Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Duck Dynasty: Season 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 23, 2013

Note: This season is also available in the box set Duck Dynasty: Seasons 1-3 Collector's Set, which streets December 3, 2013.

As an Oregonian, I must state up front that Duck Dynasty is evidently not about the University of Oregon’s sports teams, nor is one of the series’ character’s obsession with beavers a reference to Oregon State University. With that pressing piece of business out of the way, perhaps it’s time to burst another preconception bubble—so-called reality television is not real. I know several people (whose names will not be divulged due to their wishes to remain employed) who work on various “reality tv” shows in different capacities, and they all tell pretty much the same story. While there are no “writers” on the shows, and while things are filmed in a supposed “verité” style that ostensibly catches things happening off the cuff, “suggestions” are often made to the shows’ participants, and certain “storylines” are discussed at length before the cameras ever even show up to capture the action. Furthermore, most shows are assembled with a team of editors who, along with the shows’ directors and other “creatives”, deliberately shape things to give these efforts some sort of dramatic (and/or comedic) arc. Duck Dynasty is simply the latest in a long line of cable outings which have melded characters’ work lives and family environments. As my wife stated when we began watching this new six disc Blu-ray set, “Hey, it’s Cake Boss on the bayou!” That pretty much sums up this show’s approach, which follows the “true life” adventures of the Robertson family, a group of good ol’ boys, their wives, children and employees, who run a multimillion dollar enterprise called Duck Commander, a unique duck call invented by paterfamilias Phil Robertson, whose son Willie, who built the business into its current day success. Rather incredibly, the saga of the Roberston family has become one of the biggest phenomena in cable history, recently smashing audience records for the series’ fourth season premiere episode. The series is having an impact in some unusual arenas as well. Both Fox News and MSNBC, hardly cable outlets prone to covering the same sorts of stories, recently mentioned that a Robertson endorsement of a so-called “mainstream” GOP candidate in Louisiana helped to get that guy elected over the Tea Party candidate (who was expected to handily win the race). With the show's (and its characters') popularity soaring, A&E and Lionsgate have made the unusual decision to release a Blu-ray box set featuring the first three seasons, which will be followed around a month later by standalone Blu-ray releases of those seasons.

By the time Duck Dynasty started its second season in late 2012, it had begun to become appointment television for an increasing number of viewers. On one level, this might seem like an odd phenomenon, for at its most fundamental level, Duck Dynasty really doesn’t offer anything breathtakingly innovative in the “reality television” sweepstakes, especially with regard to those shows which are focused around families running businesses. And yet there was obviously something about the extended Robertson clan and Duck Commander’s employees that more and more people were finding enjoyable. Part of this allure was probably due to the homespun nature of most of the characters, and there’s probably no underestimating the faith based element that has become a staple of the show’s setup.

With all of that said, when one starts to really examine Duck Dynasty in terms of actual content, even the most rabid fan of the show, at least if hard pressed, would probably admit there’s not much “there” there. Most of the episodes of the second season follow a by now well worn and expected path that see minor business problems briefly rear their supposedly ugly heads, only to be more or less easily solved by teamwork, as well as a concomitant emphasis on the family dynamics of the Robertsons, which similarly tend to have temporary issues arise which are ultimately calmed by love and prayer. It’s formulaic, but like that good comfort food that Robertson grande dame Miss Kay is fond of whipping up for her family, it’s mostly warm, fuzzy and easily digestible.

The second season branches out a bit by offering some more content with the Robertson grandkids, as well as more “adventures” with elder brothers Phil and Si. But the series has obviously found its formula and it sticks to it, come heck or high water. The saving grace of this series continues to be the kind of unvarnished ambience of almost all of the characters, however calculated that ambience may well be. The interplay between Willie and Jase, while occasionally annoying due to its repetitiveness, is an enjoyable ride for most of this season, though the two tend to lapse more into being cartoon characters at time, with Jase’s impulsive machinations seeming at times like Lucy’s misadventures to Willie’s Ricky reactions.

Duck Dynasty had one of its first record breaking moments with the second season finale, a completely pat but undeniably heartwarming “very special” Christmas episode that sees the Robertson preparing for the holiday while Willie agrees to be Santa Claus at the family’s local church. Once again, as the series does virtually without variance, small eruptions threaten to derail the proceedings, but family and faith win out in the end.

Duck Dynasty: Season 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Unlike Duck Dynasty: Season 1 , both the second and third seasons of Duck Dynasty offer a 1080p presentation delivered via the AVC codec in 1.78 (courtesy of Lionsgate Films and A&E). The progressive presentation helps to subtly solidify and smooth out the image (and perhaps the show's success led to better equipment and technical crew). While some of the establishing shots (which at this point seem to be stock footage taken from the series' first season) are still mildly problematic, the bulk of both the second and third seasons is nicely sharp and very well detailed. Colors are nicely saturated and very accurate looking, and a lot of the outdoor footage boasts nice depth of field and admirable clarity. The "up close and personal" first person confessional segments offer superior fine detail. Contrast, black levels and overall image sharpness is excellent throughout all episodes.

Duck Dynasty: Season 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

All three seasons of Duck Dynasty come equipped with a perfectly fine lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix which capably captures the narration, on screen confessionals and back and forth between various characters. The mixes also nicely capture more forceful moments, as when the boys go hunting or target shooting. There is no damage of any kind to report in any of these tracks, and fidelity is excellent, delivering dialogue, ambient environmental effects and the twangy music cues effortlessly.

Duck Dynasty: Season 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Bonus Featurettes (1080p; 14:01) don't quite have the quantity of the first season's haul, but there are nine brief pieces, once again with interviews and scenes from the show. The titles are: Workin' With Family, Jack of All Trades, Momma's Boy, Pizza vs. Toast, Mountain Man, The Brains Behind the Duck, Bootleg Building, Catch Phrases, and Work Hard Nap Hard.

Duck Dynasty: Season 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Duck Dynasty really started to hit its stride during the second season, with the interactions between brothers Willie and Jase and (in the older generation) Phil and Si providing a lot of the amusement. The show can't help but feel formulaic a lot of the time, but the extended family members at least gives the illusion of variety, even if the events that unfold have a certain predictability about them. This season offers marginally improved video from the first season, though the downside is the supplemental features aren't nearly as numerous. Still, the show is ingratiating if repetitive, and it comes Recommended.