Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

The Purge: Season Two Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 3, 2022

It is dangerous for a franchise like The Purge to simply fall into one-trick-pony category by simply rehashing the Purge Night "festivities" over and over and over again. The various movies at least tried to come into the world from a few different angles but ultimately, more or less, they just pointed back to the same old, same old. The TV show adaptation's first season essentially followed a single purge night across several perspectives. While season two begins the same way, with the first episode exploring the last couple of hours of a particularly bloody night of violence, the season spends its bulk exploring how characters are impacted in the time after and leading up to the following year's Purge Night. Kudos to the show for exploring a more human angle amidst the lingering aftermaths of trauma of various types, but the show, and the franchise, still remains grounded in that morbid narrative that is difficult to discern if it's celebrating violence or negatively commenting on the depravity within modern civilization.

The Voice.

Official synopsis: Based on the hit movie franchise, 'The Purge' revolves around a 12-hour period when all crime, including murder, is legal. Season two explores how a single Purge Night affects the lives of four interconnected characters over the course of the ensuing year, all inevitably leading up to the next Purge. From Blumhouse Television and UCP, the second season of the anthology series opens on Purge Night but dives deeper than ever before into what the Purge world looks like the other 364 days of the year.

A government surveillance official who watches for illegal activity on Purge Night and witnesses her friend’s murder. Bank robbers whose plans are foiled in Purge Night’s closing moments by “Jackals.” A doctor who finds himself caught outside during purge night and discovers that he was being targeted all along with no idea why. A frat boy who is forced to violently defend himself on purge night. These are the central characters, and their basic arcs, that season two follows with some degree of narrative interest and intrigue. The season uses Purge Night violence as a propellant for a few interesting character studies in both the immediate aftermath and through the long haul to the next Purge. Fans should enjoy the new perspectives, and rest assured there remains plenty of violence for those who are simply invested in the series to experience the latest round of bloodletting. Newcomers might find it a decent starting point to absorb a bit of depth and nuance beyond what the other entries generally offer.

The following episodes comprise season two. Summaries are courtesy of the Blu-ray packaging.

Disc One:

• This Is not a Test: Four interconnected characters navigate the aftermath of the Purge over the ensuing year.
• Everything Is Fine: The city cleans up last night’s Purge, but Ryan, Marcus, Esme and Ben can’t shake its effects.
• Blindspots: The residual effects of Purge Night infect the lives of Ryan, Marcus, and Esme.
• Grief Box: Marcus confronts his past. Esme learns the truth. Ryan changes his plan. Ben seeks understanding.
• House of Mirrors: In the world of The Purge, Ryan, Marcus, Esme, and Ben learn that some lines can’t be un-crossed.

Disc Two:

• Happy Holidays: Marcus sinks into darkness. Esme is on the run. Ben returns home. Ryan gets an unexpected visitor.
• Should I Stay of Should I Go: Marcus’ family makes a tough decision. Esme and Ryan risk it all. Ben destroys someone he loves.
• Before the Sirens: Purge Night looms. Ryan and Esme put a plan in motion. Marcus readies for a showdown. Ben spirals.
• Hail Mary: People risk it all to settle scores and do what’s right on Purge Night. If only they can survive.
• 7:01AM: As Purge Night rages on, Esme, Ryan, Marcus and Ben fight for their lives and their loved ones.

The Purge: Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Universal brings The Purge: Season Two to Blu-ray with a very impressive 1080p transfer sourced from a digital shoot. The image is crisp, clear, and efficient. Details are strong and clarity is excellent. No detail escapes the source and Blu-ray resolution might, revealing complex skin details, clothing elements, and location specifics with unfailing ease. Colors are appropriately bold and robust, such as bright red blood and blue hospital scrubs seen in episode two, for example. The picture reveals all variety of natural color with impressive clarity and depth, yielding impressive stability and natural vividness. Whites pop, blacks are deep, and skin tones look spot-on. The image does show some source noise, heavy at times in lower light, throughout. However, there are no problematic encode issues to deal with, even with five episodes on each disc.

The Purge: Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is excellent. The track is large and never timid about full on aggression for all elements, including music, gunfire, and atmosphere. On Purge Night, listeners will experience nearby gunfire with terrifying depth and intensity while distant shots pop in the background with frightening immersion into the total location mayhem. More intimate ambience, such as inside the NFFA surveillance offices, is nicely integrated as well. Score is powerful with wide front side berth, healthy back content, and impressive subwoofer usage. Dialogue is clear and center focused for the duration. It is also well prioritized.

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

No supplemental content is to be found on either Blu-ray disc. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

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

The Purge was cancelled after two seasons, perhaps prematurely for some, not soon enough for others, but at least not before season two which offers probably the most interesting look into the Purge yet. Season two offers the most character depth and full arc narrative essentials of any of the TV seasons or feature films, which might please fans or drive them away depending on why they enjoy The Purge in the first place. Universal's featureless two-disc Blu-ray set does offer very good video and audio presentations. Recommended for franchise fans.