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Body of Proof is back on DVD with 20 riveting season two episodes on a four-disc collection! Dr. Megan Hunt (Dana Delany) may have a prickly personality, but she's a brilliant medical examiner with unique techniques for solving even the most complex crime. Relive every unique medical mystery as Megan seeks justice for each victim, while also putting her life back together and repairing her personal relationships with the living.

The series aired Tuesdays at 10PM on ABC once again in season two. The series stars Dana Delany stars as Dr. Megan Hunt, Jeri Ryan as Dr. Kate Murphey, John Carroll Lynch as Detective Bud Morris, Nicholas Bishop as Peter Dunlop, Sonja Sohn as Detective Samantha Baker, Geoffrey Arend as Dr. Ethan Gross, Windell D. Middlebrooks as Dr. Curtis Brumfield and Mary Mouser as Lacey Fleming. Recurring is Nathalie Kelley as Dani Alvarez, Jeffrey Nordling as Todd Fleming and Joanna Cassidy as Joan Hunt.
Guest stars include Rick Fox, Cliff Curtis, Crystal Bowersox, Marcia Gay Harden, Rita Wilson, Jamie Bamber, Jason Beghe, Sean Kingston, Cody Christian, Steven Culp, Rebecca Field, and Luke Perry.

The series really took off in the second season, especially midway. There were four leftover episodes from season one and sixteen actual episodes from season two, so that is how we have 20 in this second season. The series will return for a third season in early 2013 in mid-season with some cast changes, which we will get into a bit later. Anyway, as for the second season, it starts off with the season premiere "Love They Neighbor" where when a car careens out of control over an embankment, killing a middle-aged man in the driver's seat, Megan learns that all is not well on a pretty suburban cul-de-sac, so she and her team are startled by the many lives spinning out of control beyond the perfect picket fences, providing an ever-changing suspect roster. In "Lazarus Man," a man who is presumed dead walks off Ethan's examination table, leading the team to a shocking discovery. In "Occupational Hazards," after a car accident reveals a body in the trunk, the team is led to another, leaving them with two cases to solve, while Megan is reconnected with an acquaintance and Kate's job is threatened. In the best episode to date, the two-part episode "Going Viral," when scores of people start dying from similar symptoms, the team is faced with a city-wide outbreak of an unknown virus and no one is safe - including Megan and her team, so Center for Disease Control (CDC) Officer Charlie Stafford takes over the case to figure out not just what caused the outbreak but who. In part two, as the death toll continues to rise, the team needs to move quickly to figure out how to treat this virus and, more importantly, who is spreading it. And on the thrilling season finale, "Mind Games," a victim's cause of death resembles the first case that Megan had regarding a serial killer who took out the brains of his victims, so in a case of twist and turns, the killer comes back to get revenge on Megan for taking three years away that he could have spent with his daughter.

The episodes run usually around 43 minutes, all unedited of course. They are very consistent. There are 7 chapter stops per episode. See the runtimes for each episode below:

Disc one
1. "Love Thy Neighbor" 43:02
2. "Hunting Party" 42:58
3. "Missing" 43:09
4. "Lazarus Man" 43:02
5. "Point of Origin" 43:02

Disc two
6. "Second Chances" 42:57
7. "Hard Knocks" 43:08
8. "Love Bites" 43:03
9. "Gross Anatomy" 43:02
10. "Your Number's Up" 42:45

Disc three
11. "Falling For You" 42:48
12. "Shades of Blue" 42:12
13. "Sympathy For the Devil" 42:59
14. "Cold Blooded" 42:52
15. "Occupational Hazards" 42:43

Disc four
16. "Home Invasion" 42:57
17. "Identity" 42:04
18. "Going Viral, Part 1" 40:46
19. "Going Viral, Part 2" 43:00
20. "Mind Games" 40:40

Packaging has a nice thing cover holding a case and has shot of Dr. Megan Hunt in a red dress. The tagline "Beauty. Brains. Bodies." appears on the front along with the show logo saying "Dana Delany, Body of Proof." The back cover has information on the series & set and has three episodic photos and another nice shot of Megan. There is also a section detailing the special features in a grey box with technical specifications in another box. Inside the box is the case. The front of the case has the same artwork as the outer box, and the same goes true for the back of the case. Opening the case, we get an insert on the left side and also a disc-by-disc breakdown and a nice cast photo that are on both panels. We don't get an episode booklet again since the episodes are listed on the panels. Disc one is in a little plastic holder that you can flip like a page in a book and disc two is on the back side of that plastic holder. Discs three and four are on a second plastic holder. The discs are in red and has artwork of the show's characters. Disc one has episodes 1-5 with artwork of Megan. Disc two has episodes 6-10 with artwork of detectives Bud and Samantha. Disc three has episodes 11-15 and has artwork of the funny duo Curtis and Ethan. And disc four has episodes 16-20 with artwork of Kate and Peter. After you remove the second disc, you see the nice cast photo on the panels itself like I mentioned...very cool.

