Short Takes

Update 04/04: While researching a review of Mail Call: Best of Season 2, I noticed THREE episodes on this disc are actually from Season Two. There are no duplications, however. See episode list below.

"What makes them the best? I SAID SO, MAGGOT!!!"

Most widely known as the fire-breathing drill instructor of Full Metal Jacket, veteran character actor and real-life "Gunny" R. Lee Ermey sent a button-down cable network runnin' home to momma when "Mail Call" debuted in August of 2002. Just five episodes in, the weekly march of military minutia drew higher ratings than any other show on The History Channel, and with nearly three seasons under his spit-polished belt, R. Lee shows no signs of relenting command of one of TV's funniest and richly informative series. Of those 39 half-hour episodes, plus an hour special "Live from the Gulf," this disc highlights seven shows, each with in-the-field responses to viewer questions as diverse as "How does a land mine work? Where does the word 'Gung Ho' come from? How did WWI pilots shoot through their propellers? What were the different pieces of armor a medieval knight wore?" This usually requires, as in the case of that last quandary, the ol' Gunny to suit up and cross swords with experts, and at the same time, often defend peace-loving peoples from rampaging watermelons. Ermey's most motivated dispatching of "The Enemy" among this "best of" batch? That's easy: via jeep-mounted .30 caliber machine gun!!! "AHH! HA! HA!" Semper Fi. Carry on. (2002-03, 154 mins, Fullframe, DD 2.0, Two brief promos, Many episodes conclude with expletive-punctuated bloopers.)

MAIL CALL: BEST OF SEASON 1 (SORTA)

Season 2, Episode 1: Grenade Launchers to Jet Packs
Season 2, Episode 9: Bazookas to the 21-Gun Salute
Episode 11: Grenades to Tunnel Rats
Episode 4: Cannoneers to Clearing Minefields
Episode 3: Body Armor to WWI Pilots
Episode 2: Knights' Armor to Land Mines
Season 2, Episode 13: Coast Guard Ships to WII V-Mail

MAIL CALL: BEST OF SEASON 2 (HONEST!)

Episode 2: Civil War Rifles to Hedgechoppers
Episode 4: U.S. Marine Training Tools to Dazzle Paint
Episode 5: Trebuchets to Boomerangs
Episode 6: LAVs to the Military Salute
Episode 7: The Deuce-and-a-Half to Scottish Kilts
Episode 10: Medieval Weapons to Ejection Seats
Episode 12: Unmanned Aircraft to Fairbairn-Sykes Commando Knife