Amazon.com

The imagination never flags in Episodes XIV-XXVI of Samurai Jack, Genndy Tartakovsky's Emmy-winning comedy-adventure. The artists skillfully employ design, color, and pattern to compliment the directors' use of deft cutting and split screen imagery. The resulting visuals are sharp, fresh, and appealing.

As Jack continues his quest to return to the past and destroy the evil shape-shifter Aku, the tone of the adventures shifts from dramatic to farcical and back again. In Episode XX, Jack proves his determination by climbing treacherous Mount Fatoom with three highly trained monks. The clerical trio consists of little more than pentagons with stylized faces, but their geometric simplicity plays effectively against the jagged facets of the mountain. The warriors who battle mechanical minotaurs in Episode XXV reflect the look of Greek vase paintings, filtered through the work of modern illustrators and graphic novelists. In lighter moments, Jack helps the Scotsman rescue his battleaxe of a bride from a nest of demons in Episode XVII, then plunges down a rabbit hole to visit a neon-bright Wonderland in Episode XXIV. That adventure reaches new heights of absurdity when Jack appears in drag as a princess.

The picaresque blend of comedy and adventure makes Samurai Jack one of the most significant cartoon series of recent years. Extras include a biography-scrapbook of Tartakovsky, a partial pitch for Episode XVII and a creators' commentary for Episode XXV. (Unrated, suitable for ages 10 and older: stylized violence, minor gross humor) --Charles Solomon ... Read more

Reviews (6)

The artistic subtleties
Samurai Jack is the cutting edge of creativity.There is no doubt that on some episodes, such as the farting dragon episode, there is a different tone and direction.However, it shows that Tartakovsky is willing to go out on a limb.He is daring to do something different from other shows (cartoon or not).This difference is the divide between Samurai Jack and Naruto.Don't get me wrong, I love Naruto, but it lacks what nearly every T.V. show, or even movie lacks-risk.Tartakovsky is creating a legacy much like Tarantino and Zhang Yimou (Director of Hero and House of Flying Dagger).Make no mistake, Samurai Jack, in every season that will be released, will be impressive and different from each other.I personally cannot wait until the third and fourth seasons however, the Spartans episode, Emikandi Hunters, Jack Naked, Jack and the Ultra Robots, and Jack Remembers the Past offer up some of the most diverse Samurai Jack episodes.And it only gets better from here.

More Samurai Jack...Definetely Worth It
Samurai Jack in my opinion has to be one of the best animated series ever created. It combines humor and non-stop action into one neatly rolled package...and the second season is definetely better than the first.

Samurai Jack follows a Japanese warrior who is transported thousands of years into the future by the evil sorcerror and tyrant, Aku. Apparently, Aku has now taken over the world and the majority of (If not all) lives under his rule. Jack now is struggling to find a method of transporting him back to the past where he can undo Aku's tyranny. The first season was summed up in one word: Great. But the second season is summed up in another word: Awesome. The DVD set includes 13 episodes in total, each one magnificent works of artwork and animation.

Some of the best episodes of the set includes one where a gang destroys Jack's sandals and he goes after them for revenge, while trying to find the right footwear. It's wittingly humorous as Jack emerges to battle the gang and ends up being laughed at for his ridiouculous footwear.

Another nice episode is one which explores Jack's past when he comes to the ruins of his own village, ravaged thousands of years ago. Its touching as Jack remembers his past. Another nice episode is where Jack is forced into battle against a group of samurai robots, each wielding different weapons and abilities, such as flamethrowers and shruikens. Jack is eventually outfitted with a robotic arm and the battle is undeniably gritty and intense.

Well, anyway, I seriously reccomend purchasing the second season, however, also keep your eyes out for the third season, which in my opinion is much better (It includes an episode where Jack battles a trio of Egyptian shadow-warriors and must call on the god Ra in order to rescue himself and a two-part battle between Jack's father and Aku which is also awesome).

Jack finds his footing - then he begins to soar.
Samurai Jack, the groundbreaking animation series by Genndy Tartavosky that follows the young samurai stranded in the future, searching for his arch-nemesis, Aku, and a way back to the past, continues in the fantastic second season.

In the last DVD we were introduced to Jack, the shapeshifting wizard Aku, and many allies and foes. In Samurai Jack: Season 2, Jack's journey continues through some of the best episodes ever produced (as well as a couple that never should have been). But the good far outweighs the bad as Jack meets old friends, explores his past, and is fully realized as a warrior of honor, skill, and some good old fashioned luck.

The action reaches its peak in episodes such as XVIII (Jack and the Ultra-Robots), XXII (Jack and Imakandi), and XXIII (Jack vs Demongo, the episode that officially hooked me as a lifelong fan). Arguably some of the best action episodes of the series (out of quite a bunch!), these episodes have Jack fighting (or running) for his life before delving into his resourcefulness and inner strength for the means to defeat his foes.

Jack's almost overwhelming valor in these episodes might make for a rather two-dimensional character, but we also see moments of his vulnerability in such episodes as XIX (Jack Remembers His Past) and XX (Jack and the Monks), one of my personal favorites. In the twentieth episode, after losing yet another chance to return to the past, a disheartened Jack follows three monks up the seemingly endless, nearly impossible Mount Fatoom, only to discover anew the reasons behind his journey.

It's hard to decide whether Season 2 is the best of the series. But it is certainly a gem to be treasured, its mix of high-voltage action and personal reflection paving the way for some of Jack's greatest triumphs and worst moments of despair in the stunning Season 3.

Great series keep getting better
What can be said more. One of the greatest animation series of all time keeps getting better. I am so looking forward to these episodes:

XXXI (Jack and the Scarab)
One intense fighting episodes
XXXV (Jack and the Haunted House)
Great artistic switch to pencil and shadow drawing in the demon world
XL (Samurai vs. Ninja)
Fantastic martial art showdown
XXIV (Jack is Naked)
One trippy psychedelic episode

Season 2...It's about time!!!
It has been much too long between the DVD releases of Samurai Jack Season 1 and Season 2 (due out May 24, 2005). Season 2 has some of the very best Samurai Jack episodes, including:

* Episode 14 - Jack learns to "jump good" thanks to the help of an ape-man and a tribe of his fellow apes. This has some great scenes of Jack in training and as Jack in turn teaches his new friends to defend themselves.
* Episode 18 - Jack has to battle a posse of assasin robots. Once again, Jack must prove - to himself, more than anyone - that his heart is greater than any enemy Aku can throw at him.
* Episode 19 - Jack stumbles upon his ancestral land, now in ruins. This has some heartwarming flashbacks of Jack's life as a little boy.
* Episode 20 - Jack and the Mountain. Jack joins three monks in a death-defying climb up a mystical mountain. Are these the spirits of the monks who created Jack's samurai sword? : )
* Episode 22 - Jack battles three lion-men...the greatest wild-game hunter team in the galaxy. The stalker-prey chase gives Jack his toughest challenge of skill to date.

So why the 4 stars? There are a few other episodes that fall too short of Samurai Jack at his best. In one episode in this series Jack encounters a village cursed with a vile smell. The episode is strange, gross, and just a little offensive. In another episode, Jack takes part in three so-so fairy tales amongst his many journeys. This episode just lacks the umph you come to expect from Samurai Jack.

However, just the episodes listed above (especially Episodes 18 & 19) make this DVD worth the price. I've been waiting for these episodes since the release of Season 1. Finally, it's almost here. ... Read more

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The most famous episode in franchise history, "The Trouble with Tribbles," is one of the highlights of the second season of Star Trek: The Original Series.A deserved classic, the humorous story centers on an ever-expanding mass of furry creatures that memorably rain themselves down on top of Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and into the middle of a Federation-Klingon showdown. It inspired one of the most memorable episodes in the spin-off series Deep Space Nine, "Trial and Tribble-ations."Also in the second season, the Vulcan culture of Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) is fleshed out in "Amok Time" (in which Spock is faced with the possibility of killing his captain and friend) and "Journey to Babel" (introducing Spock's father, played by Mark Sarek, in what would turn out to be a long-recurring role).A new character, navigator Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig), was introduced; his Monkees haircut was intended to appeal to the younger audience, but he was also a Russian, which at the height of the cold war reflected Gene Roddenberry's optimistic vision of a more enlightened future.Other social-commentary opportunities presented themselves in "The Omega Glory," "The Doomsday Machine," and "Assignment: Earth," the last also one of those periodic opportunities to scrimp on the budget by time-traveling to an earlier version of Earth.Another example was "A Private Little War," a comic episode set in the Roaring Twenties and memorable for, among other things, Kirk's teaching a made-up card game called Fizzbin.In other significant episodes, "I, Mudd" saw the return of the bounder from season 1, "The Changeling" was the original inspiration for the first Trek feature film a decade later, "Wolf in the Fold" (penned by the author of Psycho) provides an example of the series' great writing, and "Mirror, Mirror" introduced the concept of the parallel universe inhabited by vicious, amoral counterparts of the regular crew, another theme later borrowed (more than once, and to good emotional effect) by DS9.

Special features are a bit lighter than on the season 1 set, but they do feature such contributors as Shatner, Nimoy, George Takei (Sulu), Koenig, Nichelle Nichols (Uhura), and editor-writer D.C. Fontana. Of chief interest are "To Boldly Go," a 20-minute season recap; " Kirk, Spock & Bones: The Great Trio," discussing the interplay among Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley); "Star Trek's Divine Diva," shining the spotlight on the development of Nichols's character (she was originally considered to play Spock); and "Writer's Notebook: D.C. Fontana," discussing her various roles in the series (she used her initials to avoid the anti-female bias in science fiction at the time).--David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Second Complete Season in an 8-DVD Set! Fantastic!
When Paramount Home Video first started to release the original series of "Star Trek" in 1999, I was aghast at the fact that only one DVD with two episodes per DVD were being released one DVD at a time at a very high cost. The cost to own all 40 volumes (DVD's) was staggering. Of course, this doesn't even address the amount of shelf space required for all 40 DVD's.

Now, with this repackaged version, all 26 episodes of the second season are being released together on 8 disks. This is the packaged version of the original "Star Trek" that I fully intend to purchase because even at full list price, the cost of owning the second complete season is less than half the cost of owning its earlier cousins on an equivalent 13 DVD's. Also, the packaging itself has been designed similarly to the packaging used for other "Star Trek" series released in complete seasons, meaning that it will only require a small amount of shelf space. It is also possible that extra documentary and commentary material not released originally will be included in this complete second season box set.

The original series of "Star Trek", that ran for three complete seasons between 1966 and 1969, started a franchise that has included six television series and ten big screen motion pictures. The main original characters of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Lt. Commander/Commander Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Dr. Leonard H. 'Bones' McCoy (DeForest Kelley, 1920-1999), Lt. Cmdr. Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott (James Doohan), Lt. Hikaru Sulu (George Takei), Lt. Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Ensign Pavel Chekov (Walter Keonig from 1967-1969), Yeoman Janice Rand (Grace Lee Whitney from 1966-1967) and Nurse Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett) have become an inseparable part of Americana. Though series creator Gene Roddenberry (1921-1991) was not able to keep the original series alive for five seasons as originally envisioned (it was cancelled after its third season), he, along with the countless series fans, was able to resurrect it in the form of six motion pictures beginning in 1979 and the first series spin-off, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" in 1987, which ran for seven years and had spin-offs of its own. There was also a 22-episode animated version based upon the original series that ran from 1972 to 1974.

The most memorable episodes of the second season include "Amok Time" (Spock's Vulcan mating ritual), "The Changeling" (the inspiration for the 1979 film "Star Trek: The Motion Picture"), "Mirror, Mirror", "The Apple", "The Doomsday Machine" (with guest star William Windom as Commodore Matthew Decker, the father of the character Capt. Willard Decker (Stephen Collins) in the 1979 film "Star Trek: The Motion Picture"), "I, Mudd" (with returning guest character Harcourt Fenton 'Harry' Mudd, as played by Roger C. Carmel, 1932-1986), "Journey to Babel" (which introduces Spock's parents: Ambassador Sarek as played by Mark Leonard (1924-1996) and his human wife Amanda as played by Jane Wyatt), "Friday's Child", "The Deadly Years", "Obsession", "Wolf in the Fold", the fan-favorite "The Trouble with Tribbles", "A Piece of the Action", "The Immunity Syndrome", "A Private Little War", "Return to Tomrrow" (with guest character Dr. Ann Mulhall as played by Diana Muldaur, who also played the unpopular character Dr. Katherine Pulaski in the second season of "Star Trek: The Next Generation"), "By Any Other Name", "The Ultimate Computer" and "Assignment: Earth". The were no truly awful episodes during the second season, but there were a few that had rather weak plots, including the ancient-Greek-inspired "Who Mourns for Adonais?" the gothic "Catspaw", the Nazi-inspired "Patters of Force" and the twentieth-century version of the Roman Empire in the episode "Break and Circuses". The episode "The Omega Glory" was rather good until the final scenes that are somewhat corny.

Overall, I rate the 8-DVD set of "Star Trek: Original Series Season 2" with an anticipatory 5 out of 5 stars. Clearly, this is how Paramount should have released the original series to begin with. Thank you Gene Roddenberry for taking all of us "where no man has gone before".

The pinnicle of TOS
After barely getting renewed for a second season, ST came back the next year in full force.The biggest hero was not Captain Kirk himself,but Gene Coon.The executive producer who contributed some of the best episodes, as well as set the tone for the show which inspired future Trek's as well.
One of the prime factors for the second season's brilliance was the charater's themselves as the actors found the tone of their characters.And the famous trio of Kirk-Spock -McCoy were finally established at the focal point of the show.The remaining supporting characters performed admirably as well, even with the introduction of Paval Chekov (Walter Keonig). Many classic episodes came from season two(Mirror,Mirror, Amok Time, Doomsday Machine, Deadly Years,Trouble With Tribbles, A Piece Of The Action, Journey to Babel).
As brilliant as season two was, it was not enough to get high numbers in the Nielsons.Thanks to a letter campaign by fans led by Bjo Trimble,ST was renewed for a third season.But with Coon's departure from the show after the second season,the third season suffered and even the fans couldn't save it. ... Read more

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Benny Hill Complete and Unadulterated catches the boyish, British comedian just after he ended a long association with the BBC (where he was a busy star) and leaped to the commercial Thames Television in 1969, where he enjoyed creative control and successful syndication in America for 20 years. The premiere episode of The Benny Hill Show made television history as one of Thames' first color broadcasts, though a mid-season strike by technicians forced the show to revert to black-and-white, resulting in several "lost" episodes that have reemerged in this boxed set. (They offer some of the best material in this batch.)

Hill is an interesting, internationally popular figure in British comedy, his act more rooted in vaudeville and smooth, lowbrow innuendo than the surreal or topical. He gets a lot of mileage out of a mere roll of his eyes or knowing grin, but he is never short of energy during elaborate sketches or his trademark chases at the end of each episode. The Benny Hill Show, with its emphasis on scantily clad women and endless jokes about getting/not getting sex, never pushes the comic envelope, exactly, but Complete and Unadulterated demonstrates that Hill, who died in 1992, had more ingenuity and diverse originality than his reputation might reflect. Hill is just as comfortable gracing the opening of every show with a silly, risque ditty ("She wouldn't let me marry Jean / She said it was because she thought I was Effeminate / And compared to her, I was") as mocking television itself (in a clever, "Top of the Pops" send-up), skewering suburban swingers ("Henry and Alice and Bob and Mary"), or mounting a Cold War farce (in which an East-West border, running through a honeymoon suite, causes havoc for a newlywed couple).Luckily, this set allows one to select individual sketches or songs (Kiki Dee turns up for a go at "You've Made Me So Very Happy") within all 11 episodes, and to access each episode without having to go back to the disc's main menu. A repeat viewer can easily glide around the full season and cobble together the perfect, best-of program. There's certainly plenty of good material to go around; check out the lengthy "European Song Contest" for a true classic. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Fine Classic Viewing. A Must for Patrick McGoohan Fans
This megaset is well worth the price. Each episode in original broadcast order, crystal clear uncut in glorious black and white, except for the final two episodes of course. Relive the excitement along with excellent characterizations over 47 episodes. Includes the original U.S. opening Secret Agent Man them.

