CD Giveaway - Sam Shrieve, "Bittersweet Lullabies"
Ends Nov 29, 2009
The current student at Berklee College of Music has a rock 'n' roll pedigree, but delivers a pleasing and diverse collection of soft pop on his debut record. Enter our contest for your chance to win! |
|
|
DVD Review: The Mary Tyler Moore Show - The Complete Fifth Season
by R.J. Carter
Published: November 2, 2009
|
|
Rating: 
Country: USA
Release Date: October 6, 2009
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Cast:
· Mary Tyler Moore
· Ed Asner
· Ted Knight
· Gavin MacLeod
· Betty White
· Cloris Leachman
Related Sites:
· IMDb: The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Grade: C+
|
|
The first thing I checked out with this three-disc release of the fifth season of The Mary Tyler Moore Show was the bonus features. That was easy enough. There were none. Not even any previews -- just the 20th Century Fox logo and a jump to the main menu, both sans sound so that you check your volume just to make sure you didn't accidentally have the player muted. Of course, I was already on heightened alert for technical glitches, after the disc refused to play correctly in my console player, electing to pick a scene at random to freeze onto my screen when picking the "Play All" function; fortunately, my laptop player was able to get past whatever encoding issue was at play here.
Which leaves the shows, and who can find fault with them? Seeing them through modern eyes, it's like a time capsule into the seventies, with Murray (Gavin MacLeod) showing off his new watch to Ted (Ted Knight). The appeal of the watch? "It's digital!"
What I really started taking notice of, however, was how this season reflected the changing face of television. Mary Richards was still our television darling, but innuendo and tittilation could be seen sticking their foot into the open door, an opportunity that didn't really present itself to Laura Petrie. We'll see Mary have an embarrassing conversation with Murry while adorned in just a towel, and tease the newsroom staff with talk of her having participated in an out-of-town orgy. Family-man Murray will even consider stepping out on his wife when he's enamored of a woman from whom he is planning to buy an old piano, and Ted convinces the WJM newsroom that he's having an affair with Mary.
On the other hand, the plots served as a reminder that everything old is new again. The characters dealt with situations like a failing economy ("Phyllis Whips Inflation," an episode I had to re-watch to ensure that the credits were correct, and that really was a younger Doris Roberts working as a temp recruiter) and media political endorsements (when Ted Baxter promotes a candidate during his newscast). We also see a riff on the public marriage proposal when Ted proposes to Georgette (Georgia Engel) during his newscast -- but doesn't mention her by name.
The only real standout episode of this season is "Not a Christmas Story," notable for being a Christmas-themed episode occurring before Thanksgiving. When the staff gets socked in by a blizzard, Sue Ann (Betty White) has the food problem covered, having just filmed a cooking special to be aired during the upcoming holidays. But with Ted and Murray at the height of a new feud, are festive meals and Christmas carols really going to be enough to calm the emotional storm? In the happy-ending world of Mary Richards, of course they will be.
While the release is a lackluster one, the appeal of this situation comedy remains high. However, with no bonus features utilizing commentary from the extant cast, I'm a bit iffy as to whether I would recommend picking up this season set or waiting for the inevitable complete series collection and hope for some bonuses.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Complete Fifth Season |
| Disc 1 |
Disc 2 |
Disc 2 |
01. Will Mary Richards Go to Jail?
02. Not Just Another Pretty Face
03. You Sometimes Hurt the One You Hate
04. Lou and That Woman
05. The Outsider
06. I Love a Piano
07. The New Sue Ann
08. Menage-a-Phyllis |
09. Not a Christmas Story
10. What are Friends For?
11. A Boy's Best Friend
12. A Son for Murray
13. Neighbors
14. A Girl Like Mary
15. An Affair to Forget
16. Mary Richards: Producer |
17. The System
18. Phyllis Whips Inflation
19. The Shame of the Cities
20. Marriage Minneapolis Style
21. You Try to be a Nice Guy
22. You Can't Lose 'Em All
23. Ted Baxter's Famous Broadcasters' School
24. Anybody Who Hates Kids and Dogs |
|
|
