DrkAngel

I'll be the first to admit that, when I first saw this series back in 1998 following WCW Monday Nitro on TNT, I did not like it. I watched the pilot episodes and a third one and thought "oh gawd!" I stopped watching until I happened to catch an episode near the end of the season. Something much bigger was happening in the show, on screen and off screen. The writing felt compelling and pulled me into the series, the acting improved ten fold, and the direction of the show was clever and complex. What started out as a rather tame and slow show developed into a deep character driven show. Conquest if it was filled the senseless violence and rest of the traits of the games would have made a poor show. It never would have made the light of day in a theater or on the small screen. Remember any fatalities in either of the movies? Me neither. When it comes to Conquest, despite a low, very low budget the writers and producers had enough faith to just focus on the show and not the politics at the network. The finale of the show proves how risky pays off and makes you wonder who was sick enough to pull off such a nihilistic ending. Have you caught Resident Evil (2002)? It was bold and frankly ballsy.

Anyone with an "all-region" dvd player the UK does have more than the one volume on dvd there. You just have to know where to look to get them. I got mine from the UK Amazon.com store. Type in Mortal Kombat and search the dvds, there are five dvd's in total. One of those has 6 episodes, the others are two a piece. These are all cut together into 1hr, 20 min. or better movies on each disc. It's very cool to see it done this way. The first disc with 6 episodes, pulls together the Scorpion and Subzero saga seamlessly. Final Battle is perhaps the most seamless entry on dvd as those two episodes are so tight you won't notice where the original cut off point was to jump to that final episode.

While the pilot was not the most defining episode to begin a series, it set the tone for a mix of mystery, suspense, and chills. This show delivers on a much deeper level that outright scares you would find in some other shows on television right now. This is a far different show than anything I ever seen on tv. The closest thing I would compare it to, as far as atmosphere and mood would be The Shining. The concept is a much different one than I am used to. It incorporates themes that hardcore science fiction shows use. It has what I call an apocalyptic tone to it, where "one man will come and he will lead us to salvation or damnation." While maintaining a grounding rod in reality. It is still early on in the show, but from my standpoint All Souls delivers the chills and the right dose of action and suspense to make it successful. Don't listen to my opinion, give the show a chance and formulate your own you might be surprised...

Special Unit 2 at first seems like it might be a plain old rip-off show with just smart-ass characters and big ass guns and cheesy monsters. That is a huge misconception on what this show is all about and is. Special Unit 2 is actually a refreshing and unique show that UPN should be proud of. The monsters are designed by the mad genius in Patrick Tatopoulos. They are simply beautiful yet wicked looking at the same time. The show has the uncanny ability to show off clever dialogue and strong writing with strong characters. Nick O'Malley may seem like the typical badass good guy, when he is that but so much more. In the first episode he makes it pretty clear he doesn't care about anyone other than himself. He dispels that formulaic theme in no time when he shows he is supporting the family of his deceased partner from 2 years prior. He does care, he just keeps it inside to protect himself from the everyday pain he endures to kill the monsters that killed his partner. So we care about him as much as we cheer on his wicked skills as a monster killer and wicked one-liners. Kate Benson is another character we care about as well, who has the ability to see past things normal don't do. She grew up being looked down upon for her ability to look past the obvious and what lurks beneath the surface and that's how she finds herself in Special Unit 2. She is a true good cop but quickly learns being by the book won't solve cases all the time. She still has her convictions and morals whose driving force is not loss but for what she wants to discover and learn. The cast of this show clearly has the best chemistry I've seen on a show in recent memory. They all play off of each other with such ease it's a sight to behold. The special effects are brilliant and so are the production values and art direction. Special Unit 2 works on many different levels from the acting to the creature effects. There is more to Special Unit 2 than just an elite monster fighting team concept. It has a heart and special magic that makes it work that I haven't seen on many shows in recent memory. Stargate SG-1 and First Wave have that, not many others do. Special Unit 2 is worth a chance to see Alexondra Lee, Michael Landes, Richard Gant, and Danny Woodburn show their talents. This is a kick ass show with a heart that is also very beautiful and haunting at the same time. There are strong artistic values to this show that make it that much better than other shows in this genre. Special Unit 2 is worth a look and some of your videotape!