FIRST SEASON NOW AVAILABLE!!
First off--I wanted to let everyone know that the first season of "DANGER MAN" (all 39 half-hour episodes filmed in 1961) is now available on DVD at www.deepdiscountdvd.com. Type in "danger man" then hit 'search by title'(this item is NOT available on Amazon; that is why i mentioned it!). This 13 disc megaset contains all 47 HOUR-LONG episodes filmed in 1965-66. This is a fantastic show with the great actor Patrick McGoohan and great stories too! I am so glad to see all of these classic TV shows coming out on DVD. As far as i'm concerned, today's television is mostly crap. They don't have the actors, the stories, or the decency that the old shows had. The talent just isn't there in these new shows. When trying this show also try "THE AVENGERS" and "THE SAINT". You'll love every minute!

Good ... for TV
It's important to place any review in context. In the history of TV this was quite a good show, and compared to present-day TV, it is a masterpiece.

It works because it offers a sort of purity, a sincerity. It isn't top-heavy with the preening narcissism that dominates modern acting. McGoohan was a good, though not great, actor with limited range, but he infused the Drake with character, self-effacement, and decency. All one has to do is compare McGoohan to another star of the same vintage, Roger Moore, to appreciate the former's acting substance. After watching dozens of episodes, though, McGoohan's methods are somewhat wearing.

Compared to a good book, the plots are thoroughly characteristic of TV; they are superficial and unrealistic.

An expensive and extensive set like this is for devotees, and they already know they will like it, naturally. Casual viewers will more likely watch a few episodes and leave the box on the shelf gathering dust. But if you have the spare cash, you could do a lot worse than Secret Agent when you crank up the idiot box.

Prince of Spies
What was golden about "Secret Agent" in 1965 remains golden: it tackles the familiar spy-story themes---duty, honor, country; loyalty, brotherhood, betrayal---with a theatrical style, with romanticism, wit, and grace, often with deep human feeling. In 1965, when the moral norms in television and movies were starting to go to hell in a handbasket and the spy genre was characterized by the comic-book vulgarity of the James Bond films and the moral pessimism of John Le Carre, the strong moral tone and absence of promiscuity in "Secret Agent" were remarkable. That turned out to be a deliberate device, at the personal insistence of the star. Certain of the writers and directors seemed to recognize the possibilities and seize on them, deftly exploiting their star's unique characteristics to create some fascinating, unforgettable television.

With this reissue of the complete '65-'66 series on DVD---and now that things in the culture have gotten a lot darker---my own thanks go to Patrick McGoohan for that particular moment in his career: for the glowing, graceful Cold Warrior he made of John Drake; for his insistence on a principled approach to the character; for the enduring mystery of personality he brought to a small-screen hero.

Can't go to the theater? Watch McGoohan, with his strange quality of aggressive shyness, in a repertory of amusing impersonations: the tipsy playboy, the wheeler-dealer businessman, the shy schoolteacher, the crisp colonial officer, the langorous beachcomber, the insolent artist, the veddy English butler, the flirtatious German encyclopedia salesman, the supercilious physician ("It's Bailey-Carpenter---ehm---there's a hyphen"). The darkness of "The Prisoner" and 35 years of villain roles haven't dimmed the glow of this princely performance, or the image of the decent, thoughtful man behind it, who seemed to care so genuinely about his influence on the television audience.

Faulkner said, "The artist's duty is to lift up men's hearts and help them endure." The people who worked on this series did their duty.

So spend your money. This is great stuff.
M.E.M.

Question about other shows
Is this the complete set without the first season, then? If the first season ended in '61, and the rest of this megaset starts from '65, are there episodes from '61-65? My email is Jadziaq@hotmail.com if anyone would pls let me know, Thanks!

Leanne ... Read more

Amazon.com

To the ranks of shows too brilliant and outrageous for prime time (The Ben Stiller Show, Andy Richter Controls the Universe), add Seth McFarland's Family Guy. This animated series, which debuted after the 1999 Super Bowl, simply sparked too much controversy and offended too many sensibilities to survive (Entertainment Weekly dubbed it "the Awful Show They Just Keep Putting on the Air"). That the Fox network also played hackysack with its schedule, ensuring viewers would not be able to find it, sealed its fate (it was cancelled in 2002). This boxed set containing all 28 episodes from the first two seasons is payback for the show's devoted cult following, who may be moved to echo the words of infant Stewie Griffin, the megalomaniacal 1-year-old bent on matricide and world domination: "Victory is mine!"

The dysfunctional Griffins of Quahog, Rhode Island, invite comparisons to The Simpsons. The testicular-chinned father, Peter Griffin, is a clueless oaf in the Homer mold. "Peter, what did you promise me last night?" asks his long-suffering wife Lois in one episode. "That I wouldn't drink at the stag party," he replies. "And what did you do?" she asks. "Drank at the stag part--oh ho ho, I almost walked into that one," he cackles. Other family members include teenage daughter Meg, a desperate high school social pariah; 13-year-old son Chris, a chip off his father's blockhead; and Brian, the family's sarcastic talking dog. But this series' true inspiration is football-pated Stewie (voiced by McFarlane, who earned an Emmy), who was born to be a Bond villain once he escaped his mother's "ovarian bastille." Family Guy recklessly ventured where The Simpsons feared to tread. In one episode, Meg's one and only friend turns out to be the member of a suicidal cult. In another, Death (voiced by Norm McDonald) becomes an unwanted houseguest. Each episode plays fast and furious with surreal flashes (in one episode, Peter turns his house into a puppet) and pop-culture references and TV, movie, and commercial parodies that invite repeated viewings. Freed from its own family-hour bastille and the whims of dim network executives, Family Guy can be appreciated at last on its own profane, sacrilegious, and irreverent terms. Welcome to the DVD family, Griffins. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (471)

Excellent series.
As someone posted here, this set contains 28 episodes (entire first and second season by air dates) and the unaired episode When You Wish Upon a Weinstein (which would've been part of the 2nd season by production number). Despite no pages having this information yet, if you check the front cover you can clearly see it states 'Seasons 1 & 2'. These are the seasons according to air dates.
Eight episodes total will have commentaries, and word has it there are other features. These features don't count towards the running time of the set.

All in all an excellent series. Family Guy packed as much humor as it could in every episode without ever overdoing it. It's comedic style is very different from the Simpsons and South Park (more pop-culture oriented), but i personally find it superior and more clever. The production quality is excellent and constant from the very first season (unlike the Simpsons). Probably best of all is Seth Macfarlane's outstanding job giving the voices of Peter, Brian and Stewie. Excellent story lines with a remarkable and memorable cast of characters. Definitely my favorite animated TV show of all time.

This set is the first part of a two volume collection. Unfortunately Family Guy was only three seasons long when it got canned by Fox.

The Simpsons lost their edge but Family Guy found it.
Let me start my review off wih some good news: Seth MacFarlane revealed in an interview with Cinescape.com that he is hashing out a budget with FOX to create more Family Guy episodes (on tv or dvd, I don't know) and a feature length movie (direct-to-dvd). The projects should take bewteen a year and a year and a half. Now before I decided to write my review on this great show I decided to read the 1 and 2 star reviews (at this time a combined 12) and the 4 and 5 star reviews (at this time a combined 311, mine not included) and alot of the 1 and 2's had kept saying that this show is just a blatant rip off of The Simpsons. Well I'm sorry to tell you this 1 and 2's but it's not. Family Guy is better. Now don't get me wrong, I love the Simpsons, I remember watching their first episodes when they were airing on Thursdays I believe. But after about 13 years the show can get a little stale. This will eventually happen to King of the Hill, Futurama and of course Family Guy. But since Family Guy is the new baby in the house maybe it's about time for the Simpsons to bow out gracfully and pass down the torch. Now alot of the 1 and 2's said that the members of both families were exactly the same but this is not true. And I'll prove it to you by playing Simpsons vs. Griffins. I will take the same member of each family (mom vs. mom, dad vs. dad) and I will compare them. We start off with Homer vs. Peter: Same height, same colored hair (if Homer still had his) but Peter is fatter. Now one worked at a toy company making sure they were safe to play with. The other works as a safty inspector at a power plant. Different jobs, same responibility. But while Homer learns from his mistakes, alot of the time Peter learns nothing, like in the episode "He's too sexy for his fat". But in the end: Homer and Peter might have been long lost brothers. Marge vs. Lois: Lois is around 5'2", Marge is around 7'5"-8' (with hair). Both are house wives. One became a flight attendent for a while and ones father was a flight attendent. Lois was born rich, Marge was born just below middle class. Marge and Homer like to do it in public. Lois and Peter do it with whips, chains, leather, and Peter dressing up like the Gimp in Pulp Fiction. In the end: Both are kinky and at times can be as bad as there husbands. Now when it comes to the parents it's almost identical but the kids aren't alright. Take Bart vs. Chris: Both have blond hair, but that's all. Bart is a little chunky, Chris is just fat. Bart is a smooth talker that can get himself out of almost any problem. Chris is kind of an idiot and might be "special". Bart rides a skateboard. Chris can barely walk staight. Bart fears almost nothing. Chris is afraid of the evil monkey in his closest. Sorry but in the end: They maybe two Jacks but their of a differnt suit. NO MATCH. Lisa vs. Meg: Lisa and Meg are both whiners but Lisa whines about social issues, Meg whines about her social life and not having the things her friends have. Lisa is basicly an intellectual loner that doesn't really care what others think about her, all Meg ever cares about is what poeple think about her. In the end: One is a political and environmental activist, the other is just a brat (of course to some people that's two of the same thing). NO MATCH. Maggie vs. Stewie: You can't get more opposite then this. Both are the same age but most of the time Maggie acts her age. Stewie acts like a gay, british Lex Luther hell-bent on taking over the world and getting rid of his mother once and for all. Maggie loves her mommy and her bo-bo (pacifier). Stewie talks eloquently and creates weapons and devices for world domination. Maggie creates drool and the only word I ever heard her say was daddy. In the end: they may be a pair quarters, but ones facing heads and the others facing tails. NO MATCH. When I said you couldn't get more opposite then Maggie vs. Stewie I was wrong beacuse I forgot about Santas Little Helper vs. Brian: S.L.H. eats dog food, drinks water out of his bowl, barks when he wants too and is basicly a stupid dog (stupid as in not smart not stupid as in he sucks). Brian eats whatever the Griffins are having for dinner while sitting at the dinner table. He drinks martinis, gin and tonics, jack and cokes, and other forms of alcohol. He speaks, not like when you ask a dog to speak but he talks like a person (english and bad spanish). He is almost always out-smarting Stewie so he is very intelligent. In the end: Sorry but S.L.H. isn't fit to be near Brians martini glass. NO MATCH. The neighbors are different as well. The Simpsons have Flanders (extremely religous guy), Reverend Lovejoy (not as religous as Flanders) and an old couple. The Griffins have Cleavland (smart black guy), Joe (suped-up cop in a wheelchair) and Quagmire (sex-crazed weirdo). On the political side you have Mayor Quimby and Mayor Adam West (yes, Batman). One is an embezzler (never proven of course) and the other is insane (proven everytime you see him). Some people say that Family Guy is sexist, racist, misogynistic and a little bit anti-semitic but that's what makes it funny. Its political incorrectness is what gives it its edge. Take away the edge and then your ripping off The Simpsons.

Totally Helarious!
This DVD is so funny you'll literally split your sides until you're done watching it you don't want to go to the hospital.

Great Show, Horrible DVDs
I recently fell in LOVE with Family Guy, so I was thrilled when I recieved this set as a gift. I love the episodes, but there is one problem that is bothering me a lot. I can't get to the opening scenes! A lot of the episodes start at the main theme and not the opening scene that is listed in the scene selection. I know it can't be the malfunction of one disc, because they all do it. Also, viewing in "Play all" mode is extremely difficult as it doesn't seem to know which chapter it wants to play next. Worth buying for the episodes, but its worth it to know about the malfuction.

Simply hilarious
If anyone is a fan of animated cartoons with a certain amount of adult-based humor, this is the set you have to get. There are currently two volumes out, but this is the best to start off with. Whereas the 3rd season set has 21 episodes, this first set gives you the 7 extra episodes from their short first season. So- same price, more episodes.

That being said, this set is hilarious in every aspect. I could spend pages of text describing individual bits of hilarity from each scene of each episode, but that would just be mundane and unneeded. The humor ranges all over the spectrum, and some of it isn't quite suitable for younger children (if they see it, just hope they don't understand the sexual innuendo). The commentary is funny as well, although it is only for occasional episodes in the set. They also did an interesting thing with the commentary- it is actually rated R. There is a warning saying that the commentary is not suitable for people under the age of 18, since they made the decision to allow profanity for the commentary.

This does not bother me, but some people may be more sensitive to those kinds of things. But if that offends you, I doubt that you'd appreciate Family Guy's humor. The show is like a combination of The Simpsons' family based wry humor with South Park's outrageous lack of inhibitions. All in all, it equates into hours of laughter.

This DVD set is simply hilarious, as has been stated repeatedly. If you've ever seen an episode of the show, you'd realize that. If you like to laugh (and don't mind the occasional "did they just say that!?" moment), buy this DVD. ... Read more

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Everything good about the first season of The Shield is intensified in the second. For detective Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) and his amoral strike team, these 13 episodes follow "the money train," a stockpile of Armenian mob money ripe for the taking. Mackey's team plots to steal this criminal fortune while under pressure from Capt. Aceveda (Benito Martinez), whose political campaign is threatened by a civilian auditor (Lucinda Jenney) assigned to uncover corruption in "the Barn." The uneasy alliance between Aceveda and Mackey provokes the suspicion of Wyms (CCH Pounder), whose by-the-book vigilance is rewarded while Dutch (Jay Karnes) endures a slump that worsens the Barn's sullied reputation. After being horribly disfigured by Mackey, a vile Mexican druglord (Daniel Pino) plots a territorial coup, prompting the strike team's finest police work while Mackey struggles to save his failing marriage. Post-9/11 tensions erupt when beat cop Danny (Catherine Dent) justifiably shoots an armed Arab civilian, and newlywed Julien (Michael Jace) copes with (literal) gay-bashing following his church-sponsored sexual reorientation.

As always, The Shield supports these plotlines with gritty casework, including a brutal kidnapping, homicide, and gangland warfare. Every episode (shot in grainy 16mm) meets the series' high standard of excellence, but "Greenlit," "Homewrecker" (featuring the death of a recurring character), and "Dominoes Falling" are standouts, while the controversial "Co-Pilot" offers a retrospective look at the Barn's volatile origins. Writing and direction are consistently superb, and Pounder deserves honorable mention among the brilliant cast, striking a stoical balance of world-weary wisdom, procedural diligence, and righteous indignation.

Bonus features comprise a virtual film school for anyone seeking a career in television. While the commentaries explore the nuts and bolts of series development, the "Directors' Roundtable" (with creator Shawn Ryan, Scott Brazil, Peter Horton, and Paris Barclay) is a revealing, frequently hilarious study of the rigors of fast-paced production; "Sound Surgery" presents a track-by-track analysis of sound, music, and dialogue; and "Wrap Day" is a celebratory tribute to the series' hard-working cast and crew. It's all good, and guaranteed to stoke anyone's appetite for Season Three. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (44)

Cable TV at it's best
Despite what many critics stated about the second season of FX's The Shield, this season proves to be better than the first by pushing (and even breaking) the limits of what can be seen on television. The main story running throughout this season is corrupt cop Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) and his Strike team learn of a money train and plan to hit it, but not without a few snags in the way. Julian (Michael Jace) denies his homosexuality and gets a quick marriage before he is revealed to his fellow officers, Dani (Catherine Dent) loses more and more her grip on her job and her state of mind, while Shane (Walt Goggins) forms a closer bond to Vic. Season highlights include Carl Weathers guest starring as Vic's old partner, the introduction of a drug dealer named Armadillo that would have a profound impact on the show, and a flashback type episode in which we see Vic and the Strike team join together for the first time, and we witness Vic's first corrupt act as a cop. Even though Chiklis gets most of the press for his performance on the show, the standout of season 2 was undoubtadly CCH Pounder who slowly learns the truth about Vic and his team, the culmination of which finds her in line for Aceveda's (Benito Martinez) job; the culmination of which will come to a head in the upcoming third season of the show. I had feared that after a breakout first season The Shield would become a cliche, corrupt cop drama a la NYPD Blue, but creator Shawn Ryan pulls no punches and up's the ante for on screen violence and brutality, while weaving an incredible web of story. All in all, this is cable TV at it's unprecidented best.

I had my doubts...
To be honest, I never thought that The Shield could live up to the expectations set by the premier episode. I was so incredibly wrong. The first year of The Shield completely blew my doors off. Non stop action, great plotting, dialogue and the acting was top notch. Other than the birth of my sons, those thirteen hours were the best I spent that year. It had to go downhill though, right? The second season would be the one where Ryan and company would resort to the tired conventions of police drama and my new favorite show would lose it's edge. Happily- Wrong again.

