Info:
DVD Release Date: March 7, 2006 (Paramount Home Entertainment)
Color/1973-74
MSRP: $38.99
Number of Discs: 4
Number of Episodes: 22
Running Time: 9 hours, 13 minutes
Languages, Subtitles, Closed Captioning: English;
closed-captioned
Special Features: None
Introduction:
Here's the story... of some lovely discs... The
Complete Final Season of The Brady Bunch is the set...
there are four discs... in double slim cases... and
you will want it too! That's right, the fifth (and
final) season of one of the biggest pop-culture
sitcoms of all time is now coming to DVD, and you can
keep on, keep on, keep on (sorry, I know that was
season 4) enjoying your favorite adventures of Mike,
Carol, Greg, Peter, Bobby, Marcia, Jan, Cindy, and the
housekeeper that every stay-at-home mother requires,
Alice!
The fun in the fifth season continues with things such
as Greg perhaps becoming a big music star, Peter
becoming Bobby's slave, the family going to King's
Island, and America's favorite (or maybe least
favorite) cousin coming to live with the Brady
family--Cousin Oliver (played by Robbie Rist).
Memorable Episodes / Notable Guest Stars:
Disc 1 begins with a talent scout seeing talent when
she sees the Brady kids performing--but the talent she
sees includes only Greg! What will win: Greg's ego, or
his loyalty to his brothers and sisters? Find out in
"Adios, Johnny Bravo" (25:04). Bobby tells his friends
that he knows football legend Joe Namath (who plays
himself)--and is challenged to prove it in "Mail Order
Hero" (25:12). Cindy recruits the whole family
(including Alice and Sam) to take part in a production
of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves for her retiring
teacher in "Snow White and the Seven Bradys"
(25:04)... and they all want to be Dopey! Melissa Sue
Anderson guest stars as Millicent, who gives Bobby his
first kiss--but did she give him mumps too?? Find out
the answer (and consider having an exciting roaring
20's party as the Bradys do...) in "Never Too Young"
(25:13). Greg has to fix up his girlfriend's cousin
with somebody so that he can double date--and he finds
the perfect match for her, within his own family in
"Peter and the Wolf" (25:13). Greg has a girl in his
bedroom, and she is an animal--but don't worry, she
really IS an animal, she is a goat! Why is she there?
Find out in "Getting Greg's Goat" (25:13).
On to Disc 2, there is the episode "Marcia Gets
Creamed" (25:14), where Marcia gets a job at an ice
cream parlor and suggests to her boss that he take
some time off and hire somebody else to do his
work--other employees which include Peter, and then
later Jan! But Marcia has to face the harsh reality
when her boss decides that taking time off is not the
thing for him. Bobby saves Peter's life (kind of), and
Peter decides to become Bobby's slave for life--but
Peter finds out that Bobby can be a very demanding
person in "My Brother's Keeper" (25:15). Marcia has a
date--and it is Greg's football rival--in "Quarterback
Sneak" (25:13). Jan comes to the conclusion that she
has no talent, and the family goes over the top to
make her feel like she has many special talents in
"Try, Try Again" (25:14). The family takes a vacation
to King's Island in "The Cincinnati Kids" (25:13) so
that Mike can present some blueprints to an interested
client--but when he only has a half hour and discovers
that his blueprints are missing, what is he going to
do? Sam and Alice have plans for Saturday night, but
not as big as the plans that the Brady’s think they
have in "The Elopement" (25:13).
Disc 3 begins with "Miss Popularity" (24:47) where Jan
wants to be voted the most popular girl at school--but
will her ego disgust her classmates, and maybe even
more? Ken Berry guest stars in "Kelly's Kids" (25:12),
which was a pilot for a failed spin-off involving
Berry's character and his wife adopting three children
from different backgrounds. It's a battle of the sexes
when Greg and Marcia vie to determine ‘who is the
better driver’ in "The Driver's Seat" (25:04). Peter
and Bobby see a UFO--seriously? Find out in "Out of
this World" (25:00). The fifth season of the show
wouldn't be complete without America's FAVORITE jinx,
Cousin Oliver (played by Robbie Rist) moving in with
the Brady family in "Welcome Aboard" (25:17).
Disc 4 begins with "Two Petes in a Pod" (24:47), where
a new student that looks EXACTLY like him shows up in
his school--and causes all kinds of trouble for him at
home when he decides to play a trick on the family!
