Customer Reviews

Due South: Season Three (Four-Disc Edition)

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

 

 

There are two camps in the DS fandom: those who fangirl the "real" Ray from the first two seasons (played by David Marciano) and those who adore Ray Kowalski (Callum Keith Rennie) from the last season. This DVD set is the last, third season (as seen in the US, instead of broken into two seasons as it was in other countries) and depending on which camp you fall into, you'll either love it or hate it.

The DVDs themselves are only of average quality, not really what you'd expect from a professional DVD release. More like something that you'd find on VHS. There aren't any good features, either, and CKR is nowhere to be found on the box. But on the other hand, the entire third season is here. No having to buy a whole other box set just to get the last few eps.

As for the show itself, it definitely took a different turn in the last season. I thought it started taking itself less seriously in most eps (there were exceptions for character development) and with Paul Gross at the helm as both actor and producer, it took more chances. Supernatural story lines (not out of the realm of believability, considering that the ghost of Fraser's dead father has been hanging around since the first season), Fraser becoming a bit more "superhero-like" in his abilities (which I saw as tongue-in-cheek, not bad writing), and most definitely a nod to fans of slash with major subtext between Fraser and Kowalski. (Something that pleased CKR fans, but made "real" ray fans do Linda Blair _Exorcist_ impressions; major split in the fandom.)


Paul Gross put more fun in the third season and yes, the writing could get wacky, as could the acting, but they were all having fun and if you look at it from that angle, you get a good laugh out of it. The finale is probably one of the best parts (aside from the two-part "Mountie on the Bounty"). It took that wackiness to a new level with the "resolutions" of the characters (the actors got to decide how they wanted their characters to end up), and best of all (depending on your view point), Fraser and Kowalski actually do ride off into the sunset together. In a dog sled. With Stan Rogers' "Northwest Passage" playing in the background.

Sweet? Funny? Just plain bad? It's all a matter of opinion, but whichever you choose, it's not dull. Due South never failed to be exciting and surprising, and the third season was a good example.

True, the US sets are cheaper than the Canada sets (though if you buy the canada sets from Amazon.ca, they're LOTS cheaper than buying them as imports from Amazon.com). True, the Canadian sets have difficult packaging (DVD overlay and spindles that require a lot of pressure before you can pop out the disk without risk of damage). True the first two Canadian season sets use the dreaded "flipper" (2-sided) disks. True what we saw in the US as a third season of 22 (missing four episodes, by the way) was produced and broadcast in Canada as two seasons of 13 each -- and the third and fourth DVD sets are released separately too. (Does the US "third season" set have all 26?) And most ironic truth of all: if I'd known that by waiting, I'd have gotten all three sets cheaper from an American distributor, I'd've taken that route too.

However -- the Canadian sets feature pristine transfers. (I've read that the US sets use videotape as the masters; I'm not sure where this info comes from, but it doesn't make sense that the masters would be any different than what the Alliance sets drew upon, since they license the material.) The Canadian sets feature disks running at the highest speed. (The American disks are single sided because they jam twice the normal amount of eps. per side, and run at a slower speed. That, it seems to me, would account for VHS-like resolution.) The Canadian sets, for whatever it's worth, do feature accurate packaging (the right cast members listed and featured in illustrations). And finally --

-- small thing though it may be --

-- the Caniadian Final (4th) Season set does have a small but utterly delightful extra. Paul Gross does a running commentary for both parts of CALL OF THE WILD. I can live without most commentary tracks I hear, but this is one you'll return to. It's witty, wryly funny and thoughtfully observed.

I won't tell you not to save the dough on the American release, I empathize ... I'll only tell you, the Canadian sets have more vibrant sound and video. And in the end, it's what's ON the DVD that matters the most ... isn't it?

Ignore what the cover looks like, this is season three with CKR as Ray (Kowalski). And it's season three the way those of us in the US saw it, as one big season, not broken up into two seasons.

Once again, don't go looking for anything in the way of features; it's just the episodes and the quality could be better. But for the money and for the chance to finally have the season the way you saw it instead of having to buy two seperate sets, it's well worth getting.

I found out about the domestic release of Due South on Amazon.com, and rushed out to buy all three seasons. The Canadian box sets are $80 Canadian, so buying all four seasons from Canada is an expensive proposition. The American release costs a third of that, and contains the pilot to boot, which wasn't included until the Season 3 box set in Canada.

Due South followed the misguided adventures of Benton Fraser, a constable in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as he tracked his father's killers to Chicago. After closing the case, his Canadian superiors advised him to lie low, so he remains in Chicago as a liaison at the Canadian consulate and works cases with Ray Vecchio, Chicago cop, along with his deaf wolf Diefenbaker (named after a former Canadian Prime Minister). The Canadian/American and wilderness/city culture clash leads to some humorous moments along the way.

The picture quality is noticeably grainy since it was taken from videotape rather than the masters, but for the great price (I now have all the seasons for less than one season of the Canadian box set), it's a compromise that was worth it. Like the Canadian set, there are no extras, also no closed captioning. Menus are bare bones and include episodes and chapter menus (hardly "interactive" menus as stated on the box). The packaging is a big step from the clunky Canadian design, featuring an attractive foldout cardboard case with large photos of Ray, Benton, and Dief.