Season two developed the characters of Mackey and his crew to new levels. If you haven't seen the show I won't ruin anything for you, but everyone is put through the wringer in these thirteen episodes. We get political intrigue, interoffice machinations, great police drama with healthy doses of sex and violence. Unfortunately that's what most people focus on.

Chicklis deserved the Emmy for the quiet moments as well as the brutal ones. This actor has got a slow burn like no other. There are moments where he says nothing but we can tell all the alternatives he is running through his head by simply looking at his eyes and physicality. This season brings Mackey to a crossroads where he has to make some serious decisions about where his life is headed and we feel every emotion he is going through thanks to this beautiful, bald man.

That having been said, this is not a series for the faint of heart. There are scenes of physical torture, violence against women, hostage situations and raw sex. You are forewarned.

If your stomach can take a brutal, skillfully written, brilliantly acted police drama there is no better way to take up space in your DVD player than The Shield.

Addicting!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have never seen such an action packed show since the "Sopranos". My husband and I are totally addicted to this show. What makes it better is their stories really happens in real life. They did such an amazin job with this show. Everytime we watch this show, there's always something shocking going on. It deals with life's hardcore issues. Politics, power, money, sex, infidelities... you name it, they deal with it! I hope the STRIKE TEAM will keep on strikin' Absolutely wonderful!!!! You have to see this series!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vic Mackey's Gang Keeps Jammin'
I often miss the televised episodes of The Shield, so it was a great 13-hour marathon watching the second season DVD last weekend. If you're a fan, this is a must see; if you haven't caught an episode yet, get the first AND second season DVD's and you won't be disappointed. Without giving away plot lines, Vic Mackey, as head of the LAPD's "Farmington" division Strike Team (remember the Ramparts division scandals?) is a complex, almost Shakespearean character,played impeccably by Michael Chiklis. Rooting for him and his corrupt yet noble team feels a lot like cheering Tony Soprano and the Jersey boys, except the Soprano family rarely, if ever, brings down the hardened criminals...they just compete with them. The supporting cast are no slouches either; CCH Pounder is awesome as the righteous yet street-wise Lt. Claudette Wyms. This is cop-drama at its absolute best.

Amoral victory for season two!
The Shield's second season did something nobody expected-achieved higher greatness than the first season. Absolutely phenominal series, a must-own boxset. ... Read more

Amazon.com

As the sixth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation went into production, everyone knew that attentions would soon be permanently divided by the debut of Deep Space Nine. Sure enough, that meant crossovers ("Birthright"), guest stars, and references back and forth. The sense of baton-passing drew the TNG family closer, however. Directorial debuts begun in season 5 allowed for repeat group-huddle ownership of several shows. Jonathan Frakes bettered "The Quality of Life" by "The Chase," which finally offered an explanation why most races in the Trek universe are humanoid with knobbly foreheads. Patrick Stewart crowbarred a Western into the franchise in "A Fistful of Datas." LeVar Burton introduced the far more exciting Riker clone Thomas in "Second Chances." But here we still find an inability to follow through a good idea, since it was intended for the clone Tom to replace the real Will. Barclay outstayed his welcome with a lackluster "Ship in a Bottle" (despite a hammy cameo from Stephanie Beacham) after he'd injected creepiness into "Realm of Fear." The same happened with Q and the painfully weak "True Q" contrasted by the philosophically challenging "Tapestry," in which Picard faced the decisions of his youth.

Yet ultimately the year provided more memorable moments than either year 5 did or year 7 would. There was the fun of a pint-sized Starfleet in "Rascals," the shocking comment on political torture in "Chain of Command," the endless Matrix-like guessing game of reality in "Frame of Mind," and even a jokey genre nod often called "Die Hard Picard" instead of its official title, "Starship Mine." The two biggest attention-drawing moments came via stellar cameos. There was the bittersweet sight of James Doohan revisiting the original Enterprise bridge on "Relics," then a quick contribution by Stephen Hawking in the cliffhanger "Descent." Both were attempts at keeping TNG the connoisseur's Trek incarnation of choice. --Paul Tonks ... Read more

Reviews (27)

The Season Of The 2 Parters
The 6th season of Star Trek-TNG began on right foot with some really exciting episodes. Then in its latter half got a bit muddled. This season had the most 2 parters, of any TREK series to date. Aside from the usual resolution to the cliffhanger from the previous year, and the cliffhanger at the end, there were two more multipart stories. Some of the remaing shows were true clunkers. For the most part. TNG kept its cool though, even as the next spin-off, Deep Space 9, made its debut.

Early on, yet another original series character, bridged the generation gap. "Relics" saw the return of Captain Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) What a great episode that was. Picard's first nemesis Q (John De Lancie) made up for being absent last year with 2 appearances "True Q" and the wonderful "Tapestry" saw the charater raise the stakes a bit. Fan favorites Barclay (Dwight Shultz) and Ensign Ro (Michelle Forbes) made return trips as well. The best 2 parter though was called "Chain Of Command" It saw the Enterprise being commanded by Captain Edward Jellico (Ronny Cox) and Picard (Patrick Stewart in his best performance in the series) being kidnapped and tortured by an evil Cardassian (the great David Warner) Semi regular character Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) departed for DS9, while actress Whoppi Goldberg ended her episodic tenure as Guinan with only 3 episode appearances A "crossover" with DS9's Doctor Bashir (Alexander Sidig) fell kind of flat in "Birthright Part 1" while the 2nd half saw a klingon mishmash The year's cliffhanger missed the mark as well. Actor Levar Burton, joined fellow cast members Jonathan Frakes and Stewart, and got a directing gig with "Second Chances" Finally Leonard Nimoy's Son Adam, got a chance to follow in dad's footsteps and directed the clever "Rascals" and "Timescape"

The 7 DVD box set has about an hour's worth of feturette that discuss the 6th year in depth. The extra stuff is fashioned in the same way as it was on the other sets in the collection. Mixing old and new interview footage, nothing you see or hear on the documentaries should suprise you, if you are already a fan of the show.

Thanks to some strong shows at the start and a couple towards the end of the season, this is another recommended box set. Then again, if you have all of the other sets in the series, you didn't really need me to tell you that, did you?

Stewart's Season
By the sixth season of Star Trek: TNG, the characters had gone through many changes- and the writers, through many ideas. I thought that season six would contain the decline of the quality of the episodes, and that new, unique ideas would be thrown to the wayside as writers focused their efforts on Deep Space Nine. Instead, Star Trek: TNG managed to continue being one of the best shows on television, largely due to the excellent performances of Patrick Stewart.

"Chain of Command, Parts 1 and 2" contain what I consider to be some of the best acting from Stewart ever. Picard is tortured for days by the Cardassians, and Stewart plays the role of the victim perfectly. Not only did Part 2 contain some of his finest performances, but it actually managed to convey a message as well. It focuses mainly upon the roles of the characters. The Cardassian who tortures Picard and tries to break his will is left himself a broken man at the end of the episode, while Picard attains true victory by never giving in. An entertaining, powerful episode.

However, this was only one of the many amazing episodes that season six showcased. "Relics", which featured the return of Scotty from the original Trek, was great. "Schisms" put an eerie but interesting spin on the whole "alien invaders from another dimension" idea. "Tapestry" was another episode that made use of Stewart's amazing ability as an actor. John de Lancie guest starred as "Q" in that episode, and forced Picard to relive events in his life. "Face of the Enemy" finally gave the Romulans some action again after being shadowed by the Borg and the Cardassians. "Starship Mine" was probably the most "action-packed" episode of the season, and "Timescape" was another interesting episode involving being stuck in a moment in time. Finally, "Descent, Part 1" lacked the bang of most season finales, but wasn't all bad - after all, it did involve the Borg.

Overall, season six had episodes that really shined, despite suspicions that it might not.

Improvement on Season Five
In the sixth season, Star Trek: The Next Generation decided to go off in some new directions and new ideas. The season opens with the conclusion of the cliffhanger Time's Arrow. The second adventure is better than the first...a great way to finish the story. We revert again back to the Original series a bit with "Relics" which contains James Doohan guest starring as "Scotty". Humor came through in "A Fistful of Datas" and we saw Patrick Stewart give arguably his best performance of the series in "Chain of Command". The sixth season contains my personal favorite sequence of the series which is Data's dream sequence in "Birthright, Part I". I think the sixth season was when Star Trek: The Next Generation was at its best. It was the climax of the entire show. It ends with Descent...probably the best cliffhanger since "The Best of Both Worlds".

Personal Favorite Episodes:

Time's Arrow: Part II, Relics, Schisms, True Q, Rascals, A Fistful of Datas, Chain of Command: Parts I and II, Face of the Enemy, Tapestry, Birthright, Part I, Starship Mine, The Chase, Frame of Mind, Timescape, and Descent: Part I

As Nice as Previous Seasons
Like the previous five seasons, this one has the same physical look and layout, four episodes per disk, six disks full, and the last two episodes on the seventh, special features disk. I have to confess the purple of this box is probably my favorite colour, and it really looks nice stacked up with the other DVDs.

They changed the clip format for this box set, choosing to go with one screen showing clips of the four episodes back to back. While this allows you to focus your attention on only one screen, it can also be annoying. Season six seems to be in heavy rotation on television, and if you've seen a lot of the episodes the wait can be annoying, but it's worth it.

Bring back Wesley Crusher
Wesley Crusher was the best character on any Star Trek series. Since his departure TNG hasnt been the same. He was the ultimate SciFi hero. ... Read more

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Season 4 of Star Trek: The Next Generation seemed like the year of family. After quickly resolving the breathtaking cliffhanger of "The Best of Both Worlds," the show took pains to show some of what the Federation was fighting for. We meet Picard's brother, Data's father, Tasha's sister, and Worf's adoptive human parents, plus an old flame with a surprise son in tow. The Klingon heritage subplot that begins here and builds to the cliffhanger finale ("Redemption") would continue to the show's end and through into Worf's reappearance in Deep Space Nine.

The year also explored the implications of Data, Lwaxana Troi, Geordi, and Dr. Crusher being in love, while Miles O'Brien (given a first name at last) married Keiko. There were old friends revisited: the ubiquitous Q in a hilarious Robin Hood romp ("Qpid"), perennial screwup Reg Barclay ("Nth Degree"), and even the mysterious Traveler from season 1's "Where No One Has Gone Before" (played by Eric Menyuk, who was nearly cast as Data). There were new races introduced who would have an important bearing on Trek's destiny: the Cardassians and the Trill. Most of all, though, there were the one-off stories that impressed: "Clues," with its memory-loss mystery; "Night Terrors," with some genuine frights; and "Identity Crisis," with possibly the only time Trek technology really helped Geordi solve a puzzle. Then right at the end, reinforcing the year's familial theme, Denise Crosby returned as her own half-Romulan daughter! --Paul Tonks ... Read more

Reviews (28)

TNG Fourth Season...The Best Continues.
The fourth season of TNG begins with the rescue of Picard from the Borg collective, and ends with Worf leaving the Federation to join his people during the Klingon Civil War. In between these two landmark shows, lies a fourth season drenched with superior stories and consistently good character development. Star Trek really established itself in the third season and it never looks back as we go forward through the fourth. I liked this season only slightly less than the third, only because of a couple of episodes I didn't care much for. I didn't like "Remember Me," and "In Theory." Data falling in love was good for a subplot, but not the main story. Still, we get top-notch entertainment as the crew continues to explore places no one has gone before. High-lights include, "Reunion," "The Drumhead," "Qpid," "The Mind's Eye," "First Contact," "Clues," and "Future Imperfect." We meet Tasha Yar's sister in, "Legacy." We meet Data's father in, "Brothers." Also, while the Klingons and Romulans still play vital parts, we finally meet the devious Cardassians in, "The Wounded," where O'Brien finally has his moment to shine. All and all, this is a superb DVD set and I highly recommend it to any fan, whether you are a diehard Trekor or just getting started.

Television Entertainment At Its Finest
What can I say that hasn't already been said about how wonderful Season Four was? But with the weight of such episodes as The Best of Both Worlds Part II, one might hear a collective gasp from Trekkers who find that there's actually someone who enjoyed another episode more than the gripping conclusion to Season Three's nail-biting cliffhanger.

I love The Drumhead - it is my favorite episode of this season. An excellent courtroon drama directed by Jonathan Frakes with a style reminescent of Stanley Kramer's "Judgement At Nuremberg" and penned by veteran series writer Jeri Taylor, The Drumhead is an intelligent and often thought-provoking exercise in the dramatic.

After an explosion aboard the Federation flagship Enterprise, a Klingon exchange officer is found guilty of spying on behalf of the enemy, the Romulan Empire. Once cleared of being involved with the explosion, Admiral Satie (Jean Simmons) begins a witch hunt for a saboteur and finds him in crewman Simon Tarses (Spencer Garrett) on the grounds that Tarses' paternal grandfather was a Romulan.

This is television entertainment at its finest; on par with the best of Law & Order and JAG. Expertly directed with fine performances all around and presents a fine message that holds true especially today. The Drumhead is an excellent episode and one not to be missed, even if you're not a fan of the television series.

Continuing excellence
The third season of Star Trek: The Next Generation laid a new foundation for the series and season four does nothing but continue right where season three left off with more great plot development and story telling. In season four we saw the return of K'Ehlyr accompanied by Worf's son. Season four continued to elaborate on plot elements concerning the Klingon empire that were laid down in Sins of the Father in season three. The season built up to the major conflict with the episodes Reunion, Data's Day, The Mind's Eye, and brings it all to a climax in Redemption: Part I. This season also has a direct effect on many of the plot elements in Deep Space Nine in the episode "The Wounded". There is also a new villain introduced that has yet another direct link to season three, however, that is not brought to light until the second part of the season ending cliffhanger in Season five. A huge underlying theme in the fourth season is family. A great season of continued excellence and not the last.

Personal Favorite Episodes:

The Best of Both Worlds: Part II, Family, Brothers, Reunion, Data's Day, The Wounded, Clues, The Nth Degree, QPid, The Drumhead, The Mind's Eye, Redemption: Part I.

Danger Will Robinson!!!!!!
Dr. Zachary Smith is a great character. Nobody on The next generation even comes close!!!!

Season 4 - TNG Running at Warp 9.8!
Regarded by most fans of The Next Generation as the series finest hour. Everything about this season seems to gel incredibly well.

This is the season to show non-Trekkies (Trekkers for the purists), and those who say "They never will enjoy it" - I have converted a few myself *grin*

Starting off with the conclusion to the shocking Best of Both Worlds and ending with Redemption Part I, this season is packed full of action, character development and some first rate stories.

This boxed set should be top of your list to purchase - ideally this season and seasons 6 3 and 5, unless you are determined to go in chronological order.

All in all fabulous! ... Read more

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With the original conspiracy plot arc having fallen into a muddle ofloose ends, once-hungry lead actors on the verge of big-screen careers andmaking demands for more time off or shots at writing and directing, and theinitial wish list of monsters-of-the-week long exhausted, it's a miracle that byits seventh season The X-Files was still making its airdates, let alonemanaging something pretty good every other show and something outstanding atleast once every four episodes. The season opens with a dreary two-parter("Sixth Extinction" and "Amor Fati") and winds up with the traditionalincomprehensible cliffhanger ("Requiem"), but along the way includes a clutch ofepisodes that may not match the originality of earlier seasons but stilleffortlessly equal any other fantasy-horror sci-fi on television.

The highlights: "Hungry," a brain-eating mutant story told from the point ofview of a monster who tries to control his appetite by going to eating disorderself-help groups; "The Goldberg Variation," a crime comedy about a weaselylittle man who has the gift of incredible good luck, which means Wile E.Coyote-style doom for anyone who crosses him; "The Amazing Maleeni," guest-starringRicky Jay in a rare nonfantastic crime story about a feud between stagemagicians that turns out to be a cover for a heist; "X-Cops," a brilliant skiton the TV docusoap Cops with Mulder and Scully caught on camera as theytrack an apparent werewolf in Los Angeles (season-best acting from DavidDuchovny and Gillian Anderson); "Theef," a complex revenge drama with gauntBilly Drago as a hillbilly medicine man stalking a slick doctor; "Brand X," ahorror-comic tale of corruption in the tobacco industry; "Hollywood AD" (writtenand directed by Duchovny), in which Tea Leoni (Duchovny's wife) and GarryShandling are cast as Scully and Mulder in a crass movie version of a real-lifeX-file; and "Je Souhaite," a deadpan comedy about a wry, cynical genie at themercy of trailer-trash masters who haven't an idea what to wish for. --KimNewman ... Read more

Reviews (43)

The last of the true classic X Files Seasons!!!
...P>Mulder and Scully were still together for this, their last season as the two leading characters of one of the best dramatic series in television history.

