Customer Reviews

Popular - The Complete Second Season

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

We all remember our days in high school. The moments that built our characters and the friends that defined who we were. So what crowd were you "in"? What clique established you? These questions might strike an emotional note with you, but not with the students of Kennedy High. Sam, Brooke, Josh, Sugar Daddy and the rest of the gang are back in the second season of the hit WB show, Popular.
The show centers around the life of two polar opposite high school girls: Sam, the outcast and Brooke, the teen queen. The world through their eyes is drastically different but they share one common demoninator. Their family. In the first season of the groundbreaking series, Brooke and Sam saw their single parents move in together and their worlds collide inside and outside of their high school walls. Their respected cliques began to blend and the barriers between what was cool and who was popular slowly fell apart. In the second, and final season, of the series the lead heroines begin to take on their battles not against, but standing next to each other.
The season, which relies heavily on its comedic side, introduces new characters (such as Equisite Woo, who has an acute and entertaining relationship with Popular favorite Mary Cherry) and delves into the darker side of the returning ones. The dynamic of the show is once again its satire on the cliche high school experience. The majority of the plots revolve around outlandish events that could, most obviously, never happen but always prove to be both enlightening and hilarious.
Throughout the 21 episodes, we are also introduced to the more dramatic side of the situations and characters we love. One has a life-threatening sickness and another will do anything to get revenge on the ones who have done her wrong. With guest appearances by one of Populars most loved, Delta Burke and a shocking series finale that will leave viewers both satisfied and begging for more, Popular Season 2 is wildly hilarious, exceptionally entertaining and a complete joy to behold. I recommend you journey into the minds of the the high school life we all wish we had!

I watched POPULAR when I was in high school, back in 2000-2001. It holds a special place in my heart and watching it really brings back memories. It was really one of the finest shows the WB ever produced. I'm a few years older now, but it's funny because life doesn't really change much. We are all still looking for popularity, love, friendship, family strength, confidence, and success. These were the major themes in the show, and rarely does a show present such intelligent and mature views of relationships. It was much, much more than a teen soap opera. It was a commentary on society in general, and our need to belong.

I really related to the characters in POPULAR. Sure, real life in high school during this time was never as glamorous or as fabulous as presented in this show--but I think we all wished it was, and POPULAR gave us dreams. I wasn't the only person who watched the show--a few of my friends also did, and we were all so surprised by its cancellation. We all secretly hoped it would return for another season, and waited, but that never happened.

I think that was because we were all so attached to the characters--and each of the actors was a star in their own right. Carly Pope branched off and did a very fine film called "Trapped in a Purple Haze," in which she had a very tragic role. Sara Rue, who played Carmen, did an incredible movie called "Gypsy 83." Thinking back, 2000-2001 was a great time for movies. Just think how many wonderful movies came out then, such as Moulin Rouge or Pay it Forward or AI. There were many pop culture references made in POPULAR, from vintage stars like Joan Crawford and Lauren Bacall to frequent references to Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna. The character Nicole Julian was basically a combination of Sharon Stone and Madonna. She was the perfect example of the bad girl with a heart of gold, and I loved how fully developed her character became as the series progressed. All of the characters were multi-dimensional and very real.

I really hated to see these characters, who felt like friends, go. But I guess it mirrored the transition we all make to adult. The show ended, I graduated high school a couple years later, but now when I watch the show it's like I'm back in high school again. Not that I miss high school--it was a difficult time and I'm glad I've moved on, but I still have vivid memories that come back to life when I watch the show. It's a magical experience that I cherish.

More than anything, the show had heart. It was extremely kooky, and sometimes really lame, but that was all part of its charm. It had its serious, dramatic moments, like when Brooke has an eating disorder and shares a very special relationship with Harrison, or when Nicole saves Harrison's life on Christmas. It's all just really beautiful and heartwarming in a way that is lacking from most TV shows. There is no lack of depth in POPULAR. It never glossed over the real issues all of us--not just high schoolers--face. It painted a very true picture of relationships and the struggles we face.