The menu screen starts by showing us a shot of Megan Hunt before moving images are playing in the background. It is nicely designed. Background music from the show is playing in the background. On disc one before the main menu we have auto trailers for ABC TV on DVD, Castle Season 4 DVD and a trailer for the upcoming movie Frankenweenie. The options on the main menu are Play All, Episode Selection, Bonus Features, and Set Up. The Set Up section has the option of subtitles in English, French, Spanish, or Portuguese and how to register your DVD. The Bonus Features option lists the features available on each disc. The Episodes option gives us the episode number and title to choose along with a screenshot from the episode. Each submenu has music from the series playing in the background.

The video is digitally mastered and is in widescreen and looks very good! It's HD-like, even though it isn't Blu-ray. I have a DVD player that upconverts to HD, so who needs a Blu-ray player? Just kidding, I have one of those and it is great. The audio is great and sounds very good, as it is in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. This is from the 2011-12 season, so it has to be good. We also get to hear the nice closing theme, as on ABC there are promos at the end of the episode. And as mentioned, we get 7 chapter stops.

Moving on to the bonus features. Each disc has features. Most of these seem like they were produced for abc.com as they are pretty short compared to what we had last season and other ABC Studios DVDs. The first one is on disc one and is titled "The Design of Body of Proof: Living Spaces" (2:27). This is an exciting opportunity to see the sleek design of the hit series' set, this cool special feature that gives audiences a cool inside look at the show's medical examiner's office. Interviewed are Ken Hardy (production designer), Dana Delany, and Ellen Totleben (set decorator). Next on disc one we have, "Bodies of Body of Proof" (2:38). Fans will enjoy an inside look at how the team makes dead bodies look so real. Interviewed are Sunil Nayar (executive producer), Gary Kellerman (technical advisor), Dana Delany, and Trent Cotner (SFX makeup artist). Onto disc two, we have "The Stunt Work of Body of Proof: Taking the Plunge" (5:02). This is an exclusive look at the stunt team in action, leaping off the balcony of a hotel, capturing the feeling of taking the plunge. Interviewed are Matthew Gross (executive producer), Danny Weselis (stunt coordinator), Lisa Weselis (stunt coordinator), Pat Romano (stunt rigger), Katie Eichen (stunt woman), and Richard E. White (first assistant director). Also on disc two we have, "The Stunt Work of Body of Proof: Prepping the Stunt, Part 1" (2:52). In the first of a two-part series, fans get an inside look at how the team plans and executes a major show stunt. Interviewed are Matthew Gross, Danny Weselis (stunt coordinator), Lisa Weselis (stunt coordinator), Anya Adams (first assistant director), and Jim Klever Weis (line producer). And finally on disc two we have "The Effects of Body of Proof: Playing With Fire" (3:26). Another exciting exclusive look into the work of the stunt team, this feature follows the production team's careful preparation to blow up a house to get the perfect shot. Interviewed are Matthew Gross, Bryan Oh (producer), Joseph Rossi (head special effects make-up), John Ruggieri (special effects coordinator), Jay Stone (special effects tech), Anya Adams (first assistant director), and Nic Bishop.

Moving on to disc three, we have "The Fashion of Body of Proof: Gearing Up Guest Stars" (2:36). This is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the medical examiner's costumes and the guest stars. Interviewed are Susanna Puisto (costume designer), Rita Wilson, and Marcia Gay Harden. Also on disc three we have, "The Stunt Work of Body of Proof: Collision Course, Part 2" (3:15). Fans will join the stunt team for a closer look as all of their preparation is put into action. Interviewed are Anya Adams (first assistant director), Lisa Weselis (stunt coordinator), Shawn Lane (ND stunt), Jim Klever Weis (line producer), Henry Kingi Jr. (stunt driver), Danny Weselis (stunt coordinator), Nicolas Bishop, and Sean Kingston. Onto the final disc, we have "Body of Goofs" (3:28), as fans will have a chance to join in on the laughs with a never before seen blooper reel of hilarious moments that the editors couldn't resist sharing. John Carroll Lynch is still funny. And finally we have the abc.com Outbreak: Webisodes. This series of webisodes follows WSCE investigative reporter Julie Tompkins uncovering an outbreak of an infectious disease in five parts (1:47, 1:56, 2:20, 2:36, 2:59). It's pretty good.

I highly recommend this series and to continue your collection. The season was very good and got better and better. Unfortunately, ABC will be dropping three of the characters, including Peter. I don't know about that one. Detectives Bud and Samantha are also being dropped, and to me dropping Bud is a surprise. I would keep him as recurring at the very least. The series is trying to get younger obviously with the new additions being younger. Anyway, as for season two, Dana Delay is always great and the cast around her has good chemistry, especially Windell D. Middlebrooks and Geoffrey Arend. The special features are good but I think most of these were on abc.com and was intended for that. I love that we get that on the DVD, but would have liked more longer duration special features. I would have liked some deleted scenes as well, as the final few episodes of the season were shorter than normal. It's a good show that gets better this season. We hope to see this show and Dana Delany on TV for years to come, even with the upcoming cast changes for season three! Tune in this mid-season on ABC for season three...but this set is "super duper!"

(4/5 stars)

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Body of Proof on TV.com