Evil: Season Three Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Evil: Season Three Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 25, 2024

Out of the gate, Evil put its figurative foot on the proverbial pedal and hasn't downshifted since. In fact, the show switched into higher hears, gained speed, and built momentum as it powered through a tight and compelling second season. Now in its third season (season four and a brief season five are confirmed to push the series to the end), Evil has never been more frightening and never this good. It's quite rare to see a show get out of the gate with so much momentum and only continue to find new ways to establish itself as one of the best things on TV (er, on subscription services, as the case may be in 2024). Season three, at a slightly slimmer 10 episodes (as opposed to the 13 which comprised seasons one and two), gets out of the gate with impressive progression, building immediately on the events that closed season two and propelling the characters not only in new directions with new emotional, spiritual, and yes even physical consequences, but towards new and unspeakable evils that will challenge their understanding, and their personal constitutions, in ways even the dramatic events of seasons one and two could not. Strap in.

Season three opens at the exact instant where season two concluded. Without pushing into overt spoiler territory, it's a key moment that covertly described sees a very real physical release for David (Mike Colter) and Kristen (Katja Herbers) that might satisfy cravings but that promises to open up new and darker paths and even more dangerous avenues for them, perhaps even with more deadly consequences than even anything they have previously faced. Indeed, the relationship will never be, and can never be, the same, which is saying something considering that both (along with Ben, [Aasif Mandvi]) have seen their lives and, to be sure, their very essences, challenged and transformed by any number of events through their time together. But as season three gets underway, the new dynamics certainly mean new possibilities for good and for evil. The season sees something of a larger scope and scale as well, with heavier emphasis on who were previously secondary and tertiary characters but here given a larger berth as at least quasi focal points for the season's slightly condensed 10 episode run.

Season three is not struggling to follow up on a sophomore slump. Rather, it's building from the crazy momentum begun in season one and the excellence of the follow-up second season, here offering in many ways very familiar, now, cadences and structures but still managing to evolve the story and characters in meaningful ways. That's always a challenge for a show entering around its third season, which is often something of a transition that sees the showrunners and writers, and even the cast, finally working out the kinks and bringing things up to speed. Evil has been up to speed since the first season's first episode, and while there is a sense of evolution here (which includes even a new title sequence) there is also a sense of stability and familiarity in the midst of the more minor changes that are about. Indeed, there's a greater emphasis on characters beyond David, Kristen, Ben, and Leland. Whether looking at new or returning characters (or even characters given more prominence), the third season, even with a few fewer episodes with which to work, spreads the love around and focuses on a greater sphere of influence in meaningful ways, looking at characters who are no longer just necessary supports but now prime players in the show's world. That is the big evolution here, and it is both welcome and necessary.

However, that is not to say that Evil's third season does away with all the qualities and characteristics that got it here. Quite the contrary. It's still a procedural at heart, and the episodes offer a wonderful variety of happenings and goings-on that both tell first-rate contained stories that also overflow into the larger arena of character growth and world building, intersecting with and changing the dynamics of the paralleling character growth stories that are just as much an emphasis for the series as are the bread-and-butter tales of the week. In fact, one of the joys with this show is its constant evolution. Rarely is something exactly what it seems to be, and the show builds upon ideas and reworks and rewrites concepts with not only frequency, but also with purpose, not just for the sake of keeping the audience on its toes. The season hits a high point in the first half of episode one with a scientific experiment for the ages, but even in this moment of great intensity it's not any sort of downhill ride from there. Quite the contrary, the season continues to impress for its dynamic story builds and character developments which only bolster its credentials as one of the most intriguing shows on any subscription service today.

Evil: Season Three Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Paramount's 1080p Blu-ray release of Evil: Season Three arrives on three discs, all of which are burned BD-R discs. The presentation is very stout. The banding issues that plagued season two are not present here, at least not to the same almost (though only at times) debilitating levels found on season two. Compression overall seems a bit better, too. The image is otherwise just about as good as the seasons one and two releases, offering stable and high yield details that present with very satisfying textural elegance and density, revealing complex skin tones, for example, with extraordinary ease and depth, offering viewers an intimate portrait of every character in close-up and even in medium distance. The picture is sharp and the digital source translates very well to Blu-ray, a format which seems to get almost as much out of the material as it can. While a UHD would have assuredly offered a sharper and stouter picture, it's hard to envision something dramatically crisper, cleaner, and more texturally robust as what is seen here. The picture is also very colorful. The palette is rich and full, offering stable contrast and neutral temperature settings that bring out pure coloration on clothes, environments, and skin. Black levels are excellent and white balance is very good, especially as seen in the opening title sequence. This is a winner of a transfer from Paramount.

Evil: Season Three Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As with seasons one and two, Paramount releases Evil's third season to Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack (English SDH subtitles are also included). The track is very strong, offering tight and engaging opening title score with wide front usage, steady surround activity and a nice low-end depth, making for a well-rounded presentation. Musical parameters follow for the rest of the season as well. Ambient effects are well defined, too, with small cues and gentle elements immersing the listener into the season's more serene scenes. At the same time, more powerful elements are bolstered with high power depth and full stage engagement. Balance is first-rate in the most prominent scenes, which are often accompanied by music. yet for all the movement and activity, there is never a sense of disharmony at play. Dialogue drives the bulk of the program, however, and it presents with excellent clarity, front-center placement, and prioritization throughout.

Evil: Season Three Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Evil: Season Three contains deleted and extended scenes on all three discs. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

Disc One:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Included are deleted scenes from "The Demon of Memes" (2:19), "The Demon of Sex" (6:18), and "The Demon of the Road" (0:19).

Disc Two:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Included are deleted scenes from "The Angel of Warning" (0:24), "The Demon of Algorithms" (3:19), and "The Demon of Cults" (1:19).

Disc Three:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Included are deleted scenes from "The Demon of Parenthood" (1:30), "The Demon of Money" (1:50), and "The Demon of the End" (1:46).

Evil: Season Three Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As the season begins, there is a literal weightiness at work, but that literal weightiness is matched by a spiritual heft and a dramatic bulk that keep the show engaging in both a linear fashion and through a series of (mostly unexpected) twists and turns that keep the show fresh and engaging. This is another compelling season that has received a Blu-ray very similar to the first two season releases. Visually, it's about as good as it gets, and the 5.1 audio is excellent, too. The supplements are limited to deleted scenes, just like season two. Recommended.