The Eighth Season

The King of Queens is a sitcom about the daily interactions of married New York couple, Doug (Kevin James) and Carrie (Leah Remini) Heffernan, whose lives were disrupted when Carrie's father Arthur Spooner (Jerry Stiller) moved in with them. The series follows a basic format where Doug, Carrie, and Arthur manage to turn some everyday thing into some kind of sticky situation that is a bundle of laughs. Joining them for the ride are a variety of supporting characters, Danny Heffernan (Gary Valentine), Spence Olchin (Patton Oswalt), Holly Shumpert (Nicole Sullivan), and Deacon Palmer (Victor Williams). For more details about this series refer to DVD Talk's reviews of season one, season two, season three, season four, season five, season six, and season seven.

Season eight is a solid season with Doug, Carrie, Arthur, and friends going on a lot of wild adventures and getting into silly situations. It also features fun guest stars like Ray Ramono, Kirstie Alley, Adam West, and more. This season is the last for reoccurring character Holly Shumpert. She meets a rich man who whisks her away. Fans of the show will greatly appreciate all twenty-three episodes that make up season eight.

The season's best episode is "Raygin Bulls". It is a crossover episode with Everybody Loves Raymond. Ray Ramano guest stars as Ray Barone. Both Ray and Doug's significant others are gone for the weekend. They spend it together and try to relive their youth at a hip nightclub. Unfortunately, Ray and Doug are not hip. When they try to pick up women; they find out just how out of place they are. It is a great bit with James and Ramano at their best. I have always enjoyed the episodes when these two guys get together; I wish they'd do more of them.

"Shear Torture" is another strong episode. There are two primary storylines. First, Doug tries to keep his hair stylist a secret from the guys and most importantly, Carrie. He doesn't want Carrie to find out what a babe the hair stylist is. Second, Spence wants to be adored at a local science fiction convention. He convinces Lou Ferrigno to join him as his "date". But, Spence drops Lou for Adam West. It is a goofy storyline about geeks and former superhero actors. Both Lou and Adam make great guest stars and fit into the silly situation well.

"Consummate Professional" is a retro-episode that goes back into time. It is a great story that helps explain more about Carrie and Doug's past. When Doug first started dating Carrie, she would not sleep with him. He faked having a job to look like a guy worth investing a real relationship in. So, with a job in place, Carrie slept with him. The fun part unfolds when Doug has to really convince Carrie the fake job exists. It describes how he started working at IPS and became best friends with Deacon. Classic.

"Acting Out" is another story that reveals information about the past. Arthur accidentally sets the basement on fire and Carrie gives up on him. She and Doug decide it is time to put him into a home. While cleaning out the basement, Doug finds several video tapes of Arthur. Doug learns that Arthur was an actor, but gave it up to provide for Carrie. It is an interesting and funny story that puts Arthur in a positive, righteous light (for a change).

Other fun episodes include "Apartment Complex", Doug get a second apartment and Carrie shows Kirstie Alley condos and ends up eating junk food, "Foul Play", the Heffernans and Palmers swap partners because they have more common interests with each other's significant others, "Inn Escapable", Doug treats Carrie to a romantic weekend at a bed and breakfast run by a couple who are missing a few marbles, "Fresh Brood", Doug baby sits Danny's ex-girlfriend's baby and tries to convince Carrie they should have one, and "Move Doubt", Danny and Spence compete with each other to win the affection of a pretty girl. The remaining episodes also offer lots of laughs with silly and hilarious situations.

Overall, The King of Queens eighth season is another solid collection of episodes. While the season says goodbye to one of its reoccurring characters, the loss doesn't affect the show in a bad way. Holly was never a really strong character and it opened an avenue for Arthur and Spence to get into more silly situations. Their chemistry is much better. In the end, this season is a good addition to the series.

