The Nevers Season 1 Part 1 (Blu-ray) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: HBO / Warner
Release Date: October 5, 2021
Rating: TV - MA
Film: 4/5
 
Plot
August, 1896. Victorian London is rocked to its foundations by a supernatural event which gives certain people - mostly women - abnormal abilities, from the wondrous to the disturbing. But no matter their particular “turns,” all who belong to this new underclass are in grave danger. It falls to mysterious, quick-fisted widow Amalia True (Laura Donnelly) and brilliant young inventor Penance Adair (Ann Skelly) to protect and shelter these gifted “orphans.” To do so, they will have to face the brutal forces determined to annihilate their kind.
 
My Thoughts
Due to Covid-19, only six episodes of the first season were completed—hence the title The Nevers: Season 1 Part 1. I have to admit that I wasn’t blown away by the first episode, “Pilot,” but the slow burn of the series did eventually capture my imagination and drew me into the story. There are only six episodes in this abbreviated season, but it lays the groundwork for another compelling HBO drama with a sci-fi element.
 
I really enjoy seeing Laura Donnelly as the lead character and really liked her work playing Jamie’s sister on Outlander. She has a lot of spunk and is quite easy on the eyes too. The rest of the cast has great chemistry and you’ll find a lot of familiar faces in the show.  
 
The production value of the show is off the charts, which is typical of HBO, and for the most part it looks pretty good on Blu-ray. There are a lot of scenes throughout the six episodes that will really test your display’s capability to render black. Unfortunately, there is some black crush and prevalent banding in certain scenes, but the brightly lit sequences look amazing. I would have loved to have seen a 4K release of this to see if these issues were mitigated with the expanded color palette and a HDR grading.
 
While the video had a few flaws, I can’t say the same for the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack. Dialog is always intelligible, and the sound design is very expansive creating the mood and sounds of Victorian London. Discrete effects really highlight a creative sound mix and I really enjoyed the original score from Mark Isham.
 
 
Video 4/5
 
Audio 4.5/5 (DTS-HD MA 5.1)
 
Special Features:
 
Disc One:

• • Introducing The Nevers
  • A New Age of Power
  • A Touch of Power: The Themes Behind The Nevers
  • Character Portraits
    
    • Amalia True
    • Penance Adair
    • Mary Brighton
    • Bonfire Annie
  • Creating The Nevers
    
    • A Night at the Opera
    • A Charitable Event
    • Walking on Water

Disc Two:

• • Accustomed to the Impossible: The Making of The Nevers
  • Character Portraits
    
    • Detective Frank Mundi
    • Augie Bidlow & Hugo Swann
  • Villains of The Nevers
  • Creating The Nevers
    
    • Confrontation and Translation
    • Shock and Awe
    • Telling Time
  • The Craft
    
    • Editor Lisa Lassek
    • VFX Supervisor Johnny Han
    • Director Zetna Fuentes

 
 

 
Conclusion
While I was a bit slow to warn to the show, I have to admit I can’t wait for the second part of season 1 to finally arrive sometime in 2022. The show is on HBO Max, so if you’re a subscriber there you may want to give it a viewing. Trust me, the first episode is very chaotic and somewhat disappointing, but stick with the show because it does get better. Recommended.
 
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 88” 16x9 Fixed Screen
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
JL Audio Dominion F110 Subwoofer x 2
Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

[Paul Heroy]

Dialog is always intelligible

Well, knock me over with a feather! That's a rare quality in a modern TV series, great to hear. (Ha.)

Have been waiting for Pt 2 to drop to start this. Late 2021 - 2022 has a lot to look forward to for SF/Fantasy. Wheel of Time, LOTR Prequel, His Dark Materials, The Expanse series finale (for now...). 

[David Vaughn]

Well, knock me over with a feather! That's a rare quality in a modern TV series, great to hear. (Ha.)

Have been waiting for Pt 2 to drop to start this. Late 2021 - 2022 has a lot to look forward to for SF/Fantasy. Wheel of Time, LOTR Prequel, His Dark Materials, The Expanse series finale (for now...).

Couldn't agree more.

In regard to your quote, I was referencing how easy it is to understand, not the grammar

[Paul Heroy]

David - I wasn't talking about the grammar either. So many shows these days have dialog that for various reasons is hard to understand. Accents, enunciation, sound mix (drowned out by other sound), etc combine at times to make me frequently have to either skip back or consider turning on subtitles. So when you say "always" intelligible, that's a treat.

[David Vaughn]

David - I wasn't talking about the grammar either. So many shows these days have dialog that for various reasons is hard to understand. Accents, enunciation, sound mix (drowned out by other sound), etc combine at times to make me frequently have to either skip back or consider turning on subtitles. So when you say "always" intelligible, that's a treat.

I know what you mean now...sorry for the misunderstanding. My wife and I stopped watching the show Arrow because of horrendous sound mixing (plus the story line got really stale after the 4th season). 

[Ralph P.]

Greetings,

I really enjoyed this one as well, including the first episode. Nice job Dave..



Regards,