The Fourth Season

Las Vegas is a television series about the daily lives of the people behind the operations of the Montecito Hotel and Casino. The elite group manages daily casino operations to special events to hotel management. The series gives a sexy spin to the Las Vegas life and shows what it is like for the guys and girls who work behind the scenes to make sure your stay at the fictional Montecito Hotel and Casino is as pleasant as possible, and that means stopping criminals, would-be scam artists, and fowl customers. Overall, Las Vegas makes for a flashy fun drama that sometimes is a little cheesy and fake, but the characters are likeable and the stories are engaging. For more details about Las Vegas, refer to DVD Talk's reviews of season one, season two, and season three.

Season four is another good season with several juicy storylines about government conspiracies, murder investigations, real estate scams, kidnappings, and more. The season begins with an intense episode and continues with the high-paced action/drama until the compelling season finale. The unfortunate news is the season's episode billet; there are only sixteen. It is also worth noting that this is the last with Nikki Cox and James Caan as regular cast members.

The season four premiere "Father Of The Bride Redux" kicks off with the exciting conclusion to season three, where Ed was greeted by a gunman. As season four begins, Ed is shot and rushed to the hospital. After recovering, Ed realizes the seriousness of the CIA's latest visit and decides to take matters into his own hands. Twenty years ago, Ed was tasked with a mission to hunt and assassinate Karim Sharif. He thought he killed his target, but the appearance of his CIA buddies indicates the threat still exists. Meanwhile, Delinda has second thoughts about marrying Derek and rekindles her relationship with Danny. Sam also gets wrapped up in a Hawaiian murder investigation, which leads to a real estate scandal with guest star Kelly Hu.

As the season continues, there are more fun episodes. "History Of Violins" is the series' latest crossover episode with Crossing Jordan. It has a dramatic storyline with a comical subtext. Jordan Cavanaugh (Jill Hennessy) and Woody Hoyt (Jerry O'Connell) return to the Las Vegas when a high-profile violinist is murdered. Their interaction with the Las Vegas cast is what keeps the episode afloat, specifically, Jordan-Mike and Woody-Sam.

"Delinda's Box" is double-length episode that gets pretty intense for the entire cast. Christopher McDonald plays a kidnapper who targets Ed and the Montecito. He takes both Ed and Delinda by force. Ed is given an ultimatum: twelve hours to acquire fifty million dollars or Delinda dies. Ed races against the clock to steal the money without letting his counterparts know about it. But of course, Danny and Mike piece it together and help him out... the episode is pretty intense with everyone's emotions running wild.

Mary undergoes a big development this season. It deals with her past and abusive father. Her father comes to haunt her when she learns that she has step-sisters. She begins to fret that her father will harm her step-sisters too. In "Bare Chested In The Park", Mary testifies against him in court. The event triggers an emotional disturbance in Mary that leads to her purchasing a gun and ties into the season finale, which is her last appearance in the show.

The season finale "Heroes" is by far the best episode of the season. It is an extremely busy episode with many different plotlines crossing and intersecting. Sam inherited the Montecito when Casey Manning died in "Junk In The Trunk" and a 241 million dollar debt. She must raise the money or lose the hotel. Her best prospective is Vince Peterson, who has other things in mind. Jason Scott, Danny's companion in arms, comes to him days before he is supposed to ship out to Iraq. He had saved Danny's life, and Danny feels obligated to him. The catch is that he is extremely unstable and does something to threaten lives. Mary, with a gun, goes to face her father, and both Ed and Danny do what they can to save her from herself. Delinda learns that she is pregnant with Danny's child and contemplates telling him. With plotlines like these, how could you not be hooked? It is a great cliffhanger and way to end the season.

Overall, Las Vegas' fourth season is a pretty exciting adventure. The season has its fair share of episodes with that follow the series' episodic format (someone steals something and the surveillance team reacts to catch the bad guys). However, this season also features several storylines that go beyond the show's generic format with some solid character development and intriguing fun. It is a big improvement that helped make this season a lot more appealing. In the end, Las Vegas' fourth season is a solid collection of episodes.

