsch, writer-director-creator Craig Sweeny and producer/writer Ira Steven Behr. All three are quite good with interesting insights and observations about the episodes they're watching.

The featurettes are quite good as well. "Creating the Ball of Light" features the cast discussing their take on the show and their characters. "Return of the 4400" allows cast and crew to discuss the developments during the second season of the show. A warning is to watch this particularly featurette after having viewed all the second season episodes as those interviewed reveal developments over the course of season two. "A Stitch in Time" has interviews with various scientific experiments about the science behind the show. We get the usual assortment of previews included as well.

The second season set is a marked improvement over the first with some nice featurettes and commentary tracks. The second season had a number of fascinating developments for the show. We get quite a few more episodes for the second season. If any show is following in the steps of "The X-Files" successfully it's this show. It manages to do so without being imitative.