The Good

Aliens being among us is always worth checking out.

The Bad

It seems like this show didn't have the legs or the story to keep itself going.

Threshold: The Complete Series grabbed me because I was a very big fan of the show V from the 1980s. I remember watching that show and actually believing that the aliens were here for good reasons. Then, I remember as clear as day when everything changed on that show. I bring this up when talking about Threshold because I never had the feeling that this show gave me that moment. It was moving toward it but it was that point of discovery that (V had) that I never feel it quite achieved.

The plot of Threshold is simple which, interestingly enough, might have had something to do with why this show didn't have a better run. An extraterrestrial craft was found in the Atlantic Ocean. A team is assembled led by Dr. Molly Anne Caffrey (Carla Gugino), with their main goal being to try and find out the intentions of this ship. I think this show might have fared better if it would have moved at a little bit more of a brisk pace. Even in thinking about the plot as I wrote this, ultimately it doesn't seem like there are that many avenues for this show to go down once the secret was out.

That said, Threshold: The Complete Series probably should have been just that, with perhaps a lot more of a definite conclusion.

Features

The Threshold one four part documentary makes up this section of the DVD. It looks at how this show got made and then delves into the ideas behind it. We hear from creative types like actors, writers and producers, and almost seem to get a fly on the wall look at what goes into bringing a show like this to the small screen. With four parts comprising it, it is easy to see that the powers behind this show wanted to give the fans something for leaving them hanging.

Threshold Visual Effects" Featurette

This featurette looks at the effects on this show. Considering that this is a TV show, I was actually pretty impressed by the work that was done here. While I don't think that George Lucas was quaking in his boots after seeing this, I do think these effects had a big hand in putting across the ideas of this show. Aliens will always play well if they are taken seriously, even if the overall style is campy or cheap.

Behind the Fractal" Featurette

Andre Bormanis, one of the writer/producers on this show, gives us a pretty easy to follow math and science lesson in regards to "The Fractal." As this is one of the bigger elements of this show, I am actually somewhat surprised that this section isn't longer than it is. However, it may have been done this way to keep things simple and understandable.

Deleted Scenes

For some reason I thought that there would be more deleted scenes. Then, I figured the few that were here would give a jolt to this show in terms of carrying on the cut off storyline. Well, I can safely say that that wasn't the case. These aren't bad but they don't really serve a purpose, other than to bulk up the bonus features section of this four disc set.

Commentary on "Trees Made of Glass"

Executive Producers David Goyer and Brannon Braga sit back and discuss this show. Something tells me that had Goyer not had the Blade series going, he might have put more into this show. This is just a guess and really has nothing to do with this audio commentary, I just thought I'd throw that out there. Braga and Goyer dissect this show talking about the characters and the situations, but I think they maybe made things a little too mechanical. I don't mean on the show, but hearing them talk, they may as well be talking about math as opposed to something creative like putting a show together. I know Goyer has a loyal following, so his fans will probably get a kick out of this.

Video

16:9 Widescreen - 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio. This show hasn't been off the air so long that it was sitting on the vault for any elongated period of time. So as you can probably tell, everything looked really good. While I think the image quality was a little too drab at times, I think that can be forgiven considering the majority of settings (and subject matter) that are involved in this show.

Audio

English Dolby 5.1 - Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround. Well, I knew that it wouldn't be long before I was given a current show that features the actors talking in whispers. Even as I write this there is an episode of Magnum P.I. on TV, and I am amazed by how natural the acting seems. The characters aren't yelling their lines but they're not withholding their breathing patterns so that what they say carries extra weight. Oh well, this is my pet peeve and I don't mean to take it out on this show.

Package

The cardboard outer sleeve features the cast with a fiery image from the show on the front cover. The back offers up some more concept images, shots from the show, a description of what Threshold is about, a Special Features listing, and some technical specs. The Fractal pattern is featured heavily over all the artwork in this set. Paramount has really made things economical by storing the four discs in two, slim cases. There are more shots of the cast members, and on the backs of the slim covers are episode listings and descriptions. Overall, this set is well put together, it keeps itself in line with the show, and won't take up too much space in your collection.

Final Word

As a sci fi show, I think that Threshold: The Complete Series really works. It is filled with interesting characters and it makes very good use of all them. At no point did I see this show as a star vehicle for anyone in the cast, and with nobody really breaking out (Gugino and Charles S. Dutton were certainly the biggest names), I guess Paramount probably figured that they'd do best just to cut their losses and call it a day. Even still, I liked the somewhat meandering pace that this show had, as I think that not having my senses assaulted every five seconds is probably a good thing.

Threshold: The Complete Series is the kind of show that will probably gain a Firefly-like groundswell on DVD. For all we know we could be seeing these characters resurrected on the big screen.

Well... maybe not.