Episode Guide

1. Father of the Bride Redux: It's time to take a gamble for future happiness as Delina admits her feelings for Danny to her fiance, and Ed is attacked by an armed gunman.
2. Died in Plain Sight: Old tensions rise to the surface as ED Returns from a secret trip to Morocco, Danny and Delinda's mutual attraction heats up, and Mike flies to Hawaii to backup a distraught Sam.
3. The Story of Owe: Money troubles force Sam to hunt down some recent clients who stiffed the Montecito, while Ed Agrees to "makeover" a high roller so his wife will love him for more than his money.
4. History of Violins: Something is definitely out of tune when Crossing Jordan's Jordan Cavanaugh and Woody Holt find that the clues to a disturbing murder and a missing violin lead to the Montecito.
5. Delinda's Box (Parts 1 & 2): Stakes are high and time is of the essence when Delinda is kidnapped and Ed is unable to say a word to anyone because he's hooked up to an explosive ankle device.
6. Meatball Montecito: It's a marriage made in the Montecito when a blacklisted mobster purchases a million-dollar wedding package for his daughter and the expensive ring goes missing.
7. White Christmas: 'Tis the season to be lucky after everyone reluctantly agrees to take part in Ed's Secret Santa gift exchange and Sam gives a "Whale" a present he'll never forget.
8. Wines and Misdemeanors: The Montecito staff finds that success an go to your head when Ed auctions off a case of "rare" wine to raise the casino's profile, and Sam and Mike must deal with some gambling grannies that prefer to go topless.
9. Fleeting Cheating Meeting: Ed's got his poker face on when he meets the husband of an old employee, but he immediately has Mike and Danny tag the guy; meanwhile, Sam and Mary fight for "OK Go's" attention.
10. Wagers of Sin: Ed puts a massive wager on his team's table when he offers up his coveted parking spot to whoever can catch the most cheaters in a 24-hour period.
11. The Chicken Is Making My Back Hurt: No good deed goes unanswered when Ed takes anger management classes, Sam hosts a basketball player with an interest in Mary, and Delinda decides to cook for the homeless.
12. Pharaoh 'Nuff: A mummy goes missing in action on the way to the casino's big exhibit, and it's up to Ed, Danny, Mike, and Delinda to find the kidnapped corpse.
13. The Burning Bedouin: A triple-threat "Whale" descends on the casino with his three wives in tow, and it's up to Delinda to keep him and Danny happy while Sam reunites with her long-lost love.
14. Bare Chested in the Park: It's more than just fun and games when the team attends the company picnic and tries to be competitive despite knowing that the owner of the Montecito has died in a brutal attack.
15. Junk in the Trunk: Career changes are ahead as Sam deals with the possibilities and debts of her new inheritance, Ed discusses retirement with his wife, and Danny refuses to hire some vengeful felons.
16. Heroes: In the explosive season finale, Mike discovers Sam's kidnapping, Ed must choose between his marriage and the Montecito, Danny makes a devastating bargain for a friend, and Mary decides to stop her father's criminal ways - at any cost.

The DVD

Video:
The video in this release is given in an anamorphic 1.78:1 ratio widescreen color format. The picture quality is quite good. It suffers from a slight grain, but detail remains to be sharp and clear. However, there are moments when the picture suffers noticeable compression artifacts. Overall, the picture is relatively clean and should look good on big screen televisions.

Audio:
The audio track in this release is in English 5.1 Dolby digital surround. In general, the sound quality is very good and it provides an audible and clean track. The dialogue is usually a little flat while music and sound effects come off rich and vibrant. Additionally the 5.1 track is dynamic and makes good use of the surround sound capability.

There are English subtitles and support for closed captioning.

Extras:
Las Vegas: Season Four comes with three featurettes. The first two featurettes are behind-the-scenes footage that feel like homemade videos. They have little direction or purpose. The third featurette is a recap of season three with key developments from the season. Overall, the extras are pretty weak. Here is the full breakdown:

• Backstage With Cast & Crew (16:59): is a featurette with various cast and crew. The footage focuses on cast and crew during filming of select season four episodes. As it progresses, individuals provide brief comments directed towards the camera.
• Behind The Scenes - The Making Of Last Vegas Season 4 (19:55): is a featurette about the making of season four. It begins with everybody a little disconcerted because James Leisure coming to the set late. The featurette continues with behind-the-scenes footage of select season four episodes, along with related clips. There is no actual interview footage, which gives little reason or purpose to watch. What footage there is gets pretty dull fast.
• Season 3 Recap (7:30): is a montage of season three clips. It follows key season there developments, including the death of Danny's father, the new owner of the Montecito: Monica Macuso, the new(est) owner of the Montecito: Casey Manning, the Danny-Delinda-Derek love triangle, and Ed and the CIA.

Final Thoughts:
Las Vegas is a fun and engaging television series about the sexy, racy Vegas lifestyle, or at least the lifestyle from the perspective of the people who operate behind the scenes at hotels and casinos. This season, like past ones, continues with a fun appeal and enjoyable mix of drama, action, and comedy. For fans of the series, this season is a must. There are several key developments for the series and the cast that you won't want to miss out on, including the exciting season's premiere and finale.