After the movie, the move to L.A. and the predominance of humorous episodes throughout the Sixth Season and the incredible resolution of the original mythology, the seventh season started with a bang but not with a little anxiety on the fans' side because this was the much rumored final season. ...

Myth Episodes:

The Seventh Season starts with the two parts of a new mythology that started with the last episode of Season Six called Biogenesis.
The Sixth Extinction and The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati (Wich translated means "Love Of Fate")carry on with the theory that Mulder might be a succesful Human - Alien Hybrid!!!

It's extremely important that you don't miss the Two Parter:
Sein Und Zeit (Wich means "Being and Time") and Closure wich puts to rest, in an extremely precious form, the Samantha Mulder mistery giving the Fox Character one of his few moments of rest throughout the whole series.

And Requiem... The best of the best in Season Finale's. Although it would ultimately lead the series into only God knows what.

Stand Alone Episodes (Or Monster of the Week):

Orison:
Witnesses the return of a villain that appeared before in earlier seasons. Great script by Chip Johanessen (Former collaborator of Beverly Hills 90210 and Millenium).

The Amazing Maleeni:
Actually not an X File, but an excellent proof that the series still had a lot of fuel. Excellent Turn of Screw at the end!!!

X Cops:
Cops, The X Files and Vince Gilligan... What's not to like?

Theef:
Voodoo. Nuff Said!!!

Chimera:
David Amann at his best!!!

En Ami (Wich means "One Friend", although its a play on words wich in english can be understood as "enemy"):

Written by the CSM himself (William B. Davis)!!!

All Things:
Written and Directed by Gillian Anderson. Not the best, but the teaser (considered one of the most controversials in the whole series' existence) is worth the whole package.

Je Souhaite (I Wish):
Written and directed by Vince Gilligan.

After this, the series was transformed into a mix up that even Chris Carter didn't understand at all. Don't get me wrong. I don't hate Robert Patrick's character or even Annabeth Gish's but John Dogget and Monica Reyes didn't achieve to give the series that feeling we all know very well. That X FILES feeling.

I'm so sorry that David Duchovny got transformed into such an egotistical person. The series would have been succesful with him in it. You can see him act like a Zombie (Check out Chimera)and he already looks tired. Maybe the series would've finished here and continue in a new movie. Heck! The series could've even ended with Season Eight, but no! Fox had to continue exploiting fans. And we gladly let them... But not for long.

Hope you enjoy having the only and real seven seasons of what can be called the television phenomenon of the last century.

I WILL buy the las two seasons, only to feed my collectionist's hunger, and because the movie will start where the last episode of the Ninth (and worst season) left off.

Long Live the X Files!!!
Long Live the X Philes!!!

Wishing to encounter you all again in a dark cinema room.
Enrique Aguilar.
A Mexican X Phile.

Changing of the guard 4 1/2 stars
If season 6 was the high point for "The X-Files" (and many fans feel it is), than season 7 catches the series at the top of the other side. While some of the episodes play a bit flat, the bulk of season 7 is, contrary to other reviews, worthwhile picking up on DVD. The first two episodes of season 7 "The Sixth Extinction" immediately grabs your attention with a strong two parter that relates directly to the mythology episodes of previous seasons. We also have a conclusion, of sorts, to the running narrative about Mulder's search for his sister. The mythology episodes really isn't what the seventh season is about; it's the experimentation. Season 7 featured the most experimental, on the edge and downright strange episodes of the entire run. Running the gaumont from satire ("Hollywood A.D.") to melodrama with spiritual overtones ("all things")to traditional X-Files horror and a sympathetic look at a "monster" ("Hungry"), the series continued to push the envelope as to what was acceptable for the show.

Sure, there were some missteps. The "Millenium" episode where the two television series meet to resolve the cancelled series featuring Lance Henrinksen seems a bit out of place here. It's not a bad episode, it just doesn't really fit the series. Then again, it's part of the "risk" factor that happened during season 7. The comedic "The Goldberg Variations" where a man literally has great luck that leads to very, very bad luck also works quite well. Likewise, "X-Cops" with its satire on faux reality shows pushes the envelope of the series as well ditching the traditional filmic quality of the series in favor of the look of the show it satirizes--"Cops".

It's clear from the season ending cliff hanger and much of the latter part of the season that Carter, Spotnitz, Gilligan and the other main writers weren't quite sure if season 7 was the end. They set up a story that could have been resolved in a couple of two hour movies. The thing to keep in mind about season 7 is many of the episodes that are comdemmed as subpar actually are edgy, risk taking fare that doesn't fit into the more "traditional" types of stories that "The X-Files" told.

The extras are pretty good here. We get audio commentary including one from Gillian Anderson about the episode she wrote and directed ("all things") although Duchovny is curiously absent from the ones he wrote, co-wrote and/or directed as far as commentary tracks. There's also a fine featurette that discusses the direction of the series and the difficulties Carter and crew faced with Duchovny leaving.

Picture and sound quality are top-notch although I have noticed a lot of these boxed sets with episodes that are flawed with sound problems. The drop in the price of the sets are a welcome sight for fans who hadn't purchased the series on DVD (I was still watching my VHS and homemade DVD's before the price break). Frankly, I wish that Paramount and other studios would follow suit for these expensive boxed sets. The extras are nice but, really, you could record the stuff off TV so the price break is welcome.

In reality, with season 8 the series began anew with new characters and new story arcs. While the series had already peaked, it still had a very strong solid season or two of life left in it.

This is my least favorite season
I just couldn't get into Season 7 of The X-Files.

It's not from lack of trying, though. My wife and I watched each episode faithfully every night (sometimes two episodes per night) until they were all gone

Yet, despite the fact that we're huge X-Files fans, our conclusion is that Episode 7 is lackluster at best. The stories were one-offs (and weak ones at that), the monsters were ho-hum, the action wasn't gripping, and it seemed as if everyone was just walking through his/her part. Sleep walking, that is.

I think the lack of aliens and conspiracy villians really took a toll on The X-Files. Without the overarching threat of either alien invasion or government cover-ups, nothing much really goes on in the lives of Mulder and Scully.

The only hint that something cool *could* happen is when Mulder and Scully got closer emotionally and physically. Their relationship is a truly great one already (one of the best on television), but we wanted to see it taken to the next level. Alas, that was not to be.

We've watched Seasons 1-8 so far and I have to say Season 7 is the weakest of the bunch. Season 8 (see my other review), which receives a lot of grief because of Mulder's absence and Scully's emotionalism (hey, she's pregnant; give her a break!), is far superior to Season 7.

You can read other reviews to get a play-by-play of each episode in Season 7. All I want to do in this review is provide my two cents worth.

My advice: Unless you're a completist who needs to have every season, I'd skip Season 7 and go right into Season 8. You won't miss anything -- except for a lot of uneventful episodes.

Dissapointing
I was looking foward to seeing this series and from all of the episode synopsis I found on the internet it sounded like one of the best seasons. But the only good episodes are the ones that deal with the core of The X-Files and not the monster-of-the-week episodes. So here they are: the good (the 6th extinction 1 and 2, Orison, Sein and Zeit-very good with wonderful acting and a beautiful conclusion to the end of the search for Mulder's sister-Closure, En Ami, all things, and Requiem), the average (Orison, Brand X, The Amazing Maleeni, X-Cops, Rush, Theef, Millennium, Hungry, 1st Person Shooter, The Goldberg Variation, Chimera, and Je Souhaite-the only thing that keeps me from making this a bad episode is the comedy from the genie) and the ugly (Signs and Wonders, Hollywood A.D.-this episode would be funny if it didn't have the dead tango at the end, and, the worst episode of the series in my opinion, Fight Club. There is nothing good about this episode). Only get this if you are a die hard fan and want to see some good episodes that are pivital to the series, but not if you are a simple-minded fan.

Not the best, but still good
IMHO, this is the weakest season of The X-Files. The alien conspiracy we were following for six years ended in the middle of season 6, and was taken to a different direction by the end. So season 7 started dealing with the plot of aliens creating human beings, and then "resolved" the plot of Mulder's sister's abduction, and ended with a pretty good cliffhanger that took the show in an even more different direction in the next season.

[Spoilers]

The resolution to the plot of Mulder's sister wasn't satisfying to me. I think I speak for most X-Fans when I say that we wanted Mulder to find his sister alive, and have her be a part of his life again. Instead, we find out she's been dead since 1987! So this whole time Mulder's looking for her ends up just being a waste. All those years of us following this story ends up not really being worth following. Ok, so Mulder can end his quest. He's free. Fine. But couldn't that happen with his sister actually being alive?!

[End Spoilers]

Other weak points in the series were a couple of stand-alone episodes that were just rancid in my opinion. "Hollywood A.D." and "Fight Club." What the heck were they thinking when they wrote these episodes?! I have to admit though, the reference to Plan 9 From Outerspace in "Hollywood A.D." was cool though. But both of these episodes were just too absurd for what The X-Files was known for. This show always had humorous happenings throughout its run, but these two episodes were just too over the top.

But aside from the plot of Mulder's sister, and the two not-so-good stand-alone episodes mentioned above, I found this season to be pretty good. But I also thought since this was David Duchovny's last full season, that they kind of wasted his character. But the show ended with a band, which lead it into an interesting new direction for the show's next season.

Good season, great DVD. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The second and last season of Dark Angel, the inventiveJames Cameron show about mutants during a future Depression, has some real strengths as well as one or two bad ideas that partly explain its much-regretted cancellation. Among the strengths are Alex (Jensen Ackles), the thoroughly unreliable mutant charmer whose flirtations with heroine Max (Jessica Alba)complicate her doomed love for Logan (Michael Weatherly), the crippled newshound whom she cannot now even touch--she has been infected with a deadly virus tailored specifically to kill him. The distrust this sows between the doomed couple does not always avoid soap-opera clichés, but often produces fine performances from all three, especially Alba.

On the deficit side, John Savage's memorably ambiguous villain Lydeker from season 1 (who is alternately the mutants' nemesis and their protector) disappears to be replaced by the melodramatically sinister Agent White (Martin Cummins). White appears to be just a shoot-to-kill operative of the state and turns out to be another sort of superhuman, a product of an occultist breeding program going back to the dawn of history. After White's first ruthless killing, Max's reluctance to use deadly force is tested to near-implausible limits. The show ends with a rousing and moving finale, "Freak Nation", in which a theme often neglected in this final year--Max's relationship with her fellow couriers at Jam Pony--reaches a powerful climax. --Roz Kaveney ... Read more

Reviews (55)

"Max and Logan--that's the plan."
I just recently watched the final episode of the 2nd season of Dark Angel, and I couldn't help wondering why it was cancelled. In watching the last few episodes, you can really see how the pace of the story is picking up. I admit that the creepy breeding cult seemed to be a diversion from the heart of the story, but at the same time, I think it was necessary to explain why Max was created. I also admit that some of the episodes were a bit diversionary and didn't really add much to the heart of where the story should have been going (not more than 3 or 4, I'd say), but as a whole, it was a great season. From reading the three novels, it's clear that in the third season, it might have taken maybe two episodes to rid us of the breeding cult and Ames White (although I personally thought Martin Cummins was quite good, though really, nobody beats Lydecker, who also would have returned, if they'd given the show a third season, I suspect). But it's so unfair. Lesser shows have been on the air, and yes, on Fox, for far longer. Why must the good ones die young?? If only they would give them one more chance. No one will hear my plea, I suppose. But at least, we can bask in the brilliance of this show again and again and remember the brief life of Dark Angel.

What it is all about
I watched it when it was a t.v show so i know a lot about it so i am going to tell you people who didn't get the chance to watch it when it was on t.v what it is all about. The show took place in the future and there was this place called maticore that was designing soliders for the military.The soliders were genetically engineered and very strong.One day the soliders escaped and one of the soliders names was Max. The show followed her and her life after escaping Manticore.If you buy this dvd you can see how she fights off the government and escapes them over and over again with the help of her friends and the other Maticore soliders. This is a great show for people who like a lot of action, some comedey, and adventure. I myself highly recommend the first and second season of Dark Angel.

What? That's It?
So let's see. Season 2 deals with the fallout of Manticore, a Breeder's Cult, and racism against transgenics. My my, how could it get good? You never find out what's up with the breeders cult or even have a final faceoff between Max and White. You don't find out what happens between Max and Logan, or even the Freak Nation for that matter. They never find a cure for the virus Max has. And humanity is still a group of dumb old morons, even after 2000 years of evolution.

Why couldn't they finish this with a happily ever after twist; is that oh so hard to do? Even the creators say there were several disapointments, in the final episode, with their audio commentary. Atleast I know they agree on that. I know I wouldn't mind seeing Amy Dumas and Jessica Alba duke it out again. As for Freak Nation, I say keep on fighting.

Why did they cancel this show?
After watching this season, I can find no reason why they cancelled this excellent show. Second season is pretty much a completely different show from first season, but it is still awesome.

Second Season focuses more on Manticore and the Mutants whereas first season was more about Max finding her brothers and sisters. I prefer first season myself, but I still love second season. Bling and Herbal are no longer in this season and their absences arent ever explained. But there are four new characters in this season. Jensen Ackles plays Alec, a twin of Ben from season 1 of this show. He was really a great addition to the show. He brought a lot of comedy to the show and a lot of drama at the beginning of the season. Ashley Scott plays Asha, a character I didnt care for too much only because I really like Max(Jessica Alba) and Logan(Michael Weatherly) together and she was only in the show to try to tear them apart. Scott even says so in the special features in Max:Ressurected. Kevin Durand plays Joshua, the first creation of Manticore with canine DNA. Joshua made the show more about science fiction. So if you like that, you'd like him. Martin Cummings plays Ames White who kind of takes over Lydecker's(John Savage) role as the bad guy. Although I hate him more than I ever hated Lydecker. Just watch Dawg Day Afternoon and you'll know why.

Some of the best episodes of this season are Designate This, Fughettaboutit, She Aint Heavy and Freak Nation.

The special features aren't as great as the first season. For one, there isnt any commentary by Jessica Alba and Michael Weatherly which was extrememly funny and interesting for And Jesus Brought a Casserole in first season. Also the bloopers werent as funny and were only about half as long. Of the three featurrettes, only Max:Resurrected was interesting. It was about 15 minutes long.

Go buy this today!

Another great season! (Some spoilers...)
Having never seen the show when it was originally broadcast, I bought season one and got hooked, so naturally I had to get season two. I had read some negative reviews about this season but after seeing it for myself I realized that those reviews were misleading...

Yes, season two was different in a lot of ways from season one, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment. One big difference was that Lydecker (John Savage) was phased out and replaced by Agent White (Martin Cummins). Although I really liked John in the first season I eventually found Martin to be quite good too. (You really get to hate White after a while!)

Another difference was the advent of the transgenics in season two. Other reviewers have stated that the show became a "freakshow" in season two but in my opinion this only happened in the last couple of episodes. Joshua was definitely an interesting character and a good addition to the show. Some of the other transgenics were quite good too, notably "Mule" who was in a couple of episodes. (He was cute and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him when he met his fate.)

Some of the new characters I actually preferred to the first season - I found Alec in season two to be very funny and fun to watch, as opposed to Zack from season one who was about as interesting as unbuttered toast...

This season still retained all that made the first season great - the chemistry between Max and Logan, Max's friends at Jam Pony, great action scenes, humor, and even a few genuine sad moments. (However, I was dissapointed that there were no episodes when Max was "in heat"; I loved those episodes from season one!)

The extras are not quite as good as the first season but still not bad. Another commentary by Jessica and/or Michael would have been nice, as well as more audition footage. (I would have loved to have seen Martin Cummins' audition for Agent White!)

All in all, if you haven't seen this season, don't listen to the negative reviews - buy it! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Star Trek: The Next Generation's third year was an important development in syndicated television. After two shaky years, Paramount nonetheless decided the franchise still had plenty to do. Their confidence was bolstered by two significant factors. First, cast uncertainties were finally settled: Gates McFadden (Dr. Crusher) was back for good; Denise Crosby (Tasha Yar) regretted her first-year departure, and so contrived a return in the Emmy Award-winning "Yesterday's Enterprise"; and Whoopi Goldberg happily continued her actor's-scale contributions.

