Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Extant: The First Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 23, 2014

Immaculate conceptions don't happen all that often. The last time one was recorded and discussed for some length occurred about 2,000 years ago when a virgin gave birth a man who would be hung on a cross in his early 30s to save the believing man from his sins. That's a pretty high bar to top. Now, some time in the near future, an astronaut will return to Earth following a 13-month mission alone in the cosmos and discover that she, too, is pregnant. Though not a virgin, she will nevertheless find herself mysteriously, and miraculously, it seems, with child. That's the basic outline of Extant, the brain child of a contest-winning writer by the name of Mickey Fisher whose work was not only chosen and transformed into a television show starring an Academy Award-winning actress but that also caught the attention of arguably the most acclaimed filmmaker of the past several decades -- none other than Steven Spielberg -- who signed on to produce. That's some debut. The show is solid, certainly not the end-all, be-all of modern television or even Science Fiction-themed programming, but audiences should enjoy the mystery of it all, a mystery that's supported by several intriguing characters, a number of complex themes, and incredible production design.

Not alone.

Future astronaut Molly Woods (Halle Berry) has returned to Earth from a 13-year solo mission on board the orbital station Seraphim. She has not, however, returned home alone. Morning sickness leads to a visit with an ISEA (International Space Exploration Agency) physician named Sam Barton (Camryn Manheim) who delivers shocking news: Molly's pregnant. That's not possible, because she spent her entire time up there alone. Had she been pregnant before her departure she would have birthed the child in space, and she wouldn't be so far along had she become pregnant after her return trip to Earth. She must cautiously approacher her family -- husband John (Goran Visnjic), a skilled robotics engineer, and their son, Ethan (Pierce Gagnon), an android of John's creation -- with the news lest she become alienated and disgraced. Records indicate she was alone the entire time -- even the station's video logs confirm -- but she begins to remember being impossibly visited by her long deceased ex-boyfriend, Marcus Dawkins (Sergio Harford). She must also play it safe with her boss, ISEA Director Alan Sparks (Michael O'Neill), particularly after she comes into contact with Harmon Kryger (Brad Beyer), her predecessor on the Seraphim and a man once thought dead but who has actually faked his death and gone on the run to seek answers to a life-changing alien visitation similar to that which Molly has also experienced. At the same time, John has secured funding from and built a relationship with a man named Hideki Yasumoto (Hiroyuki Sanada), a wealthy businessman man who possesses the ability to maintain his youth but who seeks new astronomical answers to remaining young, answers he believes may lie in Molly's miraculously filled womb.

Although there's a lot of superficial ebbs and flows that broadly give shape to Extant, the show boils down to one simple question: "what does it mean to live?" Another offshoot may be "what does it mean to be human?" All throughout the program, questions both subtle and overt arise in an effort to shape an answer. There are many fully human characters, of course (so far as the audience knows, anyway). There are a couple of people, John and Julie (the latter played by Grace Gummer), who live with an artificial arm and artificial legs, respectively. Mr. Yasumoto has broken through the artificial boundaries of age and seeks new methods of maintaining an unnatural lifespan. Ethan is an android child whose programming demands he live, learn, and evolve as a real human boy his age. Then there is, of course, "the offspring," of whom this review won't divulge too many details beyond, of course, his critical role in answering, or at least drawing close to an answer for, the questions posited above. The series almost literally opens with a debate about the viability of artificial life contrasted against human life, a theme which runs deeply but also parallel to a number of other fascinating issues that evolve to anything from raw mystery to involvement with the supernatural and the unexplainable. The show's heavier concepts manage to walk the tightrope between complex and deeply throughout provoking and readily accessible, often through the prism of a range of relatable concepts, including high technology and human emotion, particularly love. These are ideas Producer Steven Spielberg has played with in the past, particularly in A.I. Artificial Intelligence. This is certainly a more involved production in terms of raw screen time, and here, then, the concepts are provided a breathing room the constraints of a motion picture cannot offer. Extant isn't in the same ballpark as A.I. in terms of its viability as a pure commentary on existence, but it does an admirable job as something of a supplement, a somewhat different take, the other side of the same coin. Chances are fans of Spielberg's film will enjoy Extant as well.