The DVDs are single sided, meaning easier handling. All 26 third season episodes are here, including the two part "Mountie on the Bounty" and two part series finale "Call of the Wild." Nicknamed "The show that would not die," Due South was resurrected from the dead for the third season, when they were already destroying sets and many of the original cast had other work. David Marciano (Ray) was replaced by Canadian tough guy Callum Keith Rennie from Hard Core Logo. Marciano's absence was explained by having him on an undercover drug bust in Mexico, and Callum was a stand-in as Ray. Paul Gross took on the triple hats of actor, director, and producer, as well as doing most of his own stunts. And the show took a much darker, gritter, sexually charged tone in its final reincarnation. Citing reading Due South slash fiction (homoerotic fan fiction), Gross included elements (real or implied, your call) of homoerotic tension between Kowalski and Fraser, more violence, explicit songs on the soundtrack, and a less family friendly tone in general. My greatest disappointment was with the series finale, in which the storylines are wrapped up in an improbable, flippant way that insulted fans of the first two seasons. Et tu, Benton?

Hardcore fans will want the third season (originally split into two seasons in the US), but the best episodes are in the first two seasons with the "real" Ray. And what's up with the packaging? All the box art shows David Marciano instead of Callum Keith Rennie--not a major gripe, but inaccurate to say the least.

I am at a loss to understand the confusions and quibbles of some of the reviewers of this final set of Due South CDs. Paul Gross's portrayal of Benton Frazer is more refined than ever, and his new partner, Ray Kowalski, is played by Callum Keith Rennie to perfection. Like Gross, Rennie is a master actor. The two of them clearly formed a close bond making these episodes. Their relationship as Benton and Ray undergoes a series of transformations right to the close of the final episode, perhaps one of the most open and perplexing and hopeful and beautiful closing episodes of any series, matched perhaps by the final episode of Six Feet Under in which quite the opposite occurs and every character's destiny is made perfectly clear.

The shifting from the first Ray to the second was a situational, contractural necessity. The writers brilliantly turned it into a splendid plot twist, confusing Benton Frazer and the viewer quiet thoroughly for most of the first episode of the season - and then resolving the mystery as both silly and sinister and letting us get on with the season.

I commend to all who read this the other tv series and films in which either Paul Gross or Callum Keith Rennie appear. Most of them are good films, and Gross and Rennie can even make the Grade B ones shine with their acting. Happily, most of them are currently available. Just search on Paul Gross or Callum Keith Rennie.

Canada has a thriving, first-rate film "industry." We in the United States tend to remain ignorant of the great Canadian directors (such as Denis Arcand), writers (such as Paul Haggis) and actors (such as those in Due South and Slings and Arrows). Yes, you too, Draco, the masterful, hunky-husky canine actor who played Diefenbaker with a wolfy woof.

Maybe that's why the DVDs sell so inexpensively - their value is underrated to begin with. Our loss if we ignore them; our great delight if we get to know them.

My Canadian brothers and sisters: I thank you very kindly.

Writing this review reminds me of the time when, making our way north of Vancouver, my partner and I were on the track of - well, a story for another occasion.

I have been a big fan of Due South since it first aired on television. With the U.S. version of the DVD's though, don't get your hopes up when it comes to any extras because there aren't any. The discs are about as plain as they come. So as long as you aren't expecting anything other than the show itself, you won't be disappointed. The picture quality is the same as when it first aired on television. Other than that, the DVD's came out fine, just check to make sure nothing is wrong with the discs as some of them tend to shift during shipping.

I have heard that if you can afford it, get another country's version of the sets, such as the Canadian version, because it has better picture quality and it actually has extras on the DVD's. I would have given the DVD's a five star rating had it had extras.

I am really enjoying watching this set of dvds. I am pleased that I took the time to read the reviews otherwise I would have purchased what I thought was season 4 but was really the last 2 episodes of season 3. I loved this show when it was on tv many years ago and I am enjoying it again now. Here in Australia only 2 seasons were available to purchase at the stores and I was told there was no release date for season 3 ....I couldn't wait so I went to Amazon and have had no hassles with my order..I actually got it before the date they stated on the order. I don't mind the new Ray.......it is so long since I saw it that I had forgotten Ray changed! Great viewing and hard to stop at one or two episodes at a time. I love Due South.

I have both releases- a friend bought me this one and I purchased seasons 3&4 from Amazon.ca- and the Canadian release is better. The American release is cheaper, and looks it. The sound and video quality is bad, four episodes are missing, and they slapped David Mercano all over it. If you're a RayK fan, which you'd pretty much have to be in order to be looking to buy season three, the Canadian release is better.

As an Australian fan of this program with no hope of ever finding a Australian released version I jumped at the chance to get my hands on a copy to enjoy this fantastic program and I'll tell you right now I was not disappointed with the show in any way what so ever. I was a little disappointed in the quality of the DVD transfer. It was a little like watching a high quality video but to be honest I knew it was going to be like that and given the price compared to the Canadian version and the fact it has ALL the episodes I would buy it again if I had to. If you already have season one I can assure you it's better quality then that but not as good as you would expect from a fairly new release DVD. Be that as it may if you are a fan of the show, don't have the money to buy the Canadian version, which is separate box sets of Season 3, Season 4 and a separate copy of the double episode finale, don't mind watching a slightly lower quality version and don't mind a box cover that isn't really designed for this season (the images are of the original Ray and of episodes from season One) then get to credit card out and buy this killed before it's time program.

I have a hard time trusting the quality of a dvd release when the company can't even bother to package it with a photo of the correct actors. The third season co-starred Callum Keith Rennie (as Ray Kowalski) yet I don't see CKR on any of the packaging for this US release. Its a simple matter to check & frankly makes me wonder what else suffered from laziness on this release. (David Marciano only guest starred a couple of times in the season).

Also, it would be nice if the amazon editors would actually list the episodes included on this release. Thankfully other reviewers give enough hints to figure out how this differs from the Canadian release (series 3 & 4) of the same episodes. By the way, the Canadian release actually gets the packaging correct and features actor Rennie as he should be.