Evil: Season Two Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Evil: Season Two Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 21, 2024

Evil has joined the fairly exclusive ranks of well received Horror television, certainly not to the level of the all-time greats like The Walking Dead or American Horror Story or The Twilight Zone (at least not quite yet), but after a dynamite debut season on CBS (with a great Blu-ray, by the way), the series returns for this sophomore effort that transitioned exclusively to Paramount+ and which proves just as absorbing as season one in what is something of a modern-day take on The X-Files but with more of a Horror and demonic, rather than Sci-Fi and alien, twist. Here in season two, however, there is a different tone and vibe while still holding to the same essential elements that made the first season a success. The stories turn a bit more inwardly focused on the three main characters and explore their own inward -- and outward -- struggles with a dark and demonic world.

It's a period of great upheaval in the realm of Evil. The season continues the parallelling, yet also very unique, stories of the investigative team. As David (Mike Colter) draws closer to the completion of his formal studies and towards his ordination, he faces continued spiritual attacks that bring into question his spiritual, never mind mental and physical, fitness for the ministry. Kristin (Katja Herbers) finds herself wrestling with the aftermath of the darkest incident of her life. Meanwhile, skeptic Ben (Aasif Mandvi) finds himself drawn more deeply, and more personally, into the dark world of demonic manifestation and reality. As evil permeates the environment and saturates lives, David, Kristin, and Ben discover truths about themselves and the spirit world that redefine everything they know of life as it has been; things will never be the same.

Evil's second season offers an intensive series of character studies, building its narrative components from the inside out, exploring how the supernatural, the demonic, and everything in between and even remotely connected all come together to challenge the characters in very real ways, challenging their preconceived notions of how things work and why and, maybe even more importantly, their own personal spiritual, emotional, and mental foundations. The season is resolute in its focus on internal strife while still maintaining some build-up of external forces that drive various plots, but to be sure the focus is clearly on how Kristen's world is being rocked by both her exposure to the world of demons and some of the more traumatic events from season one; on how David's work in the field is impacting his understanding of, and trust in, his spiritual training to enter the priesthood; and how Ben's skepticism is evolving the more he is exposed to the seen -- and unseen -- realities around him, and how they are not just impacting Kristen and David but also himself. With three points of focus and only 13 episodes with which to work, season two finds a sweet spot balance between offering tight and compelling focused character narratives while also affording some breathing room to build larger plot threads and story lines that are rewarding in the moment and well beyond whatever episode in which they appear and, indeed, through the whole series run.

Like season one, season two remains very smartly written, sharp, and aggressive in taking the story to the characters and not letting them, or the audience, off the hook all that easily. It's clear that the writers have thoroughly thought through plot lines and consequences for their characters and the world around them, and the show is every much the beneficiary of what took place in the writers' room as it is what happens in front of the camera. To be sure, the show is home to solid, though maybe not spectacular, production values, offering good-not-great horror visuals that are certainly of an upper crust quality for TV but do understandably, at this budget, leave something to be desired next to a feature length film (not that every feature length film hits a home run in the visuals department, either). But mostly Evil is a product of its actors, actors who effortlessly fall into role and do a wonderful job of exploring their innermost depths, most terrifying outward fears, and the intersection between the two, the latter of which is where the show more often than not finds its stride.

Evil: Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Paramount presents the second season of Evil on Blu-ray via a trio of burned BD-R discs. Even as these are not pressed discs, the end result is a very solid image, right up there with the quality of the season one release. The picture is generally very strong, with ultra crisp details and exceptional definition to skin and clothes, both of which can reach just about the pinnacle that the Blu-ray format can offer. Clarity is often off the charts within environmental elements as well, from bright offices to dark bedrooms and everything in between. Interior, exterior, day, night, naturally lit, artificially lit, no matter the place or time, the picture maintains an excellent sense of overall stability and accuracy. Colors are wonderfully firm as well, offering fine saturation and depth across the board. Bright clothes, vivid natural greens, healthy skin tones, deep blacks, and crisp whites are commonplace throughout the entire second season run.

The image is not perfect, to be sure, and one of the main drawbacks is a fairly copious amount of banding. Look at the 4:58 mark of episode one for one of many particularly egregious examples of banding seen throughout the season; I could list many more, in episode one and throughout the season, but suffice it to say that that timestamp signifies one of the most obvious and pronounced and very good examples of the banding. Additionally, some viewers may spot the odd compression anomaly in the form of macroblocking, but it is the banding that is usually the main culprit, and even then usually only an issue on lower light shots. Noise is not much of a factor, either, so really it's just that odd, but also sometimes very intense, explosion of banding that lowers the overall quality of an otherwise stellar image.

Evil: Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack satisfies at every juncture. Whether hushed, whispered dialogue or terrified screams, verbal clarity is first-rate throughout. Dialogue is the main driver, but to be sure the track springs to life with organic musical cues throughout as well, again whether considering softer notes or more intense elements that punctuate some of the darker and more intense shots and scenes throughout the season. Spacing is excellent as music flows widely along the front, and it also enjoys tight and precise surround usage as well. Heavy action-type effects are full and deep, and the track finds superb aggression as necessary. it never feels timid or as if it wants to hold back. Light environmental cues are also nicely spaced and defined, helping ease the listener into some of the more serene moments. This is a very good track in every area of concern.

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

This Blu-ray release of Evil: Season Two 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/Extended Scenes (1080p): Included are deleted scenes from "N Is For Night Terrors" (1:51), "A Is For Avenging Angel" (3:45), "F Is For Fire" (3:11), and deleted and extended scenes from "E Is For Elevator" (3:34).

Disc Two:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Included are deleted scenes from "C Is For Cop" (1:36), "S Is For Silence" (2:46), and "B Is For Brain" (0:32).

Disc Three:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Included are deleted scenes from "O Is For Ovaphobia" (1:52), "D Is For Doll" (1:25), and "C Is for Cannibal" (0:26).

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

Evil's second season is every bit as impressive as its first, and maybe even more so. With the establishing elements out of the way, the season is free to really challenge its characters with a depth and detail that even all of the content from season one could not explore to this degree of intensity. The show remains wonderfully written, impressively acted, and very well made from a technical perspective. Paramount's Blu-ray delights with high end video and audio presentations. It's a shame that extras seem more an afterthought here -- some commentaries and featurettes would have been very welcome -- but at least the studio threw in a few cursory deleted scenes. Recommended.

note that disc three would not play on my reference Panasonic DP-UB9000. Playback was flawless on a PS5 console.