Banshee: The Complete Fourth Season

The fourth and final season of this Cinemax-aired violent crime drama begins two years after the end of season three. Lucas (Antony Starr), a career criminal who took the identity of a dead lawman, is now living off the grid in the woods—with his crew scattered and one partner captured. Lucas is roused from isolation after he learns that Rebecca (Lili Simmons), daughter of local Amish crimelord Kai Proctor (Ulrich Thomsen), has been murdered and a serial killer is on the loose. The fourth season is complicated by multiple stories: as Lucas helps investigate the murder, he also gets the gang back together to rescue their hacker colleague Job (Hoon Lee); Carrie (Ivana Milicevic) turns vigilante to take out her aggressions on the thugs and bullies of the town; the white supremacist gang working for Kai plots to take over his drug business; and a sect of Satanists prey upon the community. At its best, Banshee mixed hard-edged action, hot-blooded sex, and pulp-oriented stories into a clever, tightly-plotted crime series with vivid characters and impressive action set pieces, but this season is overstuffed, overly contrived, and confusing, with a happy ending that is unconvincing. Still, fans will surely want to see it through to the end. Presenting all eight episodes from the 2016 last season, extras include audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, bonus webisodes, and deleted scenes. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)