As part of Jim Henson's empire and a showpiece for his brilliant insanity, Fraggle Rock was a show that captivated children back in the 80s. Each week kids would tune in to watch the underground adventures of Gobo, Red, Wembley, and the rest of the Fraggles down at Fraggle Rock. I was six at the time the show aired and found myself smack dab in the middle of the target audience. It was that adoration of the show that made me check out the series when the first season was released on DVD last year.

Much to my surprise going back to watch the show some twenty years later brought a different experience. Yes, deep down Fraggle Rock is as true a children's show as you'll ever find, but in between the laughs and silly songs the plots were surprisingly deep with messages about tolerance, friendship and self confidence. Fans of Henson's work already know that these traits appear in most of his projects, though in many ways it seemed stronger in Fraggle Rock. Oh, the show also raises important philosophical questions too. Should we go to Bubba's Burger Barn or Manny's Land of Carpets?

Unfortunately over the years the popularity of the Fraggles hasn't been nearly as strong as, say, the Muppets. The show just didn't have the same wide appeal that The Muppet Show did. Even so, if you go to the mall you'll see stuffed Fraggles in toy stores and there is also a movie apparently in the works. Of course comparing this show to The Muppet Show is like sizing up apples and oranges; they are completely different concepts, though both appealing in their own way. While The Muppet Show featured characters like Kermit, Piggy, and Fozzie teaming up with guest stars for a performance, Fraggle Rock dealt entirely with its own story and characters.

Deep underground below the house of Doc and his dog Sprocket lays an interconnecting series of tunnels known as Fraggle Rock. The caverns are lit with an array of colors and the world is teeming with magic of all kinds. Living in this fantastical world are little creatures known as the Fraggles (if you haven't figured that out by now). In these caves the Fraggles play all day, go on adventures, and explore the mysteries of life.

There are several different Fraggles but five in particular are the main focus of the show. Gobo is basically the leader of the group and tends to find himself in the middle of all the activity in the Rock. Wembley is Gobo's rambling and indecisive friend and roommate. Red is the spunkiest of the Fraggles who loves sports, diving, and, most of all, swimming. Mokey is the hippy Fraggle who is all about the flower power and tends to be kind of a space cadet when you get right down to it. Last but not least is Boober (my favorite Fraggle). He spends his days doing laundry, cooking poorly, and being pessimistic about just about everything.

With such a diverse cast of characters every episode is something new. Add to that the addition of other races such as busy-bee workers the Doozers and the Fraggle thumbing Gorgs and the world of Fraggle Rock gets pretty dense. Also, as you'd expect with a Henson project, loveable second tier characters come into the picture. This is especially true in the second season of the show.

Two of my favorite secondary characters in Fraggle Rock appear in the newest DVD set to be released. The biggest reason these two were my favorite characters had to do with the fact that Jim Henson provided their voices. Cantus the Minstrel and Convincing John. Henson's liveliness translates into the every facet of these two characters and if you close your eyes you can almost hear Rowlf in the voice of Convincing John. But even when Henson isn't performing a character the show is still rich with atmosphere and his own brand of charm. Pretty much every episode here is enjoyable but in my opinion there are a few that stand out above the rest.

My personal favorite from this season was easily "The Secret of Convincing John." As I mentioned earlier in this review this particular episode features Jim Henson performing as Convincing John. He's a motivational speaker and has a way of convincing anyone to do what he says or be the way that they want to be. When Wembley gets yelled at for being indecisive he comes to the conclusion that he needs to change his ways so he goes to see John. After a minute with the Fraggle he is transformed into the king of the world. He eventually starts taking over for everyone and becomes so overbearing that they drag him back to Convincing John to be deprogrammed. The simple message of this episode is don't try to be something you're not. I think this is the only time the character appears which is a shame because he has to be one of the most entertaining I have seen.

