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THE EPITAPH VOL. 85 - STREAMING TV DOUBLE-FEATURE EDITION!
TED LASSO: THE RICHMOND WAY (2021-2023) - VIKINGS: VALHALLA - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON (2022)
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Label:WBDHE
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 1447 Minutes
Audio: Uncompressed English with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen
Cast: Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Jeremy Swift, Phil Dunster, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, Nick Mohammed, Anthony Head, Toheeb Jimoh, Cristo Fernandez, Kola Bokinni, Billy Harris, James Lance, Juno Temple.
All 34 episodes from seasons 1-3 in of the Apple+ series Ted Lasso (2020-2023) are available on a six-disc Blu-ray set that includes a limited edition, double-sided 'Believe' poster from WBDHE. The much-loved series stars Jason Sudeikis (SNL) as an American football coach who is hired to manage a British soccer team AFC Richmond— despite having no soccer experience, unaware that the team's new owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham, The Fall Guy) has hired him in hopes that he will drive the team into the ground, solely because it was the pride and joy of her ex-husband Rupert (Anthony Head, TV's Little Britain). Lasso is joined by his mono-syllabic assistant coach Beard (Brendan Hunt, Horrible Bosses 2). His arrival as coach of the AFC Richmond is met with jeers from fans, journalists and most of the team, but Lasso sets about winning them over with his unstoppable, affable charms, he has a folksy way about him that is easy to love and rather difficult to dislike. Other characters include the team captains Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), a cynical past his prime player, and the golden-footed but cocky young Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster, Murder on the Orient Express) who is the team's top-scorer, kit-man Nathan Shelley (Nick Mohammed, The Martian), Rebecca's put-upon assistant Leslie Higgins (Jeremy Swift, Mary Poppins Returns), PR person Keeley Jones (Juno Temple, TV's Fargo Season 5), local sports writer Trent Crimm (James Lance, Marie Antoinette), and a talented Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernández, Venom: The Last Dance) who breathes new life into the. This is one of those shows about soccer team but doesn't actually have much of the sport in it, it focuses on the comedy and drama of the team and the character dynamics in such a way that you need not be a sports fan to watch it and love. The comedy is sharp, the characters and melodrama are engaging, and it's emotionally sneaky in that occasionally there's a real gut punch of an arc that will hit you much harder than you might expect. The 7-disc Blu-ray set arrives in an oversized keepcase with 3 flipper trays housing the disc. The A/V presentation is top notch with a sharp and detailed 1080p HD widescreen image with uncompressed DTS-HD MA audio with optional English subtitles. Sadly there are zero extras on this set, nothing, but it is notable that this to my knowledge is one of the rare Apple+ show to get a physical media release, even if you can watch it streaming in 4K with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, and the physical media release is only 1080p. Anyway, I do hope this leads to more, would love to see Monarch get a Blu-ray. If you're in the mood for a quirky and uplifting comedy series with a surprising amount of heart check this out, never mind that it is ostensibly set in the world of UK soccer, that's just a delivery mechanism for the outstanding comedy-drama, you're gonna love this show, especially the first season.
Special Features:
- None
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VIKINGS: VALHALLA - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON (2022)
Label: WBDHE
Region Code: A
Rating: TV-MA
Duration: 398 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen
Cast: Sam Corlett, Frida Gustavsson, Leo Suter, Bradley Freegard, Jóhannes Jóhannesson, Laura Berlin, David Oakes, Caroline Henderson, Pollyanna McIntosh, Asbjørn Krogh Nissen
I still have not watched the the History Channel's Vikings (2013-2020) series, but oddly I did end up watching the Netflix sequel series Vikings: Valhalla (2022) which occurs over one-hundred years after the events of the first series. This one chronicles the heroic adventures of some of the most famous Vikings who ever lived — the legendary explorer Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), his fiery and headstrong sister Freydis Eriksdotter (model Frida Gustavsson, The Witcher), and the ambitious Nordic prince Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter). The first episode sets up the Saint Brice's Day massacre in England in 1002 when King Æthelred II orders all Danish/Viking settlers in England to be killed. This sets in motion a revenge war with the Danish King Canute (Bradley Freegard, EastEnders) who puts out a call for all Viking warriors to meet in Kattegat to form an army to bring a revenge-war to the shores of England. Once amassed there is conflict among the various tribes of the Viking, mainly their conflicting Pagan and Christian beliefs, but also a revenge killing of a Christian by pagan Freydís, who has arrived in Kattegat to kill the man who raped and savagely carved a cross into her backside as a child. This leads to her brother Leif Eriksson, the son of the infamous and not too well regarded beserker Erik the Red, to be conscripted into the fight to save his sister's life, thus beginning an epic journey that will him across oceans and through battlefields, from Kattegat to England as they fight for survival and eternal glory.