Episode Guide

1. Pole Lox: After Carrie enrolls in a pole dancing class, Doug installs a pole at home and gets a warm response when he tries it. Arthur reminds them of the innocent pleasures of childhood.
2. Vocal Discord: An audio transcriber left on captures an ugly side to Carrie and Doug's relationship, and Arthur finds inspiration in their mutual misery.
3. Consummate Professional: On his tenth anniversary at IPS, Doug reveals to Carrie that he faked his early employment in order to win her over, transporting them back to 1995.
4. Like Hell: Doug ends up doing more harm than good when he tries and fails to charm a new IPS employee, Jared. Carrie gives the office wallflower a makeover.
5. Sandwiched Out: Carrie is shocked when Holy announces she's moving back to New York, causing Arthur to question her motives. Doug and Deacon battle a restaurant.
6. Shear Torture: Doug's sudden interest in getting frequent haircuts causes Carrie to investigate. Spence chooses between two TV legends as his date to a comic book convention.
7. Inn Escapable: When a stay at an upstate bed and breakfast proves too rustic, Doug and Carrie flee to a luxury hotel. Arthur uncovers more than he bargained for on a date.
8. Move Doubt: When the house next door goes up for sale, Doug and Carrie don't understand why Deacon and Kelly aren't rushing to become their neighbors.
9. G'Night Stalker: Doug's surprising skill at karaoke attracts a secret admirer. When Carrie intervenes, the fan becomes obsessed with Doug. Deacon is shunned for his music taste.
10. Raygin' Bulls: A night out for Doug and his old buddy Ray Barone leaves them, to their amazement, all but unnoticed by the ladies. Carrie takes Arhtur to visit her mother's grave.
11. Baker's Doesn't: Suffering pangs of holiday guilt, Doug pressures Carrie to make something for their church bake sale. Arthur and Spence try composing a hit Christmas song.
12. Fresh Brood: Doug decides it's time that he and Carrie start a family, but when he brings home a baby for a "test drive," he finds that she doesn't have a knack for children.

13. Gambling N'diction: Doug and his mom Janet embark on a mother/son card hustling spree with her retired friends. Carrie takes diction lessons from Spence.
14. Apartment Complex: Carrie's frantic preparations to show real estate listing to celebrity client Kirstie Alley forces Doug and the guys to rent a small apartment for their poker games.
15. Buggie Nights: When Arthur brings home a set of motel sheets, Doug and Carrie find themselves with thousands of houseguests -- bed bugs. An exterminator has to save the day.
16. Knee Jerk: Doug takes full advantage of his injured knee to get sugar-and-spice treatment from Carrie, inspiring Arthur to see if he can get the same sympathy from her as well.
17. Present Tense: An especially unflattering portrait of Doug and Carrie given as an anniversary gift to them from Deacon and Kelly causes marital - and friendship - strain.
18. Sold-y Locks: Carrie cuts her hair for money so that she and Doug can go on a cruise. But her newly short locks lead Arthur to wonder whether Frank, a man from the past, is her father.
19. Emotional Rollercoaster: Reminiscing with Carrie on his fortieth birthday leads Doug to an amusement park to face a lifelong fear: riding "The Eliminator." Arthur devises a plan to dodge long park lines.
20. Four Play: For Doug and Carrie, a fun double date with Deacon and Kelly backfires when Kelly gets fed up with Doug. Arthur learns that his advice isn't always taken.
21. Hartford Wailer: Doug discovers that Carrie plans to pamper herself instead of getting her hands dirty when she volunteers to build "Homes For America."
22. Fight Schlub: Carrie finds that good behavior isn't the best way to mentor a sixteen year-old girl. When a rival delivery services takes over a favorite IPS hangout, Doug secretly befriends one of the drivers.
23. Acting Out: When Carrie suggests Arthur be moved to a retirement home after he starts a fire in the basement, Doug plans for his new media center, until he discovers the sacrifices Arthur made for Carrie.

The DVD

Video:
The video is given in its original television format of 1.78:1 ratio widescreen color. The picture quality is generally good. There are occasional compression artifacts and traces of edge enhancement. But overall it is a solid picture.

Audio:
The audio track in this release is given in English Dolby digital stereo sound. The audio sounds pretty clean and is very flat. It is as basic as TV on DVD releases get. This release also supports closed captioning.

Extras:
There are no extras included with this season set.

Final Thoughts:
Season eight of The King of Queens has some very fun episodes with Doug, Carrie, Arthur, and company. This season says farewell to character Holly, which presents more opportunities for Arthur and Spence to get into more "wild" situations. There are also a lot of fun stories and guest stars. As an overall season, it is a non-stop ride of laughter. Fans new and old will get their monies worth.