Extant is also the beneficiary of superb production design and solid performances. The world of Extant is comfortably familiar, with its high technology integrated, rather plopped into, the environment. It's clean and slick and spectacular, filled with holograms, cool children's toys, transparent personal devices, and all other variety of wonderful little visions of the future that feel more like an extension of the world, allowing not for just a cleaner look but one that accentuates the natural and the organic rather than just stuff. It all looks terrific; the visual effects never feel cheap or perform on a subpar level, instead appearing perfectly realistic whether digital or practical (excellent examples of both may be seen in a museum tour in episode two). The cast is strong, too. Berry, of course, headlines, and her performances is multifaceted and committed. She shows a precision understanding of who she is and the world in which she lives, which includes the higher concepts with which her character must wrestle throughout the season. Hiroyuki Sanada, who is also a lead figure in the concurrently running Helix, is a notable standout. Season one's best, however, comes from little Pierce Gagnon who makes his android character his own, one who has evolved past the precision and emotionless (albeit still the benchmark) androids of television shows past and here creating a character that passes for human but exhibits those nuances that, if one looks closely enough, are readily evident in almost everything he does.

Extant: The First Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Extant: Season 1 arrives on Blu-ray with a solid 1080p transfer. It's a bit smooth and sterile, which in a way helps enhance the ultra-clean look that's so prevalent throughout the show. The flip side is a somewhat flat façade. Nevertheless, the image does yield some extravagant details, such as pinpoint textures on heavy clothes, complex facial features, and instrument clusters on the space station. Colors tend to waver, influenced by surrounding lighting conditions and sometimes appearing cheery (sunlit outdoor greens), warm (lower light interiors), and flat (clean, artificially lit interiors). The warmer images tend to appear somewhat pasty and dull, but on the whole the image provides solid recreations of its primary hues seen on clothes and odds and ends in various locations. Black levels present no major problems. Light banding is a recurring problem, and small spurts of noise are also present. Overall, this is a solid but somewhat unspectacular Blu-ray transfer.

Extant: The First Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Extant: Season 1 features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. It's full and satisfying, with music richly spilling into the stage with commanding presence and commendable clarity. It further enjoys robust percussion and strong LFE and surround support. Action effects are well defined and rich, whether a space station alarm or precise supportive sounds in the series' more intense moments. The surrounds carry a good bit of action, largely in the way of supportive environmental pieces. The talk-heavy program produces character dialogue that features effortless clarity and natural center placement.

Extant: The First Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Extant: Season 1 contains a healthy allotment of deleted scenes and featurettes. Below is a disc-by-disc breakdown of what's included.

Disc One:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): A number of scenes from "Re-Entry" (6:20), "Extinct" (1:40), and "Wish You Were Here" (1:22).
• The Story of "Extant" (1080p, 15:04): Cast and crew, including Halle Berry and Steven Spielberg, discuss the basic plot lines and the deeper ideas and themes that run through the show. Also discussed is series writing and the process of translating it to the screen, the show's title, and more.
• CBS Launch Promos (1080i, 6:34): Several CBS television commercials for the show.

Disc Two:

• Deleted Scene (1080p, 0:44): One scene from "What on Earth is Wrong?"

Disc Three:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): One scene from "More in Heaven and Earth/Incursion" (0:24) and two from "Care and Feeding/A Pack of Cards" (1:20).

Disc Four:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Two scenes from "Before the Blood" (0:49) and one scene from "Ascension" (1:10).
• Extant: Filming Season One (1080p, 20:48): The piece begins in praise of pilot episode Director Allen Coulter and continues with a look at Berry's portrayal of an astronaut but also playing a more relatable person who simply happens to be an astronaut, choosing the right director for the right episode and the qualities they bring to the show in tandem with the specific episode's style and themes, crafting key visual effects and acting to them, production design and shooting on a few key sets, Berry's professionalism on the set and her stunt performances, crafting a key special effect in the practical rather than digital realm, and making the season finale.
• Extant: The Cast (1080p, 16:33): A closer look at the primary cast and the characters they portray with emphasis on the specific characteristics each performer brings to the show. It also features the cast discussing the show's story and greater themes.
• The Mythology of "Extant" (1080p, 6:18): A basic character and world overview.
• The Offspring (1080p, 7:26): A look at the alien's characteristics in the program.
• The Future World of "Extant" (1080p, 17:29): This supplement examines in closer detail the show's productions design, sets, aesthetic details, costumes, and how it all compliments the show.
• The Visual Effects of "Extant" (1080p, 9:14): As the title suggests, this piece offers a look at some of the key visuals from season one.
• Gag Reel (1080p, 6:18).

Extant: The First Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Extant, renewed for a second season, leaves open a whole new world of possibilities for its next cluster of episodes. Season one, while not executed to the highest level of television standards (a bar, admittedly, that's awfully tough to reach), does give the viewer a thought-provking 13 episode-strong story that features a richly detailed future world, strongly written and performed characters, and some deeper themes that weave through every plot point, large and small alike. This is certainly more a thinking man's show and one fans of films like A.I. will enjoy the most, but it should also cater to a broader audience simply willing to open the mind. Paramount/CBS' Blu-ray release of Extant: Season 1 features good video and audio along with a healthy assortment of featurettes and deleted scenes. Recommended.