I still have not watched the the History Channel's Vikings (2013-2020) series, but oddly I did end up watching the Netflix sequel series Vikings: Valhalla (2022) which occurs over one-hundred years after the events of the first series. This one chronicles the heroic adventures of some of the most famous Vikings who ever lived — the legendary explorer Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), his fiery and headstrong sister Freydis Eriksdotter (model Frida Gustavsson, The Witcher), and the ambitious Nordic prince Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter). The first episode sets up the Saint Brice's Day massacre in England in 1002 when King Æthelred II orders all Danish/Viking settlers in England to be killed. This sets in motion a revenge war with the Danish King Canute (Bradley Freegard, EastEnders) who puts out a call for all Viking warriors to meet in Kattegat to form an army to bring a revenge-war to the shores of England. Once amassed there is conflict among the various tribes of the Viking, mainly their conflicting Pagan and Christian beliefs, but also a revenge killing of a Christian by pagan Freydís, who has arrived in Kattegat to kill the man who raped and savagely carved a cross into her backside as a child. This leads to her brother Leif Eriksson, the son of the infamous and not too well regarded beserker Erik the Red, to be conscripted into the fight to save his sister's life, thus beginning an epic journey that will him across oceans and through battlefields, from Kattegat to England as they fight for survival and eternal glory.
This eight-episode season show looks terrific, this era of England is well captured, as are the Norwegian terrains. Period costuming and decoration look authentic to my dumb eyes anyway, and the cast is terrific, it feels like a fairly expensive production, certainly on par with House of Dragons if a bit dialed back, it is supposedly based on history after all, there are no dragons, though we do get a mysterious oracle who foretells different characters destinies.
There are quite a few cool set pieces as well, I particularly likes the longboats battling the high seas during the first episode, establishing Leif as a skilled seamen, a later battle in England with the Viking setting about sabotaging the wood constructed London Bridge is another highlight. There's loads of palace intrigue on both sides, on the UK side we have the ailing King Æthelred's wife, Queen Emma (Laura Berlin), and her step-son Prince Edmund (Louis Davison), the heir to the King, plus the king's loyal hand Earl Godwin (David Oakes, The Borgias) who attempts to help them navigate the looming war with the Vikings, forming tentative alliances with the neighboring kingdom of Mercia, by way of the greedy and ambitious ealdorman of Eadric Streona (Gavin Drea, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets). Aside from the Vikings already mention another key player is Jarl Olaf Haraldsson (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Atomic Blonde), a politically ambitious Christian Viking who has knowledge of the English defenses.
It all comes together quite well, the battle sequences are action packed, plenty of sword clanging, arrows flying and hatchet-throwing, but none of it super-gory, though we a fair bit of blood and a decent decapitation. I was also pleased to see Pollyanna MacIntosh (The Woman) show up at the end as King Canut's wife in Norway, which looks like it will lead to he coming back for season two in what could be quite a tasty role. This show really knocked by boots off, I love the action, the adventure aspects, the palace intrigue, the period setting and costuming, it was a home run, and I'll probably have to go back and watch the Vikings series as well, after I watch the second and third season.
The eight episode series gets a 2-disc Blu-ray release presented in 1080p HD widescreen with uncompressed audio. The show looks and sounds great, the sound design, especially during the battle and fight sequences, is outstanding. No extras for this one though, which was disappointing.
Special Features:
- None