Second, after the show had survived the previous year's writers' strike, new writing blood revitalized both characters and ideas: Data experienced fatherhood ("The Offspring"), Worf's Klingon heritage kick-started a huge story arc ("Sins of the Father"), and Picard got a saucy vacation ("Captain's Holiday"). There were memorable star cameos: John de Lancie played more mischief alongside Corbin Bernsen ("Déjà Q"); Dwight Schultz played truant in a gentle warning about addiction ("Hollow Pursuits"); and pleasing fans even more was Mark Lenard as Spock's dad ("Sarek"). The strongest evidence that TNG would continue for some time was the trend-setting cliffhanger finale. Fans and critics still agree that "The Best of Both Worlds" (properly introducing the Borg) was one of the greatest tricks ever pulled on TV to make audiences come back for more. --Paul Tonks ... Read more

Reviews (46)

Excellent Season
Season Three of Star Trek: TNG was full of spectacular episodes, from the philisophical "Who Watches The Watchers?" to the humorous "Deja Q", and the thrilling "Yesterday's Enterprise" and "The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1". In other words, this season contains something for everyone.

The seven disc DVD set contains 26 episodes, with the special features available on the seventh disc. Special features include both character and episode analysis, which is entertaining. Unfortunately, not every episode is reviewed in the special features, making them seem a bit empty.

Aside from that minor flaw, fans should find plenty to enjoy about this season. Even if you only want the set for the amazing cliffhanger finale (and I would imagine some do) even casual viewers of The Next Generation will find hours of entertainment in this set.

ST TNG 3
This third release of Star Trek The Next Generation on DVD contains all of the episodes of its third season. During the third season we see Dr. Crusher return to the series, we see Sarek (Spock's Father) and a favorite of many the Borg are back.

All 26 episodes are contained on 7 disks.

Evolution - The crew assists Dr. Paul Stubbs in a research experiment. Wesley accidentally releases nanites and the ship is plagued by serious malfunction and possible disaster.

The Ensigns of Command - Data is sent to Tau Cygna Five to evacuate the human settlers there before the Sheliak come to destroy them.

The Survivors - The Enterprise finds two survivors on Delta Rana IV, an old man and his wife who refuse to leave. Troi is being driven mad by music in her head, and Picard wrestles with an elusive alien vessel in orbit.

Who Watches the Watchers - Riker and Troi masquerade as Mintakans, in an attempt to find a missing anthropologist. Picard is seen and believed him to be a god.

The Bonding - An archaeologist is killed on an Away mission, leaving behind his young son. Picard must play a game of wits with a powerful alien force that wants to raise the boy.

Bobby Trap - The Enterprise becomes ensnared in a 1000-year-old booby trap.

The Enemy - Marooned on Galorndan Core with a Romulan crash survivor, Bochra, Geordi and he must learn to put their differences aside in order to survive.

The Price - The Enterprise is host to the negotiations of the rights to the Barzan Wormhole. But a Ferengi DaiMon has plans to sabotage the conference, and Troi learns a dark secret about Devinoni Ral.

The Vengeance Factor - The Enterprise attempts to assist in the cease-fire between the Acamarians and the Gatherers.

The Defector - The Enterprise plays host to a Romulan defector who insists that the Empire will wage a war to regain the Neutral Zone in 48 hours.

The Hunted - A genetically altered veteran of a planetary war, escapes and brings his case to the Enterprise.

The High Ground - On Rutia Four, Dr. Crusher is kidnapped by a group of terrorists waging a war for independence.

Deja Q - While the Enterprise is on a mission to rescue a planet from an incoming asteroid, Q returns, deprived of his powers, and forced to live life as a mortal.

A Matter of Perspective - The Tanuga Research Station mysteriously explodes and Riker is accused of the destruction. The holodeck is used to recreate the events preceding the explosion from each witness' point of view.

Yesterday's Enterprise - A temporal rift caused by the Enterprise-C creates an alternate reality where the war-torn Federation is losing to the Klingons and Tasha is still alive. Picard must trust Guinan's intuition that history has been changed, even at the cost of his own life.

The Offspring - Data creates a child android called Lal, whom he adopts as his own, but Starfleet has its own, designs on her.

Sins of the Father - Worf's long-lost brother joins him on a personal mission to the Klingon home world, where Worf must challenge a ruling against his late father - one that condemns him as a traitor to the Klingon race!

Allegiance - Captain Picard is kidnapped by aliens who replace him with a duplicate.

Captain's Holiday - Picard's holiday on Risa is interrupted by an enigmatic young woman and a Ferengi, whom are looking for a legendary treasure

Tin Man - The Enterprise escorts a Betazoid named Elbrun to meet Tin Man, a life form in a remote system that only wants to die.

Hollow Pursuits - The Enterprise is stricken with a strange chemical affliction and an introverted crewmember becomes addicted to the holodeck trying to escape reality.

The Most Toys - Data is kidnapped by a ruthless alien trader named Fajo and made his prize possession in his collection of stolen treasures.

Sarek - Sarek, Vulcan Ambassador (Spock's Father), comes aboard the Enterprise for a meeting with the reclusive Legarans, but when an outbreak of sporadic violence is linked to Sarek, the mission is in jeopardy.

Menage A Troi - While on shore leave, Riker, Troi, and Troi's mother are kidnap by the Ferengi, set on learning the truth about Betazoid telepathy.

Transfigurations - The Enterprise aids the lone survivor of a ship crash, an amnesiac with remarkable recuperative powers.

The Best of Both Worlds (Part 1) - The Enterprise engage the Borg.

TREK AT IT'S BEST
THE THIRD SEASON OF STAR TREK THE NEXT GENERATION IS PROBABLY THE BEST OF THE SERIES.THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF CHARACTER DEVELOPEMENT AND THE STORIES ARE VERY WELL WRITTEN.
BEING A LONG TIME STAR TREK FAN FROM THE OLD DAYS, I MUST ADMIT I WAS SCEPTICAL ABOUT TNG, BUT I WAS VERY IMPPRESSED WITH
IT, AND THE THIRD SEASON IS A DELIGHT TO VIEW!

One of the best rebounds you'll ever see!
Let's face it...the Second Season for Star Trek: The Next Generation was by far the weakest of the seven, but it did manage to keep the show moving. It introduced the BORG, a villain that would remain a part of Star Trek all the way through Voyager and even into Enterprise. At the end of the second season you saw only 22 episodes due to a strike by the writing staff. Everyone was wondering how the third season would shape up and if the show would rebound. Boy did it rebound! The third season began with a brand new writing staff including Ronald D. Moore and Michael Pillar and began the series on its final five SUPERB seasons. In the third season we saw the return of Denise Crosby and Tasha Yar and we got a deeper and more personal look at the BORG. Season three also marks the return of Gates McFadden and Dr. Beverly Crusher (GREAT MOVE!). Season three truely ushered in a new era of Star Trek Storytelling.

Personal favorite episodes:

Evolution, The Bonding, Booby Trap, The Enemy, The Defector, Deja Q, A Matter Of Perspective, Yesterday's Enterprise, The Offspring, Sins of the Father, Sarek, and The Best of Both Worlds

For God's sake
If you need to get a Star Trek buy Deep Space NINE or wait for Voyager. Your best bet is to get the Farscape sets or Babylon 5. I have to admit Wesley Crusher is a great character!!! LOL ... Read more

Amazon.com

The venerable Superman mythos gets a 21st-century updating in this imaginative and engaging television series from the WB Network, and series fans can celebrate the ratings success of Smallville with a DVD set that offers a chance to revisit the origins of the characters and their numerous plotlines, as well as view deleted scenes and other bonus features. The premise of Smallville--Superman as a teenager--takes up just a few pages in Superman's very first comic book appearance, but series producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar flesh out that period by portraying young Clark Kent (Tom Welling) not as the noble Superman-in-waiting, but as an average teen with some not-so-ordinary supernatural powers, including incredible strength and heat vision. Clark's desire to fit in with his peers and make sense of his extraordinary abilities ground him in very realistic and identifiable terms for the series' primarily under-25 audience, as does his appealing and tentative romance with Kristen Kreuk as Clark's dreamgirl Lana Lang. But Smallville also strikes gold when it takes a turn towards more comic book territory, as evidenced by the parade of shape-shifting killers and other outlandish antagonists (many generated, in one of the series' most ingenious notions, by the same devastating meteor shower that brought the infant Clark to Earth) that Clark must harness his powers to face and defeat. Gough and Millar, along with their capable cast (which includes Michael Rosenbaum as a young and already bald-pated Lex Luthor, and Annette O'Toole and John Schneider as the Kents) manage to pull off the precarious high-wire act of combining science fiction with coming-of-age drama to create this highly watchable program. Smallville: The Complete First Season offers a very complete and attractive DVD package that is rounded out by some highly desirable extras for longtime series fans.

For many fans, the series truly hit its stride in its second season, when it shifted focus from traditional comic book conflicts to one of self-discovery for its hero, a teenage Clark Kent (Tom Welling). Whereas season 1 focused on Clark using his powers to combat a host of menaces, season 2 delved into Clark's past and the extent of his super powers, most notably in the back-to-back "Heat," in which he discovers his heat vision, and "Red," in which red kryptonite in the high school class rings uncorks Clark's less-than-upstanding side. Other plot developments from the season that pull the series in interesting directions include the arrival of Dr. Helen Bryce (Emanuelle Vaugier), who becomes involved with Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum), but the season's most significant moment comes during episode 17, "Rosetta," in which Clark learns of his Kryptonian origins courtesy of a scientist, who, in an effective bit of casting, is played by Superman film star Christopher Reeve. The complexity of the writing and issues dealt with in season 2 marked Smallville as a series with depth and drama worthy of its considerable fan following as well as a second boxed set; fittingly, the supplements in this set are more expansive than on the first one.

Truth, identity, and responsibility are the cornerstones of the exceptional third season. Clark must return to Smallville to not only help his parents save their farm, but seek some resolution in his relationships with Lana and Lex, who's returned from his abandonment at the conclusion of the previous season. Lex himself must deal with some shocking revelations regarding his relationship with his sinister father Lionel (John Glover, magnetic as always), and Lana becomes involved with a new figure in town, the mysterious Adam Knight (Lost's Ian Somerholder), who may or may not be a certain caped crusader. And speaking of heroes in disguise, the season's finale introduces Kara, a young woman with powers similar to Clark's--could she in fact be his sister, known best to comic book fans as Supergirl? Season 3 is chock full of such intriguing moments, including an appearance by future Daily Planet editor Perry White (Michael McKean, the real-life husband of Annette O'Toole) in "Perry," helmed by Supergirl film director Jeannot Szwarc; the return of villains Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Shawn Ashmore, and Jesse Metcalfe from seasons 1 and 2 (in "Asylum"); the departure of series regular Samuel L. Jones; and a intrigue-fraught final turn by Christopher Reeve as Dr. Swann ("Legacy"). The boxed set matches the high quality of the season with some terrific extras, including commentary on three episodes. --Paul Gaita ... Read more

Description

4 Disc Collection containing all 25 Full Length episodes from Season Four-over 10 hours of content. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

DOWN AT OUR RENDEVOUS THREE'S COMPANY TOO!!!
I was really looking forward to Season Four because it's when Don Knotts joined the cast as the swingin bachelor Ralph Furley!!! Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the Ropers, but they ran their course. The storylines were also alot funnier with the inclusion of the maneating Lonna! They had the perfect love-triangle, Lonna lusting after Jack,and Mr. Furley lusting after Lonna.
Although I really enjoyed this season I didn't like the way they made the character of Chrissy just too dumb. When Suzanne bleached her hair to an extreme shade of blonde and wore those childish ponytails she looked even more stupid! It was a sad downfall of her once funny character. However I thought Joyce DeWitt looked even better and was alot funnier in season four.
Well, it's a little bittersweet to write this review because John Ritter was the true star of this show and was even funnier this season. I still can't believe he's gone, and I find myself determined to collect every dvd of his body of work to preserve his memory. I look forward to the release of the show Hearts A Fire on dvd that John Ritter did with Markie Post. He also did a very touching Danielle Steel tv movie called Heartbeat, co-starring Polly Draper that will be released on dvd soon.
In the meantime I will savor and enjoy Three's Company season four until season five comes out in October!!!
JOHN RITTER WHEREVER YOU ARE I HOPE YOU KEEP THEM LAUGHING IN HEAVEN!!!!

SO FAR SO GOOD! But I am now concerned!
I have only watched 3 episodes from the set. And so far so good. Fans, please write your thoughts concerning the episode "Ralph's Rival" and "The Reverend Steps Out"; I read some negative comments in the customers reviews section and I am now very concerned. Somehow I am not looking forward to watch these two episodes. Please share your thoughts so that other viewers and fans are prepared. Love this show!

A Classic Never Dies
Three's Company is my favorite show, no doubt, but for me it really kicked into high gear when Mr. Furley moved in as the new landlord.I thought his brand of physical comedy was better suited to the show than the Ropers' (who were also great, in their own way) one-liners.The production values also seemed to improve.This is a great collection and the cast really seemed to gel this season.The two episodes with Dr. Prescott are among the best in the show's history.I wonder why he wasn't written into more episodes.And you can't help but laugh when Jack and Chrissy get handcuffed together.The extras are really nice; great to see the original cast interviewed after all these years -but no Suzanne Somers?Jeez, bury the hatchet already!

NOTHING WRONG WITH DISKS!! THEY ALL PLAY!!!
the reverend steps out episode does play on my player and so do all the other episodes so the guy saying they dont has a bad machine or bad disks!the other guy is right i like the commentary and whats up with the best of videos theyre boring!
TERI IS DA BOMB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Hey Tarzan, can I swing on your tree?"
After they ran out of lost pilots to include, I expected the extras on these season sets to quickly dwindle down to nothing.That is definitely not the case with this season four collection.

The interviews with Nancy Ritter (John Ritter's ex-wife), Ann Wedgeworth, Don Knotts & Richard Kline are perhaps my favorite part of the extras section.Nancy Ritter's interview runs the longest, at about 20 minutes, and she has a great deal to say not just about the late John Ritter but about the show and the relationships behind the scenes as well.All the interviews are intercut beautifully with clips from throughout the series - not just clips from season four.

As well as these interviews were done, I have to wonder why anyone thought it necessary to bother with those 6 to 7 minute season four "best of" clip collections.As I sat watching, I felt as though I was getting the sales pitch after making my purchase.
Wouldn't a "Best of Season 5" clip collection - to stir interest in the next release - make more sense?

Although there've been various complaints that audio commentary has been supplied solely by a man who didn't work on the show during its run, I have to come to Chris Mann's defense.This guy's perspective is probably the most objective of anyone, and boy has he done his homework!If you doubt this, just grab a copy of his book and read the proof for yourself.Most celebrity/cast member commentaries I've heard on other DVD sets tend to meander through periods of silence and gasps in horror as they watch their younger selves on whatever screen they're pointed at during the recordings.But the insight Mann provided during his commentary for "Chrissy's Hospitality" was intelligent, concise and should help even the most casual fan appreciate what this show was about and what went into putting it together.

The episodes themselves (the only reason I bought the set, to be honest) look pretty sharp for the most part.I can almost make out the detail on that butterfly "Life" poster adorning the roommates' living room wall!There are no chapter stops, but it doesn't ruin the overall presentation.I can at least hit "play all" and have myself a lazy-day marathon.

My only complaint is that the tag scene in "Ralph's Rival" has been cut - and the edit is obvious and clumsy!Whatever the reason for this, it's a big point of contention for me that all the episodes are not complete.The people at Anchor Bay need to pay closer attention to the basics before wasting time on "best of" clip collections.Very bad form!

That one complaint aside, this season contains one of the THE best episodes of the entire series: "A Camping We Will Go."John Ritter's hammock routine still floors me. It also contains one of my all-time favorite TC lines: Lana cornering poor Jack in the woods and asking, "Hey Tarzan, can I swing on your tree?"
HYSTERICAL!TIMELESS!I LOVE IT!

I look forward to the release of seasons 5 thru 8 just as much as I looked forward to this and the first three.As great as many of us think the 1979-80 season was, I personally think Ritter, DeWitt, Kline and Knotts were continuing to master their act clear into year six. ... Read more

Amazon.com

At the heart of the first years of Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the romance between Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), slayer of all things evil, and hunky Angel (David Boreanaz), the tortured vampire destined to walk the earth with a soul. The second season of Buffy took the Buffy-Angel pas de deux from ecstasy to agony in a now-classic plot arc that catapulted the show from WB teen drama to true TV greatness. You see, if the cursed Angel ever experiences true happiness for a moment, he'll revert to being an evil vampire again. And guess what happens after Buffy and Angel finally declare their love for one another and consummate their relationship...

