Product Description

On the surface, not much has changed inside the walls of Oswald State Penitentiary. Schillinger has revenge on his mind, Cyril is facing execution, Beecher is hoping for parole, and McManus is finding solace in a meditative maze. But there's toil and trouble brewing in the Oz cauldron, as the Oz players rehearse for their presentation of Macbeth and the climactic final act.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Three optional audio commentaries ("Dead Man Talking," "A Day in the Death" and "Exeunt Omnes") with series creator Tom Fontana, cast members Terry Kinney, Eamonn Walker, Dean Winters, Scott Winters and writer Bradford Winters
Deleted Scenes:30 minutes of deleted scenes
Other:Original cast audition tapes Exclusive extended cut of the series finale: Exeunt Omnes

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3286 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2006-09-05
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 3
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 520 minutes

Amazon.com
The sixth and final season of HBO's prison drama Oz--which aired in 2003--is brutal, passionate, and gritty. Compellingly addictive with taut storylines and superb acting, each of the eight episodes on this 3-disc set nicely paves the way for the series finale, which wraps the show up in a satisfying (and surprising) manner. Often told through the eyes (and voice) of deceased prisoner Augustus Hill (Harold Perrineau, Lost), Oz isn't an easy show to watch. Inmates are routinely raped, tortured, and killed--not out of need, but out of boredom and cruelty. And in a corrupt system where too few bureaucrats actually care about these men's lives, few are willing to do anything about it. Those that do give a damn--Sister Peter Marie (Rita Moreno, West Side Story), Father Mukada (B.D. Wong, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), Dr. Nathan (Lauren Velez), Warden Glynn (Ernie Hudson), McManus (Terry Kinney)--face an uphill battle.

One of the strongest storylines is the ongoing romance between murderer Keller (Christopher Meloni, Law & Order: SVU and Beecher (Lee Tergesen), who's hoping to be paroled. Series creator Tom Fontana doesn't allow their arc to be diluted by any idealistic expectations. The viewer is acutely aware that Beecher is an easy target for annihilation whether or not he is released from prison. The viewer is never quite as certain of Keller's motives--whether they're borne of love and affection, or a selfish need to satisfy his own primal urges. Like Beecher, Alvarez (Kirk Acevedo) is trying to keep his own nose clean in the hopes that he'll be eligible for parole three years down the line. It's easy to understand the almost suffocating feeling he lives every day, knowing that three years may as well be a lifetime when you're behind bars and the target of both your former gang and the Aryan brothers, led by Schillinger (J.K. Simmons, Law & Order: SVU, the Spider-Man films). And Ryan (Dean Winters) desperately tries to save his mentally retarded brother Cyril (played by Dean's real-life sibling Scott William Winters) from being executed.

There are a few subplots that don't ring true, such as the quasi romance between a librarian (Patti LuPone) and one of the prisoners, and an elderly inmate's (Joey Grey) implausible death wish. And for all the constraints the majority of convicts face, some appear to have almost free run of the prison. Still, Fontana has created a vivid, dark world where the occasional acts of humanity are as important as the non-stop chaos that is Oz. While it certainly helps to have seen the previous five seasons of the series to enjoy this season, it's not mandatory. These last eight episodes work fine as a stand-alone piece of drama. --Jae-Ha Kim

Customer Reviews

A great series until the end
I really enjoyed the multiple seasons of OZ. The character development and twists and turns kept me interested up until the end. While there was a lot of violence, it seemed to be for a point, given that the series does take place in a very violent prison. My only issue with the series is that the ending (i.e. last few episodes) seems to completely lose it.

A good send off for OZ
Not the best season of Oz [That would be season2} but much better than the long and confusing 5th season. many lose ends are cleared up and issues with the various cons, hacks, and politicos are finally resolved, like the beef between Beacher and Vern, And what ever happened to the reverend who got buried in the wall? A good send off for the series. DPM

Disappointingly average.
Season six of Oz proudly continued the shows traditions of shock value, heavy subject matter and great acting. Unfortunately, it lacked most of the heart that made earlier episodes so good.

The season opener was particularly weak, with a series of incidents meant to be suspenseful that came across as over the top, needlessly vile and pointless. While the series rebounded for awhile on disk two, the high didn't last. Despite a few good scenes, the finale was filled with problems and ultimately unsatisfying. Clearly trying to end the series with a bang, Mr. Fontana wrote the finale to be poignant and dramatic. Sadly, most of the storylines wound up confusing, sappy and/or melodramatic instead.

These problems weren't limited to the opening and ending. In an earlier audio commentary, Mr. Fontana mentioned one reason he ended the series was because he wasn't sure what else to do with the characters. It shows. Much of the violence this season felt less like it was to advance the plot, and more like Mr. Fontana was desperately trying to find a way to top the previous seasons in shock value; the result was often ridiculous. Also, to move the plot along, many characters came down with an extreme case of Stupid ("Hey, Schillinger was responsible for most of the rapes and many of the murders in Oz, right? I know, let's let him out of solitary!" "Jaz Hoyt has been trying to kill Timmy Kirk for a year now. Why don't we let them out of their cells with no guards close by and see what happens?" "No really, it's a great idea to sleep with my co-workers ex-wife!" "Hmm...I've been raping and debasing James Robson for months. I think I'll let him put a noose around my neck for fun. What could happen?"). It was like watching a bad horror movie.

Even worse, many interesting friendships were tossed aside, making the characters and their lives less interesting. Even Hill's monologues (told with guest stars this year) were tired and redundant. I finished the season only hours before writing this review, and I can't remember a thing about any of his speeches except one.

To be fair, there are some great episodes in the middle, and a couple of stand-out plotlines. Particularly of note are two stories involving side characters James Robson and Stella, the new Oz librarian. Robson, a heretofore villainous Aryan is reduced to a victim this season. Watching how the experience transforms him is haunting and yet oddly hopeful. Meanwhile, Stella's effort to get young inmates to read and her budding friendship with long-time inmate Bob Rebadow was funny, touching and insightful. Both plotlines end beautifully, in just the way Mr. Fontana said he wanted: leaving the audience wanting more, and yet still satisfied with what we'd seen. Be sure to watch the special extended cut of the series finale to get Robson's entire story. For some unfathomable reason, most of it was left on the cutting room floor when originally aired.

Overall, this season is for big fans that are willing to wade through a sea of plot holes and silly storylines to see their favorite characters one last time. Casual fans and curious viewers are advised to rent first to see if it's worth spending the money.