A volatile men-in-prison soap opera, fueled by testosterone and lubricated by blood, HBO's Oz is addictive viewing. The third season of the most violent show on cable TV, set in a cage of concrete and steel and glass, opens with echoes of violence past. Miguel Alvarez (Kirk Acevedo) is in solitary confinement for brutally blinding a guard, one-time drug lord Simon Adebissi (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) mourns for his murdered father, and Tobias Beecher (Lee Tergesen) nurses bones broken by Aryan Brotherhood leader Schillinger (J.K. Simmons) and a heart broken by the betrayal of Keller (Law and Order: SVU's Christopher Meloni). Their stories of vengeance, redemption, and forgiveness anchor this season.

The show races through each episode with a driving pace that only intensifies the ferocity. But for all the show's physical brutality, the most affecting violence is emotional, from the strange and savage love affair between Beecher and Keller to the escalating war of terror between Beecher and Schillinger. On a lighter note, this season marks the debut of both Miss Sally and new prison CO Sean Murphy (Robert Clohessy), whose understated strength is too often overlooked in the face of the show's more explosive personalities. Season 3 ends pitched on a powder keg, with the fuse in the hands of the show's most ferocious, unpredictable character. It's the kind of promise that will have you slavering for season 4.

The three-disc set features all eight episodes along with a season 2 recap, episode recaps and previews, commentary on the episode "Unnatural Disasters" by writer-creator Tom Fontana and episode director Chazz Palmintieri, and 22 minutes of deleted scenes. --Sean Axmaker

Studio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 09/05/2006 Run time: 480 minutes Rating: Nr

BOTTOM LINE, I LOVE THE WHOLE OZ SERIES AND YOU WILL NEVER FIND A BETTER PRICE THAN ON AMAZON.

I have loved this series since it has aired and continue to watch all the episodes. It is a incrediable drama.

This season of OZ will knock your socks off! It will leave you wanting more!

The first season of Oz introduced our (huge) cast of main characters. The second season was dedicated mostly to intergroup struggles: the battles of drug dealers, crime lords and gang bangers. With the spectacular third season, Oz presented a mix of the best of seasons one and two by giving us character development within a story about a larger, rising struggle.

On the personal end, each of our main characters has problems. Beecher, betrayed badly by his boyfriend Keller at the end of season two, is out for revenge against Keller and his friends. Keller, remorseful and desirous of Beecher, is willing to do anything to get Beecher back--including seduce a nun and kill. Sister Peter Marie comes to realize that she is a woman before being a nun, while Schillinger must choose between his family and his beliefs. Augustus Hill finds out a shocking secret, Miguel Alvarez struggles with depression, the warden faces his past...and that's just some of the main characters.

While Season Two had a bit of a problem juggling all of the events and people introduced, everything has been hammered out in Season Three. It's particularly impressive that each of these personal storylines wove together and finally became part of a much larger story: one of budding racial tension in the prison. Who stays impartial, who wants equal rights, and who turns to racism? The answers might surprise you.

The only warning I can give about Season Three (and Oz in general) is that crack is less addicting than this show. I began Season One thinking I'd just watch an episode or two...and was up until 6 in the morning, desperate to know what was next. Be careful...and enjoy.

I was hooked from season 1. One of the best series that I have come across in a long time. Once you view it, you will want to see the whole series.