Customer Reviews

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: Complete Season One

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Dear A&E...

Well, now you've really gone and done it this time. You've got me addicted, make that readdicted, to this wonderful series. I really tried to limit myself to only one episode a day, but found that impossible. I found myself once again involved in the lives of the townsfolk of 19th century Colorado Springs. Dr. Mike, Matthew, Colleen, little Brian, Loren, Myra, Horrace, Hank, Jake, Robert E., Grace, Cloud Dancing, Black Kettle, Miss Olive, The Reverend, and Sully(ahhhh... Sully), have all touched me in some way. After each episode I am left with a tear running down my cheek or a lump in my throat, but most often with a smile, that may now need to be surgically removed!

The stories are so well written and heartwarming. There are very few TV series today that even come close. I've had to sit and watch, as week by week, the townspeople slowly warm to a lady Doctor treating their ailments(sometimes adding great tension to the story), as friendships and bonds develop, the love between Dr. Mike and her new family grows, and of course as her friendship with Sully(ahhhh... Sully), turns to romance. Each episode has something new to offer. Some are full of danger and adventure, others touched my heart, some made me laugh, and I even recieved a bit of a history lesson in each epsiode.

The weekly cast including Jane Seymour, Joe Lando(ahhhh... Sully), Orson Bean, Gail Strickland, Chad Allen and Larry Sellers held me captive with their outstanding work on the series, and on top of that I was subjected to performances from legendary guest stars such as Jane Wyman, Johnny Cash, Diane Ladd, Kenny Rogers, and Robert Culp. Add to that the fabulous music of William Olvis, the beautiful cinematography, great direction, and marvelous period costumes and well..I'm hooked!

Now about these DVDs...You have released them in a beautifully packaged set. The entire first season, including the feature length pilot on five discs, all in their own keep cases, look and sound terrific. The picture is clear with vibrant and lush colors. The Dolby Digital Sound is excellent, and you managed to include ALL the credits. While waiting for my recently ordered Season 2 to arrive, I have been enjoying the bonus features including the A&E epsiode of "Biography" featuring Jane Seymour,the photo gallery and the tour of Colorado Springs. Each disc has it's own interactive menu for epsiodes and scene access as well.

For a total of 14 hours(not counting the extras), I was taken away to another time and place and didn't want to come back!(and did I mention Sully?) You may want to consider adding one of those " Caution...Contains lots of love..May Be Addicting" warning labels to the buying info.

A&E..I have two words for you...THANK YOU!

If you just want a sample of this great series check out:Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman: For Better Or Worse

Laurie

P.S. I wish I could have gone 5 stars for this excellent DVD package, but without subtitles or captions they cannot be enjoyed by all...please think about this in future releases.

Dr. Quinn is one of the finest shows ever produced. For six seasons, this show took us back to the period just after the end of the Civil War when the West was still wild, beautiful and dangerous. Jane Seymour is unforgettable as Dr. Michaela Quinn who leaves Boston high society to begin a medical practice in Colorado Springs. The history of medicine unravels before our eyes, along with the history of the West, the injustices carried out against Native Americans, the birth of the railroad, etc. Dr. Quinn also tells one of the greatest love stories ever written for television. The chemistry between Jane Seymour and Joe Lando was truly amazing.

There was good reason for the uproar unleashed when CBS canceled this show before its time was done. It was a terrible mistake in judgment. It is a decision that continues to haunt the President of CBS, Leslie Moonves, who recently admitted that he still receives (more than 7 years after Dr. Quinn's cancellation) over 100 protest letters and e-mails a month.

If you have never seen this show -- watch it now (commericial-free!!!) and enjoy one hell of a ride.

I became addicted to Dr. Quinn after seeing it on the hallmark channel. I really would like the whole series on dvd, I bought season 1 through a seller at a reasonable price, but the rest of the series are so much more expensive I think for now Im going to do the old fashioned way of video taping them. Hopefully the price will come down if A&E will learn how to package them so they don't have to charge so much. I have the Little House series and they were low $30's. Thats what these should be! 3 stars because of the price!

When I first heard about the concept of the show in 1992, I was already convinced that I just HAD to see the very first episode (pilot). And gosh I am glad I did, I have been watching breathlessly for six years!

The first season in my opinion is the best, because it illustrates how hard it was for women to earn respect in a men's world. Dr. Quinn (Jane Seymour) is one of the first woman doctors and when she moves to Colorado Springs, a woman on her own, not married, she has to convince the townspeople that she is very capable as a doctor. Then, when she gets the care of three children, she's also a single mother. GREAT stuff!!

Besides that the life and culture of the Cheyenne people, are beautifully brought out. Dr. Quinn, gets her indian name 'medicine woman' from chief Black Kettle as she saves his life.

Beth Sullivan has created a masterpiece, a series for prime time to watch with the whole family. Jane Seymour is lead actress and we finally see that she can do more than acting in mini-series. Joe Lando (Sully), Chad Allen (Matthew), Erika Flores (Colleen) and Shawn Toovey (Brian) show us great acting as well!

Ditching my TV in the mid 1980s made me happy. There was not much worth watching. When I acquired a secondhand TV ten years later, it was for video movies only (and then DVDs, when they became popular). But I was running out of movies. I was sick of all the gratuitous sex and violence--and the depiction of women as vapid sex kittens, their value in meeting Mr. Right, and men as James Bond clones.

Then I met Dr. Quinn.

The glowing Amazon reviews inspired me to start renting. What I was not prepared for was how feminism suffuses this series. What are "family values," exactly? Not the insipid standards from sit-com land, where humor consists of putting someone down at the expense of another. These "family values" are kindness, reverence for nature, respect of people regardless of race or gender...in short, the golden rule to treat others as one would want to be treated. A TV show that includes respect for women as independent, intelligent people is a rare find. But one might expect this in a series that a woman conceived, women produced, and where the majority of episodes were written by women as well.

