McLeod’s Daughters – The Complete First Season
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Episodes: C+
In the
tradition of TV Westerns and Nighttime Soap Operas that fall within that realm,
McLeod’s Daughters is the story of
how two sisters named Claire (Lisa Chappell) and Tess (Bridie Carter) who have
never had a relationship are brought together when their father passes
away. Inspired by a popular Australian
TV movie, this show started four years later and all 22 hour-long episodes for
the 2001- 2002 season are featured in this 6-DVD set.
A huge
hit in the land Down Under for six seasons now, the series finally makes its
Region 1 U.S. DVD debut. How will it do
in here? Well the women are smart and
somewhat able-bodied. They have a
learning curve in handling the farm, but the show is never childish, which is
part of its appeal. However, it is so
down to earth that when combined with some predictability, it is not bad. It is not flashy either, but sometimes the
weight of the laidback nature works against the show. If you are looking for that, then you’ll love
it more than this critic did. It is a
quality import, but it just has too many limits for it to ever take off into
what one might expect from a series. Not
that we want Green Acres again either,
but it is not too memorable after watching all the shows.
The image
is credited on the back of the box as anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 video,
which is true most of the time, but the second episode on Disc One is actually
1.33 X 1. Furthermore, all are a bit
soft throughout either way and unless you like the Western trappings of the
show, you might find this a bit much to sit through for about 17 hours. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo has no
surrounds, but is clean and clear enough.
Extras include the original 1996 telefilm on the final DVD, interviews
on Discs 2 – 4 and a making of featurette on the first.
- Nicholas Sheffo