It's a great show, and of course a few of the episodes are clunkers, but the magical episodes make up for it. One in particular, in which Ann Margaret guest stars, is just great. Also, who can forget some of Mary Cherry or Nicole Julian's lines? Priceless! I still remember from my first viewing of the episode where Mary Cherry is gluing someone to a toilet seat and she shrieks, "This is what Lauren Bacall uses to hold up her face!" In what other show could you possibly expect to hear a line like that? It's part of the fun of this show.

First, to E. Babcock, Harrison did choose Brooke, she ran off because Sam had started to cry. At tvtome.com/Popular/ , on the last page of the episode guide, there is all the information about season three that had been written prior to WB pulling the plug (as provided by series creator/writer/producer Ryan Murphy). I think it is difficult to compare season one to season two as season one was under much tighter constrictions for wackiness, but season two went all out (even though it definitely had more dramatic drama). I think by the end of season two, these characters have been fleshed out enough that a season three would have been extremely sour.

Gripes about the DVD:
Only two commentaries...one with Bryce, Leslie (Bibb), and Chris...the second one with just Bryce and Leslie, and Bryce leaves about twenty minutes into it. I cannot believe Ryan Murphy didn't lend his own thought to a commentary or two. Not to mention, the commentaries aren't even on big plot-filled episodes (the Leslie-only one is on "The Brain Game"...the lowest rated episode of first-run Popular ever). I mean, I would have loved a commentary on "Fag" and on "Promblems". Also, this DVD had much better cases (to hold the disks in place), yet in mine, two of the sleeves were with prongs, but one was like the first season ones.

The future:
I would love to see these sets rereleased...with more commentaries, the deleted scenes (including extended Carmen/Lily kiss) originally promised in the season one set, deleted scenes in season two, "Where are they now"-type featurettes about the actors, interviews with cast and crew about the show, a featurette with Ryan Murphy about season three Popular, maybe an interactive feature that allows you to read the scripts that were written for season three, and more. Not to mention, better disk cases. Some sort of behind-the-scenes featurette has to be possible, I mean there's about ten to fifteen minutes of just extended-opening-credits footage for the season two menus...they've got to have more!

:)

Off the bat, both Popular sets are worth their weight in gold if only for the character of Mary Cherry. That's a given. Moving on...

During the second season of Popular, when buzz wore off and ratings began to dip, the show obviously got desperate. The second season is wildly uneven when juxtaposed with the first, because they were given license to try anything and everything to recoup ratings. This led to some big payoffs, as well as some dreadfully boring storylines.

Let's face it - the dramatic elements of the series are trite. While the drama is borderline campy, it's not indulgent enough to be fun. It's simply very time consuming. You can fast forward through just about any scene of Joe moping around the hospital. And why add dimension to Nicole, when the caricature is what we fell in love with? No television program with a metal-fingered character should be attempting this kind of crap.

On the plus side, Ryan Murphy more or less turned the second season into a Mary Cherry vehicle after she became the breakout hit (who else was in high school when this show was on? Mary Cherry was all anyone ever spoke about!) It seems that when the superserious episodes didn't work, they'd just throw reality out the window. During these flights of fancy, Popular served up hilarious absurdism like no other series at the time (maybe Strangers w/ Candy, were they concurrent?). The expertly delivered satire far outweighs the "dramedy" aspect, and Popular still adds up to being the second best production to come out of the WB (it's not quite Buffy, but it can get bigger laughs).

I just finished the second season of Popular and I can tell that I DO NOT REGRET buying both season on DVD at all! I watched some of Season 1 during its original run, but didn't watch any of Season 2. Anyways, I LOVE this show and will probably watch the episodes again! Delta Burke comes back to play Cherry Cherry!

Here is my only problem, but it doesn't reflect the DVD set at all. It's basically that they cancelled this show! They end the last episode on SUCH as cliff hanger and now we can NEVER make up for it. Even if the actors got together to make something, there is NO WAY to make up for lost time and that just sucks!
Here are some of my guess:
1) What happened to Brooke? Did Nicole Kill her when she hit her? I'm guessing not and that she would have "healed" over the summer, but still have shown some of the effects. It would have made a great storyline.

2) What happened to Josh and Lily's Marriage? Well I would suspect that they would go back home and probably get the marriage anulled or something but still remain together. If they continued this series, they wouldn't have written either off, so surely Josh would have found a way to stay.

