Customer Reviews

Andromeda - Season 2 Collection

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Andromeda is a fun show. It doesn't have characters in the sense of "character study", it has characters in the sense of "Boy, that guy is a character". Dylan, Beka, purple Trance, Rommy and Tyr are all fascinating to me, and Harper makes me smile every time he opens his mouth. There isn't really a lot of introspection or moral dilemmas going on here. Everyone knows what they want, and they are all trying to out-maneuver each other into getting it. Andromeda is the anti-Buffy.

Season 2 adds a bit of wire-fu to the show (to great effect in the Matrix-y episode "All Too Human") and the special effects team seem to have gotten a great deal on sparklers. There are still lots of Nietzschian machinations, and Tyr and Dylan go head to head a few times, including in what is probably the best episode of the series, "The Prince". There is also quite a bit of continuity in the episodes, and minor points in one show becomes the focus of another.

Trance makes a change for the serious, and the writers finally figure out what to do with Rev (ship him out).

ADV perpetually overcharges for all their single-episode disks. I have long given up buying them, and instead wait (and wait...) for the box sets. Note that in this set, you get 5 double-sided disks instead of the 10 single sided disks you would have if you bought them individually. It doesn't match the first season set, but it does save a bit of shelf space. The user interface is a lot better, but now the disk is front-loaded with commercials.

The second season of Andromeda really picked up after a slow start from the first season. The characters begin to develop personalities viewers can relate too, find their niches and loosen up. I highly recommend this boxed set as I said in my review of season 1 I do not recommend buying the individual episode packs those are almost as much as getting the complete season. Here is an episode listing of Season 2 to help you decide if you would be interested in spending the money.

01. The Widening Gyre
With the ship severely damaged, Dylan leads the crew of the Andromeda Ascendant in a battle against the largest and deadliest enemy they have ever encountered.


02. Exit Strategies
Dylan, Beka, Rev Bem and Tyr, pursued by a gang of Neitzscheans, are forced to make a crash landing on an icy planet.


03. A Heart for Falsehood Framed
The crew of the Andromeda replaces a sacred relic with a fake, attempting to negotiate peace between two battling parties.


04. Pitiless as the Sun
Trance is held captive, while Dylan and the rest of the crew try to uncover the source behind mysterious attacks on cargo ships


05. Last Call at the Broken Hammer
Dylan leads members of the crew to a desert wasteland in search of a former government leader.

06. All Too Human
Rommie discovers prejudices toward A.I.s while attempting to expose the nefarious plots of the Machenites.


07. Una Salas Victus
The crew of the Andromeda battles with the Neitzchean Drago-Kazov pride in an attempt to deliver medical supplies to an ailing colony.


08. Home Fires
A stranger with a message from Dylan's (Kevin Sorbo) long-dead fiancée arrives onboard Andromeda, leading the crew on a diplomatic mission.


09. Into the Labyrinth
The Andromeda hosts a conference of allies to the Commonwealth, while Harper (Gordon Michael Woolvett) is lured by unknown evil forces.


10. The Prince
Dylan and the crew of the Andromeda assist the sole survivor of a massacred royal family in his quest to regain the throne.


11. Bunker Hill
Captain Dylan Hunt allies with the Sabra-Jaguar Pride to wage war against the Dragans, while Harper launches a revolution on Earth.


12. Ouroboros
The crew of the Andromeda faces a sudden distortion of space and time.


13. Lava and Rockets
Dylan hijacks a tourist ship to escape the evil Ogami, a culture of mercenary killers.


14. Be All My Sins Remembered
Beka is forced to face her past when an old friend resurfaces.


15. Dance of the Mayflies
The Andromeda is invaded by a mutant species.


16. In Heaven Now Are Three
Beka leads a mission to find a legendary artifact.


17. The Things We Cannot Change
Dylan hovers near death in a dream world after an explosion rocks the Maru.

18. The Fair Unknown
The crew encounter the Vedrans the long-lost founders of the Commonwealth.

19. Belly of the Beast
The crew of Andromeda encounters a creature once thought to be mythological.

20. The Knight, Death and the Devil
Dylan attempts to save a group of captured High Guard ships.

21. Immaculate Perception
Racing to save his wife, and her coloney from attack, Tyr discovers he is a father.

22. The Tunnel at the End of the Light
Aliens from an alternate universe attack the crew of Andromeda.

While I like Andromeda, the double-sided "flipper" is a bad idea for a TV show. I was quite dissapointed to find this was the case, and that ADV decided to change the media format in the second season without notifying the consumer.

