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Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends - The Complete Season 2
Warner Bros. // Unrated // September 11, 2007
List Price: $19.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
Note: Please check out the review of "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: The Complete First Season" for information on the show's history and a whole heap of praise that would only be redundant to repeat here.In my review of the "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends" first season DVD set, I claimed the series "ranks among the very best cartoons to ever grace television screens." That praise holds true for the show's sophomore year, which joyously continues its sense for animated anarchy and absurd humor. It's still a flat-out perfect show.
The second season is most notable among fans for introducing us to Cheese, a wildly moronic, endlessly obnoxious oddball friend with a penchant for "chok-litt milk" and a knack for blowing snot bubbles out his nose. While Cheese only appears in one episode this season (and, surprisingly, only four throughout the run of the show so far), he became such a fan favorite that he started popping up in advertising (including Cartoon Network's wonderfully bizarre set of billboards, one of which simply said "I pooted") and landed a prime spot as the focus of quickie commercial bumpers that ran during other episodes of the series - perhaps just to keep the character fresh during his in-show absence. Cheese even graces the cover of the season two DVD set.
It's a testament to the show's producers that they refused to take Cheese's fame and overdo it. Once fan reaction became evident, "Foster's" could have easily become "The Cheese Show" (in spirit if not in title, that is), just as easily as many other series have been taken over by popular supporting characters. But Craig McCracken and staff were wise enough to realize that Cheese is only funny in small doses (ask any parent whose child has taken to imitating the character: it gets old fast), and changing the focus of the show just to go along with whatever's faddish at the time would be a cheap move.
As it stands, Cheese is only one in a handful of new friends. Others include Ivan, the many-eyed seeing-eye friend voiced by the brilliant Kevin McDonald; Uncle Pockets, the "best imaginary friend ever" who speaks in catchy rhyme; and a giant pin-shaped guru who teaches Mac the Zen of bowling. The corners of the series remain packed with hundreds other friends, named and unnamed, that display another burst of imagination from this endlessly creative showcase.
The series also remains hilarious, with gags both visual and verbal, mixing character humor (Bloo's self-centered id-ness never fails to supply laughs) with out-of-left-field insanity (the very nature of the show celebrates a certain brand of weirdness). From writing to animation to vocal performance, there's not a single missed step in terms of making this one of the sharpest, funniest out there.
Indeed, if you're a fan of the series, you know that the second season is as strong as its first. (Indeed, all five seasons to date have been exceptional.) And if you haven't yet experienced the magical mayhem of "Foster's," now's as good a time to start as any.
The DVDWarner Bros. collects all thirteen episodes of the "Foster's" second season on a two-disc set, presented in a single-wide keepcase with a hinged tray holding the second disc. Episodes are presented in production order, not original broadcast order, although that's not an issue here at all.
The episodes in this set are:
Disc One: "The Big Lablooski," "Where There's a Wilt There's a Way"/"Everyone Knows It's Bendy," "Partying Is Such Sweet Soiree," "Sight For Sore Eyes"/"Bloo's Brothers," "Cookie Dough," "Frankie My Dear," and "Mac Daddy."
Disc Two: "Squeakerboxxx," "Beat with a Schtick," "The Sweet Stench of Success," "Bye Bye Nerdy," "Bloo Done It," and "My So-Called Wife."
Short commercial bumpers featuring Cheese appear randomly throughout the episodes, and I do mean randomly - they appear to be programmed to play in between chapter stops, but not in the same break twice, so you never know when Cheese will strike next. It's a neat touch.
Video & Audio
As with the first season set, the image quality here is flawless, providing sharp detail to the colorful animation. (Presented in the original 1.33:1 broadcast format.) The Dolby 2.0 soundtrack is also excellent. Spanish and French stereo dubs are provided, as are optional subtitles in English, French, and Spanish.
Extras
Cheese himself provides a commentary on "Mac Daddy." As mentioned, a little Cheese goes a long way, and a full ramble of the little guy is a bit much. It's certainly not as entertaining as the character commentary on the previous DVD set - although kids are sure to get a solid giggle from his antics.
"CheeseQuest: A Very Special Music Video" (1:13), in which Cheese eats a video game cartridge and finds himself inside a series of old school video games, aired on Cartoon Network during commercial breaks. It's a nice inclusion here.
A set of show promos (5:30 total) reveal again that the series' ad campaign (as well as Cartoon Network's own in-house between-shows marketing) remains top notch.
As with season one, the "end of episode gags" (6:39 total) - little repetitive jokes that play out over the closing credits - are presented separately. I'm not sure why they weren't included within the actual episodes, but they're still fun to watch on their own.
A new "gallery of friends" allows viewers to click around the house and meet many secondary characters, as described by Frankie.
Final ThoughtsThe first season set landed in the DVD Talk Collector Series. It's tempting, but this second collection doesn't quite match up - not because of show quality, but because the bonus material is this shy of repeating the earlier set's success. Of course, the series alone makes this set Highly Recommended, but the extras are plenty fun, too.
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