Profiler – Season Two

 

Picture: B-     Sound: B-     Extras: C     Episodes: B

 

 

For the second season of Profiler, the series began to develop more of its own identity, becoming even less visually dark.  That may have been a loss visually, but the characters and situations developed more into their own world that the show could get over the pretension of similarities.  Now finished with trying to establish itself in the genres it takes on (Horror, Serial Killer cycle, Psychic heroes), they are able to get on with it and develop into a show that has an even more believable female hero.

 

Season Two opens with a killer who has it in for Dr. Samantha Waters (Ally Walker) so much, that our good doctor has been very cleverly framed for murder.  This runs for the first few shows.  Nice twist.  She is also joined by a partner played by A. Martinez, when Bailey Malone (Robert Davi) is in the hospital.  If they had found a way to keep Martinez, I believe the show would have been even better and a bigger hit in the long run, because there was new territory to take the show into with him.  Martinez and Walker have good chemistry that I cannot believe the producers could not see.

 

With that said, here are the episodes in this six DVD boxed set:

 

Ambition in the Blood

Primal Scream (guest stars Traci Lords)

It Cuts Both Ways

Second Best

Power Corrupts (guest stars Richard Roundtree)

Old Acquaintances

Jack be Nimble, Jack Be Quick

Victims of Victims (with commentary by profiler Pat Brown)

Birthright

Dying to Live

Ties That Bind

Shoot To Kill

Bloodlust

Every Five Minutes

Breaking Point

Lethal Obsession

Cycle of Violence

Die Beautiful

The Root of All Evil (double episode)

 

You do not even need to see all of the first season to appreciate this one, especially with the improvements.  Sure, there is a different murder every week, and that can wear thin quickly, but these shows hold together better than the first one.  That includes the actual DVDs.  The full frame picture on these shows is better than on box one, with some more clarity and better color fidelity than those on the last box.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo has much better Pro Logic surrounds, unlike the last box, where they barely exist.  This makes for a better viewing experience.  The only extras are (pretty much the same) biographies from box one and an exception and entertaining audio commentary by real-life criminal profiler Pat Brown on the Victims of Victims episode on DVD 3.  She is very smart, funny, and interesting.  It is highly recommended.

 

As for the series, the improvements still do not make me a big fan, but Profiler does hold up better than I expected and that is a good thing.  It is also better after the big drop-off disappointment X-Files turned into when they abandoned their elaborate conspiracy plot.  Profiler will never have the specter of that huge letdown to carry.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo