Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Extant: The Second Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Extant: now extinct.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 14, 2015

High on the list of "prematurely cancelled TV shows" is Extant, Creator Mickey Fisher's storybook success, a brainy, if not made of heavily borrowed ideas, Sci-Fi series about an astronaut's close encounters that become a little too close for comfort. Though the show found a solid enough audience both on CBS and digital service, the powers that be opted to reorganize the show for season two, pumping it with a little more action and intrigue and bringing in a few new actors, including Magic City's Jeffrey Dean Morgan and The Walking Dead's David Morrissey in key roles. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough, with numbers dropping all the way through the finale and leading the show to cancellation row. Still, it's earned two good, if not a bit clumsy at times, seasons, seasons that don't admittedly explore a lot of new ground or with a whole lot of gusto but that do tell an involved story of what it means to be human -- and a whole lot of other things -- in a world where that question is increasingly blurred both in the show and in the real world in which it exists, a classic Science Fiction formula.

Family: reunited. For now.

Note: Some season one and season two spoilers follow.

Astronaut Molly Woods (Halle Berry) has returned to Earth and presumably succeeded in destroying the alien microbes. She returns to some scrutiny, however, forced to testify before a committee that there's no alien threat to humanity, though that's clearly not the case, and she's cheered for her efforts and supported by General Tobias Shepherd (David Morrissey), Head of the Global Security Commission who has ordered her to lie for the greater good. But her troubles are just beginning. Her husband John (Goran Visnjic) dies under strange circumstances and her recently "reborn" artificial son Ethan (Pierce Gagnon) has been reactivated but is taken away from her. With her life in shambles, she's forcibly placed under psychiatric care at a facility known as "Crazy Acres." But the resourceful Molly escapes and ultimately teams up with a cop for hire named J.D. Richter (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) who aids her in her quest to prevent a pending alien invasion, and perhaps something even more sinister and deadly. Still at large is "the offspring," Molly's human-alien hybrid child who has "matured" to adulthood and goes by the name of Ahdu (Henderson Wade). Meanwhile, Julie Gelineau (Grace Gummer) has taken over as head of Humanichs in the wake of John's death. She's also taken in Ethan, who bonds with Lucy (Kiersey Clemons), a Humanichs-created and government-funded humanoid killing machine.

Extant's second season may have tinkered with the formula, a bit, presenting something of a more action-oriented front, but the core thematic guidelines remain much the same, and the show is better for it, regardless of what the periphery is about. Ideas centered on the ethics of the future, humanity and human rights, and plenty of deeply philosophical and metaphysical elements are wrapped tightly around every shot, scene, and sequence. Even when such aren't the overt subject, that deeply rooted and entwined center dominates the show and gives it a headier, smarter feel, even when it's seemingly pushing a bit more towards the superficial. Big action and mild character humor scatter about but often flow from the show's more contemplative details, both those that propel the show in an overt manner and those that linger in the background. In that light, then, Extant's second season succeeds in painting an approachable and deep picture of man in a classic Sci-Fi style that accentuates story and folds characters and fantastic peripherals inward rather than vice versa.

At the center of everything the show has on tap is Halle Berry. The popular actress presents her character smartly and efficiently, holding onto the deeper personal issues of a burdened mother while stepping up her game as something of an action hero in a change of pace role from her work in season one. Her ability to evolve with the show is certainly the glue that holds the seasons together and, just as importantly, sells season two's more dynamic pacing and more involved story that should only help to hold carry over fans. Her ability to maintain an equilibrium even as she's subject to many internal crises -- fear, anger, depression, hate -- and external existential threats to who she is, all while navigating through a minefield of global and extraterrestrial crisis gives the character a relatable front even through the show's expansive and, in many ways alien, arc. Berry's performance is boosted by several strong actors in support, including the aforementioned Morgan and Morrissey but also Pierce Gagnon, Kiersey Clemons, and Grace Gummer. Season two also features plenty of great visual effects (minus the generic "hybrid eyes"). The future landscape is tangible and believable, a leap forward but recognizable and well integrated into the world. The effects blend in and support the story rather than dominate the experience.