I own lots of TV series on DVDs and this is the first set I've received to use the "flipper" format. The flipper is particularly bad format for TV shows because they can't be easily used in single sided DVD jukeboxes/changers (I own the new Sony 400 disc player). I like to store my favorite shows in my megachanger, and had space already set aside for Andromeda S2. Now it will have to sit on the shelf.

I would discourage ADV from using flippers again, and hopefully they'll go back to using the single-sided DVDs for their subsequent releases.

After buying Season 1 with 10 Discs, I was surprised and a little sceptical to hear that Season 2 would be only 5 discs - all of which are 'flipper' discs. But ADV have pulled it off with some very nice new menus and transfers of episodes that are equal to or better than the last season. The only downside of 'flippers' are the increased chance of fingerprints on the disc, but if you are careful, then they have made a great space-saving choice in this release. Cannot wait for Season 3 :)

I like Season One a great deal, and I'm now waiting on the Season Two release to be delivered.

I just wish people would stop complaining about the fact that ADV released the boxed sets at a lower price than the individual discs. Buying in bulk, things are always going to be cheaper, that's just the way things are. I always wait before buying any series, including this one, because boxed sets will come eventually, and as time goes on, prices will inevitably fall on just about anything.

I don't want to be rude, but I think anyone who didn't have the foresight and patience to wait for prices to fall, and boxed sets to come out, and rushed in to buying individually packed discs at inital retail prices, deserved to get ripped off.

Bring on the boxed sets for Seasons 3 & 4!!

I have the entire set and really think that it stinks that after the whole set comes out as single set that they finally have the entire collection out at a fraction of the cost. That is not a way to get people but the product. I really enjoy Andromeda and the season premire was awesome but the whole idea of selling one way and changing after you have issued the whole set is just bad practice.

Now that ADV is gone, I'd strongly recommend that the US fans purchase this series from Amazon.ca!

Assuming many have been waiting for a price drop as I have, before purchasing.

It is being released in Canada via Alliance and the cover price is in the $25.00 Can$ range.

ADV over priced and gouged the fans of this show right from the beginning and its unfortunate that it's taken 5 years and the demise of ADV for fans to get a reasonably priced collection of this show on home video.

I bought this because I love sci-fi and have nothing else left to buy. I took a chance on season 1 and am still watching it. The characters have more depth than I anticipated based on the other people's opinions but I see they were, for the most part, wrong. I can't wait to learn more about Trance. There is something about her as if she knows something almost as if she is connected to the universe. I hope I am right. Harper is a great guy, a little young and a little inexperienced. Tyr has overcome his judgments and struggles with his upbringing and instincts. Beka has a past and a connection to family (father drug dealer and addict, brother that is on the run). The only one with out depth to this point is Captain Hunt. He only has a mission.

I don't want to go on and on in a review so I will keep this brief. Truly this is one of the best series I have seen, a gem for all sci-fi fans. The dialogue is witty, the characters developed and interesting and the cast really seem to enjoy their work. This is not just some big studio effort (in fact some have slated the production values in Andromeda but that was more the in first season) but something people invested alot of time, effort and interest into and it shows! If you want the standard sci-fi fare try Enterprise, if you want something different try Andromeda.

Season 2 is much better in production values than Season 1 and story wise better than Season 3. It has all the hallmarks of Andromeda; sharp banter, characters constantly trying to get the better of each other, good guys, bad guys, heroes, anti-heroes, beautiful CGI and that hard to describe genuineness behind each of the cast's performances. There is a wonderful back story and a collision of differing philosophies brought to life expertly in each character. You can really enjoy seeing how each one handles problems and challenges in their own very unique way. Standout episodes are Exit Strategies, The Prince, All too Human, Ouroboros, ah I mean all of them. Enough said, in the words of Captain Hunt "Lets bring it"

I didn't really get hooked on the show with season one. Most of the characters just seemed annoying. Other than Captain Hunt, Rommie, and Rev Bem, the characters were barely tolerable. When characters don't take life and death situations seriously, for example, it's hard for the audience to do so. And, the whole slip-stream deal is just too bizarre.

But, season two does have some strong episodes, and the characters have started to mature. One disappointment is that Rommie is yet another android/non-human trying to be human. It would have been refreshing if she were either comfortable with emotions from the get-go, or completely non-emotional.

Any word on when Season 3 comes out on DVD? I see that Season 3 "volumes" are available. I don't know anyone insane enough to spend $36 on a few episodes in a "volume" when the entire season sells for $56. Some Season 4 "volumes" are already available, but Season 3 is not even available for pre-order.