Embrace the unexpected with ELI STONE the critically acclaimed series that celebrates life's odd and interesting adventures. It's daffily funny and affecting television, raves The Miami Herald. Eli Stone is a man you can b... more »elieve in. The question is, can he believe himself? When this successful lawyer starts having strange visions, his job, his relationships and his sanity are in serious jeopardy. Things get even more bizarre when his brother Nathan confides that he has visions, too. Is this a blessing or some kind of family curse? And do this crazy illusions have a purpose? Featuring star-studded appearances by Sigourney Weaver, Katie Holmes and Seal, plus dazzling action and dance sequences, ELI STONE will pull you off the couch and onto your feet. See how the series wraps up in the quirky and heartfelt final season complete with exclusive bonus features. ELI STONE proves solid as a rock, says Entertainment Weekly.
Bonus Features Include: Dancin' In The Streets A Behind-The-Scenes Look At One Of The Show's Epic Song And Dance Numbers, Good Morning Eli With Sam & Julie A Fun Look At The Morning Rituals On The ELI STONE Set With Sam, Julie And The Rest Of The Cast, Circular File: Bloopers From Season Two Laugh Along With The Cast As They Trip, Slip And Bleep Through Some Of Season Two's Funniest Moments, Deleted Scenes« less
"Eli Stone has touched the hearts of many fans worldwide, especially here in Australia. Season 1 had revolved around a range of George Michael songs and some very deep soul-searching for Eli. And Season 2 continued just that, without the George Michael but with more twists and visions that hit Eli very close to home.
The excellent acting by Jonny Lee Miller and the whole cast makes the show feel that much more unique, especially with the sometimes hilarious quotes by Loretta Devine, the wise and very talented Victor Garber, the cheeky character of Sam Jaeger and the beautiful women Natasha Henstridge and Julie Gonzalo, and also not forgetting James Saito as the sort-of Chinese acupuncturist.
Season 2 is the final outing of Eli Stone, and many viewers will have many questions unanswered. However, we do know that Elis visions in Season 1 answer some of those questions [check through them and you'll see what I mean!]. It is a pity that ABC couldn't punt one more breath in for Eli Stone but the DVD has been long awaited.
If you liked Eli Stone Season 1, dig into your pockets for Season 2, and you will not regret it. If you got into Season 2, I recommend taking a step back and discovering the whole story. And if you're reading this without having watched a second of it, try an episode. It will leave you feeling like you gotta have faith."
I am so annoyed with ABC.
K. C. Collins | Tucson, AZ USA | 06/30/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Okay, we have wonderful actors that not only can act but sing...A story line that keeps you guessing, and action and charitors that keep you intrested...And what does ABC do with this show? Does it give it a chance? Nope, Eli Stone went with the way of Pushing Daisies and Life on Mars. At least now I have this wonderful show on DVD and will now ignore anything else ABC puts out; like "Help I'm a Celeberity get me Out of Here"...Good God."
A Show Ahead Of Its Time, For Our Time
M. Schleck | New York, New York | 08/16/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A very wise fictional little girl named Lisa Simpson once said "You will never go broke appealing to the lowest common denominator." The short life of ELI STONE is living proof of this, with ABC filling its network with WIPEOUT and the like. I don't think many people knew how to take ELI STONE. Was it a law drama? Was it comedy? Was it philosophy? Was it a musical? The answer is all of the above and more. ELI is ahead of it time, and in a genre by itself. It was well written, well produced, well acted and intelligent. It was a perfect show for the new millennium, with selfishness and perceived goodness rampant in our society, watching Eli realize there is something greater out there, and his, and the people around him transform and grow was truly moving. Congrads to the ELI STONE cast, writers, and crew for amazing work. I'll miss ELI, and I would have loved to see where the story would have gone if it continued. I'm glad ABC released the last partial season to DVD, as I hope it will continue inspire and entertain."
Such a good show
D. Floyd | Denver, CO USA | 07/22/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Eli Stone was one of the few television shows out there that was worth watching. It was well written, well cast, and well put-together. I loved all of the characters and the story lines. It actually has a moral and heart, which is multitudes more than be said for all of the crap ABC is replacing this show with (Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, Bachelorette, etc). ABC really dropped the ball when then dropped this fantastic show."
An enjoyable series that ended too soon but nevertheless a s
Dennis A. Amith (kndy) | California | 08/26/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In Jan. 2008, as a drama series that aired after the abc Network's popular hit drama series "LOST", millions of Americans had the chance to check out the new law drama series known as "eli stone". With its commercials featuring George Michael singing "Faith" and dancing lawyers, needless to say, the series caught the attention of many people and was a big hit.
