The Nevers: Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Nevers: Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

No place like London.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III October 4, 2021

HBO's steampunk sci-fi series The Nevers was created by beloved visionary / worst guy ever Joss Whedon (depending on your circle of friends, obviously), who abruptly left the production when its COVID-delayed filming finally wrapped more than five months before the show's eventual premiere in April 2021. It's a messy and overstuffed affair, bursting with great characters and built upon a flimsy premise that nonetheless gets better as this six-episode half-season ebbs and flows... and since the second half isn't set to premiere until sometime in 2022, it feels like The Nevers ain't exactly aiming for instant gratification. This series asks an awful lot of its audience but does manage to scratch a very specific itch, and it always seems as if something great is right around the corner... even when it isn't.

The setup is simple enough, kind of. Our story takes place in Victorian London, where Amalia True (Laura Donnelly) runs St. Romaulda's Orphanage, a refuge for women who recently developed mysterious powers. Amalia's not only the president, but also a client: she boasts formidable hand-to-hand fighting skills and can also randomly glimpse into the future by way of context-free flash-forwards. Her best pal Penance Adair (Ann Skelly) shows a brilliant aptitude for inventing, as well as the ability to detect and follow electrical currents. Seeking out new candidates to take under their wing, Amalia and Penance aim to rescue young Myrtle Haplisch (Viola Prettejohn) -- whose incredible gift for languages has yet to be controlled -- and build a group that's basically The X-Men with more corsets and less indoor plumbing. Not surprisingly, their unusual gifts aren't exactly appreciated by the men in power... especially Lord Gilbert Massen (Pip Torrens) and other government officials, who see the "Touched" as something of a threat.

The Nevers isn't content with one thematic through-line, stuffing its scattershot pilot episode with a ridiculous number of characters, subplots, and twists that will make first-time viewers wonder where the hell it's going from there. (Don't worry -- it doesn't always know either.) But the creative team still dangles a few very delicious carrots in front of our noses along the way and, luckily, The Nevers manages to clean up its narrative act by the sixth episode and de facto half-season finale, "True". While just as knotted as the first five, it steers the ship in such a tantalizing new direction that first-time viewers will almost have no choice but to be intrigued. Will you make it that far, though?

Assuming you've seen and enjoyed these six episodes, Warner Bros.' Blu-ray edition of The Nevers: Season 1, Part 1 (an annoying but understandable release strategy, considering its production schedule) makes a decent keepsake for those who want a better-looking and sounding version of what's streaming on HBO Max; newcomers, however, should try it there first. Everything gets room to breathe on this two-disc set, which also includes a nice little mix of extras. Scroll down to get right to the technical details, or check out an episode list and basic overview below.

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Disc One leads off with a messy pilot episode that introduces Amalia, Penance, and other Touched women including scenery-chewing serial killer Maladie (Amy Manson), as well as Amalia's wealthy supporter Lavinia Bidlow (Olivia Williams), stuffy antagonist Lord Gilbert Massen, oppressive criminal boss The Beggar King (Nick Frost), and at least a dozen others. You'll have trouble remembering them as the next two episodes barrel on and we see the group struggle to stay out of the public eye, follow the goings-on at a shady sex club operated by Hugo Swann (James Norton), learn a bit of backstory about Maladie, welcome a few more newcomers to the orphanage, and witness the work of barbaric surgeon Dr. Edmund Hague (Denis O'Hare) as he performs crude surgery on empowered women.

• "Pilot" (63:28)
• "Exposure" (61:53)
• "Ignition" (55:40)

Disc Two continues with heavy fallout from the untimely death of a semi-prominent Touched member; meanwhile, Myrtle gets a chance to show off her lingual skills, the truth of Mary's mysterious song is revealed, Maladie is sentenced to a public hanging (which doesn't go as planned), a thief gets her just desserts, the Beggar King causes panic on the streets of London... and there's a big-ass time jump that might just make some of the series' dumbest detours worth sitting through. But in all seriousness, this is a fairly entertaining batch of episodes, all things considered, while makes the initial half of The Nevers' first (and possibly only) season a six-hour journey worth taking at least once.

