The Fall: Series 1 and 2 - March 1, 2016

[AmishParadise]

"The Fall: Series 1 and 2" released this week for the first time in 1080p/24 (...includes 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio).



The Fall: Series 1
The Fall: Series 2

I foolishly imported Season 1 on Blu-ray when it was first released some time back, a 1080i/50 release. My Sony Blu-ray changers and main plasma display aren't 1080i/50 compatible. Doh! Didn't make the same mistake when Season 2 made its debut on Blu-ray. Just noticed yesterday that the series is now available in 1080p/24! Had Amazon ship them out to me next day. Love my Amazon Prime. :-) Didn't see a thread for this series already, so I figured I'd throw one up. Cheers.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Recently watched "The Fall" Series 1 on Blu. Incredible BBC thriller. Surprised it hasn't gotten more discussion here. I like the fact that there were only 5 episodes in S1. It didn't take that long to watch, and at the same time the storyline didn't seem at all compressed/rushed. Extremely well-done series.

Being a huge "X-files" fan, it was nice to see Gillian Anderson in a somewhat similar role - in this case, she's an LE investigator in the UK, and affects an authentic British accent.

[Show spoiler]Also interesting to see her character as very sexual; the scene when she propositioned that one young officer she had just met - and later slept with in her hotel room that night - was somewhat a surprise. Agent Scully would never have acted like that - LOL.

The show itself is extremely disturbing, and involves a serial killer. The forensic elements appear to be extremely well-done & authentic.

I liked the fact that

[Show spoiler]at the end of S1, the serial killer hadn't been caught yet. His covering up his crime & leaving the area was a surprise, since in the last two episodes I was thinking he was going to get caught, and that S2 would move onto someone else

Also surprising that the killer as a family man who loves his wife & kids, and has a job as a counselor - and that he's able to keep the two "lives" separate.

In any case, looking forward to Series 2.

[AmishParadise]

When creating this thread I forgot to give it some tags. Found no way to add them after the fact. Might have a little to do with the lack of activity I suppose. Okay, complete lack of activity.

Anyway, great to hear someone else chime in on this series. These U.S. releases by Acorn Media are excellent. Was so happy to see this show finally released on Blu-ray in 1080p/24. Fingers crossed that Acorn Media releases "The Fall: Series 3" on Blu-ray as well which debuts October 29th on Netflix.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Originally Posted by AmishParadise

Anyway, great to hear someone else chime in on this series. These U.S. releases by Acorn Media are excellent. Was so happy to see this show finally released on Blu-ray in 1080p/24. Fingers crossed that Acorn Media releases "The Fall: Series 3" on Blu-ray as well which debuts October 29th on Netflix.

Thanks for the heads-up re: S3. I hope to watch S2 on Blu this week, and then will try to catch S3 next week. Very fortuitous timing here.

[rickah88]

I guess I missed this thread when it was posted a few months ago, but I'm glad I caught it now. I've had both series 1&2 in my Netflix BD queue, but oddly the first series is only available in BD, while the second series is available in BD.
I've been hoping that Netflix would eventually get the first series BD, but their history isn't good when it comes to upgrading past releases to BD.
Was really hoping to rent instead of buying.

[AmishParadise]

Originally Posted by rickah88

I guess I missed this thread when it was posted a few months ago, but I'm glad I caught it now. I've had both series 1&2 in my Netflix BD queue, but oddly the first series is only available in BD, while the second series is available in BD.
I've been hoping that Netflix would eventually get the first series BD, but their history isn't good when it comes to upgrading past releases to BD.
Was really hoping to rent instead of buying.

Yeah, Netflix doesn't have a good track record in that regard. That being said, if you have the bandwidth and available data usage you could always stream S1 and rent the Blu-ray's for S2 (... or dare I say rent S1 on DVD and S2 on Blu-ray). Well, unless you aren't paying for streaming. I set my parents up on my Netflix account. They like to stream stuff which is the only reason I pay for that part of it. From time to time I do take advantage of the streaming though. In the case of this TV show I streamed the first couple episodes before deciding to import it on Blu-ray. My only mistake was not realizing the import was in 1080i/50. Thankfully Acorn Media came to the rescue with a 1080p/24 release of both seasons, the discs for each season now living happily ever after in my Sony Blu-ray changers.

[rickah88]

Originally Posted by AmishParadise

Yeah, Netflix doesn't have a good track record in that regard. That being said, if you have the bandwidth and available data usage you could always stream S1 and rent the Blu-ray's for S2 (... or dare I say rent S1 on DVD and S2 on Blu-ray). Well, unless you aren't paying for streaming. I set my parents up on my Netflix account. They like to stream stuff which is the only reason I pay for that part of it. From time to time I do take advantage of the streaming though. In the case of this TV show I streamed the first couple episodes before deciding to import it on Blu-ray. My only mistake was not realizing the import was in 1080i/50. Thankfully Acorn Media came to the rescue with a 1080p/24 release of both seasons, the discs for each season now living happily ever after in my Sony Blu-ray changers.

I used to have Netflix streaming until they headscratchingly split the company. Heck I think I still have the streaming disc you had to insert into the BD player(for me PS3) to stream!
It's not like I'm pressed for something to watch at the moment, as I'm pretty backlogged. I guess I will add the discs to my Amazon cart and hope they get a good sale, while hoping beyond hope Netflix gets the BD. With a third option of searching on the tv listings for a possible series airing.

[AmishParadise]

Originally Posted by rickah88

It's not like I'm pressed for something to watch at the moment, as I'm pretty backlogged.

Tell me about it. So many Blu's, too little time.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Saw Series 2 of The Fall On Blu. Like Series 1, beautiful PQ re: these episodes.