The series is created by Greg Berlanti ("Brothers & Sisters", "Dirty Sexy Money", "Everwood" and "Dawson's Creek") and Marc Guggenheim ("Brothers & Sisters", "CSI: Miami" and "Law & Order"). The show features music composed by Blake Neely ("The Mentalist", "Brothers & Sisters" and "Notes from the Underbelly") and cinematography by Michael D. O'Shea ("Bones", "Jack & Bobby" and "CSI: Miami") and Dennis Hall ("Big Shots", "The Cleaner" and "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip").
The series revolves around an attorney named Eli Stone (Jonny Lee Miller, "Smith", "Aeon Flux"and "The Flying Scotsman"). In the first season, Eli Stone was experiencing dreams which he doesn't quite understand but it appears those visions have a way of foretelling the future and has given him the ability to use these visions to help people. Of course, no one believes him but because his father had a similar situation and died of a brain aneurysm, Eli gets checked and he it is discovered that he has an inoperable brain aneurysm that is causing his hallucinations.
Eli's personal life is even more confusing because due to his law career and his visions, it has led to a breakup with Taylor Weathersby (Natasha Henstridge, "She Spies", "Commander in Chief", "Species"), the daughter of his boss at the law firm, Jordan (Victor Garber, "Alias", "Milk", "Justice"). Before Jordan would run his law firm as a firm that took on big cases for the money but he and the law firm begin to become inspired by Eli. Eli was your typical corporate lawyer but since he started having these visions, he has become dedicated to helping people on pro bono cases which has put him at odds with the firm's owners and some of his other attorneys.
Because Eli has these visions, he has grown closer to people that he works with such as his receptionist Patti Dellacroix (Loretta Devine, "Grey's Anatomy", "The PJ's" and "Dreamgirls") and also the rookie attorney Maggie Dekker (Julie Gonzalo, "Veronica Mars") who he eventually has an off-an-on relationship with. Other characters that work for the firm are Keith Bennett (Jason Winston George, "What About Brian" and "Eve") and Matt Dowd (Sam Jaeger, "Lucky Number Slevin", "Girls Club").
But for Eli, his personal confidants that he goes to in regards to his visions is his brother and surgeon Nathan (Matt Letscher, "Brothers & Sisters", "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and "Joey") and his father's friend Dr. Frank Chen (James Saito) who works in alternative medicine and helps Eli continue his visions through acupuncture and other means.
In the first season, the series focused on Eli's visions and how he is able to help people but also ended with Eli having surgery for his aneurysm.
For the second and final season of the series, with Eli now having his aneurysm removed and now doing OK. His brother Nate may have developed the aneurysm and now having the visions. Because his brother has much more to live for, helping people's careers as a surgeon and the on most likely to have a family, Eli makes a deal with God to transfer the aneurysm back to him and thus, the series focuses on Eli now having to continue in helping people and the people close to him but also knowing that this time around, learn more about his father and how he did and knowing that he may not live a full life due to the aneurysm.
"eli stone - The Complete Second Season" comes with three discs. Here is a spoilerless summary of each episode:
DISC 1:
* EPISODE 14: The Path - Six months after Eli had his brain aneurysm successfully removed, now Nate is suffering from an aneurysm and having the visions. Eli must make a decision in order to help the people that are close to him.
* EPISODE 15: Grace - Eli meets a woman that he falls for named Grace (Katie Holmes) but like Eli, she also has a secret.
* EPISODE 16: Unwritten - Eli must now take on a case against a lead company that goes to the Supreme Court. Also, Eli's law firm goes through major changes.
* EPISODE 17: Should I Stay or Should I Go? - Because of law firm changes, associates at the law firm decide to stay or go.
DISC 2:
* EPISODE 18: The Humanitarian - With Eli and Jordan now running their own law firm, they must keep retaining regular clientele to keep up with the costs.
* EPISODE 19: Happy Birthday Nate - Eli starts to have visions regarding his father and Taylor has a secret to tell to Matt.
* EPISODE 20: Help! - Patti's daughter is arrested for drug abuse and Eli is trying to figure out his visions if she is truly innocent. Special guest: Seal
* EPISODE 21: Owner of a Lonely Heart - After dating Ashley, Eli decides to share his secret with her.
* EPISODE 22: Two Ministers - Eli is happy that his brother and his fiance Beth are getting married and selected him as minister but Eli discovers something about Nate's fiance.
