Distributor: Warner Bros. Entertainment
Episodes: 18
Duration: 40 min (per episode) + extras
Rizzoli & Isles: Season 5 (DVD) – Series review
Detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles are back for another season filled to the brink with serial killers, mobsters, contract killers, personal dramas and many epiphanies. The two opposites have formed one of the most unlikely bonds in history while they solve one homicide after another in the Boston area.
The fourth season of Rizzoli & Isles ended with quite some drama. While the team was chasing clues about the murder of a senator’s daughter, Lt. Col. Casey Jones (Chris Vance) proposed to Jane. She dismisses the proposal for a moment as she dwells on the possible future it might hold. It is only when Casey agrees to retire from the military that Jane accepts his proposal. Their happiness is short lived however because Jane changes her mind when Casey accepts a job offer in the Balkans. Jane is mourning that her love interest is leaving once more but she’s also fearing the nature of their relationship, especially since she might be carrying his baby.
Returning for a fifth season, the show starts off rather slow while exploring the possibility of detective Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) having a baby. The very first episode already hits close to home and explores the concept a little deeper than expected. Hiding the pregnancy from everyone seems to be a daunting task, not necessarily because Maura is a terrible liar but because Angela Rizzoli (Lorraine Bracco) is not only a noisy mother but a blabbermouth as well. The happiness in the tight knit circle of family and friends take a turn for the worse as the series takes an unexpected turn when an unfortunate accident causes the team spirit to take a deep dive by losing one of their own. Even the very uptight medical examiner Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander) loses her cool and goes through the five stages of grief or DABDA as she named it.
While the love interest of Jane seems to be on the down low, Maura finds herself “wildly attracted” to a professor. She fears the feeling because the guy who said that he really wanted her body meant it literally and she ended up dating a serial killer. Long story short, the two headstrong women find themselves in some iffy situations once again while solving some clever committed crimes.
Although this season focuses heavily on detective Jane and her stubborn BFF Dr. Isles, there are some side-stories that built upon the main ones without feeling very significant. Our favorite senior character Vince Korsak (Bruce McGill) has been advised by his life-coach Kiki to look into his options and is looking into retirement. Jane takes this hard, especially after the death of one of their own and we learn a few surprising things from detective Korsak in the meantime. Frankie Rizzoli Jr. played by Jordan Bridges on the other hand has been very secretive about what he has been doing late at night. There are a few other arcs but we wouldn’t want to spoil the whole ordeal.
The loss of a crew member has removed some of the wonderful dynamic the characters had going for them but the brooding humor of Jane Rizzoli continues to be on point. Couple that with the factual trait of Maura Isles and quirks of new characters and we have ourselves a very different dynamic that continues the series is a positive way. The sarcastic bickering between the two main protagonists is still present which allows for a sense of familiarity. A few great references have found its way onto the show and we had to chuckle when Jane compared herself to Daphne while claiming that Maura must be Velma.
As for the casting, the performances of the actors never truly excel but they never falter either allowing a solid casting performance of the regular actors. The new faces that will become a part of the family fit in quite well and all are able to put in an equally strong performance that matches the rest.
The DVD-box of the fifth season of Rizzoli & Isles once again features extra footage, good for a meager 20 minutes of extra ‘goodies’ to indulge in. The gag reel in all honesty feels like a behind the scenes dancing marathon but it beats the less than two minutes long unaired scenes. On the other hand, the bridge sequence featurette is extremely satisfactionary as it not only explores the stunts but also the traits of the characters.
Conclusion
Each season seems to contain more and more drama whilst the action seems to slow down. The fifth season is a good example of this downward motion but the series continues to maintain a solid quality to the storytelling but it is by no means Castle.
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