Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Deadliest Catch: Season 3 Blu-ray Movie Review

The late Phil Harris is alive and well in this standout season...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown July 31, 2010

At some point in the middle of every season of Deadliest Catch, I find myself sitting at Red Lobster, poking at my plate, and wondering if my Crab Crackin' Monday-spoils put some hard-working, blue collar family man in the hospital. I know, I know: a documentary series about Bering Sea fishing vessels may not sound like an exciting prospect to landlubbing newcomers, but the extreme peril faced by the fisherman who supply your favorite local restaurants never ceases to amaze me. Six seasons strong, Deadliest Catch remains one of the Discovery Channel's premiere reality series, and for good reason. It isn't about a group of talented designers vying for a cash prize, nor is it about obnoxious Jersey Shore twenty-somethings or shallow upper-class housewives. (They wouldn't survive ten minutes aboard the Cornelia Marie or the Time Bandit.) It focuses on several dozen tough-as-nails crab fishermen who live and bleed on the high seas to fill a thankless job in a dangerous industry, all in the name of feeding their families. Suffice to say, it makes most other reality shows seem positively trivial.

High seas adventure, indeed...

Deadliest Catch has followed numerous boats and crews over the course of its six seasons. But in Season Three, the series' cameras mainly stick to ten vessels -- the late Phil Harris' wave-breaking baby, the Cornelia Marie, Captain Sig Hansen's western rigged Northwestern, Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand's custom house-aft Time Bandit, Greg Moncrief's Early Dawn, Rick Quashnick and Blake Painter's Maverick, Corky Tilley's Aleutian Ballad, Wayne Baker's Trailblazer, Larry Hendricks' Sea Star, Allen Oakley's Early Dawn, and Keith and Monte Colburn's Wizard -- hopping back and forth between each ship at various points in the opilio and king crab fishing seasons. Obviously, every boat needs a crew, and Deadliest Catch features a ragtag batch of new recruits, salty veterans and young deckhands determined to earn the respect of their professional peers. Most of the ships are owned and operated by multigenerational families, many of whom don't always see eye to eye. Arguments rage and tensions rise as rapidly as the ocean itself, but a genuine love pulses beneath the surface of every dust-up and helps cooler tempers prevail. Yet even the most petty disagreements seem entirely reasonable in light of the high-stakes, high-risk business the captains and crewmen depend upon.

Naturally, Deadliest Catch is at its most arresting when things aren't going well. Indecision and inexperience emerges as an obstacle, particularly since the Maverick's anxious captain is testing his mettle for the first time, and countless other conflicts and mishaps make for some genuinely nail-biting episodes. Death strikes early when a ship, the Ocean Challenger, capsizes; several crews struggle to meet their season quotas, turning on each other as the stress levels aboard their ships skyrocket; various rivalries are born amongst the ships' captains (Harris and Painter are constantly at odds); emergency repairs are needed whenever a crucial system is damaged; exhaustion and sleep deprivation wreak havoc across the increasingly weary crews; one unlucky (or somewhat lucky as it turns out) crewman almost loses a finger; a massive storm threatens the entire fleet of fishing boats; devastating waves, snapping lines, and deadly deck fires take their toll; the crews are forced to contend with dropping temperatures and ice; and friendships and family bonds are put to the test as the fishermen realize their very livelihoods are often at stake. And that's not even taking the day-to-day, night-to-night grind into account. Catching full "pots" of king crabs is no easy task. It requires know-how, intuition, decent equipment and, above all, a willingness to adapt to the situation at hand. Factor in newly promoted deckhands, training sessions, and hostile weather and it's easy to imagine how difficult it can be.

Better still, the sheer number of boats at the series producers' disposal keeps things fresh, even when the ships' routines become a bit repetitive. Meta-narratives are weaved across the fleet, and each boat unwittingly primes its own cast of battle-torn warriors for the show's ever-shifting spotlight. Editing all the footage seems as if it would be a daunting challenge in its own right, but you wouldn't know it. From episode to episode, creator Thom Beers and his talented team make it seem decidedly effortless. It's rare for the cameras to settle on any one ship for more than five minutes at a time before launching halfway across the Bering Sea to check in with another vessel. And yet it never grows confusing. Even if you've never seen a single second of Deadliest Catch, you'll have a feel for everything you need to know by the end of Season Three's first two episodes. (With a cast of crewmen that's constantly in flux, it isn't the sort of show that requires some unwavering season-to-season commitment. Although once you're in, you'll most likely be hooked like the rest of us). And while this is the lone season available on Blu-ray, it's also one of the series' best, making it an ideal, late-game introduction to the series. The whole of the third season hurtles along like a well-oiled machine, skipping from the Cornelia Marie to the Wizard with sharp intent and captivating results.