The feminism in Dr. Quinn is not devoid of art. It's not a political statement smacking you in the face. It's an organic part of the story. The story is always first, which is what makes this show so great. We sympathize with Dr. Quinn as she struggles against the sexism and patronizing attitudes of the townspeople, trying to set down roots as the "lady doctor."

Racism takes its rightful place alongside feminism. We are rightfully horrified by the white people's mistreatment of the sensitively portrayed Cheyenne Indians (of particular note is the wonderful wise character of Cloud Dancing). And we see how the town's hatred and mistreatment of black people poisons, especially the ones who hate. The writers achieve a nice balance between depicting the world as it was, while simultaneously showing that the "world as it was" was sometimes very misguided.

For the first half dozen episodes, Jane Seymour does not seem to have settled into her character. It takes almost the entire first season to sense her as a rounded person. But if the characters are not quite developed, they are not caricatured either. The acting is superb, making one want to know more about these people whose lives are already so intertwined and promise to be more so in future seasons. It's unusual to have such a large cast; but every person stands out as an individual with something to offer the plot.

As Jane Seymour states in one of the special features, she did considerable research to make sure that the medicine of that time period was accurately portrayed. The thousand of little details, from costumes to sets (and horseback riding skills) all add to the authenticity of the episodes.

Season One, which provides the foundation for subsequent seasons, left me with an urgent desire to see more. Highly recommended. I'm giving this 4 stars because most of the other seasons are even better.

"Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" is one of the best TV series. I'm glad to see its release on DVD, but disappointed to find that it's not closed-captioned like it's described in Amazon.com's "Product Details." Once again, the hearing impared are ignored, and cannot fully appreciate the great series. In terms of the rating, the Series itself deserves FIVE STARS, but I give the DVD three stars for its lack of close captions, and its false advertisement in the "Product Details."

For the hearing people, enjoy this top quality series that features one of the best heroines of all time. The season one is the best, and the pilot brilliantly sets up the characters. Dr. Quinn and Sully embody the conscience of the white people, and their charisma carries the show.

I hope that the DVD set will be availble for the rest of the seasons, and WITH closed captions for the hearing impared.

I am a long time watcher and lover of this series. I've watched it from the first episode to the last. And now that they are on DVD, I am Thrilled!! The only problem is that the people who put together the DVD sets haven't figured out that each DVD Doesn't need it's own case!! Take a hint from other DVD sets like Smallville (another series I've watched from the beginning). Its accordion folded case holds 6 DVDs and costs MUCH less. And for those of you who are worried about scratches, not ONE DVD from my three sets has a single scratch on it. I really want every set from this series, but I can't afford it right now. If only they would slim up the cases... It might drop the price down to a reasonable amount!

I always knew Dr.Quinn was on CBS,but I only caught the ocassional show. When Hallmark started showing the re-runs,I became a huge fan. Its a great family drama that doesn't take the easy way out when it comes to tough issues. A brillantly acted show that showcases a wide variety of talents. I will be buying Season 2 very shortly. Hopefully,there will be another re-union movie at some point.

This is a review of Dr. Quinn for those who would run a mile from anything described as "wholesome family entertainment" (intending no disrespect to those who appreciate such shows). Yes, children were part of the intended audience of this series, and a lot of the characters' delivery reflects that knowledge, but there were other, more adult aspects of the show that usually aren't given enough credit.

Dr. Quinn and Sully: Sure, Joe Lando's Sully looked like the cover of a romance novel, but the fact remains that these were two very good looking people with a lot of chemistry. In the first couple of seasons, the sexual tension between them was so palpable you could cut it with a knife.

Whatever edge the show had came primarily from Jane Seymour, a sometimes underrated actress who could go to some pretty dark emotional places in the show's more dramatic episodes.

Season One was the most innovative musically and cinematically. The show that year had a movie look, with a lot of visual depth to scenes, imaginative camera work, and an evocative musical score. Any episode in the series directed by James Keach is a feast for the eyes, and perhaps not surprisingly, as he is her real-life husband, Jane's beauty is particularly mesmerizing in Keach's shows.

There was a recurring cast of Native American characters that is rare if not unheard of in modern television. Many of the best North American Indian actors (with special kudos to Tantoo Cardinal) appeared in "Dr. Quinn" through the run of the series. Season Three's episode Washita, the culmination of what in fact was a historical event, is one of the most powerful hours of television I've ever seen.

Most tellingly, Dr. Quinn tackled some very loaded social issues. One of her first friends after she arrives out West is a prostitute. Her own hesitation about getting sexual with Sully is less a matter of virtue than of fear and inexperience. Some of the ugliest aspects of race relations, including attempted lynchings and atrocities against the Indians were incorporated into the show. Although approached with a 1990's sensibility, the issues grappled with existed at the time, and in many cases are still with us today.

That any show could encompass all of the above and prove popular over the course of six years (and longer) says something about the uniqueness of Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman.

I am a long standing fan of Dr Quinn, having grown up watching it every week along with Little House. I cannot fault the programme, cast or plots, you become completely immersed in the series and want to buy the whole collection.
However on my set of DVD's the speech is out of sinc by about a 2 second delay in some episodes. This makes watching the DVD's most frustrating. I am assuming that I have just got a faulty set, but all three DVD's are the same. For the expensive price I expect something better than this, it is not like it is an old programme 1993 was beyond getting simple things like speech correct! I am only saying this to warn other people, but don't be put off, as the series is fantastic!!!