[Cloysterpeteuk]

Right so i'm ahuge consumer of tv shows on dvd and like to have a boxset to watch each day of the week, but I refuse to pay stupid prices for such sets. At the moment I have over ten sets that need watching (not enough days in the week) but I like to plan ahead so I never run out of something to watch.

Anyway I wanted to go and buy Battlestar season 1 but it's still too pricey for me, of course I could buy the R2 cheap but that doesn't include the mini-series or the extras that the R1 has in spades. I was also going to buy the complete set of Babylon 5 which would have kept me going for years but I just downloaded the first episode and i've never seen such cheesy hokum as that! (although i'm downloaded a series 5 ep to see if it's always like that) so now i'm looking at getting the two season of Dark Angel (of which i've never seen an ep) so any thoughts would be appreciated. Price wise the R2 sets are £13.95 (plus the have good length seasons) while the R1 sets are £17.99, R2 has widescreen anamorphic but the R1 has commentaries and other extras.

[Starburst]

Dark Angel season1, excellent then season2 fell apart totally.
My opinion only of course, it's not that s2 was really bad but they just took it in a slightly different direction and the one aspect that could have worked never really got developed since there was non third season.


Bab5, it's an old show but it has to be looked at as a whole it was meant for a 5 year arc and certainly the first 4 seasons all center around the premise of a galactic war and the political issues behind the scenes.
The Babylon Podcast would be a good listen despite the spoilers when discussing the first season eps (just done ep3).

[krish]

Great show
Series 1 was fantastic
Series 2 wasn't too bad either, was an interesting direction (perhaps a bit too X-Men'ish at times), but since it got axed by those idiots at Fox it left quite a few unanswered questions

[davet010]

Originally Posted by Cloysterpeteuk

Right so i'm ahuge consumer of tv shows on dvd and like to have a boxset to watch each day of the week, but I refuse to pay stupid prices for such sets. At the moment I have over ten sets that need watching (not enough days in the week) but I like to plan ahead so I never run out of something to watch.

Anyway I wanted to go and buy Battlestar season 1 but it's still too pricey for me, of course I could buy the R2 cheap but that doesn't include the mini-series or the extras that the R1 has in spades. I was also going to buy the complete set of Babylon 5 which would have kept me going for years but I just downloaded the first episode and i've never seen such cheesy hokum as that! (although i'm downloaded a series 5 ep to see if it's always like that) so now i'm looking at getting the two season of Dark Angel (of which i've never seen an ep) so any thoughts would be appreciated. Price wise the R2 sets are £13.95 (plus the have good length seasons) while the R1 sets are £17.99, R2 has widescreen anamorphic but the R1 has commentaries and other extras.

Judging B5 on a single ep from season 1 and from season 5 will not give you anything like a coherent view of the show as a whole.

season 1 took a while to get going, but it was designed as a 5 season arc, and a lot of the eps in this season just start the ball rolling (and indeed only resolve themselves much later). By the end of that season, it was going well.

The 'core' of B5 is really seasons 2-4, which are among the best sustained stretch of network TV ever screened (IMHO). Perhaps the only complaint is that due to the producer being told that there would be no season 5, so all of the plot threads were tied up. Unfortunately, he was then told that a season 5 had been given the go ahead, so this was written once the arcs had been completed. A lot of it has its own merits, but turned it into a slightly different show....so again, an episode from series 5 might not give you the full flavour.

To be honest, Dark Angel made no impression on me whatsoever (other than..'crikey, that Jessica Alba's a bit nice..')

[david.2081]

I gave it a try but not even Jessica Alba could make it interesting for me. When you'e been treated to watching Buffy, Sopranos, 24, Gilmore Girls etc. some shows just fall way too short to be enjoyed.

Originally Posted by Cloysterpeteuk

Right so i'm ahuge consumer of tv shows on dvd and like to have a boxset to watch each day of the week, but I refuse to pay stupid prices for such sets. At the moment I have over ten sets that need watching (not enough days in the week) but I like to plan ahead so I never run out of something to watch.

Anyway I wanted to go and buy Battlestar season 1 but it's still too pricey for me, of course I could buy the R2 cheap but that doesn't include the mini-series or the extras that the R1 has in spades. I was also going to buy the complete set of Babylon 5 which would have kept me going for years but I just downloaded the first episode and i've never seen such cheesy hokum as that! (although i'm downloaded a series 5 ep to see if it's always like that) so now i'm looking at getting the two season of Dark Angel (of which i've never seen an ep) so any thoughts would be appreciated. Price wise the R2 sets are £13.95 (plus the have good length seasons) while the R1 sets are £17.99, R2 has widescreen anamorphic but the R1 has commentaries and other extras.

