Looking back at my review for the first season of McLeod's Daughters (please click here to read that), I was struck at how grumpy it came off. A "good Aussie soap, but that's all"??? What's that about? Removed from the experience of viewing the superior TV movie which was included with the first season, watching McLeod's Daughters: The Complete Second Season now is pretty fun, with a good-natured approach to the familiar soap conventions, and a laid-back Aussie attitude that never lets the dramatics spill over into heavy-handed melodrama. Too bad I didn't get the appeal of the show the first time around.

Continuing the saga of sisters Claire (Lisa Chappell) and Tess (Bridie Carter) as they struggle to keep Drovers Run, their sprawling ranch in Australia, up and running, McLeod's Daughters: The Complete Second Season expertly juggles the two running plot motifs during each episode: the economic hardships (and the physical strain) of running a ranch, along with the romantic tribulations of the two passionate, intelligent McLeod daughters. If there were variations in tone during the first season, they've been smoothly eliminated here during this glossy sophomore run. The producers are fairly adept at keeping a strong running plot line throughout the season - the survival of Drovers Run as a working ranch - while coming up with more than competent soaper elements for the attractive cast.

That's another element of McLeod's Daughters: The Complete Second Season that I found much more agreeable this season: the emphasis on good looking people populating good looking vistas. Fantasy to be sure, McLeod's Daughters: The Complete Second Season unashamedly offers up television viewers a weekly dose of romance, both on and off a horse. There's not one bad looking frame in McLeod's Daughters: The Complete Second Season, with many widescreen compositions worthy of an epic feature-length film. It may be hard work running a dry, dusty Australian ranch, but the series never makes the realities of what really may be involved with such an endeavor interfere with the sensational locales and the sense of excitement and adventure generated by all that very pretty hardship. The actors as well, to a person, are more than average in attractiveness. And what's wrong with that? After all, that's a big reason why we watch TV: escapism. Unrelieved realism week after week has never hit it big with TV viewers, so I may have grumbled about the first season, but after getting to know the characters, I found McLeod's Daughters: The Complete Second Season quite a bit of escapist, romantic fun.

That fact that this is an Australian production may be the key secret as to why McLeod's Daughters: The Complete Second Season comes off so light and entertaining, despite the serious nature of some of the plots. That famous Aussie casualness and humor are evident in every episode of McLeod's Daughters: The Complete Second Season. Whenever the plot threatens to become a tad sticky, a character will pop and puncture the oncoming pretentiousness. The rather rough-and-tumble nature of the inhabitants in and around Drovers Run, particularly the McLeod daughters, is appealing, as well. If you're used to American soap operas, and the glamor-puss models that wander through expensive sets, you'll be surprised at how tough Claire and Tess come off - not just physically but emotionally as well. Frequently dirty and sweaty (but always sexy), the McLeod daughters more than pull their own weight, both on the ranch and in their romantic battles with the lunkhead males who drift on and off their ranch. Several times during this second season, Claire or Tess will look at each and say "Who needs them?" when laughingly referring to the commitment-shy men in their lives. I would imagine quite a few American viewers - both male and female -- will find them refreshing role models: independent, hard-working women who don't need men to run their ranch, and who make sure their romantic lives are dictated on their own terms.

Here are the 22, one hour episodes of the six-disc box set, McLeod's Daughters: The Complete Second Season, as described on their hardcase back covers:

DISC ONE:

The Drover's Connection
Alex teases Tess about her new venture, planting a hemp crop. Becky is thrilled when her brother Sean visits, hoping that she can stop him from following the same path as her jailbird older brother, Mark.

Through the Looking Glass
Drovers Run has a rabbit infestation, but that's not the only problem troubling Claire. She can't seem to get Peter Johnson out of her mind, and is worried that he's gotten cold feet.

Desperate Measures
Claire's relationship with Peter is deepening. They spend virtually twenty-four hours a day together seeking out horses for training. This only confirms how much they are starting to feel for each other.

The Bore War
It's a dry spell and the women are suffering the consequences. When a newly discovered water source turns into a dispute, a water licensing representative is called in to settle the claims.

DISC TWO:

Hello Stranger
Meg's world is turned upside down with the arrival of Kevin, her first love and Jodi's father, who didn't walk out on her as she had said. Meg's feelings for Kevin are rekindled as they spend more and more time together.

A Dry Spell
As final preparations for the Miss Gungellan ball continue, Meg is faced with a difficult decision; to stay at Drovers Run or to leave with Kevin. Jodi is desperate to go with her father and is over the moon when Meg decides to take a chance and leave.

