July 2005
His Mind is the Ultimate Weapon
MacGyver
Complete Season 2 on DVD
I never watched MacGyver when it originally aired (1985-1992). I was occupied with other things: starting a second career, being laid off from that second career, living in the poverty level, divorce, beginning and ending several love affairs, and starting yet another career---you know, the stuff of life that ties you up and makes you crazy. I could have used a guy like MacGyver to untangle me from all of the Gordian Knots present at that that time in my life; however, people and the problems they create aren’t solved with duct tape and a pocket knife (the pocket knife fix might have been a little extreme).
This second season DVD set was my introduction to the guy, and at the risk of sounding like Marge Simpson’s sister, Patty, I have fallen in love with him. I mean, what’s not to love? He’s got all my requirements fulfilled: he’s a babe, he fills out his jeans nicely, he’s got great hands, he’s a science geek, he’s ethically minded, he likes animals and children, he’s loyal to friends, he’s got a great sense of humor, and wonder of all wonders, he gives out relationship advice at the drop of a hat (and it’s usually good advice). He even eats tofu.
Granted, when I popped in the first CD of this 6-CD set, I was a bit underwhelmed by the first episode, “The Human Factor”. It is a timewarp back to 1986, and talking about dated: the computers are monolithic, the security minimal and simplistic, and what’s up with not having any cell phones? Where’s the hip music that is ever-present in drama these days? Where’s the flashy camerawork and special effects that bug your eyes out after 10 minutes? Where’s the blood and guts? I realized I was going back to a simpler, unadorned TV-time, where, believe it or not, the story and characters take precedence over the gore and gimmicks. It was like preparing to meditate: I had to consciously slow myself down in order to sit through the ep. And, just like meditation, the payoff was wonderful----I began to enjoy spending time with Mac and his buddies and to learn to smile and feel good after an episode was over (not a common occurrence in today’s TV-time).
The plot of “Human Factor” is formulaic: Mac is asked by a pal, and hired through the Phoenix Foundation for Research, to provide quality control testing on computer security (in other episodes, he has to get someone out of the USSR or Colombia or somewhere in Asia, or foil thieves, or rescue endangered birds, or save the world for children and pregnant women---whew!) and in the process, runs into difficulty and must rely on his brain and the mysteriously ever-present chemical and mechanical supplies lying around in order to get himself out the jam. There is no doubt that Mac will prevail. This is the charm of the series, along with the fact that Mac never uses a gun, and in the early episodes, we never see anyone get killed. Felons walk away from car crashes and bad guys survive falls from buildings. Simpler, unadorned time, indeed.
About halfway through the second season (“Jack of Lies”, “The Road Not Taken”), people do get killed, and the use of guns by the bad guys increases exponentially. The stories get a bit darker as well. The show seems to be still in the process of finding itself, and the characters are groping along to fullness. Mac’s past experiences (and girlfriends) are injected into the plotlines in a teasing manner, serving to flesh him out as a real man. His best friend and mentor, Pete Thornton, becomes more interesting and approachable, and we begin to understand the strong connection between the two men. In fact, in “Out in the Cold”, their relationship begins to resemble that of The Odd Couple---cranky yet affectionate (indeed, had I not known without a doubt in my heart that Mac was straight, I’d say it resembled that of two aging queens). Mac’s friends and enemies resurface, but with only minimal growth: Jack Dalton remains fun and frustrating, Penny Parker ditzes on as usual, Harry becomes a bit more confused, but stays resilient, and Murdoc continues on his intense and evil road.
One of the most entertaining episodes is “Three For the Road”, because it features Mac working with older people instead of the usual energetic sidekicks. An aging film actor and his wife are treated as capable co-conspirators with Mac, in evading members of the Mob. Mac expects both to work as hard as he does in saving their lives. It’s quite refreshing to see their relationship develop in such mutually beneficial way. Mac also reveals a rare glimpse of his strong romantic streak, by producing a bouquet of newspaper posies to help gloss over the elders’ marital misunderstanding. This episode also features a great Macgyverism: “a good relationship is like a car. If you want it to work, you’ve got to work on it. And you’ve got to have the right tools.”
Macgyverisms run through the second season and are bound to make you smile, if not outright chuckle. They are not deep, but definitely are entertaining, much like the series itself. Even though Mac understands and uses a prodigious amount of knowledge of chemistry and physics, it’s not rocket science and is not meant to be. It would have been nice to have some extras included in the set, explaining why and how MacGyver makes his tricks work, from a scientific standpoint. But the extras are not essential to the enjoyment of the series. This is a no-frills CD-set to plug in when you are tired of the complexity of twenty-first century living and just want to see the good guy triumph over the bad guy, in a way that doesn’t add to the already high stress level most of us have. And the good guy is handsome, intelligent, kind and has great hands. We could all use a slowdown to simpler, unadorned times with that kind of hero, couldn’t we?
