Customer Reviews

The Guild - Season Two

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The original season of The Guild, which took online gamers by storm on YouTube, poked gentle fun at its target audience. But any mouse-clicking geek watching could tell that producer/writer/star Felicia Day was one of them. The game references, the acronyms and slag, and even the archetypes of each member of The Guild are instantly familiar--but fortunately the show expanded on the archetypes to create characters that offered real humor and a few surprises.

Season Two does everything the first season did, only better. Codex -- the character name an Ultima reference if you're an 80s computer gamer like me -- still delivers her webcam opening monologues; Zaboo still tactlessly pursues an unwelcome relationship; Vork still lives only for the game, tracking each penny of his expenses to maintain his frighteningly cheap lifestyle. But we learn a bit more about each character this time, as the story builds from what we saw in the first season and actually includes several threaded subplots as well. The primary focus is on love and lust, with a dose of betrayal and revenge for good measure. To Felicia Day's credit she's willing to evolve the characters' relationships and shake up the status quo by the end of the story.

The production value is far higher than in the first season. While some fans complain they miss home-spun feel of the YouTube videos, I thought it was great to see production quality matching network television sitcoms. There are more locations revealed, the most fun definitely being Vork's scary home in a bad part of town. I watched the season in HD Video on my X-Box with a nice sound system, and the show looked and sounded great.

In short, anyone who enjoyed the The Guild is in its first run will find lots to love in Season Two. The characters, relationships, and humor from the original is all there--with a larger world with additional people for the Guildies to play off of. With a great price, bonus features, and the knowledge you're supporting the future of the show a DVD purchase would seem to be a no-brainer!

I wrote in my first review of Season 1 of The Guild how charming and spectacular the show is; not to mention, how shocking it is that the show has come so far as to be released on DVD. Everything about the first season can be repeated here, kind of negating a need for a review.

Season 2 begins pretty much right where Season 1 ends. Codex talks to her webcam, summarizing the events that happened after the first Season. The story that follows deals mostly with a server outage for their game, forcing the members of the Knights of Good to deal with the real world. What makes the second season so much better than the already excellent first is that, now that we've been introduced to the characters, they can be given room to grow. Much more character development is given in this season and the show allows each character to have their individual storylines and key moments, splitting screen time a bit more evenly. The witty writing and the hilarious situations that arise are still here, except I found this season even more humorous than the first.

The story climaxes at a hilarious party that leaves on a bittersweet cliffhanger of an ending. So it's a good thing that Season Three is just around the corner. If you haven't given The Guild a chance, go out and watch it now. It's hilarious, witty and a perfect celebration of MMO geek lifestyle, but it can also be appreciated by people who have no knowledge of the lifestyle. It's the rare beast that can cater to both the culture and those not in it.

I've spent 10 years working in the game industry and a good chunk of that time was for G4TV. When I first saw The Guild I realized that it was exactly the type of programming that a videogame-centric network needed. It understands its audience, it's genuinely funny, the characters are fun and lively, and I dare any geek not to fall in love with Felecia day's Codex. Season Two sees this show get the funding it deserves and the team behind it proves that they know what they're doing on everything from a production standpoint to the story. Funny, heartwarming, charming, and geeky, it's everything a geek like me would want.

I put off checking out "The Guild" for months because I assumed it would go over my head, not being a gamer. I was wrong. It's hilarious. And it can appeal to a broad audience. I even got my 67 year old dad hooked! Most DVD reviews review the series instead of reviewing the DVD itself. Suffice it to say the series is excellent but I won't go further into that.

The DVD package is impressively well-done given the budget constraints an indie production like this has. There are brief cast interviews. However, what's unique is brief interviews of the crew and extras as well. Our starstruck culture conveniently forgets that film is a collaborative medium. While we see the people on camera, there are loads of folks off-camera who contribute as well. It was interesting to get to know what some of their jobs are as well as seeing the way The Guild's quality material has attracted passionate fans that are willing to pitch in to help the series succeed (whether as extras, crew, donors, etc.).

