Tru Calling: Season 1

When I first got recommended this on Amazon, I had to have it. It took me a few weeks of trying to resist temptation, and hunting around for a better price, but I couldn't find one. I ended up buying it for myself, for Christmas, and getting it two days before! So that was a nice present to get!Eliza Dushku is one of my favourite actresses at the moment - she's gorgeous! I still remember her in the early role of Arnie's daughter in Tru(e) Lies, and then her fabulous roles in Bring It On & Wrong Turn. She also appeared in Buffy, as a character called Faith, but I can safely say, I've never seen an episode of that show.With each episode, you'll be drawn deeper into the world of Tru Davies, and you'll be discovering that the name of the series `Tru Calling' can have so much depth to it, and different meanings, and can be interpreted in many ways.The credits are brilliant - they're your typical TV show credits, but have the added advantage of a great song "Somebody Help Me" by Full Blown Rose, and they're over pretty fast. Where the adverts would have originally been (probably making the show last an hour with it's original airing on TV), they're cool, quick, and funky segments, of the "flashbacks" that continuously appear throughout the show. Also, from about half way through the series, the episode names take a different turn, and seem to have the names of films. Look for yourself.PILOT - Not the most original title for the first episode of a TV series. This is a rather slow beginning, as we get introduced to all the characters, but we soon get thrown into the thick of things, with Tru's first reliving happening pretty soon. This also features her doing a lot of running around (for all the guys, and for anyone who remembers Baywatch, this is for you), and lots of calls being taken & received on mobiles.PUTTING OUT FIRES - Not everyone can be saved as Tru finds out the hard way, on only her second reliving.BROTHER'S KEEPER - We get a bit more of a look in to Harrison's (her brother's) life here, as he features in smaller roles in the previous episodes. He's played by the cute Shawn Reaves (albeit blonde), who certainly looks like Owen Wilson's younger brother.PAST TENSE - The thing about these episodes is they're all very similar, with formulaic plot lines, and Tru always manages to point the finger at the wrong person.HAUNTED - Not one of the best episodes so far, but definitely an interesting concept. Tru helps a young med student who dies after participating in a secret experiment in which her heart is temporarily stopped.STAR-CROSSED - One where Tru points the finger at different characters, and then it all comes clear towards the end of the episode, yet again very formulaic.MORNING AFTER - Her ex-boyfriend & college professor appears again in this, and for once, the finger is pointed at Tru, and she has to work her butt off to figure out who's killed him.CLOSURE - This is the saddest episode of the series. I was practically in tears just watching it. Ryan Kwanten, formerly Vinnie Patterson in Home & Away, stars in this, and this will show you despite how hard Tru tries, sometimes, she can't save everyone.MURDER IN THE MORGUE - A really interesting twist to the story, having Tru trying to stop HERSELF getting murdered, and Davis too. A gripping story, complete with slow motion bullet scene, similar to the ones in Matrix.REUNION - Episode set at the high school reunion, where the littlest thing Tru does, sets off a major chain of events.THE LONGEST DAY - This is an episode where Tru discovers someone HAS to die, in order for perhaps someone else to live, and she has a tough time figuring this out.VALENTINE - With a nosy reporter chasing Tru, we finally find out the connection between her & her mother through Davis, and to be honest, it's pretty predictable.DROP DEAD GORGEOUS - Hmm, strange episode here. It's called by the same name of a movie about a beauty pageant, and has a lot of the plot from Miss Congeniality too!DADDY'S GIRL - The first appearance of Jason Priestley, ex Beverley Hills 90210 star, who's aged badly! You're busy trying to figure out what exactly he is, and why.THE GETAWAY - Not much to say about this episode, apart from Tru confessing all, and not being believed.TWO PAIR - This episode involves Harrison getting involved in helping Tru, and once & for all believing her.DEATH BECOMES HER - Jason Priestley's character, Jack, is still hanging around, and believe me, you'll be clutching at straws, and coming up with all kinds of impossible answers as to why he's around!REAR WINDOW - The end of this episode is the best part - we finally find out what is with Jack Harper.D.O.A - More is revealed about Jack, in the penultimate episode, which will leave you shocked, and dying to watch the final episode.TWO WEDDINGS & A FUNERAL - You'll be left open mouthed by the end of this episode, and I'm literally dying for the second season to come out on DVD now. So far, the second season hasn't fared too well in the USA, and whether it will get a cult following or not, is waiting to be found out. But the producers definitely have my vote for it to continue - it's too addictive for words.With 20 episodes spread over 4 discs, averaging at 40 minutes each, and extras including selected episode commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes (Finding The Calling: The Pilot; The Tru Path: Season One; and Evil Comes Calling: A Late Season Twist) and "Somebody Help Me" music video by Full Blown Rose, you'll be literally blown away by this DVD box set, and you will be HOOKED.

