The First and Only Season

This review covers the DVD release of the first and only season of The Immortal. The Immortal is a accidence fiction television series from that ran from 2000 to 2001. It should not be confused with the 1970s series with the same name. This series is about a man who is the chosen one. He is an immortal destined to fight evil and hunt demons. The series has a mood that feels like a combination of Highlander: The Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, and Blade. The unfortunate part is that the excitement/entertainment value does not compare. Instead, The Immortal feels like an over-the-top hero quest that has its moments, but more often than not, fails to be impressive on any level.

The Immortal is about Raphael "Rafe" Cain (Lorenzo Lamas, Renegade), who has spent the last four centuries hunting demons and sending them back to the depths of hell. In the world of The Immortal, demons exist and are integrated into society. They have one goal, which is to bring pain and suffering to mankind by any means necessary. The suffering and pain are what makes them stronger and feel good. Since the 17th century, Rafe has been hunting demons. His mission is fueled by the fact that his wife was murdered and his daughter kidnapped by the demon Mallos (Dominic Keating, Star Trek: Enterprise). He hopes to save his daughter and have his revenge on all demons. Joining him is Goodwin (Steve Braun), a young man who acts as Rafe's squire. He has been at Rafe's side since the beginning of his quest.

The first season takes place in the 21st century, where Rafe and Goodwin continue in their endless war against evil. In the series two-part premiere episode, they join forces with an unlikely person. Dr. Sara Beckham (April Telek) is a para-psychologist who has developed a device to locate demons. When she puts the device through a field test, it works and several demons respond to the call. Rafe saves her life and eventually she joins in his mission. She brings science and technology, as she has a few tricks up her sleeves to hunt demons. Like Rafe, she lost her family to demons.

After the premiere episode, the season's remaining episodes take the demon hunters on a variety of missions, most of which have little appeal. The good news is that the show does not fall into an overly generic format (it is generic, but still has some variety). Typically, the demon hunters try to hunt down a specific demon and stop him/her from killing people and causing destruction, top level demons such as Mallos hunting them, or uncovering some devious plot that has demons at the root. Beyond, there is not much more to the show.

The Immortal is a pretty weak show, from characters to storylines to general content, it has little to offer. The leading characters do not work as leads. Perhaps it was just a problem of the content being bad, but none of the characters did it for me. Their chemistry together was nonexistent and their performances lackluster. The storylines also failed to impress. There was rarely any depth to it, and when there was, it was far from interesting. The demon bad guys felt over-the-top and out of place. Their dialogue was corny and the acting performances were completely awful.

Overall, The Immortal is a pretty weak show. It lacks strength in its characters, storylines, writing, and dialogue. There is little beyond corny stories of a trio of demon hunters to appeal to viewers. It is no surprise the series was not renewed for a second season. I think with a stronger cast, better writing, and a bigger budget that the series could have gone somewhere interesting. But it did not have those things. So, unless you were a big fan of the series, I suggest you sit this one out. You are not missing out on much.

Episode Guide

1. Demons of the Night (Part One)
2. Demons of the Night (Part Two)
3. Half Way
4. Not So Dead
5. Wicked, Wicked West
6. Prime Location
7. Studio D
8. Flight 666
9. Bride's Kiss
10. The Hunted
11. Forest for the Trees
12. The Asylum
13. Learning Curve
14. The Good Squire
15. Wired
16. Replay
17. Spy vs. Spa
18. Happily Never After
19. Deja Vu
20. Reckoning (Part One)
21. Reckoning (Part Two)
22. Kiyomi

The DVD

Video:
The video is given in its original television aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame color. The picture quality looks average for a TV on DVD release. The image is a bit soft at times and has a noticeable grain.

Audio:
The audio in this release is in English 2.0 Dolby digital stereo. The quality is pretty good. It is fairly flat, which is due the show being dialogue driven. Dialogue is easy to hear throughout. Overall, it is pretty much an average quality for a TV on DVD release.

This release has no subtitles or support for closed captioning.

Extras:
There are no extras included with this set.

Final Thoughts:
The Immortal is a science fiction television series that ran from 2000 to 2001. The show had a total of twenty-two episodes from its first and only season, all of which are included in this complete series release. The show is about a team of demon hunters and their trials and battles against the forces of evil. It feels like a poor mix of other sci-fi series such as Highlander: The Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, and Blade. In the end, The Immortal is a pretty weak show, with limited storylines and lackluster characters. It is best reserved for the fans.