Buffy found its true momentum during the second season, as geeky Xander (Nicholas Brendon) fell in love with popular girl Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), Willow (Alyson Hannigan) gave up her crush on Xander in favor of werewolf boy Oz (Seth Green), and watcher Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) began a sweetly tentative relationship with computer teacher (and witch) Jenny Calendar (Robia LaMorte). Mayhem came to Sunnydale, though, in the form of evil vampires Drusilla (Juliet Landau) and Spike (drolly wicked James Marsters), who were more than ready to aid and abet Angel as he turned bad. It all sounds like horror-action mayhem (and there are great fight scenes), but Buffy took on its plotlines with amazing depth, intelligence, and humor. And oh, man, the love story! Buffy and Angel's tragic relationship is one of the most heartbreaking you'll ever find. Buffy's final dilemma finds her having to save the world at Angel's expense, and Gellar (who deserves a passel of Emmys for her work) is phenomenal at telegraphing Buffy's swirling conflicts between love and duty. This is some of the best TV ever made, period. --Mark Englehart ... Read more

Reviews (362)

Incredible (spoilers below)
The second season continued one what was successfully started in the first season. The second season is a lot more ambitious (remember, the first season only had twelve episodes, unlike the rest which had 22).

The story arcs in the second season are brilliant. The romance between Angel and Buffy reached gothic heights with Surprise/Innocence (Surprise is astonishing). When Angel turns bad, David Boreanaz manages to do a sensational job of acting the transition (the episodes "Passion" and "I Only Have Eyes For You" are incredible in detailing this, and Buffy's reaction). Willow's romance with Oz is wonderful, and Giles attachment to Jenny Calendar a welcome addition.

This show still manages to be surprisingly funny (as seen in Halloween, and Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered) and packs a wallop (the two part season ender, Becoming I & II, are essential viewing for any Buffy fans. They are incredibly moving). Yes, there are some clunkers (Killed by Death, Bad Eggs), but they are more than redeemed.

My favourites are: Becoming I & II, Surprise/Innocence, I Only Have Eyes for You, Passion, School Hard, When She Was Bad, and Lie To Me

For a show set in high school, the writers have neatly side-stepped making a caricature of Anthony Stewart Head's librarian/Watcher Giles. His befuddled sexiness is immensely appealing. Alyson Hannigan's performance as wallflower Willow blooming into a witch (her growing powers are smartly charted by writers all the way through season six) is strong, and having the animosity between Xander and Cordelia boil over into lust was a masterstroke. Finally, we have to give the star her due. Sarah Michelle Gellar proved with this season that she's actually a capable actress, both with comic timing (Halloween) and pathos (Surprise/Innocence).

The second season was an immense improvement over the first season (a solid debut) and the quality continues. In my mind, the second and third season need to be bought together (or at least both bought). Story arcs introduced in the second season are wrapped up in the third season. Buy this set, you won't be disappointed.

Not the best season, but really well done!
A great season, episode breakdown:

When She Was Bad: 8.5/10 Great episode involving Buffy's nightmares about the master.

Some Assembly Required: 9.5/10 Two students try to assemble an ideal woman, using different body parts of girls they know, the head is Cordelia.

School Hard: 10/10 The best one to date, watchout, the number one vampire is in town, Spike! He's so cool in this season.

Inca Mummy Girl: 8.5/10 Good episode, where an old Inca princess is woken.

Reptile Boy: 9/10 Buffy and Cordelia attend a frat party and are being offered by reptile-like creature as human sacrifices. It's a good one!

Halloween: 9.5/10 Buffy gets turned into a 18th century woman, 1775 to be exact, Xander turns into a soldier, Willow is a ghost and the only one that remembers who they really are, who bought her costume from Ethan. Cordelia got somewhere else, so she's fine, as well as Angel and Giles. Funny episode!!

Lie To Me: 9/10 Vampire wannabes offer Spike the Slayer, but turns into a disaster! Buffy rules!!

The Dark Age: 9.5/10 An old demon that Giles and Ethan created, comes after the watchers and eliminates 3 of them. Giles and Ethan are next! Scary!

What's My Line Part 1: 8/10 Cordelia and Xander kiss for the 1st time. Buffy is being chased by 3 bounty hunters that Spike hired! Great episode!!

What's My Line Part 2: 9.5/10 In comes Kendra, the next Slayer! Great episode, which puts Angel in danger, haha!!

Ted: 9/10 John Ritter guest stars as a mysterious person that only Buffy hates. Everyone else is suckered into his personality(mostly Xander and Joyce). Great episode!

Bad Eggs: 9.5/10 Starts out as a health class egg experiment. Something in the eggs pops out and takes control of their bodies, to bring out an ancient beast! And guess who pops in here, our favourite Jonathan(Danny Strong)! Everyone but Buffy and Xander is controlled by this bug! Oh yah, Angel, but he's no help here!

Surprise: 10/10 Angel, you're going to lose your soul, when Buffy and Angel have sex, Angel experiences his one true moment of happiness, which therefore, loses his soul!

Innocence: 10/10 Without Angel's soul, he becomes all nuts and heads out for Spike and Cordelia. The Judge is awoken and Buffy must battle both The Judge and Angel! Getting better here!

Phases: 9.5/10 It's revealed, the werewolf who we all know is Ozz is hunted here and found, by Buffy, Willow and Giles, and a hunter. A few spoilers here, on Passion, and Becoming(1&2)

Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered: 10/10 Great episode. Cordelia breaks up with Xander and then he gets Amy to cast a spell which makes every girl and woman in town love him, except the one he wants, Cordelia! Funny

Passion: 10/10 Jenny Calender finds a spell to restore Angel's soul, but gets killed in the process.

Killed By death: 9/10 This one's scary as a crazy demon starts killing off children and the only way you can see it, is if you have a fever.

I Only Have Eyes For You: 9/10 The ghosts of a former student and a teacher take passion to a different level. Death! Angel regains his soul for about 2 minutes during the process!

Go Fish: 8.5/10 Xander joins the swimming team, a team full of monsters!

Becoming Part 1: 10/10 Part one where Angel aims to destroy the world! Kendra comes back, and get caught in a trap. Drusila joins and kills her, which brings up Faith!

Becoming Part 2: 10/10 Spike joins Buffy to defeat Angel in his brutal plan. Spike escapes with Drusila and Buffy is too late! Angel opens up the demon, Willow is in the hospital casts the spell to restore Angel's soul. It works, but the demon has already been released. The only way for it to go back, is to kill Angel!

Special Features: 5/10 The 1st season had much more of them!

Great season, buy it!

Truly magnificent
Season one of Buffy was amazing on its own. We were introduced to Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles, and Cordelia. It was a great season that ended with an awesome season finale. Now Buffy's back in Sunnydale after spending the summer with her father in LA. Still suffering from the trauma of drowning & facing the master, Buffy returns...different. It's "When She Was Bad" & she didn't know how to deal. After a while of settling back into her slayer duties, Buffy is finally back to her old self. Season two is packed with halarious, sad, and action filled episodes that took the show to a whole other level. Buffy and Angel sleep together for the first time which causes Angel to lose his soul & become Angelus again ("Surprise", "Innocence"), we get to meet Oz & discover that he is a werewolf ("Halloween", "Phases"), and tons more. Each episode in season two is a gem, a classic. Season two also features the simply heartbreaking two part season finale "Becoming". Buffy faces off with Angel, and right before she's going to send him to hell to stop the world from ending, Angel regains his soul. Thus, as Buffy states in season three, she kissed him, he held her, and then she killed him. Buffy loses everything & leaves Sunnydale. There are so many amazing moments in season two, and this boxset is just perfect. Not only do you get all 22 episode, there's tons of special features like commentaries (very informative), fun featurette, episode interviews with creator Joss Whedon (the genius), and a photo gallery. Make sure you add this to your Buffy collection!

The World of the Scooby-Gang
Buffy's second season is an exceptional one! If you love the Buffy/Angel relationship then this is the season for you. We've seen over the past yaer the connection between Buffy and Angel strenghten, but never like this. Buffy comes back to Sunnydale, from a much needed vacation, with a much NOT needed attitude problem. Who can blame her, though? After facing the Master and having an untimely death Buffy has the right to be a little pissy. This attitude plays off of the doomed relationship of our blonde heroine and her handsome vampire love. However they continue on their path of endearing, finally climaxing in the act of a night of sex. After that we learn that the one moment that Angel needed to have his soul taken away was found when he and Buffy proclaimed their undieing love for one another. Perhaps though, love isn't enough. Without a soul, Angel becomes an cold-hearted killer, out to exact revenge on the thing that mae him feel most human, Buffy. We see an entirly different side of Angel and are just as shocked as the characters. This season is a real tear-jerker, especially the end, when Buffy is forced to send her lover to Hell, even though his lovable personality has been magically restored. If it's Angel you want, it's Angel you get, but beware...love alone isn't enough in this doomed relationship...But who cares?!

It's overrated - but still a great season
After the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, fans knew that the show could only get better, and season two definately brought the show to a whole new level. Season two had so many things working for it, from the introduction of my favorite character Spike and Buffy's relationship with Angel heating up, to the introduction of Angel's darkside Angelus who turned out to be one of the show's greatest villans. Now season two is very good and I definately enjoyed it. However, I also feel that the season is overrated because many fans of the show think that season two is the show's best season, when seasons three, five, and six were much better overall. I mean, let's be honest here. There were some really bad episodes in this season like - "Some Assembly Required", "Ted", "Reptile Boy", "Inca Mummy Girl", "Bad Eggs", and "Go Fish". In order for a season to be worthy of a five star rating, it needs to be great from start to finish, with a minimum number of bad episodes.

The second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer does feature some wonderful episodes however that manage to make up for season two's shortcomings. "School Hard" is one of my all time favorite episodes because it introduced my favorite character Spike. The bad ass leather clad vampire proved to be so popular, that the writers ended up keeping him around for the rest of the show. The classic episode "Halloween" has everyone turn into whatever they dressed up as for Halloween. "Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered" is another one of my all time favorites and is definately a candidate for funniest episode ever. When Cordelia dumps Xander on Valentine's Day, he seeks help in a witch at Suunydale High named Amy to cast a spell on Cordelia to make her fall in love with him. Unfortunately, Xander ends up becoming the object of every woman's affection in Sunnydale. The two best Buffy/Angel episodes of the entire show are "Suprise" and "Innocence" in which their relationship ascends to a new level, and we are introduced to Angel's darkside Angelus who turns out to be one of the best villans ever. Season two comes to an amazing conclusion in "Becoming" parts 1&2. Other episodes worth mentioning are "What's My Line" parts 1&2, "Passion", "Phases", and "I Only Have Eyes of You".

Even though season two is not quite as good as a lot of people claim, it is still a highly enjoyable and definately worth owning. What really makes the season two DVD set special is the bonus features. The set has many featurettes and interviews, as well as commentary on several episodes.

A solid 4 stars... ... Read more

Reviews (42)

The good, the mediocre and the ugly.
The four episodes are: Space Mutiny, Girl in Gold Boots, Hamlet and Overdrawn at the Memory Bank.

Girl in Gold Boots: Truly a great episode. I would even watch the non-MST3K of this movie if given the chance. Lots of slimy 1970's greaseball villians, really hot exploited exotic dancer women. Ten out of ten stars.

Space Mutiny: Pretty standard MST3K stuff. Not the best but certainly not bad. Eight out of ten stars.

Overdrawn at the Memory Bank: I really didn't like this one. It was one of the weaker episodes that I've seen. The movie itself just sucks and the MST3K guys just aren't at their funniest. It is not so bad that I'll never watch it again but it was a weak episode. Five out of ten stars.

Hamlet: I watched this twice. I'll probably never watch it again. It is a really bad boring tedious movie and there is far to little comedy from the MST3K guys thrown in. I was rather dissapointed that they took an episode that was this bad and decided to include it in this set. Zero of ten stars. It really does suck.

keep it coming, rhino!
This collection includes 4 episodes from the Sci-fi seasons of MST. The four episodes are Space mutiny a barely watchable sci-fi flick. Overdrawn at the Memory bank, a horrendous mess of a movie that takes place in an Orwellian future, with Raul Julia making the movie barely tolerable in the rebel lead charactar. This move hates anteaters for some reason, watch the film and you'll understand. It also rips off Casablanca, features a baboon named Daisy, and a perverted little kid. Anyways, the plaot of this movie nearas I can tell is that Raul Julia gets in trouble for downloading movies, and is sent on a mandatory "dopple" somehow, while in the main frame computer where you go when you're doppled, Raul screws up the computer and somehow writes his own programs, ending up in casblanca his favorite movie. It's all very, very confusing. You wish you could just watch Raul watch Casablanca, it would be a much better film. This was made by a New York PBS station, who should have used their money more wisely. Hamlet- A dreary, boring, and B&W German version of Shakespeare's play. The silloquy of this movie is barely watchable, as it is so boring, in fact the whole movie is slow and boring. Finally, Girl in Gold Boots- a drama about a dancer named Michelle and a thug named Buzz and a musician/arty guy named Critter who is going to become a draft dodger. The plot revolves around a nightclub in Los Angeles where Michelle along with Buzz's sister Joan or Jane, I forget frankly "dance" and I use the term loosely, Critter is a janitor and Buzz sells drugs, eventually Buzz and the owners of the club are brought to justice, Michelle and Critter marry and Critter joins the army. Buzz's sister OD's not fatally, and we don't know what happens to her. I hope Rhino puts out more comedy Central episodes as there are many I wnt to own. This is a good collection for now though, and i cannot wait to get it.

MST is Great
Amy Magsamen,

Oddly enough I do...Monster a go-go. Write to Gimbleco@cox.net his name is Bill Seder and he lives in Arizona. He is a video expert/engineer. MST on DVD is awesome.

Hamlet In Gold Boots At The Memory Bank Causes Space Mutiny
Rhino has seen fit to release more MST3K movies from the Sci-Fi era which, considering that the Sci-Fi Channel has stopped broadcasting reruns, couldn't have come at a better time.

"GIRL IN BOLD BOOTS" is a swinging, sixties musical mystery tour. Michele is a waitress in a roadside diner who wants to become a professional dancer. One day, Buz walks in and tells her that his sister is a famous dancer. If she'll provide him with companionship, he'll drive her to L.A. and help her break into show business. Before they can leave they also meet Critter, a charming drifter. Long story short, all three end up at the Haunted House, the nightclub in L.A. where Buz's sister Joan is the head dancer. If you look up the word sleazy in the dictionary, you'll find a picture of the nightclub owner. He's also a big time drug pusher, who soon has Buz dealing for him. He's already got Joan hooked on drugs. Joan is washed up and the nightclub owner wants the younger Michele to take her place. Critter winds up stuck as a janitor and stuck on Michele. He refuses to get involved with any illegal activities, except for the fact that he's a draft dodger! This Elvis wannabe is content to sing sappy love songs and stay on the sidelines. A host highlight has Crow T. Robot doing a go-go dance while wearing gold boots!

"HAMLET" stars Maximillian Schell in the title role, and was produced for German television in 1960. Max really puts the ham in Hamlet. This is the biggest bomb the Germans dropped on England since World War II. The voices of the actors are dubbed in English with German accents. Stranger still, the voice of King Claudius sounds like it was done by Ricardo Montalban! At one point in the film, Crow makes a remark about fine Corinthian leather. There is also a strange background sound heard throughout the movie. No doubt, it was the sound of William Shakespeare spinning in his grave!

"OVERDRAWN AT THE MEMORY BANK" was so awful that Raul Julia watched his performance in it and died of shame. No expense was spared in paying Raul to star in this made-for-PBS movie which, unfortunately, left little money for special effects. Raul plays Aram Fingal, a computer programmer who works for Novicorp, a giant corporation that exists somewhere in the future. When caught watching "Casablanca" at his desk, he is required to undergo rehabilitation therapy. His mind is transferred into the body of a baboon, in order to give him a new outlook on life! While monkeying around, his real body is misplaced and his mind is transferred into a computer. With the help of Appolonia James, a medical technician, Fingal manages to reprogram himself into a simulation of his favorite movie. This film takes "Casablanca," "1984" and "Planet Of The Apes," puts them in a blender, and hits the fast button!

