TVSquad

There's a moment in one of the extras on the Witchblade DVD set where Peter Mensah, who played Hector Mobius, says that the show was ahead of its time. Now, I tend to think most people involved in a project of the size and scope of Witchblade would say something similar. In this case though, there is something to it. The landscape for cable based original series was quite different in 2001, when Witchblade debuted.

While we now take it for granted that great shows are coming from the likes of TNT, FX, AMC, and USA, it was still a relatively new thing then. The idea that the show was ahead of its time comes back upon re-watching the series. With only a couple of exceptions, the odd bit of wardrobe or a tell-tale cell phone, the show looks like it could have been made last week. The story fits that mold as well. It's still relevant, and doesn't come across as outdated.

In case you missed it, at its core, Witchblade is a cop show. We follow the story of NYPD Detective Sara Pezzini (Yancy Butler). Through the course of the series there are many cases, inter-departmental intrigue, governmental conspiracy, among other things. It puts a lot on Sara's plate. On top of that, she has also been chosen to wield the Witchblade. It is a centuries old weapon that can only be worn by a woman. With it comes a host of powers and abilities, and just as many problems. As the series moves along Sara learns more about the history of the Witchblade, and herself, as she tries to figure out what it all means.

She's joined on her quest by her partners, Danny Woo(Will Yun Lee) and Jake McCartey(David Chokachi), and antiquities dealer Gabriel Bowman (John Hensley). On the other side of the aisle you find mysterious tycoon Kenneth Irons (Anthony Cistaro), and his loyal henchman, Ian Nottingham (Eric Etebari). The lore of the Witchblade is complicated, as are the machinations of the characters surrounding it. Nottingham, in particular, is at constant odds with himself, trying to decide just what side he is on.

One of the fun parts of re-watching the series is all the guest stars that pop up. Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice) appears as Cartaphilus. After being condemned to walk the earth until Jesus returns, he has sought out the Witchblade because it is the one thing that can kill him. One of my favorite guest spots comes from Alexis Dziena (Invasion). In what was her first major role she plays Bola, a centuries old gypsy bent on revenge. Her target is Lupo, played by Eric Roberts. You'll also find Roger Daltry (The Who) twice, once in drag, and Sandrine Holt (24).

Why the show only lasted two seasons isn't exactly clear. It was a top ten cable show, and had developed a small, devoted, following. There was certainly enough story to take it to a third season. There are rumors that Butler's struggles with alcohol played a hand, and the fantasy nature of the show at the time was probably something of a tough sell. It's not the end of Witchblade in other forms though. Production is set to begin next month on a big screen version.

Now, let's talk about the DVD set. My first impression of the set was how nicely put together it is. That's something you expect when you crack the seal on the new season of Lost or Heroes. On shows that were canceled after two seasons, and took eight years to get a DVD set, you expect some corners to be cut. Things like with my Lone Gunmen and Cleopatra 2525 sets. No labels on the disks, episodes on both sides. It's not the case here. The set comes in a nice package, with seven disks, each of them labeled with a different character from the show.

That's always nice, but more importantly, that same attention to detail carries over to the contents of those disks. I was taken aback by just how good these episodes look. It's certainly the best version of the episodes anyone has seen, and much crisper than the standard def broadcasts from the original run. Short of another release in HD, and that would be shocking, this is the best that Witchblade, the series, is going to get. Included on those seven disks are all 23 episodes, and the original two hour movie that served as the pilot for the show.

My one disappointment with the set was the complete lack of commentary tracks. As a fan of the comic for years, I was hoping to hear from Marc Silvestri and Michael Turner on what they thought of the transition from the page to the screen. In lieu of commentary tracks, a number of episodes have a bonus companion piece that they bill on the packaging as Gabriel's Philosophical Insights. They are short clips of Gabriel talking to the camera about his thoughts on Sara, the Witchblade, and what it all might mean. They're ok, but not really a substitute for actual commentaries. In retrospect, they probably would have worked better had they been edited into one piece and added as another featurette on the bonus disk.

Fortunately, we do get to hear from some of the actors and creators in two of the bonus items. In a pair of featurettes, "Wielding The Blade" and "Bringing The Blade To Life", they talk about the story of the Witchblade and the differences in moving from the comic to television. There is a great bit with Yancy Butler as she tells about her first encounter with the comic. She hadn't seen it before she got the part, so she took a trip to her local comic shop. Her reaction to seeing it for the first time was, "Oh my god, what did I get myself into? Here's this chick...she's a little top heavy... and she's a little naked." Something they show with a number of shots from the comic, like that to the left.

The nature of television, standards and practices, and budgets, cut the full body armor of the Witchblade down. Most often it was seen as a metal gauntlet, like that below on the right. They also walk through how they went about casting all the major roles, and the story of how the show ended up on TNT. Oddly enough, an off-hand reference to Oliver Stone in one of the comics played a part in setting the whole thing in motion. The pair of featurettes serve as a nice behind the scenes look.

In addition, the extras disk also includes the original casting sessions for Yancy Butler, Anthony Cistaro, David Chokachi, Eric Etebari, and Will Yun Lee. There is also an easter egg of one of the oddest music videos you are likely to see. It features Etebari on vocals and bass, and Cistaro on keyboards, performing an original Witchblade song.

So, if you were a fan of the show, this is a no-brainer. All the episodes and the movie are here, and they all look great. It's definitely worth a buy. The one caveat I will add here is that the music has been changed. It's sold as an all new soundtrack selected by the executive producer. That sounds like the best spin they could put on the fact that they couldn't clear all of the songs from the series to me. Either way, I didn't find it to be a distraction. The new music works well.

For fans of the comic, it's a different story. The set is worth a look if you don't mind a completely different take on the story. They say the show is based on the comic, but inspired by is probably a better choice of words. The series parts ways with the comic early on. For everyone else, it's the same as anything. If the story sounds intriguing, they've spent some time making the set a good one. If you're unsure about the mystical elements though, a trial run from Netflix might be your best bet.