• "Undertaking" (55:22)
• "Hanged" (59:40)
• "True" (64:30)

The Nevers: Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Not surprisingly for a heavily stylized show set in Victorian London, The Nevers is awash in heavy blacks and deep shadows during the bulk of its running time. Some of its darkest tones give Warner Bros.' 1080p transfer a little bit of trouble, especially those in dimly-lit interiors or featuring strong gradients such as a handful of scenes with Dr. Edmund Hague (screenshot #5). Banding can't help but run rampant here, and black crush creeps in on several occasions as well.. but the bulk of The Nevers runs much smoother, even in complex crowd scenes or those dominated by ornate background details. Color is handled well with a nice push-and-pull between blues and oranges, with accurate skin tones in any scenes not dominated by heavy filters or other stylish touches. As a whole, the show runs at a fairly high bit rate, and this is one instance where I'm glad we got a two-disc set -- considering its aspect ratio and amount of extras, attempting to squeeze this on anything less than two dual-layered discs would've been disastrous. It's a striking effort in almost every regard, although I can't help but think that The Nevers would have benefitted greatly from a true 4K release. Until that happens, these Blu-rays still play better than what most fans saw on HBO Max.

The Nevers: Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Nevers aims about as high in the audio department, serving up an enveloping experience that rivals most big-screen productions. Presented in DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, fans are treated to a well-rounded mix that prioritizes dialogue while leaving plenty of room for background effects and the original score by prolific composer Mark Isham. Channel separation and discrete effects, while not overly abused, offer ample opportunities to show their strength although, for the most part, The Nevers seems to aim for a "projected" soundfield that starts up front and often spills into the rears depending on the location and scenario. Without giving away too much, its stronger sci-fi moments tread lightly into more experimental territory while still staying true to the series' overall priorities thus far.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the episodes and extras, as well as a French dub and subs.

The Nevers: Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release ships in a dual-hinged keepcase with attractive cover art, a matching slipsleeve, a nice inner print design, and a Digital Copy redemption code. Bonus features are spread across both discs, offering a solid overview of the production even though none of its featurettes are particularly long. (This is an HBO release, after all.)

Disc One:

• Introducing The Nevers (3:12) - Key members of the cast and crew, including Laura Donnelly and Ann Skelly, offer a brief and promotional overview of the series, from development to characters and settings.

• A New Age of Power (5:17) - Many of the same participants return for a broader overview of the Victorian setting as well as the the characters' (read: women's) roles in society at that time.

• A Touch of Power: The Themes Behind The Nevers (17:05) - More cast members shed light on the various themes in the show's first season (environmentalism, the human condition) in comparison to modern times.

• Character Portraits - Key cast members detail the characters they portray with highlighted scenes.

• Amalia True (3:36)
• Penance Adair (3:10)
• Mary Brighton (2:59)
• Bonfire Annie (3:10)

• Creating The Nevers - More thematic discussions than all-out technical breakdowns (although a few special effects are revealed), each of these featurettes focus on elements of the first three episodes.

• A Night at the Opera (7:11)
• A Charitable Event (7:18)
• Walking on Water (7:47)

Disc Two:

• Accustomed to the Impossible: The Making of the Nevers (11:55) - A more focused and less promotional overview than the featurette on Disc 1, this piece carries more interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.

• Character Portraits

• Detective Frank Mundi (3:46)
• Augie Bidlow & Hugo Swann (3:46)

• Villains of The Nevers (7:37) - Like its title implies, a quick overview of prominent Season 1 antagonists.

• Creating The Nevers - Much like the featurettes on Disc 1, these three pieces briefly look behind-the-scenes of episodes 4-6 with key cast and crew interviews as well as candid on-set footage.

• Confrontation and Translation (7:59)
• Shock and Awe (7:21)
• Telling Time (9:48)

• The Craft - Three bite-sized featurettes with key crew members discussing their work on the series.

• Editor Lisa Lassek (2:25)
• VFX Supervisor Johnny Han (2:34)
• Director Zetna Fuentes (2:23)

The Nevers: Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Joss Whedon's The Nevers is a dense and overstuffed series that asks a lot of its audience -- perhaps a little too much, at least in the early going. But it leaves off in a much more interesting place than it began, which has got to count for something in an ongoing series. Warner Bros.' Blu-ray presentation offers plenty of support, serving up a good-to-great A/V presentation and a surprisingly high number of bonus features spread over two discs. I'd still recommended that newcomers try before they buy, but there's enough here to make The Nevers Recommended overall.