If Season Three flounders at times it's only because the presence of cameras inevitably change the rules of the game. Unlike most reality series, the captains and crew members generally seem to forget their every waking minute is being documented for all to see. (At least when they aren't directly addressing the cameramen.) But the cameras do inadvertently interfere, inspiring egos to balloon and tempers to flare even further... the last two things any of these fishermen need to deal with. Still, the family drama and interpersonal conflicts that erupt are compelling, and reveal the nature of the relationships these fathers, sons and brothers share on and off the dock. I won't make the bold claim beating against the back of my brain -- that Deadliest Catch could ensnare anyone and everyone if given a legitimate chance -- but I will say it's worth a shot, especially when one of its best seasons can be nabbed on Amazon for less than twenty bucks. If nothing else, it will prove to be a worthwhile rental. Add it to your Netflix queue, add it to your cart... either way, give it a spin and see if it reels you in.

Deadliest Catch: Season 3 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The biggest disappointment to be had with the Blu-ray edition of Deadliest Catch: Season Three is its unsightly 1080i/AVC-encoded video transfer. That being said, those who arm themselves with appropriate expectations will find the presentation isn't quite as bad as it could be. The series' visuals are irrevocably linked to the harsh Bering Sea elements and the quality of cameras used by the embedded film crews, meaning detail isn't exactly up to snuff. Fine textures aren't remotely resolved, object definition is inconsistent and mediocre, and softness is a prevailing issue. Still, when salt water is slathered over the camera lens, winds are ripping at the fishermen, and waves are crashing on the deck, do you really expect anything more? From a technical standpoint, the presentation is decent. Colors are fairly vibrant, skintones are satisfying, black levels are deep (albeit at the expense of shadow delineation), and contrast is passable (even though nighttime sequences are sometimes terribly murky). Unfortunately, more serious issues emerge. Artifacting is a constant nuisance, noise surges at inopportune times, and stair-stepping stalks the screen from episode to episode. These problems don't ruin the experience per se -- again, the series could never look like a high-dollar high definition broadcast -- but they do prove to be a significant nuisance.

Deadliest Catch: Season 3 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Deadliest Catch: Season Three includes a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, but it's only a simulated surround track. Hardly the sort of sonic stunner fans might appreciate. Once again, the nature of the series dictates the terms of the experience. Voices are at the mercy of the weather and seas, and subtitles are often used to cut through the ensuing confusion. Wind, air hiss, clanking metal, thundering storms... it all takes a shot at whatever the captains and crewmen attempt to convey. Even so, anyone who's seen Deadliest Catch knows it would be ridiculous to expect anything more. No, my complaints lie elsewhere. The LFE channel is burly and inexact, barking without any real power or polish. The rear speakers are noisy, and rarely interject anything that legitimately enhances the soundfield. Directionality is a joke -- this is, after all, a simulated surround track, and nothing more -- and dynamics are narrow and heavy-handed. The whole of Season Three amounts to a dull roar, one plagued with normalization issues and various other anomalies. It's a reasonable approximation of the television broadcast's audio mix, but that isn't saying much.

Deadliest Catch: Season 3 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 4-disc Blu-ray release of Deadliest Catch: Season Three includes just one special feature, but it's a good one: a "Behind the Scenes" bonus episode (Disc 1, HD, 42 minutes).

Deadliest Catch: Season 3 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Deadliest Catch's third season is one of its finest. Accessible to series newcomers, engrossing for anyone and everyone who enjoys the show, and compelling from beginning to end, it's worthy of a home on your shelves... even if its Blu-ray release is a bust. Cursed with a problematic AV presentation, its middling transfer and simulated 5.1 audio mix are a disappointment. Still, considering the nature of the series and the conditions in which it's shot, such shortcomings are to be expected. At less than twenty dollars, Season Three is a steal.