Saving Grace - Season 1 DVD Review

Posted by Brian Cramer on 08.22.2008

TNT's catchphrase is "We Know Drama". After sitting through the first season of Saving Grace, one would be hard-pressed to argue with them.



Cast:

Leon Rippy - Earl
Kenny Johnson - Ham Dewey
Bailey Chase - Butch Ada
Holly Hunter - Grace HHanadarko
Laura San Giacomo - Rhetta Rodriguez
Bokeem Woodbine - Leon Cooley
Gregory Cruz - Bobby Stillwater
Lorraine Toussaint - Kate Perry
Dylan Minnette - Clay

Release Date: July 15, 2008
Total Running Time: 576 minutes

The Show:

Saving Grace opens with an introduction to its main character, Grace HHanadarko, a 40-something year-old detective in the Oklahoma City major crimes division, by dropping you right in the middle of an intense sexual romp. If their goal was to immediately set their show apart from most anything else you have experienced on television, they did so admirably. Saving Grace is unlike quite possibly anything else on network television.

The premise of the show is simple all-around but has a complex underbelly (not unlike video games that you hear described as “simple to learn, yet hard to master”). As mentioned, Grace Hanadarko (portrayed fantastically by Holly Hunter) is a detective in Oklahoma City, out of its major crimes unit. She is however, by no means, your ordinary woman. She’s openly promiscuous, foul-mouthed, impulsive and a case could be made that she drinks more than I do. The latter is what finally catches up to her. One night, in an attempt to drive home quite drunk, Grace hits a man with her car. The completely un-religious Grace, out of desperation perhaps, mutters aloud a variation of something that many of us might say in a similar situation – “God help me”.

Enter Earl (the brilliant character actor, Leon Rippy, of Deadwood fame). A “last-chance angel” sent from God, he offers Grace one final chance to straighten out her life. It should be noted that, much like Grace not being your typical woman, Earl is not what one would likely envision as an angel. The wings that he brings out occasionally are majorly overshadowed by his scruffy-looking, snuff-chewing persona. That notwithstanding, it doesn’t take long for either of what are arguably the two main characters to grow on the viewer.

The rest of the cast add exponentially to the whole overall story and “supporting” is a word that I would be reluctant to use to describe them, because they’re so much more. Grace’s best friend Rhetta (Laura San Giacomo) tries her hardest to be Grace’s voice of reason. A devout Christian, yet confident in her field of forensics, once she believes Grace’s story about an angel visiting her, she immediately tries to utilize her knowledge of science to justify her religious beliefs, which is an extraordinarily interesting contrast. Grace’s main “team” of guys comprise of Ham Dewey (The Shield’s Kenny Johnson), Butch Ada (Bailey Chase) and Bobby Stillwater (Gregory Cruz). The simplest explanation is: Ham is in love with Grace (even though he’s married) and they engage in sexual escapades on a regular basis. Butch and Grace also have had their “thing”, which causes a slight rift between him and Ham at times. Bobby is the most grounded of the bunch, more-or-less trying to just do his job and lend his support to his friends. The man that Grace hits in the Pilot turns out to be Leon Cooley (Bokeem Woodbine), an inmate that would come to play a rather large part in the whole story arc. Toss in her nephew Clay (Dylan Minnette) and her bulldog Gus and you’ve got an extremely well-rounded cast lending their talents to an extremely well-written show.

Each episode, with the help of Earl, her friends and her actions, presents more insight into Grace’s mind and we come to learn about the traumas she’s faced and a lot of the reasons why she is the way she is. This is also reflected by her actions in the cases her team takes on, one of which we generally get in each episode.

The Episodes:
(summaries taken from DVD material)

Pilot – After hitting a man in a drunk-driving accident, hard-living detective Grace Hanadarko is given a new lease on life by a scrappy angel named Earl.

Bring It On, Earl – A band of environmental extremists are the prime suspects in the murder of an oilman, and while Earl tries to bring Grace close to God, her romantic past with Butch threatens her relationship with Ham.

