|
By PAUL BRENNER
Experiencing the second season of Tom Fontana's stark and brutal prison series is like confronting
a collection of mean and nasty high school bullies after returning to school after summer vacation. The characters in
"Oz" remain off putting and unlikable and the charge of the series comes from the talents of Fontana's, the actors' and
directors' (Nick Gomez, Uli Edel, Bob Balaban, Keith Samples, Kathy Bates, Alan Taylor, Mary Harron, and Jean de
Segonzac) abilities in making the characters and stories gripping.
Season Two picks up after the riot climax of the first season and charts the continual downward ethical spiral of
overseers Glynn (Ernie Hudson), McManus (Terry Kinney), and Whittlesey (Edie Falco) as they race to catch up with their
certified reprobates Schillinger (J. K. Simmons), O'Reilly (Dean Winters), and Adebisi (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) into
moral turpitude.
To jar the viewers further there are the patented "Oz" moments like stabbing rats on silver platters, chomping off
penises and spitting out the pieces, and bloody eye gouging with exacta knives. Along for the ride are a collection of
bizarre guest spots -- Zakes Mokai as an incarcerated Olatunji, sinister Latino street thug Luis Guzman, "Soldier's
Story"-esque Charles S. Dutton, psycho killer Austin Pendleton, and hanging judge Elaine Stritch. And, as in the first
season, there are several unbelievable storylines -- particularly the ploy to evoke sympathy for the Ryan O' Reilly
character by giving him breast cancer and the coincidental rape of Glynn's innocent daughter. Still, no other series can
boast one-liners like, "Hey Shirley. You know, you're the prettiest girl on death row."
The skimpy bonus features consist of a promotional featurette, cast and crew biographies, and an edited 30-minute
discussion of the series from a Museum of Television and Radio seminar with Fontana and a collection of actors and
directors from the series. |
