Eastbound & Down appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.78:1 on these Blu-ray Discs. The shows looked good.
Overall definition appeared positive. A little softness occasionally affected some wide shots, but the episodes mostly remained precise and well-delineated. Issues with jagged edges and shimmering didn’t occur, and I saw no edge haloes. Print flaws failed to materialize.
E&D went with a pretty natural palette, and the hues came across well. They showed positive vivacity and looked fine. Blacks were deep and tight, and low-light shots depicted nice clarity. Everything here satisfied.
Expect a DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio similar to what we heard in prior years, which meant a somewhat overactive soundscape. In particular, music could overwhelm the five channels; effects didn’t have a lot to do, so the mixes used the score and songs all over the place. This didn’t really work, as a more subdued use of the speakers would’ve been more satisfying.
The quality of the sound was more than acceptable. Speech seemed concise and distinctive, with no edginess or other issues. Music appeared peppy and full, while effects came across as accurate and clear. I wish the soundfields weren’t so heavy-handed, but the mixes were still acceptable for the shows.
When we head to the extras, we start with audio commentaries for all eight episodes:
Chapter 22: writer/actor Danny McBride, writer/director Jody Hill, consulting producer John Carcieri and actors Steve Little, Jillian Bell and Tim Heidecker.
Chapter 23: McBride, Hill, Carcieri, Little, editor Jeff Seibenick and actor Elizabeth De Razzo.
Chapter 24: McBride, Hill, Carcieri, Little and Bell.
Chapter 25: McBride, Hill, Bell, Heidecker and actor Ken Marino.
Chapter 26: McBride, Hill, Carcieri and Little.
Chapter 27: McBride, Hill, Marino, Bell and Heidecker.
Chapter 28: McBride, Hill, Carcieri, Seibenick, Little, De Razzo and actor Jennifer Irwin.
Chapter 29: McBride, Hill, Carcieri and Little.
Across these tracks, we hear about story/character subjects, cast and performances, deleted scenes, music, sets and locations, and a few other areas.
That’s a similar roster of topics found in the first few seasons, and the tracks feel about the same as well. At their best, the commentaries deliver nice insights about the production and the year’s creation, but the discussions also degenerate into laughing and praise more than I’d like. That issue aside, these pieces offer more than enough info to keep us involved.
On Disc One, we find a recap for the series’ third season. It runs one minute, 27 seconds and consists of show clips without any additional narration/explanation. It probably won’t explain the show to uninitiated fans, but it can help remind viewers of what they might’ve forgotten.
18 Deleted Scenes fill a total of 23 minutes, 19 seconds. We find a mix of extended sequences and totally new elements. Many of these entertain, but they don’t deliver much in the way of story/character material we don’t get elsewhere. They do expand some horizons a bit, though, and they’re fun to see.
Next comes a collection of Outtakes. This reel goes for 11 minutes as it shows goofs and giggles. I hoped for more alternate takes, but this is mostly a standard blooper reel.
With its fourth season, Eastbound & Down comes to an end. It goes out on top, as S4 delivers a strong roster of shows and finished off the series well. The Blu-ray provides good picture and audio along with a set of supplements highlighted by some mostly fun commentaries. E&D concludes well so this package will delight fans of the show.