I am a huge Buffy/Angel fan. So much so that when I found out that Eliza Dushku, who wonderfully played the popular character of Faith the Vampire Slayer, had decided to do a show called Tru Calling instead of a Faith-based spin-off of Buffy, I was understandibly ticked off by the idea. Why should she waste her talent on a show that looked kind of dumb when she could do a show that already had a fan base and would be helmed by Joss Whedon, one of television's greatest assets? After watching the show on TV, and then again in this boxed set, I have come to terms with Ms. Dushku's decision, and I've found a great little show in the process.Dushku plays Tru Davies, a recent college graduate with hopes of going to medical school (although with her intelligence, she's pretty much a shoo-in). She planned on interning at a hospital in order to help on her application, but when the funding for it fell through, she was referred to taking a job at the City Morgue. There, she meets her boss Davis (Zach Galifianakis), a very quirky, yet friendly, man who is more comfortable with the dead than he is with the living. However, Tru gets a little more than she bargained for when, on her first night on the job (she has the graveyard shift), a cadaver turns to her and asks her for help. The day "rewinds", and Tru finds herself back at the beginning of the previous day, although now she retains all knowlege of what will happen. Using her knowledge of things to come along with her intellect, she is able to prevent the person from dying.As I said earlier, when I first heard this premise, I thought it sounded a little cheesy. Not only that, but it doesn't exactly make this show original; it mainly has elements of Early Edition and Groundhog's Day to it, with some inspiration drawn from The Sixth Sense, Quantom Leap, and sometimes even Buffy. However, that may not be such a bad thing. Tru Calling takes many of the best aspects of these shows/movies, and combines them into a very entertaining hour of television.Another problem I thought the show might have would be that, after a few weeks, the formula would get old. Wrong. Even though each episode has pretty much the same general formula (body asks for Tru's help, Tru rewinds and tries to help the person before they die), the writers are able to keep things fresh by adding new twists, interesting backstory for some of the characters, and even the risk of failure (notice how I said she TRIES to help the person).Furthermore, the dead aren't the only people in need of help. Tru's sister Meredith (Jessica Collins) is a well-to-do lawyer who is addicted to cocaine and refuses to admit it. Her brother Harrison (played very well by Shawn Reeves) is a compulsive gambler who never knows when to quit, and is always asking for fiscal help from his siblings. Tru's best friend Lindsay (A.J. Cook) usually needs Tru's help with relationship issues, and Tru's father Richard (Cotter Smith) is very distant with his kids ever since the tragic death of his wife Elise (who was murdered in front of Tru 10 years prior). Throughout her rewind days, Tru is able to help her friends and family in little ways while helping total strangers live to see the next day.For the most part, the actors were very good in their roles. Dushku, who I think turned down the Faith show to avoid being typecast as the "bad girl", is very good as the smart and heroic Tru. Reeves and Galifianakis are great in their respective roles. They each have very distinctive personalities, and are very funny to watch in their interactions with other people. Jason Priestly, who joins the cast towards the end of the season, plays Jack Harper, a man with a few secrets of his own, and he plays Harper extremely well. He is obnoxious yet cool at the same time.Sadly, this show didn't pick up too much of an audience. For the most part, critics did not like the show, and it was up against shows such as Friends and CSI, however it does have a very loyal fanbase. So for a show that was so unpopular, it got a very strong DVD treatment. There are plenty of extras, such as deleted scenes, featurettes, and many commentaries on key episodes.Some of the best episodes include "Putting Out Fires", "Brother's Keeper", "Murder in the Morgue", "Star-Crossed", "The Longest Day" (a very Groundhog's Day episode that aired 3 days after the actual Groundhog's Day of '04), "Valentine", "Daddy's Girl", "The Getaway", "Two Pair", "Rear Window", "D.O.A.", and the season finale "Two Weddings and a Funeral". I would reccomend at least renting this set if you are a fan of fantasy shows (it's definitely an acquired taste, which may be one reason why ratings were low). It really is a good show if you give it a chance.

Une série télévisée intelligente et touchante. Le jeu des acteurs est formidable. Eliza Dushku est admirable, Jason Priestley est convaincant. Dommage que la série ait été retirée de l'horaire si rapidement. Il n'empêche que ça m'a rappelé bien des souvenirs.

Discs are all scratched and they skip half the episodes.. I was so looking forward to this but am so disappointed in the quality..

I remember when the series was on television an I enjoyed it greatly. But being a weekly show, it was not always easy to remember the connections between the weekly shows, especially if for some reason you missed one or two episodes. But having the whole series, I spent two days watching all of the shows and it knit the plot line together very well. And the last two episodes presented a theory of whether you should save someone's life or not, if you could.

I liked this a lot. Grate dvd series.👍

eliza is great and the based story while far-fetched is believable. tru calling brings a breath of fresh air to tv shows, a lot of the time u will have a hard time tell right from wrong and there is also the passion of tru that drives the show. great series, highly recommended!