Gillian Anderson is amazing in this series - extremely good acting here. Though I'm a much bigger fan of The X-files than I am of this series, her acting here is definitely more nuanced than it is on The X-files; also impressed by the convincing (but fake) UK accent she affects for the show.

Extremely disturbing storyline re: the cat & mouse game

[Show spoiler]that the serial killer was playing with the LE; though, you could tell they would eventually catch him, you just didn't know how it was going to happen ahead of time.

One of the favorite sequences was towards the end,

[Show spoiler]when the killer thought he was going to escape after he was attacked by the irate husband & the subsequent shoot out - and then was taken into custody after he left the cordoned-off area.

Going along with this,

[Show spoiler]the sub-plot re: having the husband of one of the killer's "customers" at the bereavement center be enraged at him was a brilliant plotline; this culminated in the husband shooting him & the LE officer when they were looking for Rose Stagg in the woods. Excellent finale here, which led directly into S3.

Also streamed Series 3, and will review that as well - on the dedicated thread for this over in the UK TV forum.

[AmishParadise]

I was holding out for Acorn Media to announce a release for this. Got impatient and streamed it on Netflix a couple weeks ago. Just noticed today that it's getting a Blu-ray release. Will be sweet to own the entire series on Blu-ray. Thank you Acorn Media!

[AmishParadise]

Originally Posted by hariseldon

Actually finally got tired of waiting for S3 and since I didn;t have 1/2 I ended up getting the UK S1-3 for a little over $37 a few months ago. I was convinced that S3 wasn't going to make it to the US like The Bridge and The Killing.

UK set is 50Hz so no video conversion from the original, but it is region free for those that don't have Sony players

I'm still very annoyed that The Bridge S2 didn't get a Blu-ray release. I begrudgingly purchased the DVD not too long ago. Imported all 4 seasons of The Killing which were thankfully 1080p/24. My Sony Blu-ray changers aren't compatible with 1080i/50, so importing The Fall wasn't an option for me. Learned the hard way after having imported Series 1. Very thankful that Acorn Media stepped up to the plate. Excellent releases. Looking forward to owning Series 3 on Blu-ray in 1080p/24 as well come November.

[rickah88]

I'm assuming the series ended after 3 seasons? If so, I might pick up the set. I've had S1 and S2 in my Amazon cart for awhile hoping that some sort of series set would be released in the states. I've never seen the show, but have heard good things about it.

[AmishParadise]

Originally Posted by rickah88

I'm assuming the series ended after 3 seasons? If so, I might pick up the set. I've had S1 and S2 in my Amazon cart for awhile hoping that some sort of series set would be released in the states. I've never seen the show, but have heard good things about it.

The series did end at S3. It's a slow burn from start to finish much like The Killing, but even more so I'd say. Personally I found that very refreshing though. Perhaps not everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed it.

[rickah88]

Originally Posted by AmishParadise

The series did end at S3. It's a slow burn from start to finish much like The Killing, but even more so I'd say. Personally I found that very refreshing though. Perhaps not everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed it.

Thank you for the info!
I will go with the complete series set. Which means I can FINALLY remove the S1 and S2 BDs from my cart. Amazon must have raised and lowered both prices, a penny at a time, thousands of times since I added them about a year ago.

[Todd Tomorrow]

The Fall got worse with every season. Season 1 was great, 2 was poor, 3 was terrible. It's a shame because Gillian Anderson was very good in it.

If you like British TV shows with female cops, I'd highly recommend Happy Valley. Two seasons so far and both excellent.

[AmishParadise]

Originally Posted by rickah88

Thank you for the info!
I will go with the complete series set. Which means I can FINALLY remove the S1 and S2 BDs from my cart. Amazon must have raised and lowered both prices, a penny at a time, thousands of times since I added them about a year ago.

Just keep in mind, the complete series set are those 1080i/50 releases. From Amazon.co.uk it's USD 43.38 out the door. Great price. If you need 1080p/24 the only option at present is to pick up the individual Acorn Media releases.

[rickah88]

Originally Posted by AmishParadise

Just keep in mind, the complete series set are those 1080i/50 releases. From Amazon.co.uk it's USD 43.38 out the door. Great price. If you need 1080p/24 the only option at present is to pick up the individual Acorn Media releases.

Ah that's a bummer! Why did the set not receive the 1080p/24 discs?

[AmishParadise]

Originally Posted by rickah88

Ah that's a bummer! Why did the set not receive the 1080p/24 discs?

1080i/50 is very common for TV shows on the other side of the pond. Thankfully Acorn Media stepped up to the plate and offered US releases in 1080p/24. My PS4 and projector can handle 1080i/50, but I prefer to store and play my Blu-ray collection from my Sony Blu-ray changers which aren't 1080i/50 friendly. I'd also love to see a 1080p/24 release of Caprica! I imported the 1080i/50 release. Pretty rude to not give Battlestar Galactica fans a US release, but I digress.

[hagios]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

The Fall got worse with every season. Season 1 was great, 2 was poor, 3 was terrible. It's a shame because Gillian Anderson was very good in it.

If you like British TV shows with female cops, I'd highly recommend Happy Valley. Two seasons so far and both excellent.

I enjoy both The Fall & Happy Valley!

[rickah88]

Originally Posted by hariseldon

It was produced at 25fps and then converted to US std for broadcast/release here.

THe UK release is best done at 50Hz since it gives appropriate tempo/pitch without manipulation. No reason for them to get a compromised quality just so they can sell the same set here. Acorn conversion are pretty good, but certainly not perfect.

I guess it's possible Acorn might release a full series US set down the road, but for getting the modified 24p US individual season or the native 50HZ UK set.
If you have a compatible player (most Samsung and LG, all OPPO, etc) then it's better and much cheaper just to get teh UK set

I don't mind waiting.