HOUSE-   Season One

DVD Review by David Blackwell

DETAILS:   978 minutes (22 episodes on three double sided discs), featurettes

STUDIO:  Universal

RELEASE DATE:   8-30-2005

Disc 1, Side A:  PILOT/PATERNITY/OCCAM'S RAZOR/ MATERNITY

Disc 1, Side B:  DAMNED IF I DO/THE SOCRATIC METHOD/FIDELITY/POISON

Disc 2, Side A:  DNR/HISTORIES/DETOX/SPORTS MEDICINE

Disc 2, Side B:  CURSED/CONTROL/MOB RULES/HEAVY

Disc 3, Side A:  ROLE MODEL, BABIES & BATHWATER/KIDS/LOVE HURTS

Disc 3, Side B:  THREE STORIES/HONEYMOON/ featurettes

HOUSE is one of the big suprise success stories.  The show started low in the ratings, but it picked up steam and turned into a hit for FOX.   Dr. House isn't nice to his patients or co-workers (also on pain meds all the time), but he tell it as it is without all the crap and he does care about saving his patients.  Big mysteries intrigue him.  He has to solve them.  The writing is super with a fantastic acting job by Hugh Laurie as the snarky House.   I was hooked with the pilot episode directed by Bryan Singer.   Hugh Laurie can be funny and serious in the same scene as Dr.  House Season One has some bumps like the cliched episode arc with guest star Chi McBride, but THREE STORIES (the 21st episode) is the best episode of the show so far (thankfully Chi McBride's character was gone by then.  Expect sparks since Sela Ward returns in season two as House's ex-lover, Stacy.

VIDEO:  1.78:1 (Non-Anamorphic)

No matter how good looking the transfer may be, Universal should have held off the release and made the episodes available in Anamorphic Widescreen.   It is bad enough the menus are Anamorphic.

AUDIO:  English 5.1 Dolby Digital

Subtitles:  English Captions

Sound is OK, but it is nothing impressive.   Dialogue is clear though.

SPECIAL FEATURES:   Side B of disc 3 has five short featurettes (THE CONCEPT, MEDICAL CASES. ET TOUR, HOUSE-isms, and DR.HOUSE) and part of the casting tape with Hugh Laurie.  The Set Tour is the bets of the bunch.  Everything else is basically promo fluff.   I wish they had recorded audio commentaries for this release.

FINAL ANALYSIS:  HOUSE Season One is a flawed DVD Release since the episodes are on-Anamorphic Widescreen.

this DVD Release is (c)8-31-2005 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com and look for additional content at http://www.livejournal.com/users/enterlinemedia