UNIVERSE, THE (TV SERIES): THE COMPLETE SEASON TWO - DVD review

"The sun is the hottiest planet, and it would burn you if you tried to eat it."
-Chris Peterson, "Get a Life"


When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronomer. Not an astronaut, but an astronomer. After all, how often does an astronaut get to go into space; an astronomer can gaze into the universe every night! I read every astronomy book I could get my hands on, but the one I remember most vividly is an oversized book called "Our Universe" by Roy A. Gallant. I've always remembered the name too.

"Our Universe" (see picture on left) was a colorful picture book produced by National Geographic which had this neat section in which each of the planets was featured on its own double page. All the vital stats were listed (distance from sun, number of satellites, etc.) and I committed these all to memory. Best of all, some wonderful artist drew vivid depictions of what the alien life on each planet might look like. I have a memory of jellyfish-like creatures living on Venus, or maybe it was Neptune. I just remember they were really cool.

History´s series "The Universe" isn't nearly as cool as that; in fact, there's not a single jellyfish-like creature even mentioned in all of Season One. Still, the series (not to be confused with PBS´ "The Elegant Universe") offers its own awe-inspiring view of life, the universe and everything all packaged into 45 minute episodes.

Season Two, which aired from Nov 2007 to April 2008, largely follows the formula of Season One with slight variations. There are no more quirky episode names like "Saturn: Lord of the Rings" but meat and potatoes titles like "Supernovas" and "Gravity." Neal deGrasse Tyson was the go-to guy in the first season, and he still appears in Season Two, but the focus shifts to a different stable of scientists, with priority given to more eccentric, or at least highly demonstrative, scientists. Phil Hellmuth look-alike Alex Filippenko of UC Berkeley is probably the most common guest. And they can't resist the chance to talk to Beth Biller, a very goth-looking scientist from the University of Hawaii who also happens to be a "belly dancer and fire performer."

Each episode, narrated by Erik Thompson, introduces its subject of the week then covers as much ground as possible on the central topic. The series balances nifty computer graphics with brief snippets of interviews with a variety of scientists. The series is designed to keep cable viewers from clicking the remote, so the talking heads are never allowed to hold court for more than about 15-20 seconds before we race on to the next nifty graphics shot. As you might imagine, the coverage remains fairly superficial, but having said that, I suspect most viewers will learn quite a bit from each episode. A sense of whimsy and humor helps to kindle viewer interest as well.

There are five discs in the set. The first three have four episodes each, the fourth and fifth have three episodes apiece. Each episode is approximately 45 minutes long.

DISC ONE:

Alien Planets
Cosmic Holes
Mysteries of the Moon
The Milky Way

DISC TWO:

Alien Moons
Dark Matter
Astrobiology
Space Travel

DISC THREE:

Supernovas
Constellations
Unexplained Mysteries
Cosmic Collisions

DISC FOUR:

Colonizing Space
Nebulas
Wildest Weather in the Cosmos

DISC FIVE:

Biggest Things in Space
Gravity
Cosmic Apocalypse
Bonus Featurette: Backyard Astronomers

VIDEO

Each episode is presented in its original 1.78:1 television broadcast ratio. The interlaced transfer shows instances of combing, but the image quality is clear and the colors are sharp.

AUDIO

The series is presented in Dolby Digital Stereo. No subtitles are offered.

EXTRAS

The only bonus is on Disc Five, a featurette titled "Backyard Astronomers" (53 min.) It doesn't start off very promising when we are told the shocking news that the planets can be very interesting to look at, but it gets betters. It's silly, but OK.

The first season was housed in a simple cardboard slipcase. Season Two arrives in an attractive metal housing with nesting discs in fold out sleeves inside. An illustrated episode guide would be a nice extra feature to really make this a pretty gift set, but we don't get one.

SERIES VALUE

Though they are fairly similar, I enjoyed Season Two of "The Universe" somewhat more than the first. The experts were more engaging, but the subject matter is the major improvement. The first season checked in on most of the planets in our solar system. With local business taken care of, Season Two soars to more distant and exotic locales. Of the ones I have seen, I enjoyed "Dark Matter" and "Cosmic Holes" the best. This remains one of History's best programs, and an easy sell to anyone who ever once dreamed of being an astronomer.