There are gag reels, the script, audition footage, the Ep 1 table read, & fan art. The Ep 1 table read and audition footage gives you insight into how lines are re-written even up to the moment of filming and how line reads change as the actors become more familiar with things. From the beginning, The Guild has tried to be accessible to an international audience. With the help of fans, they've provided subtitles in several languages. There's also a cast commentary and creator/director/producer commentary. Though you can watch the series free on MSN Video (if you don't mind prostituting your eyeballs and putting up with the annoying interface), they've given you enough extras to persuade you to pony up for the DVD. And, really, the DVD is offered at a very reasonable price.

This is a no-brainer. The Guild is a wonder web series that revolves around the lives of a group of on-line gamers. What makes this series so wonderful is that it is clear that it is written by someone who is 'writing what she knows.'

The true delight in the show comes from the group dynamic. Ms. Day has taken the players that she has played with and has somehow boiled them down to 5 personalities, the likes of which everyone runs across in the gaming realm.

The real treat on this DVD is the extras. There are quite a few. Two excellent commentary tracks, gag reels, and...well, I don't want to ruin it all but I also found an Easter Egg (hilarious).

It is funny because even though you can watch all these episodes for free online or via Xbox Live, I would still recommend that you pick up this DVD. It is a must have. The way the series Spaced captured a very specific time period of pop culture, The Guild captures the present period. Kudos to all who worked on this and made it possible.

By far one of the best creations on the web. The Guild is what tv creators used to aspire to be: original and entertaining. The Guild is commentating on life in an exaggerated way but not insulting. This is a show great for any gamer, non-gamer, geek, or just in the mood for a laugh.

The Guild Season 2 continues to follow our favorite Guildies in thei misadventures. Everything you liked about Season One, but more so. It's funnier, more touching, looks amazing and I think if you say it's name backwards it may grant you magical powers. In all seriousness, The Guild is a wakeup call for the Hollywood Studio System. Web content from "amateurs" is smarter and funnier than any sitcom that's made it through the Hollywood meatgrinder in years. The Guild's talented staff are fulfilling the promise of new media, one episode at a time. Watch your back, networks!

Despite my review title, I wasn't surprised at all when I saw how awesome The Guild Season 2 is. I had watched Season 1 soon after it ended and I've been following the Guildies since then. Waited a few months (but it felt like long long months) to Season two and I had VERY high expectations. Well, it was even better than I expected.

Season two upped the game. The video quality is beautiful, so colourful and shiny! Episodes are longer, which means more awesomeness per episode. The cast grew and we had the addition of the gorgeous and lovely Michele Boyd (Riley), the super cool Fernando Chien (Wade), and the also cool Brett Sheridan (George). Plus, the most awesome extras ever.

The main characters are even funnier than in Season 1, the story arcs were great and it all ended up in an amazing and surprising season finale.

I haven't actually got the dvd yet (long way from the US to Brazil, but I'm patiently wait to get it on my mail box), but from the little extra content we've seen online, I'm absolutely sure the dvd extras will be awesome as well.

Buying this dvd means you have on your home the dvd of the best web-series ever (and let's face it, even one of the best series - between web and tv - that is out there nowadays) and means that you are supporting the SUPER AWESOME cast and crew that work so hard to do this.

As a fan of many things, I have to say that being a Guild fan is one of the best fan experiences I've ever (and probably will have) have.

So huge thanks and congratz to this brilliant cast and crew!


...
Dani

If we lived in an age that appreciated screwball comedies, Felicia Day would be a big movie star--she's hilarious both in her own right and reacting to the even crazier characters who populate The Guild. In Season 2 of this terrific show (first shown on the web), she has once again created a slew of painfully funny situations and given her talented cast terrific material. But there's also real humanity here, as the characters struggle to figure out how to live in the perilous world that exists outside their computer screens.

I love this show, and I think a ton of other people will too.

Although I'm not a Online RPG gamer, I can't help but love this show, the characters run the range from odd to adorable, all quirky but well flushed out. I've seen every episode (Some several times watching with my wife and daughter), but still can't wait to own this DVD.

For that matter, I hope it comes out on Blu-Ray and I'll buy that one too, it's that good!