THE PLOT THUS FAR
HBO presents the final season of the hit comedy series about former major-league pitching ace Kenny Powers (Danny McBride), who after finally making it back to the majors at the end of Season 3, faked his death and ran back home to his beloved April and son Toby. The new season takes place several years later; Kenny has married April, had another child (a daughter named Shayna, after his late pal Shane), and has more or less stayed the course he promised April, though he hates his job as Assistant Manager at a car-rental outlet in North Carolina. In his down time, instead of boozing and doing drugs, Kenny dabbles in writing a screenplay, “The Kenny Powers Saga,” shares couples nights with the numbingly boring Gene & Dixie and Tel & Viv, and accompanies April to bland awards dinners for realtors. The vices of his playing days are a thing of the past – until Kenny runs into Guy Young, a onetime teammate and current host of the raucous TV talk show Sports Session. Guy convinces Kenny to quit the rat race and get back in the game – as a celebrity “titan” who deserves greatness and the lifestyle of the rich, famous, and arrogant.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“Eastbound and Down” takes us down the path that Kenny Powers seems to have wanted. He’s got April, kids, a family and a shitty job. The baseball dreams have long since passed and now he’s just here. Kenny wants to take over a basic cable sports show, but he needs the help of an enabler from the past. Slowly, but surely…Kenny starts to lose sight of everything he built. Also, Stevie shows up with his asshole kids and mutilates his face.
The final season did so much for me. From the oddball ending to Kenny finally realizing who he is, it matters. Hell, I saw a little of myself in the guy. While I’m nowhere near as offensive (working on it), there’s something that everyone can see in the person that just wants to do something meaningful. He’s a lot closer to the sports hero that we all could be, then the ones that the media tells us to love.
The DVD comes with commentaries, outtakes and deleted scenes as the special features. The Dolby 5.1 track is expansive for the big crowd scenes. Plus, the transfer is pretty solid for standard definition. Still, I would’ve preferred the Blu-Ray version for the real HD transfers. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!