Customer Reviews

Matlock - The Second Season

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

No more lovable lawyer ever entered a courtroom than Andy Griffith's Ben Matlock. Over the course of 9 seasons viewers came to know and love every facet of Ben's personality. He was smart, but at heart an old country lawyer. Much like Columbo, he sort of lulled people to sleep by his demeanor, but the wheels were always turning and the viewer knew, in the end, Matlock would spring his client by revealing the real culprit on the witness stand.

Much less serious in tone than the great Perry Mason series, it was a blend of character humor and murder mystery hard to beat. Ben's crumpled suit and fetish for hot dogs were as of much interest as the case itself. Though Linda Purl was nice as Charlene, Ben's daughter, in season one, something was missing. When Ben traveled to England on a case in the second season, he found the spark the show needed in tall and pretty Nancy Stafford. She would portray Michelle Thomas for several years and the chemistry between the two made the show splendid entertainment.

Kene Holliday was fabulous the first three seasons as likable Tyler Hudson, Ben's detective who was often more into making a buck than anything else, and had an aversion to being roughed up. The final piece of the puzzle was Julie Sommars as Asst. D.A. Julie March. She would go up against Ben time and again and lose, yet there was a spark there which kept developing until romance bloomed. Kari Lizer's character, Cassie Phillips, only appeared this single season, but added to the show.

Season two was when the series began to really gel, and the cast did as well. Still a bit more serious at times than it would be in later seasons, there was humor also. The episodes in season two included three two-parters, keeping fans waiting a week to see how the transplanted Atlanta lawyer would spring his client. Those episodes are listed below.

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THE BILLIONAIRE (TWO-PARTER) -- BLIND JUSTICE -- THE ANNIHILATOR -- THE HUSBAND -- THE POWER BROKERS (TWO-PARTER) -- THE NETWORK -- THE BEST FRIEND -- THE COUNTRY BOY -- THE GIFT -- THE GAMBLER -- THE BODY -- THE REUNION -- THE GIGILO -- THE UMPIRE -- THE INVESTIGATION (TWO-PARTER) -- THE HUCKSTERS -- THE LOVELORN -- THE GENIUS -- THE MAGICIAN -- THE FISHERMAN -- THE HEIRESS
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Matlock was definitely a comfort show. You could grab a bite to eat and visit old friends each time we heard that Southern Matlock theme playing over the opening credits. Somehow, it always made you want a hot dog.....

If you still haven't bought Matlock - The Second Season, well, maybe this review will help.

Introduction (Taken from the DVD set):

Featuring television's most famous Southern attorney, Matlock: The Second Season arrives on DVD for the first time ever! Fans love TV legend Andy Griffith as Benjamin Matlock, who may charge $100,000 but whose homespun ways outsmart the big city attorneys every time. Whenever someone needs protection, Atlanta's most brilliant legal mind will do whatever is necessary - once he sets down his guitar!

Season Two co-stars Nancy Stafford as Ben's new junior partner Michelle Thomas, Kari Lizer as assistant Cassie Phillips, and Kene Holliday as private investigator Tyler Hudson. This 6-disc set contains all 23 episodes, including The Billionaire 2-hour premiere set in London, where Ben first meets Michelle. Like the attorney himself, the long-running legal drama Matlock oozes pure Southern charm!


Memorable Episodes:

"The Billionaire" - The two-hour season premiere. Matlock travels to London, England to defend a man accused of murdering his father, a wealthy man. He then finds out just how different the legal system in England is, compared to his familiar territory in Atlanta!

"The Network" - This episode features a few guest stars from various NBC shows: Betty White, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, even ALF...just to name a few. If you're familiar with NBC's exciting line-up of great shows from the mid-late 80's, you'll enjoy this episode too!

"The Country Boy" - With guest star David Carradine (Kung Fu). In this one, he plays a country singer accused of murdering his wife's sister. After his bail hearing, one of the conditions made is that he has to live with his lawyer, Ben Matlock!

"The Hucksters" - This "interactive" episode originally had a 1-900 number, which viewers could call in to determine who they thought committed the murder. More info on this one under "Special Features".


Packaging:

If you're familiar with CBS Paramount's DVD packaging for their TV shows, then you already know the answer. This one is improved compared to season 1...despite being the same clear amaray case as before, it's thinner, yet at the same time, still houses the 6 discs without issues.


Menu:

It's CBS Paramount...known for consistent, yet dull, static menus. That's exactly what you're getting here. Very easy to navigate, but don't expect any flashy graphics, and music playing in the background.


Video/Audio Quality:

Season 1 had very muddy quality, with tape glitches all over the place on a few episodes. Season 2 is far more improved, though. While I wouldn't doubt that there was no digital remastering done, you can tell the episodes were cared for. The audio is in 2.0 stereo, and it gets the job done. Volume isn't exactly consistent between episodes, and may be a bit low at times, but aside from that, I didn't notice any real issues with that.

Now, we get to the nitty gritty. As the usual practice for CBS Paramount, the back of the case indicates the following:

"Some episodes may be edited from their original network versions. Music has been changed for this home entertainment version."

