Banshee: The Complete Second Season (DVD)

This is an astoundingly great follow-up to the ultra-violent season one. Sex scenes also abound, as everyone is sleeping with everyone else. There are so many characters, one might think it would be hard to follow just who is paired with whom and who is committing what crime, aided or opposed by whom, as loyalties and alliances fluctuate. There is incredible violence in every episode, and at some point, Lucas Hood starts wearing a bandage on his right wrist. He wears it right into season three, so he must have been badly injured in one of those fight scenes, no matter how carefully choreographed. Carrie's secret past - or some of it - has now been revealed, and her murderous Ukrainian father, a feared mob boss from NYC, is after her. Her daughter, Deva, now knows that Hood is her biological father, but she is following in both parents' footsteps by attempting to commit crimes. Proctor's niece, Rebecca, who was shunned by her Amish family and took shelter with him, is being initiated into his world of crime and taking to it with considerable enthusiasm. The new chief of the Kinaho tribe has to defend his reign against usurpers, while his sister makes no attempt to curb her murderous impulses. One of the best things about this series, which is crammed with subplots, is that time is managed to reveal the histories of characters and their interactions. I can't say that any are truly well-rounded - some, like Job, appear fully formed and never alter - but all are interesting. Even the most unlikeable have likeable moments, and even the most likeable can be repulsive. One thing to beware of: sooner or later, everyone dies. At the end of the day, no matter how much you've engaged with a character, that person will be gruesomely dead.

Banshee is my guilty pleasure. Yes, it's gratuitous and hyper violent and sexual. But underneath all that it has some of the best and most complex characters currently on TV period. Combined with a unique setting and storytelling that focuses on the overall story arc, this all comes together for a thrill of a ride. It might be the in your face, gritty action that keeps you on the edge of your seat--but its the nuanced and original storytelling that manages to make very real world emotional connections (despite the admittedly fantastical/not realistic at all backdrop) that actually keeps you coming back to the show.I wasn't quite sure how they would top season one, but was pleasantly surprised at just how well season 2 flowed from season 1's storyline. The Rabbit plot line comes to a satisfying conclusion, and a whole new world of other drama is set into motion mainly dealing with the local Native tribe and Proctor (the unscrupulous ex-Amish mafia boss). Banshee also didn't fall into the trap that a lot of sequels have of trying to make everything bigger and louder. Instead, they keep the focus on the characters, and spend time fleshing out the interpersonal stories which makes you care that much more about the action/violence as you genuinely care about the people involved.On a last note, Banshee could easily be criticized for objectifying women. You will see lots of boobs etc. However, unlike shows like GOT or Da Vinci's Demons, Banshee is pretty equal opportunity on that front which is actually sort of refreshing. Not to mention, Banshee has not one, but three main female characters who are ridiculously complex and bada** and who all get enough screentime to be far more than just a pretty face (which is a lot more than most more conventional TV shows have going for them in terms of representation). As a woman, I'm actually pretty thrilled with the Banshee ladies' stories which is incredibly rare for hardcore action shows or movies.

To put it bluntly, I was amazed! Note that I do have cable TV but that I do not subscribe to the titty channels, so that the relatively infrequent nudity and just-below X-rated sex was a delightful surprise, as were the frequent F-bombs that occurred exactly when expected (as they would in a more or less real-life situation, depending on your personal experiences). My partner was offended by the language (and the sex) so I had to watch this all alone but that didn't mean I enjoyed it any less.You can get the plot anywhere (Wiki is a good place to start) so I'll not go into that. What I will HIGHLY recommend is watching each season's BANSHEE ORIGINS set of clips so you can get a heads up on what you're about to see without having to figure it out piecemeal from the episodes themselves. Note that this is absolutely necessary at the beginning of season four, where a lapse of 18-months has occurred.The clips were scripted and shot separately from the episodes themselves, as explained by the producers on the commentary audio. I had originally thought that they were outtakes or sections that were cut for time purposes but that was not the case. THEY DO EXPLAIN A BUNCH OF STUFF!I can say that each season opens with a whole new set of problems and a bunch of characters whom the writers were not afraid of killing off just to torment the survivors and shock the audience.To save time and effort, this same review will be posted for seasons 2 through 4 (the last season of the series).

Worth it

Explicit adult drama starring NZ actor Anthony Starr. Pretty good but story line is unbelievable ie. the good guy always comes through.