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

Extant: The Second Season's 1080p transfer satisfies on all fronts. The digital source photography is of a high quality, foregoing more than a trace of glossiness or flatness. Details are fantastic across the board. Most obvious are facial features, with close-ups revealing the usual assortment of complex pores, wrinkles, and other skin flaws. Clothes are likewise revealing of the finest stitching and fabric details in close-up shots. Environmental bits are excellent, whether smoother and sleeker futuristic elements or more grounded, relatable woods. Digital effects are sharp and well defined, too, rather than smeary and soft, as they can sometimes be on lower budget productions. Colors are well balanced, with bright, clean futuristic furnishings and digital readouts standing apart. Lower light interiors often push a bit warmer but nonetheless find a natural balance in tune with the surroundings. Black levels never stray too far from ideal, and flesh tones satisfy. Mild noise and banding creep in at times but never to a fully distracting extent. This is a top-end TV production from CBS/Paramount.

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

Extant: The Second Season's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack delivers a consistently impressive listen. Music enjoys excellent spacing and clarity throughout the range. Immersion comes easy and the supporting low end proves potent yet balanced. Surrounds carry a nice chunk of information, whether music, support ambience that frequently envelops the listener in the film's environments, or various bits of action, such as when alarms blare to signal trouble during Molly's hospital escape in episode one. The season's action scenes always find enough juice to spring the stage to life and recreate the moment rather than just convey its basics. But dialogue remains the primary factor here. It plays with effortless prioritization, consistent center placement, and perfect clarity. The track might not come with all that many moments that could be considered ear candy, but it does its duty with impressive attention to detail and consistency in every facet.

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

Extant: The Second Season contains deleted scenes across all four discs and a handful of featurettes on disc four.

Disc One:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 1:19): Scenes from "Change Scenario"

Disc Two:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 1:19): One scene each from "Cracking the Code" (0:30) and "The New Frontier" (0:37).

Disc Three:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 1:19): One scene each from "Arms and the Humanich" (0:53) and "The Other Side" (1:21).

Disc Four:

• Deleted Scene (1080p): One scene from "Zugzwang" (0:38).
• "Extant": A Look at Season 2 (1080p, 17:55): A look at story evolution into season two and a broad glimpse at story lines and both new and returning characters.
• A Tour of the Sets (1080p, 6:01): Not only a look at the sets, but a discussion of why they work for the show and what purposes they serve.
• A Carnival of the Mind (1080p, 4:58): A short look at making one of the season's most unique segments.
• Chemistry: Molly & JD (1080p, 6:10): A look at the on-screen bond shared between Berry's Molly and Morgan's J.D. and how it enhances the show. It also examines the importance of bringing an "everyman" character into season two.
• Two Humanichs: Ethan & Lucy (1080p, 7:02): A closer look at the season's two main artificial characters, both their similarities and their differences.
• The Season Finale (1080p, 8:12): A run-through of how the season -- and the series -- ends in the final episode. Spoilers, obviously, abound in this supplement.
• Gag Reel (1080p, 3:47).

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

Humans, aliens, human-alien hybrids, androids, cybernetic killing machines...Extant has all its Sci-Fi bases covered. None of it is particularly novel, but most of it is well done, smartly linked together, and results in a pretty entertaining TV show thanks to a great lead and, in season two, a couple of strong newcomers in Jeffrey Dean Morgan and David Morrissey. It's a shame that the show went belly-up this early, but season two, even as it goes in a more kinetic direction than season one, offers a decent enough culmination for the program and, considering the quickly severed link, wraps it all up well enough. Paramount/CBS' Blu-ray release of Extant: The Second Season features solid video and audio. Supplements include a handful of deleted scenes and several featurettes. Recommended.