Another gem is Manny's Land of Carpets. While heading out into Outer Space (the human world) Gobo finds a shiny black box (radio) that begins talking to him. Based on information he has gathered he determines that this box is a wish granting creature. He brings it back to Fraggle Rock where it begins to invite (advertise) the Fraggles to many wonderful places: Manny's Land of Carpets (where your happiness is guaranteed), Bubba's Burger Barn, and Sally Spotless Cleaners. The places sound wonderful and all the Fraggles decide to go their separate ways and go their favorite spot mentioned by the wish granting creature; that is until some start to have second thoughts and wonder if things are just fine the way they are at home. This was a very clever story and pretty darn funny too as you watch the Fraggles go crazy for their favorite destination.

A Cave of One's Own finds Red and Mokey deciding to become roommates. They find a great cave and everything seems to be going well . . . for about five minutes anyway. Personalities clash and tempers flare as energetic and high maintenance Red and peaceful and contemplative Mokey try to find a middle ground before they are forced to split up. This episode teaches a very important message about compromise. I think everyone has dealt with a difficult roommate at some point in their life so they can relate to what the characters go through in trying to work out their lifestyle differences. But I bet not every roommate had plant Death Wart named Landfred.

And the final one I am going to pick out is The Day the Music Died. Gobo is chosen to write the new Glory Song for the Fraggles. Sort of like the anthem for their generation. Not being much of a songwriter, he fumbles through trying to come up with something good, but then a much bigger problem comes along. The Rock starts having blackout that causes everyone to fall asleep. They found out that this is because a group of creatures called the Ditsies, who light the caves, are dying and no one knows why. Gobo and friends must then race to save them before everyone in the Rock falls asleep. While this episode might seem a little scary for children at time, it is very touching and the resolution is truly storytelling at its best.

There are many other highlights to be found in this season and in my opinion there really isn't a bad episode in the bunch. From start to finish the second season of Fraggle Rock entertains. Older fans will love the sense of nostalgia while the younger generation will adore the Fraggles. The Muppets may have been Henson's ultimate achievement but Fraggle Rock wasn't very far behind.

For video that is over twenty years old the quality in the second season of Fraggle Rock is quite good. The show is presented with its original 1.33:1 full frame aspect ratio and even though the image contains a fair amount of grain, overall the look is very clean for its age. The picture is a little on the soft side but that's also to be expected. The original masters were maintained very well and the transfer here is above and beyond what you'd ever find on that old VHS down in the basement.

Just like the video presentation, the audio is what you'd expect for a TV show this old. 2.0 Stereo is the only way that Fraggle Rock comes and needless to say the directionality of the sound isn't very diverse. The quality is there in spades and there is nothing "technically" wrong with this release from what I experienced, but the presentation is good in a standard kind of way. There are no subtitles of any kind featured here.

Fraggle fans are in luck. The second season boxed set includes a wealth of bonus material and obviously had a lot of care put into it. On the material side of things a replica of Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock pitch book is included. The presentation is a little different (and cleaner) than the notebook included in the first DVD release, but this one is still interesting to flip through.

A tribute to Jerry Juhl is featured on the bonus disc and comes across as a deeply personal recollection of the man. People that worked with him over the years all come together with memories about what kind of person he was and what it was like to work with him. The part that struck me the most was when his wife described how he proposed to her.

An extensive amount of bonus content is still available on the extras disc. Under "Exclusive Interviews" is a smattering of stuff. A "Season 2 Overview" is just what it sounds, while "Docs and Sprockets" is an interesting look at the international side of the live action segments. Travelling Matt gets two in depth looks with some international spots and some interesting bits about his character. "Steve's Home Movie" is basically a lost footage pile of some behind the scenes work and a music video helps round things out.

While its audience may not be as diverse as the Muppets, Fraggle Rock is a show that hasn't lost its charm. Taking a trip down memory lane can often be a painful excursion when you go back to something you enjoyed as a child, but that isn't the case here. The second season DVD packs some classic Fraggle moments along with some great aesthetics and wonderful bonus content. Whether you were a fan of the show or not, anybody that loves Jim Henson's brilliance has to check this release out.

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