Dispatches from Elsewhere: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Dispatches from Elsewhere: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 10, 2020

Dispatches from Elsewhere is the rare television series that actually owes its genesis to a documentary, in this case a rather bizarre 2003 piece called The Institute, which documented arcane shenanigans amongst a bunch of Bay Area people who knew they were involved in something, even if many of them weren’t exactly sure what that “something” was. And in a very real way, Dispatches from Elsewhere actually doesn’t depart all that forcefully from The Institute’s depiction of “club members” who aren’t quite sure of what organization they’ve joined or what exactly the point of membership even is. The Institute and Dispatches from Elsewhere both rely, both intrinsically in terms of the “characters” (real life in the case of the documentary or otherwise in terms of the series) they depict, as well as externally in terms of a target audience, on those who are on individual quests for meaning in life. The recruits to the Jejune Institute in both the documentary and this series are in fact desperately in need of some meaning in their lives, even if some of them aren’t completely aware of that need. There is therefore a "meta" aspect to Dispatches from Elsewhere which isn't just hinted at, but is positively reveled in as the series continues. One salient clue to just how "meta" Dispatches from Elsewhere becomes might be offered by the fact that star Jason Segel also created the series, but also wrote or co-wrote several episodes, and directed the first episode. Suffice it to say that those who end up thinking that Dispatches from Elsewhere is something of a "vanity project" by Segel will find their suspicions actually confirmed by the series' wrap up, which addresses that very point in true "meta" fashion.

Segel portrays a hapless shlub named David, who toils away as a data analyst at a kind of Spotify-esque company (he’s in charge of the algorithm that suggests new songs based on what you listen to). David is introduced by yet another “meta” element in this series, a character named Octavio Coleman, Esq. (Richard Grant), who doesn’t just break the fourth wall, he pretty much demolishes it in bookending segments that are featured in the episodes where he addresses the television viewers “personally”, while also making it abundantly clear that he at least knows he’s in a television series. Soon enough, though, the first four episodes focus on the other members of the central quartet featured in the tale. Aside from David, these include a trans woman named Simone (Eve Lindley), a conspiracy theorist with the unlikely name of Fredwynn (Andre Benjamin), and a somewhat older woman named Janice (Sally Field).

All four of these people, along with a slew of others, have been "inducted" into something called the Jejune Institute (and if you're not familiar with the term "jejune", look it up for a maybe-maybe not clue hinting at this series' anarchic sense of humor), though many of them are subsequently alerted to a "competing" organization called the Elsewhere Society. And in fact the focal quartet has proponents on both sides of that particular equation, something that informs a certain dialectic as things progress. In any event, the central four characters all have manifestly different reactions to what's going on. Fredwynn is convinced it's a high level conspiracy which is something of a mind****, Janice feels it's all an elaborate prank, Eve thinks it's simply a game and something to have fun with, while David insists it may be — well, real life (whatever that is).

Now, I have been a rather ardent fan of series which are basically "riddles wrapped in an enigma inside a mystery", to purloin a certain phrase by a legendary statesman. Lost was "appointment television" for me back in the day, and even more recent series I've reviewed like Castle Rock: The Complete Second Season, shows which tend to ask more questions than they ever get around to answering (or at least answering without positing a whole grab bag of new questions), have provided at least some passing interest for me. Two pieces culled from the works of Douglas Adams which bear at least a passing resemblance to this series, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency: Season One and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, both with subtext galore about events meaning both everything and nothing (sometimes simultaneously), have also delighted me.

It's therefore quite possible that I may be "genetically" prone toward liking these arcane outings more than the general public at large. That said, I'm not sure that Dispatches from Elsewhere is actually not a bit too "meta" for its own good, especially when the "game" (whether it is at the hands of the Jejune Institute or the Elsewhere Society) turns out in this instance to simply be an audition reel for Segel. That said, this is often fun and intriguing in its own peculiar way, and those who are on the hunt for meaning in their own individual lives may find this at least an occasionally bracing enterprise.

Dispatches from Elsewhere: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Dispatches from Elsewhere: Season 1 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of AMC Studios and RLJ Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. The series kind of pings pongs back and forth between more relatively mundane elements, like the characters meeting in diners, to more whimsical and even outlandish offerings, as in some The Secret Life of Walter Mitty-esque fantasies David engages in. Some of the material has been intentionally skewed, at times looking distressed and fuzzy (see screenshots 12 and 16), but on the whole clarity and detail levels are excellent. The palette is generally natural looking as well, and kind of ironically some of the most striking moments are some of the "full frontal" interstitials featuring characters addressing the camera directly with backdrops of different colors behind them (see screenshot 6). Intermittent CGI looks rather good overall. A few less well lit shots, as in some scenes that take place in Janice's bedroom, can feature slightly less abundant detail levels.

Dispatches from Elsewhere: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Dispatches from Elsewhere: Season 1 features an occasionally rambunctious DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Surround activity is often dependent upon what exactly is going in the "game", which can seem a bit like a scavenger hunt at times, sending characters to and fro into different environments where ambient sounds can dot the side and rear channels. There's quite a bit of outdoor material here, and scenes with crowds have a nice spill in the sound mix. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout the series. Optional English subtitles are available.

Dispatches from Elsewhere: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• About the Series (1080p; 2:28) is a very short introduction and overview of the show.


• Character Profiles (1080p; 8:44) offers another relatively quick look at the focal quartet.


• Inside the Series (1080p; 9:12) offers some insight into the opening four episodes (which Segel likens to The Wizard of Oz) and some of the other plot points.


• A Love Letter to Philly (1080p; 3:35) features the locale of the series.


• The Making of the Series (1080p; 6:02) offers Segel again as a kind of tour guide to some behind the scenes footage.

Note: All of the supplements can be found on Disc Three of this three disc set.

Dispatches from Elsewhere: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

That Season 1 part of Dispatches from Elsewhere: Season 1 may prove to be a bit of a stumbling block, as I personally can't imagine how this series could get any more "meta" than it is in this season, which seems intentionally constructed to be an ouroboros in the form of Jason Segel. This is not a series for those who want everything wrapped up in a neat little package, even if that "dragon biting its tail" aspect tries pretty hard to make it seem like all questions have been answered. For those willing to go with the sometimes overly self conscious flow of this show, there's quite a bit of fun to be had. Technical merits are solid, and Dispatches from Elsewhere: Season 1 comes Recommended.