Bless Me Father, For I Have Sinned – As Earl helps Grace to choose a path in life, a housekeeper seeks refuge in the church and claims self-defense in the murder of the manager of a sleazy motel.

Keep Your Damn Wings Off My Nephew – Grace can only handle so much preaching when she tries to protect a devout Christian, the key witness in a murder trial. And, Grace is further upset when Earl uses her nephew to get her attention.

Would You Want Me To Tell You? – Major Crimes takes the case when a cattle tycoon’s lucky bull statue is stolen, and Grace’s favorite aunt comes to town bearing some shocking news.

And You Wonder Why I Lie – The death of a mysterious woman in a flight attendant’s uniform opens a complex investigation, and while Earl confronts Grace about her chronic lying, Ham’s wife confronts her about her affair with Ham.

Yeehaw, Geepaw – When the body of a Native American man is found buried in a shallow grave, Grace enlists the help of her grandfather and is shocked by his deteriorating state of mental health.

Everything’s Got A Shelf Life – The death of a fellow officer forces Grace to confront her own mortality. Meanwhile, on death row, Leon Cooley must face the possibility of his son being adopted by another man.

A Language Of Angels – The eerily familiar torture and murder of a young woman hits close to home for Grace, and Rhetta continues her investigation to discover more about Earl.

It’s Better When I Can See You – Grace’s investigation of a deadly school bus accident is cut short when tornadoes wreak havoc throughout Oklahoma City. Elsewhere, Leon’s spiritual journey takes a surprising turn.

This Is Way Too Normal For You – When a man with Down syndrome is killed in a robbery attempt, the investigation leads back to the special home in which he lived. Meanwhile, Grace’s latest romance poses a challenge for Earl.

Is There A Scarlet Letter On My Breast? – The team’s sordid personal lives fall under scrutiny when a brash defense attorney arrives in town for a murder trial. In the meantime, Ham wants to make his feelings for Grace known.

Tacos, Tulips, Ducks and Spices – A mysterious picture of Grace’s sister is found in the remains of a burned car, and the physical items left by Earl provide clues to a shocking discovery.

The Extras:

Normally, I would go over the extras in a list format, but that’s not really necessary in this case. While the featurettes are not bad by any stretch of the imagination, the problem is they’re extremely redundant. It’s quite obvious that they had about 20-30 minutes worth of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews to work with and they just broke them down and spliced them together to make as many little 3-5 minute clips as they could. Again, while what we do see isn’t boring and is informative, one can’t help but be disappointed by the laziness that apparently went into their creation.

The episode commentary, on the other hand, is tremendous. The downside is, it’s only present on two episodes – the pilot and the season finale. Creator Nancy Miller, Executive Producer Gary Randall and Director Artie Mandelberg do a fantastic job at giving at giving us insight into the characters and the episodes, specifically the incredible amount of work that goes into the little subtle nuances that one might not gather until a second or third viewing. These commentaries are definitely worth watching.

The Video:

The video transferred over virtually flawlessly. It’s presented in 1.78:1 widescreen and just looks overall fantastic. No complaints whatsoever.

The Audio:

The audio is presented in 5.1 Dolby surround sound and comes off sounding great. Spanish dubbing is available in standard Dolby surround and subtitles are available in English, Spanish and French. The set is quite well-rounded, as far as audio presentation.

The 411: Saving Grace is a fantastic show that will suck you right in and not let go. The characters are written tremendously and the show is as much, if not more than, about the character interactions and relationships than it is about whatever crime is investigated any particular episode, or even the overall story arc itself. And trust me, that's not a bad thing.

Take the time to check this one out. Much like other newer series' that are hitting the airwaves, the initial season is shortened (it's only 13 episodes), so there's no excuse to not give up 12 hours of your life to watch them. It's certainly 12 hours well spent.

Final Score:  9.0   [  Amazing ]