The Fifth & Final Season

In the first season of Ellen, the series was called These Friends of Mine. However, with the second season came many changes, including a different cast and title change. The third season introduces another cast change and continues the same episodic format as the past seasons that look into the crazy daily life of thirty something Ellen Morgan (Ellen DeGeneres) and friends. In season four, Ellen underwent a major lifestyle change in "The Puppy Episode" and declared that she was gay. Since Ellen's coming out, the direction of the stories have changed, but the overall mood is same. What makes the stories different this season is how they are mainly about Ellen's new lifestyle. But the comedy still feels like past seasons with Ellen getting her foot stuck in her mouth. For more details about this series please refer to DVD Talk's reviews of season one, season two, season three, and season four.

Season five of Ellen was controversial for a television series in the late nineties. Since DeGerenes' character on Ellen announced she was a lesbian in season four, some undesired feedback from the general public came about. Certain communities were advocating for the show to come off the air due to its content. Ellen even incorporates a joke about it in a couple of the episodes. But regardless, Ellen continued and had a fifth season. However, as season five progressed, the ratings dropped and ABC eventually cancelled the show.

My impressions about season five are generally good. As I have stated in past season reviews, I enjoy DeGeneres and I think she is a really fun person. While the direction of the season five storylines focus on Ellen getting accustomed to her new lifestyle, the remaining parts of what makes Ellen a fun show remain. That is DeGeneres. She is still fun and finds herself in many situations with her foot stuck in her mouth. In past seasons, she had trouble dating the opposite sex; now it is the same sex and it is still funny.

The fifth season collection begins with the episode "Social Climber". Ellen does something she has done before. She tries to impress a special someone by being someone she is not. The only difference is that it is a woman, her spinning instructor. This episode shows that Ellen is not very good at reading signals. "Roommates" is another fun episode along the same lines. Ellen thinks she is being setup on a blind date, but she is really interviewing a potential roommate. What both of these episodes provide is the general goofiness that makes Ellen such a fun character.

"Just Coffee" introduces a new reoccurring character named Laurie (Lisa Darr) as Ellen's girlfriend. They date throughout the season. Their relationship is featured in episodes such as "Break Up", the two call it quits, "The Funeral", Ellen helps Laurie reunite with her family, "Escape From L.A.", Ellen and Laurie travel to San Diego, "Hospital", Ellen gets a scare when Laurie is hit by a car, and "Vows", Ellen and Laurie consider getting very serious about their relationship. The Ellen-Laurie relationship introduces many situations that Ellen and the rest of the cast turn into a riot.

Other fun episodes include "Guys Or Dolls", Ellen's ex-boyfriend Dan returns and Ellen reconsiders her sexual orientation, "Ellen In Focus", Ellen and Joe participate in a focus group for Paige's latest show that stinks, "It's A Gay, Gay, Gay, Gay World!", Spence finds himself in a world where everyone is gay, and the two-part episode "Ellen: A Hollywood Tribute", which is a parody of Ellen's career. Episodes like these were solid productions with lots of laughs.

Overall, season five of Ellen is a solid collection of episodes that any fan of the series should appreciate. While the season five stories mostly focus on Ellen's newfound sexuality and relationship with girlfriend Laurie (and consequently the show's tone is different), the same goofiness that made the earlier seasons fun is still there. DeGeneres is a blast.

Episode Guide

1. Social Climber: Ellen's life goes "spinning" out of control.
2. Guys Or Dolls: Ellen still has feelings--for men?
3. Roommates: Sometimes it's better to just come out and say it.
4. Just Coffee: Does Ellen want romance--or just coffee.
5. Gay Yellow Pages: Ellen's good intentions nearly go down the drain.
6. Public Display Of Affection: Mommy's new girlfriend doesn't cut it.
7. G.I. Ellen: All is not always fair in love and war.
8. Like A Virgin: What's a romantic dinner without the romance?
9. All Ellen, All The Time: Ellen is a hit on talk radio.
10. Emma: Ellen goes to work for the real Emma Thompson.
11. Break Up: Things may be moving too fast for Ellen and Laurie.
12. The Funeral: Death reunites a broken family.
13. Womyn Fest: Sarah McLachlan guest stars at a female only concert
14. It's A Gay, Gay, Gay, Gay World!: Spence wakes up in a world turned upside down.
15. Escape From L.A.: Ellen and Laurie find they may not travel so well together.
16. Neighbors: The neighbors think Ellen's weird.
17. Ellen In Focus: A Little research goes a long way.
18. Vows: Thanks to her parents, Ellen thinks about tying the knot.
19. Hospital: Laurie's accident heals old wounds.
20. When Ellen Talks, People Listen: Instead of turning her off, Ellen's audience turns on her.
21. Ellen: A Hollywood Tribute (Part 1): The stars come out to pay their respects.
22. Ellen: A Hollywood Tribute (Part 2): When it comes to Ellen, there's never too much red carpet.

The DVD

Video:
The video is given in its original television aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame color. The picture quality is fairly decent, with only a slight grain in the picture. However, there are noticeable compression artifacts in each episode, which cause slight color distortion.

Audio:
The audio track in this DVD release is an English 2.0 Dolby digital stereo sound track. The sound quality is fairly good, with only a barely audible distortion. Like most other television series releases on DVD, the audio is relatively flat, as it consists of spoken dialogue.

Extras:
For extras there is "Outtakes" (8:13), a reel of goofs during filming with several funny moments, and "Biographies", information about Ellen DeGeneres, Joely Fisher, David Anthony Higgins, Clea Lewis, and Jeremy Piven.

Final Thoughts:
What made Ellen such a controversial show was the end of season four when DeGeneres' character came out of the closet. To add fuel to the fire, season five's focus on Ellen's newfound sexuality made it even more of an issue for some. For me, I personally don't care either way. What is important to me is how funny the comedy is, and despite the stories' change of focus, the comedy is still a lot of fun. Ellen and the rest of the cast continue to be a riot together and turn some not-so-ordinary situations into a laugh-fest. If you are fan of Ellen's past seasons, then this one should be on your wishlist.