DISC 3:
* EPISODE 23: Sonoma - A news anchor from a huge media corporation loses his job which leads to Eli, Taylor, Matt and Maggie go on a ride to Sonoma. But Matt has reservations about going to Sonoma for a reason.
* EPISODE 24: Mortal Combat - Eli takes the case of the news anchor and realizes he must go to court against Maggie. Also, Matt must make a major career decision.
* EPISODE 25: Tailspin - The firm is suffering from the lack of money and the attorneys wonder if they will be unemployed. And now the Eli and Jordan takes on case of hundreds of employees who were terminated from their job.
* EPISODE 26: Flight Path - Eli's visions have him concerned that someone close to him will die in a plane crash. He must now find out who it may be and try to prevent them from getting on the plane. Meanwhile, Eli takes on a case of a woman who needs a heart transplant.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"eli stone - The Complete Second Series" is featured in widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1:78:1, enhanced for 16×9 television. For the most part, the picture quality of "eli stone" is good as expect from a drama series on DVD. But one of the positives of the series is that there is quite a bit of outdoor shots and many musical scenes. Needless to say, the series had a pretty strong budget and production quality and cinematography was quite solid. Low light scenes don't have high noise as some dramas on DVD have suffered from. But for the most part, picture quality for "eli stone" is solid.
As for the audio, the series is featured in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. The series is primarily a dialogue driven series with front and center channels being the main source of audio distribution. Dialogue is clear and understandable. There are scenes during Eli's visions that utilize surround sound but these are few. If anything, its the music of "eli stone" that comes alive. Music plays a big part of the drama series and sounds great.
Subtitles are presented in English SDH, French and Spanish.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"eli stone - The Complete Second Season" includes the following special features:
* Dancin' In The Streets - (11:38) The cast puts their dancing shoes on and gets ready to boogie at the legendary Capitol Records building, then takes their performance to the streets of Paramount Studios. A featurette on the recording and making of the "Dancin' in the Streets" musical scene from the first episode.
* Good Morning with Sam & Julie - (6:00) Getting to know the youngest people in the cast: the spontaneous and hilarious Sam Jaeger (who plays Matt Dowd) and the sweet and sensitive Julie Gonzalo (the show's' Maggie Dekker).
* Deleted Scenes - Featuring three deleted scenes: Pattie Does the Right Thing, Not Taking the Deal, Matt Dowd's Attempt at Romance
* Circular File: Bloopers from Season Two - (2:06) The cast of Eli Stone trips, slips, *bleeps* and falls through some of Season 2's funniest impromptu moments.
"eli stone" was one of the more entertaining, humorous, spiritual and also inspiring drama series I have seen on network television for awhile.
JUDGMENT CALL:
It's really a shame that the series really never caught on with many viewers. Sometimes I criticized the series time slot for its cancellation. With other newer series getting the time slot after "LOST", "eli stone" seemed as if it was floating around on different days and times and after it was announced that the show was going to be canceled (along with several other abc shows), catching the second half of the series proved to be difficult. So, needless to say, unless you watched it on abc.com, personally I've been waiting for the series to come out on DVD.
The first season was highly enjoyable and it was not known if the series would come back for a second season. So, I was content by how the series ended. But when the commercials started coming out and promoting the second season, I was excited. Eli Stone with his style of helping people through his law firm and his visions, awkward as he maybe, its what makes him successful. Each character was fun to watch, as each has their own personal quirk about them but for the second season, we started to see more character development with all the supportive characters that were built around Eli Stone.
Also, with season 2, the series seemed to take on the suffering of people through the state of a weak economy and thus, a storyline that is affecting the hurt on law firms (which I hear quite frequently through friends who are lawyers), it was quite intriguing to see it become part of this series.
As for the DVD release, I wish that there was a significant send-off via its special features. Possibly a commentary audio track, more special features on the other talent, just a little more that would give fans who were supportive of the series a sort of closure of feeling wronged by the series cancellation.
But I really enjoyed both seasons of "eli stone". The series was absolutely enjoyable, fun, well-written, well-acted and just entertaining. Some may feel a bit put off by its spirituality (ie. possibly Eli's receiving messages courtesy of God) and thus this series was not for them but the series was unlike other drama series based on attorneys or law firms. This was about people willing to help people, people inspired by Eli Stone and things that didn't seem possible, was made possible. A show that was based on "faith" and even "hope".
But for all what is said and done, "eli stone" finishes with a solid season and for fans of the drama series, I highly recommend "eli stone - The Complete Second and Final Season"."
K. K. (GAMER) 