CBS Paramount, through their infinite wisdom, has this line on almost EVERY single TV release they've done since the CBS DVD/Paramount merge. What does this mean?

For season 1, it was just the teasers on most episodes. Not too much of a big deal...the footage of the episodes themselves were still intact.

Season 2...I couldn't really tell if there was any music missing (I have all the episodes recorded from Hallmark channel, and I've made an attempt to compare). However, there is at least one cut! The episode "The Best Friend" is missing a 40 second scene. This scene, however, can be seen on here, courtesy of...well...me (through the Matlock YouTube channel, which I own):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r0Ew-LYktk

Also for season 2, all the teasers are missing this time around. On season 1, there were at least a few episodes which had them. Not this time. Again, not a huge loss, but it would've been nice to see those.

Episode lengths are as followed:

Disc 1:

1. The Billionaire (1:36:26)
2. Blind Justice (48:00)
3. The Husband (47:32)

Disc 2:

4. The Power Brokers (Part 1) (48:00)
5. The Power Brokers (Part 2) (47:30)
6. The Annihilator (47:54)
7. The Network (48:00)

Disc 3:

8. The Best Friend (46:55) *
9. The Country Boy (48:01)
10. The Gift (48:00)
11. The Gambler (48:01)

Disc 4:

12. The Body (48:01)
13. The Reunion (47:59)
14. The Gigolo (48:01)
15. The Umpire (47:59)

Disc 5:

16. The Investigation (Part 1) (48:00)
17. The Investigation (Part 2) (47:29)
18. The Hucksters (46:23) *
19. The Lovelorn (48:00)

Disc 6:

20. The Genius (48:02)
21. The Magician (47:29)
22. The Fisherman (47:31)
23. The Heiress (47:30)

Note: * represents episodes of questionable length


Special Features:

Well...we do get one special feature, at least. As mentioned before, "The Hucksters" aired with a 1-900 number which allowed viewers to pick who they thought committed the murder. That promo is still intact (without the phone number...but that was to be expected). Also, all 3 endings are on the DVD. CBS Paramount did a good job at recreating this interactive feature. You can either watch the episode as originally aired, or with the endings menu (which pops up around 43 minutes or so).

Final Comments:

To buy, or not to buy? If you're a Matlock fan, or just love Andy Griffith...buy, buy, buy! If you've never seen the show before, it still comes on syndication (WGN America airs it, if I recall), so I'd suggest getting familiar with the show first, and if you like it, then buy seasons 1 and 2 on DVD. Picky buyers who refuse to buy a DVD with at least one cut...well, there is at least one cut, so you know what to do (or what not to do, in this case).

We, the jury, find this DVD set...not guilty! (I couldn't help myself)

Matlock, the show about a well educated country lawyer Ben Matlock who hardly ever loses a case, returns to DVD in this second season installment. Nancy Stafford joins the crew as Michelle Thomas, replacing Linda Purl's character of of Charlene Matlock (who I believe was a weak character anyway). The second season begins with a two part episode entitled "The Billionaire," and ends with Allison Tate, an heiress charged with murder in the episode, "The Heiress." The following is a list of this season's 24 episodes:

1. The Billionaire (1)
2. The Billionaire (2)
3.Blind Justice
4. The Annihilator
5. The Husband
6. The Power Brokers (1)
7. The Power Brokers (2)
8. The Network
9. The Best Friend
10. The Country Boy
11. The Gift
12. The Gambler
13. The Body
14. The Reunion
15. The Gigolo
16. The Umpire
17. The Investigation (1)
18. The Investigation (2)
19. The Hucksters
20. The Lovelorn
21. The Genius
22. The Magician
23. The Fisherman
24. The Heiress

While the acting, directing, and producing of this show is great (making Matlock worthy to be deemed a modern "classic"), the fact that CBS/Paramount is releasing this set is the reason I can only give it four stars. Likely, we will have edited episodes, and cheap packaging. One should consider this before buying.

I recommended the second season. The sound and picture quality is better. But I really liked the episodes especially The Billionaire and Blind Justice and The Gift. If like Matlock this is the season to get.

THIS PRODUCT WAS AS EXPECTED. VERY GOOD QUALITY AND PRICE.
WILL BUY AGAIN

all i have to say is i want more and soon. i miss linda pearl, but poor tanto (tyler) just wont listen when i tell him not to go to town, he will just get beat up. this is one of the best shows to ever be on tv. no bare breasts, no swearing, no uneeded sex..

Andy Griffith is, as always, delightful as Matlock in this murder mystery and court action series. If you are a fan of either or both, you will enjoy the investigation leading up to along with his courtroom antics. His support cast rounds out each episode to provide an entertaining experience. The dvd was very good quality providing captions, which are necessary in our house.

I love the Matlock series and look forward to more seasons coming out on DVD. The hotdog loving outspoken attorney is fun to watch. I don't get tired of watching these DVDs.

I am happy with Matlock second season. I look forward to the release of the third season.

wonderful to see older actors again and wonder where they are now - love the series!