MacGuyver Complete Season 2 on DVD
Reviewed for Coffeerooms by Britophile
Talk about it here
Posted July 27, 2005 Permalink
The Paris of the North
Northern Exposure
Complete Season 3 on DVD
I’ve been a fan of “quirky TV” for a long time. Northern Exposure is, if not the granddaddy of the genre, at least the great-uncle. Rewatching season three reminded me of how much I enjoyed the series, and how well it holds up today, a decade after it left the air.
The third season DVDs are two-sided, and are encased in slim plastic cases, which in turn are enclosed in a cardboard slipcover. The cardboard cover doesn’t have the name of the show on the spine, which would have been a nice addition for those who store their DVD sets spine-out. The first two seasons were enclosed in a “parka” covering, which is missed by some Northern Exposure fans who appreciate uniformity in their DVD season sets. While I dislike “cutesy” packaging, I can understand their dismay.
The DVDs themselves are very well done—when you pop in Disc 1, Side 1, previews for other Universal DVDs begin; however, it’s possible to skip right over them, along with the FBI warnings, and get right to the main show menu. This is preferable to those DVDs who hold the viewer hostage throughout the inevitable previews. Each side of each DVD contains four episodes, except for side 2 of the third DVD, which also includes the extras. “Unexposed Scenes”, which are outtakes from the show, include an extended, silent version of the mock-documentary shot by the character Ed Chigliak in the episode “Animals ‘R’ Us”. However, be aware that there is swearing, so exercise caution when viewing with children. Also included are “Lost Storylines”, which are subplots that had been excised from four episodes for one reason or another.
Other bonus footage, consisting of extended and deleted scenes, is included on each DVD side, along with the episodes. The bonus menus of each DVD side list all of the episodes of the season by disc and side, but only the titles of the episodes on that side of that particular disc are in bold, while the rest are grayed out. Choosing an episode title brings you to a submenu where you have the option of watching the episode, viewing the chapters (each episode is divided into four parts), seeing a listing of all of the episodes, and where they’re located in the set, or going to the bonus footage for the disc. The deleted/extended scenes are captioned, but you can’t watch them individually; when you click on an episode title, you watch all of them consecutively. Or, if you prefer, you can click on the disc header and watch all of the bonus footage on that side of the disc. However, there are no commentaries, and no hidden Easter eggs, so those who like bonuses are likely to feel a little shortchanged.
However, this leaves the focus on the episodes themselves, and what wonderful episodes they are. The first two seasons of Northern Exposure were short, with only seven or eight episodes each; the show started in July of 1990, and after the success of the first season, the producers managed to get a second season ready by the following April. The third season was the first full season, and many people hold the opinion that it’s when the show really came into its own as a gentle, off-beat comedy. Dream and fantasy sequences are used for comic effect, and the final episode of the season portrays the history of the town of Cicely, with the characters taking on roles of residents from 1909. For Buffy fans, this season also held the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it first of two guest roles played by James “Spike” Marsters. I’m a tv-phile, so I also enjoyed seeing early guesting spots from Heidi Swedberg, who would eventually be George’s fiancée, Susan, on Seinfeld; John M. Jackson, who within a few years became JAG’s Admiral Chegwidden; John Billingsley, who would go on to portray Dr. Phlox on Star Trek: Enterprise; and recognizable only by her voice, Beth Broderick, who just a few years later played Sabrina, the Teenage Witch’s Aunt Zelda.
The audio is 2.0 Dolby digital, and the only spoken language is English, with available closed captioning, and there are Spanish and French subtitles. Some of the songs that were originally on the soundtrack are missing, replaced by generic background music, although I didn’t remember the music and didn’t realize the switch until I checked episodes against a list of music on the Internet. However, I can see how the original music would have been more effective than the replacements in most scenes, and wish that it had remained. The video has been remastered, and is crisp and clean. The set is unrated, but I’d say it would be TV-14 if it were airing today--aside from the aforementioned outtakes, of course.
I found this set delightful, but like I said earlier, I’m a fan of quirky TV, and loved this show when it originally aired. However, I’d like to think that anyone could jump in and enjoy the series, whatever their stance on off-beat humor.
Northern Exposure Complete Season 3 on DVD
Reviewed for Coffeerooms by Melinda
Talk about it here
Posted July 5, 2005 Permalink