Bobby and Oliver believe that Sam might be a spy in
"Top Secret" (25:17). Marcia seeks revenge on the
snooping Cindy in "The Snooperstar" (25:16). Natalie
Schafer guest stars. Yet another Gilligan's Island
star, Jim Backus, plays Mike's boss in the very next
episode, "The Hustler" (25:18), where he gives the
Brady’s a pool table. Finally, Disc 4 (and the season,
and the series) ends with "The Hairbrained Scheme"
(25:18), where Bobby gets into the hair tonic
business--and sells the tonic to Greg, who runs into a
disaster using the tonic, just days before graduation!
Packaging:
Consistency: that is the key word here. I don't think
I've ever seen a series of DVD releases that have been
as consistent as consistent as Paramount's releases of
The Brady Bunch, and the final season makes no
exception. The typical hologram family square (I LOVE
that this is done) graces the cover once again, with
three different ways of each family member moving
their heads. Of course, the color scheme changes with
each season--this time we have orange and yellow.
Inside the box, we have four discs inside of two
double slim cases. The artwork on the front of each
slim case includes various snapshots from episodes
from those discs, and on the back, there are episode
listings for each disc (including descriptions and
airdates for the episodes). The case for Discs 1 and 2
is orange, and the case for Discs 2 and 4 is yellow.
Inside of each slim case, each disc has a picture from
an episode on that set for the disc art. You'll even
find quotes from the episodes inside the slim case.
The breakdown of episodes is rather consistent on the
set. Episodes 96-101 are on Disc 1, 102-107 on Disc 2,
108-112 on Disc 3, and 113-117 on Disc 4.
Menu Design and Navigation:
The consistency that I just mentioned continues to the
menus. The main menus (which come up once you insert
the disc) are very basic, and allow you to select an
episode or Play All. And when you select the episode,
it plays immediately--no scene selection or other
frills. Disc 1 is a little different, because when you
insert that disc, you have the option to view previews
or to go to the main menu (I think this is a better
way of doing forced trailers than the way most
companies do it). The main menu has a picture from an
episode on the disc, but again, there is no music or
anything playing in the background. As far as scene
selections, they aren't there, but very appropriately
placed chapters can be found within the episodes.
There was one thing that kind of bothered me about the
menus, though (and this is something that shows up
from time to time on various sets). The difference in
the color between the flower and the background of the
menu on some discs is not very different, and as a
result, it is hard to see what episode you are
currently on when navigating the menu. I've seen worse
cases, but still, this is a little bit annoying, and
the difference is particularly problematic on Disc 1.
Video and Audio Quality:
I have nothing to gripe about with the video and audio
quality. They are both as expected, and of course, the
audio is presented in mono (Dolby Digital Mono to be
specific). The video just has the usual grain and
other minor issues that are associated with older
shows. Closed-captioning is available on the set. As
far as the episode lengths are concerned, all the
episodes are fine and seem to be uncut, running around
25 minutes for each one. And for the closing logo
enthusiasts, just as the previous sets have been, the
original Paramount closing logo is intact.
Special Features:
Just like seasons 2-4, there are no special features
once again. Unfortunately, this was the last
opportunity for Paramount to get special features
right on these sets. Unless they intend to re-release
season sets of the show for some reason (and I don't
think I've ever seen that happen with any television
show on DVD so far), this is the end of the line. They
can't throw in something that has been sitting in the
archives on a "future release." They can't have any
more commentaries. They can't have any more
interviews. The opportunities for these (and more) are
gone.
Final Comments:
Despite the special features (or the lack thereof),
Paramount has done a great job with all five
releases... releasing sets at a fast pace, including
all unedited episodes, and having sets that are just
nicely produced and put together. This is definitely a
set worth getting--and if you don't have them already,
the first four seasons are worth picking up too (and
there are some special features on the first season
set for those that are interested). Now, perhaps
Paramount ought to release some of the spin-offs
produced from the show, such as The Brady Brides and
The Bradys... I honestly wouldn't expect that though,
so in the meantime get these classic Brady Bunch
episodes!
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars - How our point system works)
Video Quality: 4/5
Audio Quality: 4.5/5
Special Features: 0/5
Menu Design/Navigation: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
--Reviewed by skees53 on 03/04/06
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