Three's a Crowd
Tess finds herself increasingly isolated from Claire because of Peter. As she tries to patch things up between Alex and Nick, she mistakenly reveals the truth about the rodeo accident...that Harry could've stopped the boys but didn't.

The Bridle Waltz
Claire and Peter appear to moving closer towards marriage, but Becky's suspicions about Peter have only grown. While playing detective, she discovers the horrible truth that...he's actually married. Knowing that it will devastate Claire, he struggles with telling her.

DISC THREE:

To Have and to Hold
Claire's relationships are fragmented. Becky and her barely speak, and Tess is living in Melbourne. When Peter arrives, she asks him straight out whether he is married. Learning that he is, she sends him packing and tells him the relationship is over.

Home is Where the Heart Is
Claire is taking the loss of both Peter and Tess badly. Unable to raise energy or enthusiasm for anything, she refuses to accept that she is suffering from emotional stress. Things reach crisis point when she decides to sell Drovers.

Wildfire
Everything appears to be going well for Becky's younger brother Sean, until her older brother Mark returns. Sean is unwillingly drawn into Mark's plans against the Ryans.

Hounded
There's a fox on the prowl and Tess is determined to find a solution other than shooting the animal. When Terry buys some weathered Alpacas, it seems like the perfect solution until he learns that one of the Alpacas is a stolen $200,000 Peruvian stud.

DISC FOUR:

Steer Trek
With the continuing drought, and no money to buy feed or truck in water, Claire, Tess and Nick join forces. Like the drovers of old, they take their combined herds out on the Gungellan track.

Brave J
Tess motivates Claire into rekindling her dreams of becoming a stock horse trainer and breeder. Drovers Run needs the money and with Peter out of the way, her dream can finally be pursued.

You Can Leave Your Hat On
In the middle of the night, a stranger knocks on their door claiming a broken down van, and suspicions are aroused. When Jodi discovers that occupants of the van are strippers, she is thrilled and volunteers to cook them dinner with disastrous results.

Stripped Bare
Everything from Drovers is stolen as Jodi and Craig have a secret rendezvous in the spa. When Wilgul is robbed, Tess and Nick set a trap to catch the thieves.

DISC FIVE:

Blame it On the Moonlight
Claire is irritated over Tess' three out of town guests. The girls are starting to shear today, and the last thing they need are tourists getting in the way. More surprises are in store as Alberto returns from Italy.

Made to be Broken
Claire and Alex are finding out that potential clients are being put off by rumors that Alex was responsible for crippling an ex-local boy. Although he denies the rumors, Alex's current behavior makes Claire question whether or not she really knows the man she loves.

Best of Enemies
Tess meets Sandra Kinsela at the cattle sale yards and likes her instantly, only to discover that Claire dislikes her intensely. Their childhood dispute is renewed when a herd of calves is stolen from Drovers, and Claire is convinced she is responsible.

Wind Change
Sexual tension mounts between Nick and Tess. Tess is ready to take a step forward but is interrupted when Alex's chopper flies over Killarney dusting the farm with chemicals and threatening the freshly sewn organic wheat crop.

DISC SIX:

No More Mr. Nice Guy
Changes are looming at Drovers Run when Claire is presented with repossession papers for defaulting on her contract with Australian Bloodlines. Matters are made worse when she discovers that she is pregnant.

Future Perfect
Peter offers to stop Australian Bloodlines from repossessing Drovers if Claire agrees to marry him. After she rejects Peter's deal, Claire takes him on in the Stockman's Challenge and falls. Her accident reveals her pregnancy.

The DVD:

The Video:
The widescreen, anamorphic 16x9 video image for McLeod's Daughters: The Complete Second Season is nothing short of spectacular, with rich vibrant colors and not a speck of grain or artifacting. It literally shimmers on the screen.

The Audio:
The Dolby Digital English 2.0 stereo is clear, but some viewers really may need subtitling or close-captioning - which unfortunately aren't available -- for the thick Aussie accents.

The Extras:
There are no extras available this time around for McLeod's Daughters: The Complete Second Season.

Final Thoughts:
Superior soap opera with a stunning Australian backdrop, McLeod's Daughters: The Complete Second Season is unashamedly romantic, juggling a compelling storyline of two independent women trying to keep control of their family homestead, while navigating the difficult terrain of modern romance. Attractive performers, well-integrated scripts, and polished direction mark McLeod's Daughters: The Complete Second Season as a winner. I highly recommend McLeod's Daughters: The Complete Second Season.