Andromeda: Season 2 Volume 5 finishes up the second season of the adventures of the Andromeda Ascendant and her motley crew as they attempt to singlehandedly restore the fallen Commonwealth and bring back civilization to the galaxies. It may seem like a big task, but as Season 2 comes to a close, it looks like it wasn't that tough after all.

Four episodes are included here, alternating between "adventure of the week" stories and ones that push the overall story arc forward at least a little bit. The set opens with "Belly of the Beast," with Andromeda sent to investigate a gigantic space monster; no points for originality there, I'm afraid, as it treads squarely in the tracks of many a Star Trek episode (only with the Andromeda solution, unsurprisingly, being a violent one).

"The Knight, Death, and the Devil" offers a more entertaining story that actually ties into the overall Andromeda story arc a little bit. Dylan and company track down a Nietzchean "prisoner of war camp" filled with centuries-old High Guard ships. Those ships would be a great asset to the new Commonwealth, so a rescue mission is mounted. What makes this episode at least reasonably watchable is that the situation ends up being not quite so straightforward as it might seem, and that the resolution actually has some significance in the Andromeda story world... although later episodes show that these events are, if not entirely ignored, certainly not given the impact that they should have.

Next in line we get "Immaculate Perception," in which Tyr discovers that the Nietzchean pride with his wife and child is under attack from a group of warriors who are against genetic manipulation. This insta-family is actually not quite pulled out of a writer's hat, though it might as well be: Tyr hooked up with Olma back in "Double Helix," a episode from early in the first season, but there had been no reference back to her since then. In any case, this episode closes with a hint of a story thread that could be used later, but with Andromeda's track record, there's no guarantee.

The season closes with a fairly bland episode. "Tunnel at the End of the Light" has the Andromeda hosting a signing ceremony for the Commonwealth: the magic number of fifty worlds have agreed to join up. But it's time to remake Predator first! That is, Andromeda is invaded by scary-looking alien warriors who can walk through walls; the situation snowballs into a devastating attack that Trance proclaims is the key moment where the "very bad future" happened. The closing events of the episode reveal it to be a two-parter, as Beka and Tyr are sent off on a crucial and dangerous mission.

Overall, these four episodes fall more or less into the "average Andromeda" category: not as weak as some of the others in this season, but certainly not living up to the potential of the show. Sure, it's cheesy space opera with cardboard characters, but that doesn't preclude interesting stories with coherent plots. At any rate, it's moderately worth watching for fans of the series.

The DVD

Andromeda Season 2 Volume 5 is a two-disc set, packaged in a double-wide plastic keepcase. The set includes episodes 219-222.

Video

Andromeda: Season 2 Volume 5 offers a very nice transfer, appearing in the show's original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, and anamorphically enhanced. Colors are clear and vivid, the level of detail is excellent, and the print is sparklingly clean. The only flaw in an otherwise stunning transfer is the presence of some grain in the darker scenes.

Audio

Andromeda's 2.0 soundtrack falls a bit short here; it's still satisfactory, but it does sound rather flat on several occasions. There doesn't seem to be any background noise or other problems with the sound, however.

Extras

Season 2's special features finish up with a few items of interest, but nothing outstanding. We get a 17-minute interview with Gordon Michael Woolvett on Disc 1 and a 14-minute interview with Keith Hamilton Cobb on Disc 2; these are only mildly interesting, as the actors mostly talk about what their characters are like, and the interviews are intercut with clips from the episodes to puff them out. A short (5-minute) interview with props master Don Buchanan offers a more interesting peek behind the scenes. An audio commentary for "Tunnel at the End of the Light" is provided by Lisa Ryder and Gordon Michael Woolvett.

In the "miscellaneous items" category, we get about two and a half minutes of deleted scenes, divided between the two discs; slightly under two minutes of sketches and animatics in the "Design Gallery"; another two minutes of not-very-funny bloopers; ADV previews; and promotional trailers for all the episodes.

Final thoughts

If you've been following Andromeda so far through the second season, it's worth watching Volume 5 to finish things up. The stories are reasonably entertaining, and the image quality is excellent, making Andromeda appealing to the eyes at least. I'd suggest this as a decent rental for followers of the show.