2005 was the year of the one season Sci-Fi series.  ABC, CBS, and NBC all started science fiction shows that were all fairly similar, with mysteries being a big aspect of these shows.  All three were cancelled and are available for purchase on DVD.  While Invasion and Threshold were both good but flawed shows, the program out of that crop that was the best overall was Surface.  While Threshold wasn't sure what type of program it wanted to be, and Invasion was too sedately paced, Surface had neither of these problems.  The mystery was engaging, the story was well thought out, and the plot unfolded at a reasonable rate.  Unfortunately the program never caught on and only fifteen episodes were made.  The entire series has now been released on DVD, and fans of SF and action shows will probably want to check this series out.

Something strange is happening in the oceans of the world.  Entire schools of whale are found dead, their bodies ripped and mangled.   The shark population is dipping, and those that are still around are starving.  Are these isolated instances, or has something caused the ecological balance of the Earth's seas has changed?

A young and enthusiastic oceanographer, Laura Daughtery (Lake Bell), might have discovered the answer while investigating a Pacific hot water vent in a submersible a mile deep in the ocean.  She sees a new vertebrate, a giant creature that shorts out the electrical systems of her ship and nearly kills her.  Excited about her discovery, she's astonished when the military cancels her grant, revokes her access to her own work, and black-lists her.

In the Gulf of Mexico, an insurance salesman, Rich Connelly (Jay R. Ferguson), takes his younger brother out harpoon fishing at the base of an oil rig.  Tracking a huge Grouper, the pair swim deeper and encounter some strange new fish: A huge, whale sized-creature that lazily swims past the rig until Rich's brother accidently shoots his harpoon gun and spears the creature.  It takes of rapidly, knocking out the brother and dragging him off into the inky depths.

In another region of the country, spoiled rich kid and high school freshman Miles Barnett (Carter Jenkins) is out on the ocean with his friend when he discovers some strange pods floating in the bay.  Not being able to identify them, he scoops one up and sneaks it into his parent's marine aquarium at home.  No one is more surprised than Miles when the egg hatches and reveals a baby sea monster, a creature that bonds with Miles and that he raises as a pet.
 
These three encounters with this new creature deeply affect the people involved.  Laura and Rich both become obsessed with finding out what this creature actually is, ignoring their family and friends and behaving as if they aren't quite sane.  Miles treats his baby creature, whom he names Nimrod, like a child more than a pet, and will do anything to protect it.

Meanwhile out in the oceans, the adults are up to something.  The like warm water, very warm water, and it seems that they have the intelligence and means to change the climate of the planet in order to make it more habitably for them.  Being stronger, faster, hardier and possibly more intelligent than humans, it looks like there is a new creature at the top of the food chain.

This show really hit the ground running.  The creators knew exactly what type of story they wanted to tell from the beginning and set out to do that.  It really comes across more as a long mini-series than a weekly TV show.  The basic plot unfolds quickly and it continues to grow at a fast clip over the course of the show.  There are mysteries piled upon mysteries: What are the sea creatures?  Where did they come from?  What are they trying to do?  Why is the military so involved in covering up the existence of these things?  Why are Laura, Rich, and Miles so driven, is it just their personalities or are the creatures affecting them in some way?

To the program's credit a good number of these questions are answered in this first and only season.  Of course there are many more conundrums that rise up with every question that is answered, but that keeps the show interesting.

The structure of the show is very engaging also.  Each commercial break is preceded by an astonishing revelation or development, and each show ends with a cliff hanger.  The one for the second show was particularly good, involving some people deep sea fishing off the coast of Australia.  They manage to hook a large 15 foot shark and somehow manage to reel it in.  As the sea predator is lifted out of the water, they discover that all that's left is a bloody head, the entire body has been bitten off.  As the startled fisherman are looking at their catch, the picture changes to an over head view of the whole boat, just in time to see one of the massive sea creatures swim up and eat the entire boat in one bite.  Pretty startling and it definitely makes you want to watch the next episode.

The acting was very good too.  All of the cast made their characters multi-dimensional and easy to relate to.  Lake Bell had to be a tough-as-nails woman in one scene and then cry in the next and was able to make both scenes seem real and believable.   My favorite character though was Rich, played by Jay R. Ferguson.  He played his red-neck character honestly and without being insulting.  He also gave the role a sense of humor which helped a lot.  In the beginning of the show Rich comes across as a dumb hick, but as viewers get to see his entire personality they discover that he's more than just a stereotype, and that's to the show's credit.

That's not to say that the show is perfect, because it isn't.  There are a few problems.  The main flaw with the show is that it is a bit over-the-top in places, with amazing last minute rescues time and time again that stretched a viewer's ability to suspend their disbelief.  The segment where Rich and Laura were trapped in a bathysphere a mile under the ocean's surface after their cable was cut was a good example.  The resolution to that problem was a bit far fetched to say the least.  At times the show seemed more like an old movie serial than anything else.  Things always go from bad to worse, and after a while it seems like nothing will ever get resolved.  If that's the case, why bother tuning in?  I think that's the reason that the show was ultimately cancelled.

While everyone involved with the show was hoping that it would be renewed, the show does have some sort of closure.  There are a lot of plot lines that are still dangling (many of which I don't think would ever be resolved) and the ending might not be the ending that viewers want, but it isn't a cliff hanger either.  You can watch these 15 episodes and be fairly content when it's all over.

The fifteen episodes from this series are presented on four DVDs.  These discs come in a two-leaf 'book', with two overlapping DVDs on each side, which in turn is housed in a slipcase.
 
Audio:

This show has a 5.1 DD soundtrack that sound very nice.  While it isn't as dynamic as a theatrical film, the range is good and the sound is clear.   The noises that the sea creatures make are particularly effective and they are reproduced well.  The audio track is free from defects too.  Though I didn't watch the show during its original TV run, I was happy to note that they kept the original music at no small expense.  There were songs by The Grateful Dead and a couple of other popular bands included in the soundtrack.  Overall this is a nice sounding TV show.

Video:
 
The anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) image was fine.  Some of the scenes are a little dark, like when  Rich and Laura are floating with the eggs in the ocean at night, but that's probably the look the director was going for.  The level of detail was fine, and digital defects were very minimal.  Fans

Extras:

There are a few nice extras included with this set.  Many of the shows have deleted scenes and while some of them deserved to be left on the editing room floor, many of them were good and a couple even made some plot points more clear.

Disc one also has a making-of featurette, Sci-Fi and Special Effects.  This eight and a half minute short has interviews with the cast and crew, but focuses on how some of the effects were created.

Final Thoughts:

This was a good program that ended before it should have.  Filled with suspense, mystery and a good amount of action, it should please many SF fans.  Though the ending doesn't wrap up every sub-plot and answer all of the questions, it does provide some sort of closure for the show.  The best out of the three canceled SF shows from the 2005 televison season (the other two being Threshold and Invasion) this set gets a strong recommendation.