Oz: Season 5 (2002)

How can you NOT love the man who had your husband killed?

Genre: Crime Drama Thriller Series

Starring: Harold Perrineau (Romeo + Juliet; The Matrix Reloaded), Eamonn Walker (Lord Of War; Unbreakable)

Created By: Tom Fontana (Producer of "St. Elsewhere")

Overview: In the fifth season of "Oz", it's business as usual with the politics among the inmates and staff escalating in its eternal power struggle.

Acting: Overall, I'd say that people are a touch over-dramatic, in that "24" kind of way. It's been 4 years and maybe it's already a bit dated, is that possible? Sure it's a prison and tensions run high, but people like Said and McMannis are just a little high strung for my liking.
Rating: 7

Cinematography: The Hole, Solitary, Emerald City, Gen Pop, every place has it's own flair, and the cinematography is great. I like looking at the walls of that place. It's not high art (except for those little narration bits, which are excellent), but the gore is decent, and there's a good effort made to have this look authentic.
Rating: 8

Script: The show's politics are definitely the focus. The best part being the power struggles. The explanations as to why they happen are well done without being overdrawn. In the writing this show excels because there's a theme to every episode and the narration brings it all together. It can be a little cheesy or overdone at times, but overall, pretty decent.
Rating: 8

Plot: This season did not fare as well I found. Adabisi is no longer in the show and that really changes the dynamics. That guy was a powerhouse. Said had a nice character transition, a little crisis of faith, but the O'Reily stuff was really my favorite. I found that there was a little too much killing this season too. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't great.
Rating: 7

Mood: The feel of the show isn't as great as it used to be either. Maybe Adabisi leaving was a true sign of 'jumping the shark', but the fear of this prison lifestyle isn't as pronounced, though the power struggles are just as elaborate. And that whole Beecher plot? I'm not a fan. He used to be my favorite character, but now I think he's a wuss.
Rating: 7

Who says prison man-love with a serial killer can't be tender? Eh? WHO?!

Overall Rating: 74% (Good But Not Magical.)

Aftertaste: I guess I'll see the last season because it IS the last season, but I'll make a little comment here. In 2003, "Oz"'s sixth season aired. 3 years later they still don't have it out on DVD. What in hell is HBO waiting for? Some shows have DVD releases set for mere weeks after the last show of said season. What's up with that? It's frustrating. Give people what they want! Jeez...