"SPACE MUTINY" nearly causes one aboard the Satellite Of Love! All is not well aboard the Southern Sun spaceship. The old space captain, played by Cameron Mitchell, looks like a cross between an aging hippie and Santa Claus. He is content to explore the galaxy forever. John Phillip Law plays Kalgan, the mutineer who wants to take over the ship and divert it to a habitable planet. His acting is so far over the top that, when he laughs menacingly, you expect him to twirl a nonexistent, handlebar mustache. The captain's daughter is a brainless bimbo, while the pilot picked to succeed the aging captain is a giant slab of muscles with no acting talent whatsoever. There's lots of shooting with space guns, followed by a succession of space-suited stuntmen falling over handrails. The big chase scene involves the use of modified golf carts. My favorite scene takes place in the spaceship's bar, where the space travelers wear disco outfits and the women use hula hoops when they dance! While watching this in amazement, Crow asks, "So, in the future, there is absolutely no shame?"

"not to discriminate against the other colored boots"
the one I remember most was "girls in gold boots" and Count Chocula guy from seaseme street and his twin.(1-2-3 blehaaha) MST3000 is still on sci-fi channel at 8 or 9 or something on saturday morn. Most of this overdone hippie stuff is revised by little guys at the bottom of the screne making fun of it.(aka 5 star rating :).

P. S. Mike's singing is priceless. ... Read more

Amazon.com

To the ranks of shows too brilliant and outrageous for prime time (The Ben Stiller Show, Andy Richter Controls the Universe), add Seth McFarland's Family Guy. This animated series, which debuted after the 1999 Super Bowl, simply sparked too much controversy and offended too many sensibilities to survive (Entertainment Weekly dubbed it "the Awful Show They Just Keep Putting on the Air"). That the Fox network also played hackysack with its schedule, ensuring viewers would not be able to find it, sealed its fate (it was cancelled in 2002). This boxed set containing all 28 episodes from the first two seasons is payback for the show's devoted cult following, who may be moved to echo the words of infant Stewie Griffin, the megalomaniacal 1-year-old bent on matricide and world domination: "Victory is mine!"

The dysfunctional Griffins of Quahog, Rhode Island, invite comparisons to The Simpsons. The testicular-chinned father, Peter Griffin, is a clueless oaf in the Homer mold. "Peter, what did you promise me last night?" asks his long-suffering wife Lois in one episode. "That I wouldn't drink at the stag party," he replies. "And what did you do?" she asks. "Drank at the stag part--oh ho ho, I almost walked into that one," he cackles. Other family members include teenage daughter Meg, a desperate high school social pariah; 13-year-old son Chris, a chip off his father's blockhead; and Brian, the family's sarcastic talking dog. But this series' true inspiration is football-pated Stewie (voiced by McFarlane, who earned an Emmy), who was born to be a Bond villain once he escaped his mother's "ovarian bastille." Family Guy recklessly ventured where The Simpsons feared to tread. In one episode, Meg's one and only friend turns out to be the member of a suicidal cult. In another, Death (voiced by Norm McDonald) becomes an unwanted houseguest. Each episode plays fast and furious with surreal flashes (in one episode, Peter turns his house into a puppet) and pop-culture references and TV, movie, and commercial parodies that invite repeated viewings. Freed from its own family-hour bastille and the whims of dim network executives, Family Guy can be appreciated at last on its own profane, sacrilegious, and irreverent terms. Welcome to the DVD family, Griffins. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (553)

An icredibly funny show but...
it loses a star for being so, so unoriginal. The griffins are basicly the Simpson family only more extreme in most senses. Peter is Homer only fatter and stupider. Plus they have a stupider son, avery socially inept daughter, and Lois is the same patriarchal mother figure as Marge. Stuwey is pretty much Maggie only even smarter (and pretty much a rip-off of Rex in the episode where Ralph falls in love with Lisa) I can say though that Brian is pretty original.

The simpsons has competition
Family guy is hilarious. It's funny, fast, and cool. The way everything talks in the show, and of course some of the funniest jokes ever on a sitcom.

It may seem like a rip-off of the simpsons, but It has things that make it different. First is the humor. the humor isn't exactly for children. They use cuss words like bastard, and make racial comments that will offend some people. the characters aren't alike. peter is way more stupid than homer. The baby is a crazy baby. The dog talks. There are no cats in the family. The son is not a trouble maker. And Meg isn't exactly a brain like Lisa. Lois is the only one Marge can relate too.

The humor is hilarious. Original jokes, knock-offs of culture, and more. Another thing is the way it bends from reality. Like Peter falling asleep on a fork, and a baby that actually wanders around town. he went to the Airport once.

the thing that beats the simpons is the music. the sompsons theme song is annoying after 16 years. the numbers are great and enjoyable to watch. The simspons only really good number was everybody hates Ned Flanders.

The one downside is the special features. Ony a total pf 8 commentary episodes were recorded. That's bad cause there are many jokes i don't get but are not explained because there are no commentary on the episodes that have the joke. And it has no special features but stupid promos and a dumb behind the scenes.

If you are tired of those stupid shows like King of the hill, this show is probaly one should check out. But remember T=the rating TV14.Also check out americian dad,

Family Guy - the ONLY cancelled show to come back
These two DVD's, for season one and two, tell you why.The repeats on cartoon network for those who couldn't or didn't appreciate or catch on the first time it was around only bolstered Family Guy's triumphant return to -- the very same channel that cancelled them, FOX.*snicker*Man, I would've loved to have been a fly on the wall for that second go-around meet between MacFarlane and Fox - I'm sure McFarlane had to hold his sides in so he wouldn't hurt himself from laughing so hard.Sweet justice, my friend; something you see very rarely happen for creative people who are truly edgy and not trying to play it safe spoonfeeding the American public with the same old garbage.

While American Dad is trying to find its feet, I LOVE Family Guy and if you have an American sense of humor (read visual, bold, cheap, brassy, crassy and ballsy) then you'll get the jist of the show with no problem.I love the Simpsons too, but the shows display two distinct flavorings of the same thing - flawed stupid American families put under the mircoscope, roasted over the flame and lampooned in their own original offbeat American way.

Funniest show.. um... ever.
yes, Family guy is a damn funny show. The problem with my doing a comprehensive review is that I would give away too many of the jokes. What makes me laugh in family guy is when there are movie/tv references, especially to Star Wars. Peter is a friggin' idiot, yes. Especially in the episode "There's something about Paulie" when Peter accidentally puts a hit out on his wife Lois. That is most definitely Peter at his stupidest. The highlights of this first volume in my op are of course the pilot episode "Death has a shadow", and "Chitty Chitty Death Bang", a hilarious story about Stewie's first birthday party and how Stewie kills a cult leader(Don't worry, he deserved it). "I am peter, hear me roar" is a hilarious look at how Peter is psychologically transformed from chauvenist pig into a... well as Chris says "Oh my God, Dad's a chick!". "Road to Road island" is a GREAT Stewie/Brian episode. Of course Brian and Stewie are the best characters because well... they're always at their best and never are annoying. Ironically, the last three episodes also really shine. "The Story on page one" is a story about how peter in an attempt to get Meg into college plants a false newspaper story about poor Luke perry. Hilarity Ensues, but you may want to refrain from eating so you won't throw up when you see Peter in a thong. "Wasted talent" is an excellent ep about Lois's attempt to craft a great piano student out of Peter to beat an old rival of hers. "Fore, Father" is also damn funny because it's Quagmire's first big episode, he takes Chris to a nudie bar and again, with Quagmires ridiculously hilarious voice... well let's just say hilarity frickin' ensues once again! Great bargain in my opinion for 28 episodes, so if you don't have it, what the hell are you waiting for????????

Very Funny, Yet Also Wryly Intelligent
In response to the kid's review from May 15, 2005, I didn't care for Family Guy either when I was younger. But as I became more aware of my surroundings and world, I found Family Guy a more juicy and edgy show than The Simpsons. In no way am I saying that I don't like The Simpsons, but I just feel that Family Guy has an edge to it that The Simpsons lost in 1995. This is not a case of one show being better than the other, but it's a part of the cycle of television shows. The Simpsons is sadly, slowly drying out and dying and Family Guy is full of life, strong political undertones, and juicy storylines which have yet to have been exposed.
And personally, The Simpsons has become too streamlined to the public and Family Guy has more of a "cult" following, if you will. The dry wit and humor of FG creator Seth McFarlane have put him and his show head and shoulders above the rest. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Guilty pleasures don't come more guilty than The A-Team, television's only tongue-in-cheek drama about the exploits of renegade Vietnam vets. The primetime series' 1983 debut season, gathered here on The A-Team: Season One, was intentionally ludicrous, encouraging viewers to enjoy sundry talents of a colorful cast and laugh off storylines perhaps sillier than those on Charlie's Angels. Co-created by Stephen J. Cannell (Wiseguy) and Frank Lupo (Hunter), The A-Team introduced Lt. Col. John "Hannibal" Smith (George Peppard), the cocksure leader of a band of fugitive American soldiers framed for a crime in Vietnam and now thriving in Los Angeles. Hiring themselves out as soldiers of fortune, Hannibal's crew--including Lt. Templeton "Face" Peck (baby-faced Tim Dunigan in the pilot, Dirk Benedict thereafter), Sgt. Bosco Albert "B.A. (for 'Bad Attitude')" Baracus (Mr. T, outfitted with his trademark gold), and, most comically, Capt. H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock (Dwight Schultz)--assist (mostly) ordinary people having a problem with bad guys. The A-Team ostensibly charges large fees, but much of the time the guys seem to be doing pro bono work for the helpless.

Season One highlights include "Children of Jamestown," starring John Saxon as a Jim Jones-like religious cult leader who captures Hannibal, Face, B.A., and first-season sidekick Amy "Triple A" Allen (Melinda Culea). While the resourceful group invents a super-weapon out of farm equipment, crazy Murdock commandeers a helicopter and dynamite. Also good is "A Small and Deadly War," featuring Dean Stockwell as one of several uncontrolled L.A. cops committing murder-for-hire. "The Out-of-Towners" takes a page from the Death Wish movie series with a story about New York City shop owners harassed by a protection racketeer (Yaphet Kotto). Hannibal and company retaliate with machine guns (no one is ever seen killed in this series) and, more effectively, public humiliation of the villain. The best thing about The A-Team is the relationship between the four offbeat heroes, who may not always like each other (B.A. usually looks as if he'd like to leave Murdock in a shallow grave) but get the job done expertly. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (31)

On The Jazz!
I love it when a DVD comes together!

The hit 80s TV series that helped save the NBC network finally makes it way to DVD. The A-Team is the story of a Vietnam crack commando unit made up of four men: Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith, Lieutenant Templeton Peck (a.k.a. Face), Captain H.M. (Howlin' Mad) Murdock, and Sergeant B.A. Baracus (Mr. T).

They were committed of a crime they didn't commit and escaped from a maximum security stockcade to the Los Angeles underground and survived as soldiers of fortune, helping out those in need.

The first season of The A-Team is probably my favorite. Everything was just original and raw, where they didn't have a care but for themselves and their attitudes were more rough and comedy came as a result of their actions and insults, rather than trying to intentionally be funny. In later seasons it's the opposite, where the guys seem to become more soft and sensitive to the situations and feelings and comedy seemed to be more of the intent rather than their rough image, and the shows tended to follow the same formula every week.

There are 14 episodes in Season 1:

Episodes 1 and 2 - Mexican Slayride Part 1 and Part 2 - The two hour pilot. When a newspaper reporter from the L.A. Courier gets kidnapped by outlaws in Mexico, fellow reporter Amy Allen seeks out The A-Team to rescue him. Features the only time Faceman is played by Tim Dunigan instead of Dirk Benedict.

3. Children of Jamestown - The A-Team is hired to save a girl from a cult led by the Rev. Martin James. Upon freeing the girl, The A-Team is captured and looks to escape and return the favor to James. The lesson is, nobody takes Hannibal's boots.

4. Pros and Cons - A friend of B.A. escapes prison and gets caught, but not before telling B.A. of the illegal fight-to-the-death matches the prison warden makes them take part in where the winner goes "free," only to become hunted.

5. A Small and Deadly War - A straight cop discovers a SWAT team gone bad and hires The A-Team to expose them.

6. Black Day at Bad Rock - B.A. is wounded from a previous job that went slightly wrong. The Team takes him to a doctor in Bad Rock, who helps B.A. but also calls the sheriff and has them arrested thinking they're a part of a biker gang. Hannibal and Face escape jail, but refuse to let out the jailed gang leader. When he informs them the rest of the gang is coming to set him free, The A-Team strikes a deal with the sheriffs to protect the town and in turn they aren't arrested.

7. The Rabbit Who Ate Las Vegas - A professor who has discovered the perfect formula for gambling is kidnapped by a casino owner. The A-Team pose as federal agents to rescue him, but when the casino owner is killed they become the prime suspects and must find the real killer to prove their innocence.

8. Holiday In The Hills - On their way back from a mission, The A-Team's plane crashes in the Carolina hills, where they stumble across a mob of hillbillies getting ready to burn a man at the stake. The A-Team saves the man and Murdock takes him for medical attention, while the rest of the guys defend their position while waiting for Murdock to return with help.

9. The Out-of-Towners - The A-Team heads to New York City, where a group of local shopkeepers are being bullied into paying money for "protection" they don't want.

10. West Coast Turnaround - The A-Team is hired by a 'Nam vet to transport his crop of watermelons before they spoil, but they are met with resistance from another local rancher who controls much of the valley and is trying to put him out of business.

11. One More Time - The A-Team is finally captured by Col. Lynch, but his authority is quickly taken away by the U.S. gov't, who strike a deal with the Team to send them to Borneo to rescue a general (who B.A. punched in Vietnam) and his daughter, who are being held captive by guerrilas.

12. Til Death Do Us Part - The A-Team is hired to save Jackie Taylor from marrying Calvin Cutter against her will. Jackie and Calvin had been dating, but once Jackie's father died and she inherited his company (which Cutter works for), Calvin's real intentions became clear. But since Calvin owns most of Wilson County, Jackie really had no way to escape him. Features classic moments such as Murdock almost marrying the groom, and Faceman getting married?! Definitely one of the best episodes!

13. The Beast From The Belly Of A Boeing - Hijackers take over an airplane and make demands for money and that the FBI and police not be involved if they want the passengers to survive. Hannibal and Face pose as the president and vice president of Beller Air to infiltrate the plane, while Murdock and B.A. sneak onboard while fueling up the plane. The only problem is the plane takes off when it's not suppose to and B.A., who is afraid of flying, goes into a state of comatose, and it's up to Murdock to save the Team.

Definitely a must own DVD set for all A-Team fans and those of classic 80s TV series!

I Love It When A Plan Comes Together
Finally, one of the greatest shows of all time is coming to DVD! The A-Team, which focuses on "...a crack commando who were sent to prison for a crime they didn't commit, and promptly escaped into the LA underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire, The A-Team." This show is very fun to watch. The on-screen chemistry the characters have with each other is amazing. You can tell they really enjoy working with each other; Col. John "Hannibal" Smith, the brains of the operation, Lt. Templeton "Face" Peck, the swift, charming con artist, Captain H.M. Murdock, a talented and incredibly goofy pilot, and Sgt. B.A. Baracus, the muscle. With every episode you can always count on plenty of action (the most violent show during it's 5 year run, yet no one was ever killed or even shot), comedy, and simply good times. Watching it, you'll be amazed as to the improbable ways the team gets through improbable situations. A great pick for anyone who justs wants to kick back, and watch a fun show. I can't wait to have all 5 seasons as part of my DVD collection, as well as what I hope to be the up-coming movie.

Sorry about the confusion
man, this is such a great dvd. mr t is the coolest dude ever. this whole show rocks my socks. it is cooler than a visit to a ranaruim.

Must Have
I missed this show. Even if I doubted it, just seeing these episodes would have brought it all back. All that action and not a soul killed, plus lots of fun. I can't wait to have all 5 Seasons.

