LAS VEGAS: SEASON FOUR - DVD review

Show Creator Gary Scott Thompson brings the same flash and breakneck pacing to the series "Las Vegas" that he did as writer of "The Fast and the Furious." It's that type of heavy style that effectively encapsulates the gaudy, glamorous glitz of Sin City. The series centers around the day-to-day operations of the fictional Montecito Resort and Casino located on the south end of the Vegas Strip. James Caan does what he does best, play the gruff, no-nonsense tough guy as Ed Deline, a former CIA agent and currently the hotel's President of Operations. His right-hand man is Danny McCoy (Josh Duhamel), an ex-Marine now working as chief of security. Danny is currently in a relationship with Ed's daughter, Delinda (Molly Sims), the manager of the Montecito's food and beverage outlets. Delinda's mother, Jillian DeLine, is a recurring character and is played by former Charlie's Angel, Cheryl Ladd.

Danny's best friend is fellow security staff member, Mike Cannon (James Lesure), who holds an engineering degree from MIT. Mike actually started at the hotel as a valet because it paid better. Also at the casino is Mary Connell (Nikki Cox), a childhood friend of Danny's and a former flame. Mary is usually an upbeat, perky woman, but is haunted by past abuse by her father. The final member of the show's main cast is Sam Marquez (Vanessa Marcil) who is absolutely ruthless when it comes to business. Sam is a Casino Host whose job it is to keep the "whales" (high rollers) happy and constantly dumping money into the Montecito.

"Las Vegas" utilizes a lot of the stylish camera techniques that were championed by "CSI." There are a lot of whip pans to transition between scenes and sweeping establishing shots of the city and the casino. It doesn't feel nearly as fresh as it once was, but fits in well with the garishness of Vegas. The show is an hour-long drama, but takes a light-hearted approach to the majority of the storylines. The comedy sometimes goes overboard including some outlandish deaths. The most ludicrous had to be the death of the Montecito's former owner, Monica Mancuso (Lara Flynn Boyle), who was introduced and killed in Season 3 after a freak gust of wind blew her off the roof. The next owner was Casey Manning (Dean Cain), Sam's estranged ex-husband. Manning didn't fare any better as he was killed off-screen by a giant squid though evidence later pointed out he was poisoned beforehand. Even action star Jean-Claude Van Damme (who played himself) was killed by the show while filming his latest movie.

The show's main drawback comes when it tries to mix heavy plots with its fluffier moments. In "Delinda's Box", Delinda is kidnapped and buried alive by thieves forcing her father to rob the casino for them. The A-story is intercut with other sillier storylines such as Mike getting into a brawl with a mascot in an oversized foam costume. The comedy tends to undermine the more dramatic points of the show.

"Las Vegas" takes a cue from "The Love Boat" by bringing in a steady stream of guest-stars for each episode. This season the guest-stars include; Jewel, Lawrence Taylor, Kelly Hu, James Hong, Joe Morton, Richard Burgi, Judd Nelson, Morena Baccarin, Wolfgang Puck, Christopher McDonald, and John Legend.

The episodes included on this set are as follows:

-Disc 1-
"Father of the Bride Redux" – The season starts off with a bang literally as Ed is shot by an unknown assailant and Delinda gets cold feet on the wedding altar.

"Died in Plain Sight" – Ed travels to Morocco as old secrets from his CIA days come back to haunt him. Sam flies to Hawaii to deal with a client who has a dead hooker in his room.

"The Story of Owe" – Sam gets help in collecting debts with an old friend of Ed's while the boss helps a henpecked husband stand up to his gold digging wife.

"History of Violins" – Jill Hennessy and Jerry O'Connell guest-star as their "Crossing Jordan" characters as they team-up with the security team to investigate a murder and the theft of a million dollar violin.

-Disc 2-
"Delinda's Box" – In this extended episode, Delinda is kidnapped and Ed is forced to steal $4 million from the casino to pay her ransom.

"Meatball Montecito" – Vincent Pastore guest-stars as a reputed mobster to meet Wayne Newton and attend his daughter's extravagant wedding.

"White Christmas" – The holidays aren't too happy for Danny when an elf steals his beloved car and Sam deals with a favorite client who is dying.

"Wines and Misdemeanors" – Ed, Danny, and Mike discover an incredibly rare case of wine in Monica Mancuso's secret cellar and hold a high-profile auction. Their reputations are on the line when it's learned the wine was stolen and swapped out for a fake.

-Disc 3-
"Fleeting Cheating Meeting" – When a beloved former employee returns to the casino, Ed has Danny and Mike trail her new husband who he takes an instant disliking to.

"Wagers of Sin" – The game is on when Ed puts his cherry parking spot on the line against Danny and Mike to see who can catch the biggest crook in the next 24-hours. Ed investigates an employee stealing tips, Mike stakes out the casino's jewelry store, and Danny uncovers a phony key card ring.

"The Chicken is Making My Back Hurt" – Ed is forced to attend anger management or else the casino will lose its license, Delinda learns that no good deed goes unpunished, and Mike is caught up in a bank robbery.

"Pharaoah ‘Nuff" – An Ancient Egyptian mummy arrives at the Montecito only to be stolen by a foreign ambassador with diplomatic immunity. With the big guns occupied, Mary is deputized to catch a renowned towel thief in the act.

-Disc 4-
"The Burning Bedouin" – A Middle-Eastern tycoon who already has three wives tries to make Delinda his fourth and is later found burned to death in his bed. Sam reunites with an old flame that has just woken up from a 20 year coma while Ed is trapped at home with his annoying housekeeper.

"Bare Chested in the Park" – Spirits are still high during the company picnic, despite the fact that the casino owner was killed by a giant squid. Sam attempts to lure a rich whale away from the Bellagio and Mary gets set to testify against her father.

"Junk in the Trunk" – Sam revels in all the power that comes as the new casino owner and an old debt comes back to haunt Danny.

"Heroes" – All the dangling plot threads come to a head in the season finale as Sam is kidnapped by a wealthy whale, Mary decides to end things with her father permanently, and Ed's wife gives him an ultimatum, the casino or her.

VIDEO:
The video is presented in anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The transfer is extremely well-done as the colors are bright and vibrant. Not a single speck or blemish to be found.

AUDIO:
The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1.

EXTRAS:
The extras can all be found on disc 1.

Backstage with Cast and Crew runs just over sixteen minutes and features video footage of the goofy antics everyone gets up to while shooting the show.

Behind the Scenes – The Making of Las Vegas Season 4 runs nearly twenty minutes and is along those same lines, except it deals with the more serious side of actual production.

Season 3 Recap is a seven and a half clipfest that summarizes all the major storylines of the previous season.

FILM VALUE:
For me, the true quality test for a television series comes from its life on DVD, especially since I tend not to watch a lot of shows during their initial airings. I've reviewed a lot of TV shows lately and a couple of them for so damn good, I had to sit down and watch as many episodes in one sitting as possible. I rabidly consumed "House" and "Heroes" as soon as they arrived on my doorstep. I'd also place shows like "The Shield", "Deadwood", and "Battlestar Galactica" in that same category. I wouldn't count "Las Vegas" as one of them. "Vegas" is the equivalent of a popcorn film. It's a quick-paced bit of fluffy fun. It's the kind of show you wouldn't make a big effort to watch each week or devour on DVD, but the kind you'd watch if you happened to catch it while flipping channels.