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The Movie:
Nostalgia can be a dangerous emotion. It makes 40-year olds don bell-bottoms and go to clubs to listen to Bay City Rollers tribute bands. It is why there is an oldies radio station in every market, despite the fact that the definition of the format itself means using the same playlist for its shelf life.
It is also the only conceivable reason to purchase the second season of Charlie's Angels on DVD. The show has not aged well, the performances are generally cheesy and what was once risquι is now tame by television standards.
For the second season of the show, Cheryl Ladd steps in to replace Farrah Fawcett and the result is, well, pretty much the same. There is little to separate the characters other than hair color. The women wear stylish (for the late 70s, mind you) clothing and solve crimes perpetrated by some of the dumbest criminals this side of a Fox network special.
The episodes in this six DVD set are:
Disc 1
201, 202 Angels In Paradise (9/14/77)
203, 204 Angels On Ice (9/21/77)
Disc 2
205 Pretty Angels All in a Row (9/28/77)
206 Angel Flight (10/05/77)
207 Circus of Terror (10/19/77)
208 Angel of Love (10/26/77)
209 Unidentified Flying Angels (11/02/77)
Disc 3
210 Angels on the Air (11/09/77)
211 Angel Baby (11/16/77)
212 Angels in the Wings (11/23/77)
213 Magic Fire (11/30/77)
214 Sammy Davis Jr. Kidnap Caper (12/07/77)
Disc 4
215 Angels on Horseback (12/21/77)
216 Game, Set, Death (01/04/78)
217 Hours of Desperation (01/11/78)
218 Diamond in the Rough (01/18/78)
Disc 5
219 Angels in the Backfield (01/25/78)
220 The Sandcastle Murders (02/01/78)
221 Angels Blues (02/08/78)
222 Mother Goose is Running for His Life (02/15/78)
Disc 6
223 Little Angels of the Night (02/22/78)
224 The Jade Trap (03/01/78)
225 Angels on the Run (05/03/78)
226 Antique Angels (05/10/78)
Guest stars drop in on occasion, including Don Ho and Norman Fell in the debut two-part episode (which explains that Ladd is, in fact, Fawcett's sister) and Sammy Davis Jr. as himself and his own lookalike in the aptly named "Sammy Davis Jr. Kidnap Caper."
The true stars, of course, are Kate Jackson, Cheryl Ladd and Jaclyn Smith (or "the other one"). But no matter how little clothing they wear and this is a show that, while daring in 1978, could air in the family hour in 2004 their characters are not interesting or compelling. Making it worse is the tendency towards showy, over-emoting acting that was prevalent on television at the time.
The DVD
Video:
While not seemingly remastered in any way, the picture is better than it has ever been on cable reruns. The colors are relatively sharp and distinct. There are some issues with grain in some outdoor scenes, though. Also, there is some pixelation on the edges of faces and other items in close-up shots.
Sound:
The two channel stereo track is unremarkable. Dialogue is uneven at times and requires a boost in stereo volume do not switch from the discs to regular television too quickly.
Extras:
There are general "trailers" for Columbia-TriStar television releases, along with film trailers for both of the film adaptations of the show.
Final Thoughts:
For those that want to live in the past, Charlie's Angels: The Complete Second Season conjures up memories of a time where Cheryl Ladd in a bikini was the most daring and sexual thing on television, a time where the good guys were good and the bad guys were incompetent. But by today's standards, the show is poorly written, poorly acted and just a bore. |
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