Cloysterpete,

whatever you do don't judge Babylon 5 on the pilot episode alone. I would even go as to say don't even judge on the first series as a whole even though it gets much better in the second half of the season. Babylon 5 is the greatest science-fiction series ever made (I don't use these words lightly ) and should be viewed as a whole. While the episodes are usually stand-alone episodes the series itself features a five year arc which was unlike anything else before and realistically since (although series like Lost are now in the process of doing something similar).

I take it you downloaded the pilot episode "the gathering" which features characters that get replaced, Alien design changes etc etc that are different by the time the first episode of season one. Trust me I know the pilot episode is a little hokey and the first season is a little slow to start but by the time you get to the second season you should be hooked. By the time you get the 3rd and 4th seasons you'll be so pleased you stuck with it as you'll see pay-offs from seemingly insignificant events from the earlier seasons. And just wait until you have finished the 5th season with arguably the best season finale you'll ever see ( whatever you do don't watch it until you have seen all previous 109 episodes!). Then after that there is the TV movies including and especially "in the beginning" which weaves even more intricacy to the Babylon 5 tapestry.

After you have finished watching Babylon 5 re watching is an equally pleasurable experience watching for clues and little subtleties that you missed before. Getting swept up again by the story lines and wonderfully powerful and emotional music.

Whatever you do stick with Babylon 5 as you will not regret it.

on a side note you may have noticed on a bargain pages the complete limited edition German box-set for £60 roughly, meaning that even if you didn't like it after finishing the 5th season (which I very seriously doubt!) you should be able to get your money back. If not you've got an extremely nice version of Babylon 5 for a pittance and discovered a true sci-fi TV gem in the process.

As for Dark Angel I think it's a very good series in particular the first season which showed tremendous promise. Unfortunately the second season isn't anywhere near as good but is definitely worth watching.

[Tocsin]

Originally Posted by west

As for Dark Angel I think it's a very good series in particular the first season which showed tremendous promise. Unfortunately the second season isn't anywhere near as good but is definitely worth watching.

Unfortunately Channel 5 don't seem to agree about season 2 - expected it on overnight, but was replaced by something on the Mafia...

[Greg]

Dark Angel was reasonably good. As others have said Season 1 was excellent but season 2 not so good. Although watching 2 seasons of Jessica Alba isn't really too bad

If you get it, just don't watch the last 15 mins of season2. As they never made season 3, it helps if you don't get left with unanswered questions and make your own up instead.

Originally Posted by GregHook

Dark Angel was reasonably good. As others have said Season 1 was excellent but season 2 not so good. Although watching 2 seasons of Jessica Alba isn't really too bad

If you get it, just don't watch the last 15 mins of season2. As they never made season 3, it helps if you don't get left with unanswered questions and make your own up instead.

I'd still like to know what happens next! Perhaps now Jessica Alba is a big screen Star they could bring Dark Angel to the big screen?after all she hasn't done anything decent since the end of Dark Angel and I'm sure it would be a big hit if she returned as everyone's favourite genetically-altered heroine

she could give Kate Beckinsale & milla jovavich a run for their money!

[NicolasB]

Dark Angel was a show that promised much and delivered substantially less. I was fascinated, for example, by the premise of a near-future USA reduced to third world status as a result of an EMP weapon knocking out every computer east of the Rocky Mountains, including all the banks and Wall Street. But they never really did all that much with the idea.

The acting often lets it down, as well. Ms Alba does the genetically-enhanced-babe bit okay, and John Savage was a good villain, but some of the other members of the supporting cast left a great deal to be desired.

I agree with other people about season 1 vs season 2 as well: season 1 was okay, season 2 went off in another, very confused, direction and wasn't nearly as good.

[grimoor]

I also agree on Babylon 5. When it first came out I watched the first few episodes and stopped watching it. I started watching it again part way through season 3 started and got hooked and on another channel they were showing it from the start so I was watching 3 & 1 together, which worked in a strange way. Then I caught up and was ready from season 4 onwards.

Dark Angel I never really got in to. I could watch an episode, but it never really made me want to make an effort to watch more. I suppose a little bit like Alias, but then Alias went on long and later season were more interesting, well enough for me to get the previous seasons that I have waiting for me to sit down and watch.

Grimor, you think the later seasons of Alias are better? Really? In my opinion season 1 was very good, Alias season 2 was excellent, season 3 was poor and season 4 was OK but mostly dull.