I PITY THE FOO WHO DOESN'T BUY THIS DVD
this dvd is amazing! go get it! it'll bring out the Jazz in you foo! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Carnivàle doesn't waste any time making its--wildly ambitious--aims clear. As carnival manager Samson (Michael J. Anderson, Twin Peaks' diminutive backwards-talker) notes in pilot episode "Milfay," directed by Rodrigo García (son of Gabriel García Marquez), "To each generation [is] born a creature of light and a creature of darkness." With that the story begins. The year is 1934, the setting the Oklahoma dustbowl. In short order, Ben Hawkins (In the Bedroom's Nick Stahl) loses his mother and his home. He's poor, he's alone--he needs a job. So he joins Samson's carnival, en route to the West. Hawkins, naturally, is the good guy. Waiting for him in California is the not so good Brother Justin Crowe (Clancy Brown, The Shawshank Redemption), a fire and brimstone preacher with supernatural powers and a fiercely loyal sister (Amy Madigan). Hawkins, as it turns out, has similar powers....

Created by Daniel Knauf (Wolf Lake), Carnivàle feels like David Lynch (weird, slow, occasionally kinky), plays like American Gothic (Shaun Cassidy's cult series about a good kid and an evil sheriff), and looks like John Ford's Grapes of Wrath. It features one of television's most colorful casts of characters. They include Sophie (Clea DuVall), who reads fortunes--with her comatose mother's assistance, the vaguely sinister Lodz (Patrick Bauchau), blind absinthe-drinker and mentalist (he can see both the future and the past), and Ruthie (Adrienne Barbeau), snake charmer, strongman's mother, and all-around maternal figure. By the final episode of the season ("The Day That Was the Day"), also directed by García, one of these characters will be dead. Carnivàle won five richly deserved technical Emmys for its first year, including awards for cinematography and art direction. Like HBO's edgy Deadwood, it's period drama for people who don't normally like period drama. --Kathleen C. Fennessy ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Carnivale - seductive, intelligent and addictive viewing...
Having seen the reviews, transcripts and postings on Clancy Browns fan run website I could not wait for this to be shown in the UK and had a friend ship me episodes from the US.

This is an intellectual show, mixing myth, magic and the deviance of human nature. Set in the poverty of the 30's in a crumbling travelling Carnivale show we meet a strange array of freaks both real and false. A multi layered show, dirty and repugnant but addictive in a voyeuristic way. With its roots set firmly in the X-Files we are made to think and to feel and to turn away disgusted but are left with the need to turn around and glimpse again the evil that men and women do.

Get your brain cells primed before watching this as its no show for the mind numbed followers of Mutant X, Enterprise and Sliders. It surpasses the highly rated Nip Tuck, Cold Case and 24 - watch it, its beautiful and sickening all in one!

Where's my fix?
You must prepare yourself to begin watching this show. Make sure you can concentrate your entire being and dive head-first into your television. You will be transformed. This show has the ability to take you into another dimension - it sucks you in. When you find others who watch the show, you'll find that your pupils will dilate & you'll have difficulty catching your breath just from the excitement of talking about this show with anyone who "gets it". It's so multi-layered - there are so many questions - so many ways for the viewer to interpret each scene. It means something different to each person who watches it. I've seen each episode at least 5 times - because that's about how long it takes to catch everything they manage to cram into each show. It doesn't get stale, and the actors bring so much life and wisdom to their characters. I found myself actually having dreams about this show in an attempt to sort out its mysteries. And I'm not an X-Files/Twin Peaks fan, so don' t think you have to be to love this show. I was in such a panic that HBO might not air a second season, which would have been just criminal. It's beautiful, tragic, mysterious, bewitching, spooky, and downright addictive. With Sex & the City gone, I was beginning to wonder what I'd do on Sunday nights. Carnivale gives me an idea...

YES IT"S WORTH FIVE STARS!!!
I knew that this show was going to be incredible when I heard the buzz about it and saw the previews on television. Well, I watched it from start to finish, and it was unbelievable. This show even rivals my all-time favorites: Xena and The X-Files.

This show is very complex and could take some time to get into for the superficial viewer, but it's worth the experience, although it can be mind-boggling and horrific sometimes. The scariest episode was the one where one of the "hoochie coochie" dancers was garnered the fate of "scarlet" and killed to please the restless souls of evil men. In the end her soul was restless and only to serve as the tortured soul herself, but as the souless men's sex partner. On the last part of that episode when the head of the carnival glimpsed at the window and saw the "hoochie coochie" girl standing there as if she was beginning her fate in the eternity of being sad and then being pulles away to have sex by a souless man that scared the heck out of me.

The show I speak about above isn't the only horriffic or mind-boggling episode of this season, but one that scered me the most. their are many more. Bottomline, this show is unbelievably entertaining. A must see!

Mind blowing and original
I thought from the previews and a behind-the-scenes special that I would very much like this series. But after seeing the first episode, that hardly described it...fantastic, amazing, beautiful, thrilling...choose your word, Carnivale has everything you could want. It's really the best series to ever make it on the air and truly the most unique show I've ever seen in my life. I generally don't like TV, I'm a movie person, but Carnivale completely stole me away. The plot is so wild and keeps you guessing - even through season one's high intensity finale. It's very, very original and the story is both creepy and moving. The things that happen in it are out of this world and frightening, and the most engaging thing you'll ever see on the air.

If you haven't seen Carnivale, I highly suggest that you buy the DVD. You'll be hooked from the first moment. Just the intro itself is stunning...gypsy-like music playing over a series of beautiful shots that weave in and out of tarot cards, turning the painted pictures to live action and vice-versa. It's one of the only two TV series that I have ever deemed worthy of spending money on. It's probably the hardest show to explain because of how incredibly complex it is, but if you watch it you will understand, and I guarantee you will NOT regret it.

A Truly Genuine & Spiritual HBO Original Series!
With the opening lines of the series being spoken by Samson (Michael J. Anderson) a dwarf who runs the carnival- "Before the beginning, after the great war between Heaven and Hell, God created the Earth and gave dominion over it to the crafty ape he called man. And to each generation was born a creature of light and a creature of darkness. And great armies clashed by night in the ancient war between good and evil. There was magic then, nobility, and unimaginable cruelty.

And so it was until the day that a false sun exploded over Trinity, and man forever traded away wonder for reason..."

After THAT introduction, I just KNEW I was going to be "hooked" on this original series by HBO. This series is "one of a kind"! Purposefully written, directed & acted, the myraid of characters in the carnival and the dusty, depression-era towns they visit will haunt your memories for years to come. Several storylines intertwine in each and every episode with cliffhangers and plot twisters abounding!

Samson is a con man with integrity. There's no one better at finding ways to fleece the carnival customers, and no one more respected by the carnies themselves. Samson has seen many strange and wondrous things in his time, most of them frauds perpetuated by himself and his people, and others... Well, he can't explain even to himself. Once a sideshow performer, he was elevated to his present position by "management". Who, exactly "management" is, remains to be seen... Clayton Jones, a.k.a. Jonesy, played by a very HOT Tim DeKay, is Samson's right hand man, head of the rousties, or carnival workers. Strong, tough, but bull-headed, Jonesy was once a star pitcher in the major leagues, whose career was cut short by a crippling injury to his knee. He then fell into drunkenness -- until "saved" by Samson, who brought him into the carnival.

Clancy Brown as Brother Justin Crowe, a preacher in the Central Valley of California. A good man, devoted not only to his flock, but to helping the poor Okies pouring in from the Dust Bowl which puts him at loggerheads against many of his "Godly" congregation and townsfolk. He and his older sister, Iris,played by Amy Magidan who adores Justin, were raised as orphans by Reverend Norman Balthus (Ralph Waite- aka the dad on Waltons), a father to both, in addition to being a mentor to Justin. Justin
begins to have dreams and visions. Terrible things, portending great misery, not for him,necessarily, but perhaps all he touches. Which, as he becomes famous, might well include the world. "The clock is ticking, brothers and sisters, counting down to Armageddon. The worm reveals himself in many guises across this once great land; from the intellectual elite cruelly indoctrinating our children with the savage blasphemy of Darwin, to the craven Hollywood pagans, corrupting them in the darkness of the local bijou, from the false prophets cowering behind our nation's pulpits to the vile parasites in our banks and boardrooms and the godless politicians, growing fat on the misery of their constituents. The signs of the end times are all around us, etched in blood and fire by the left hand of god. You have but to open your eyes, brothers and sisters. The truth is that the Devil is here. The Anti-Christ, the Child of Lies, the Son of Darkness walks among us cloaked in the flesh of a man. Does the Lord not weep at this degradation? Does He not tremble with righteous fury? And shall he not seek retribution? I open my eyes and I see a black sky that tears apart and screams with a voice that is thunder, 'Rise up, rise up brothers and sisters and take your place at my side. For you shall be my scythe and your face shall shine like a thousand suns and the streets shall be sanctified by the steaming black blood of the heretics.' And together brothers and sisters, together we shall build a shining temple, a kingdom that will last for thousands and thousands of years..."

Ben Hawkins, played by Nick Stahl is a troubled young man picked up by the carnival in the middle of the Dust Bowl, circa 1934, right after his mother's demise. While words and feelings come hard to loner Ben,strange images arrive all too easily in his dreams and, at times, in reality. Ben's gravitational pull brings
ABSOLUTELY everyone into his orbit. Some dislike him, others, he appears to heal by laying on of hands...

Other actors in this series are: Adrienne Barbeau as Ruthie,the older but still sexy snake charmer, and Gabriel (Brian Turk) Ruthie's strong man son. Patrick Bauchau as Lodz, a blind "mentalist". He has an uncanny ability to hold something in his hand, say, a watch, and tell the owner where it was bought, why, by whom... Amazing things that no one ought to know. But
OL' Lodz does. Lodz is a slippery man, a rival of Samson's. Lodz once had Samson's job...a job Lodz would give anything to win back. Lodz has a tempestuous relationship with Lila, the bearded Southern belle played by Debra Christofferson. Sofie is played by, Clea DuVall. Sofie is the pretty daughter of catatonic Apollonia, the tarot reader played by Diane Salinger. Apollonia accurately predicts the future, all the more remarkable since she is, indeed catatonic. Only Sofie seems able to "hear" what her mute mother has to say - a decidedly mixed blessing for Sofie.

We even have the "hootchie cootchie" dancers and prostitutes. The Cootch Show is, in fact, the girlie show, nudity required. The Dreifuss Family runs the seedier part of the carnival that includes wife and mamma, Rita Sue (Cythia Ettinger), daughters Libby (Carla Gallo) Dora Mae (Amanda Aday), along with their pimp daddy Stumpy Dreifuss.

Siamese twin girls Alexandria & Caladonia (Karyne & Sarah Steben) perform "Circ De Soleil" acrobatics while Gekco (John Fleck)the Reptile Man, deformed by a rare condition that rendered his skin lizard-like in feel and appearance shocks the masses!

(...) ... Read more

Amazon.com

Stunt casting stumbles (Jean-Claude Van Damme, Charlie Sheen) aside, it was a very good year for this beloved series,ranked by TV Guide as among the top 25 of all time. With the bar set so high from the first season, a sophomore slump could be expected, but, apart from a game Julia Roberts, only the hour-long episode raised the question whether success would spoil Friends. (This episode, "The One After the Super Bowl," convinced some misguided NBC executive that guest star Brooke Shields could carry her own series!) Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (an Emmy-worthy Jennifer Aniston) were the engine that drove the season and produced some of the series' most monumental episodes, including "The One with Ross' New Girlfriend," "The One Where Ross Finds Out" (with R & R's first kiss), "The One with the List," "The One with the Prom Video," and "The One Where Ross and Rachel... You Know." But this was not the only significant story arc.

Enter--and, in the bittersweet season finale, exit--Tom Selleck as Dr. Richard Burke, the family friend ("He's like a brother to... Dad," notes a disapproving Ross) who becomes Monica's (Courtney Cox) lover. Joey (Matt LeBlanc) finds success (albeit short-lived) as Dr. Drake Ramoray on "Days of Our Lives" and moves out ("We're not Bert and Ernie," he tells roommate Chandler). Future Emmy winner Lisa Kudrow's best season is to come, but, as Phoebe, she makes the most of some memorable subplots, including her shocked discovery of sad movie endings she had been shielded from ("The One Where Old Yeller Dies"), her dispute with Ross over evolution ("The One Where Heckles Dies"), and her channeling of an elderly woman who died on her massage table ("The One with the Lesbian Wedding"). Praise is due unsung hero Lauren Tom, so charming and sweet in the thankless role as Julie, the Girl Who Comes Between Ross and Rachel. Adam Goldberg also makes an indelible impression in his three-episode stint as Chandler's new "psycho" roommate. Notable omissions from this set include chapter stops for each episode, and uh, ahem, hel-LOH, how about commentary from the cast? --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (56)

so no one told you life was gonna be this way...
i got introduced to friends through the dvd box sets, and it's been a pleasure to watch them in order, with the full episode included, uncut. certain lines or parts of scenes are cut out on tv, so if you're a die-hard fan, having the episodes on dvd can be preferable.

i'm liking the third season better than second right now, but that's only a personal preference. there are some classic episodes included on this set - lots of ross and rachel, joey's first big role as drake ramoray on days of our lives, joey moving out of the apartment with chandler, and monica's relationship with an older man, richard. being that chandler and phoebe are my favorite characters, i missed their involvement a bit, but they got subplots.

highlights: ross and rachel 'you-knowing' in the planetarium part of the museum where ross works, phoebe's "smelly cat", ross making a list about rachel, monica's character developing as she grows closer to richard, chandler finding an internet girl who turns out to be janice, all the tension between ross rachel and julie, etc.

lowlights: something about the episodes where eddie moved in seemed less well written and a little tedious. maybe it was just the fact that i was sick when I was watching them. *g* the fact that there are no chapters in episodes themselves, as others have mentioned, is a drawback. should have commentary from the six main character actors themselves; other shows do! deleted scenes would be nice; some of the special features seem useless, like showing a short clip of each guest actor when if you just watch the episodes, you have the whole thing. being able to check out monica and rachel's apartment in detail was kind of cool, though. and the quiz game was fun. if you get it wrong, it shows a clip of one of the characters shouting "no!", which i thought was incredibly clever and funny.

that's all i can think of off the top of my head; i'm at work and can't check the dvds for specifics. :)

Winner of Two Emmys 2002!
Friends is awesome. At the 54th Annual Emmy Awards this last year, the show took home two awards: one for Outstanding Original Comedy Series (2002) and one for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy (presented to Jennifer Aniston for her title role this past season). Both awards were greatly deserved. Friends also received a multitude of nominations including two for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy (Matthew Perry and Matt Le Blanc) and Outstanding Guest Star in a Comedy (for Brad Pitt's hilarious appearance in one of the episodes). It was a fantastic night for Friends. This Second Season of Friends is a terrific buy in that it is one of the best. Viewers get to see the wonderful relationship that develops between Ross and Rachel and the conflicts that ensue between two best friends/roommates, Joey and Chandler, when one decides to move out. Twenty four episodes come with this DVD package including some special features (not many). Still, it's worth the money.

truly amazing and funny show ever made
Friends is my favourite TV show. It's so good and funny with good storylines and great actors. Here we go with all ten seasons.

Season 1 great but not really funny 8/10
Season 2 very good a lot fun 9/10
Season 3 very good but some episodes are bad 7/10
Season 4 good with a great deal of funny moments 9/10
Season 5 the first half is funny 8/10
Season 6 very funny and emotional 9/10
Season 7 diffrent funny still great 9/10
Season 8 truly amazing 10/10
Season 9 episode 1-8 and some are very good 8/10
Season 10 just plain boring a dead end THE END... 1/10

The sad part is that the ending of the series is truly awful.

This is my best friend!
This is SUCH a great season of Friends! When i first got this season of friends i was new to the series, but i got into this straight away! i was laughing up until the point of tears! SO MUCH! you dont "really" need any introduction to friends to watch this! (except it would be good to watch the first series first, but this is not necessary.) Also the special features are good, not brillient, but pleasing. My favourite being the FULL Smelly Cat Video after the quiz! its soooo halarious! This dvd version of Friends Season 2 has never before seen footage so, even if you have seen the eps. its worth getting!
If you havent seen them its a gret intro. so my conclusion get it NOW!
Episodes *****
Special Features ****1/2

...and that my friend is what they call CLOSURE
People can say whatever they want about Friends, but it will always be one of the best sitcoms and this will always be one of the best seasons. Most of the big storylines in this season are about ross and rachel, of course, but this was before the storyline got dragged out into a big dramatic soap opera. The prom video episode alone gives the season 5 Stars in my book [esp. pheeb's lobster comparison!]. But the other characters are still hilarious; Monica's relationship with her father's friend brings laughs, Joey's Days of our Lives stint, meeting Phoebe's husband and learning about the Old Yeller incident, and Chandler being Chandler. GREAT! ... Read more