3) What about Mary Cherry and her evil twin? Well just like all Mary Cherry stuff, I'm sure that things would have been solved and she would be back home and the twin would be gone!

I'm going to get whomped on for this, I know. <sigh>

Toward the end of the first season, it became apparent that there was a bit of confusion as to where the show should head. In the beginning, the lines between "gods and clods" (to quote South Park) were well marked. Then, suddenly, with little explanation, everyone is eating lunch together while still hating each other outside of the lunch room. That did not reflect any typical high school experience.

The confusion followed into the second season. It became a show without direction. Executives wanted Dawon's Creek, but others wanted a comedy. There was a considerable amount of discord between the so-called higher ups. That discord really found its way into this season.

There are some shows that can blend humor and drama together quite nicely, but to do so you need great direction and great writing, something this didn't have. Characters came and went with little explanation - no explanation in many cases - and it left for a very ambiguous montage of disconnected pieces. It was supposed to be a show about "gods and clods", and could have done very well if they stuck to theme. But, as I noted above, they lost it in the first season, and losing that edge is a slippery slope. They landed at the bottom of it very hard.

Sam and Brooke were the main characters, but I found that I cared little for them. The drama that was intended for their two characters mostly didn't work - although it worked for Brooke more than Sam - and they became some of the least interesting characters on the show.

For me, the shining light was Mary Cherry. She was played to perfection by Leslie Grossman. Without her, I would have bored to tears on many occasions. She was HYSTERICAL. Watching her eat of a dumpster when she lost all of her money was the highlight of the season. I replayed that part over and over. She was great. And that was the problem with this show. While Mary Cherry wasn't a bit player, it was the bit players that made the show enjoyable. April Tuna was hysterical when they used her, but what happened to her dirt eating sister? Another unexplained difference. Such as the blind principle. In real life she died. Why was there no explanation of that in the show? Most people wouldn't hop on the internet and try to track her down, so would be left to wonder... To just toss someone else in without explanation is extremely frustrating.

The second season lacked continuity, even toward the end when it started to pick up. But then, when I saw that the show was finally regaining...something...if not it's original premise, it drops a cliffhanger on us and the network execs decide to drop the series. They could have at least renewed for six shows or *something*. That was just rude.

Popular - The Complete Second Season was one of the best shows on the WB (Felicity was #1 for me), Popular was created by the same dude that created Nip/Tuck. This show only lasted two little seasons, I was so upset when the network yanked the show off the air, what went wrong? This show was edgy, funny, and poigant all at once. Leslie Bibb was great as Brooke. Her character suffered setbacks during the second season, her past war with bulimia resurfaced, her archenemy became her step-sister and one of friends was diagnosed with leukemia. I miss this show so much, it makes me so mad when important shows get treated unfairly. Buy Season 1 as well, worth every penny.

It would be a dream come true if my favorite show ever was released on DVD with all the original music included, but that's not gonna happen (as Nic would say). I don't know of any exact $ numbers but music rights can cost a small fortune and I've heard of shows leaving out a THEME SONG (new Married With Children set and many others) or just cutting scenes out that don't work without the music. I know the Absolutely Fabulous set cuts a scene where someone quotes a Madonna song! So, on some sets, the company doesn't want to spend much or any $ on clearing music rights. Popular was never a ratings winner (abysmal in its second season)and it is a miracle it was even put on DVD. Worst case scenario would be that Disney just replaced everything including the theme song, and cut scenes where music was sung along to (and there's a lot of scenes like that). I was afraid of this happening because they couldn't be expecting for this to sell many copies. Thankfully, they didn't do any of that. They kept the opening and closing theme, and they cleared any song where the scene would have to be cut without it (like Nicole singing to Vogue, April Tuna singing to Baby Got Back, and so on). It's sad to see a lot of songs go (especially, for me, 'True' missing from the three times it should play in one episode) but it really doesn't take anything away from the show... I think Disney deserves a thanks from the fans for clearing as much music as they did... Popular played music constantly, and some shows with a song here and there get them cut on DVD! So Disney must have given this a decent music budget even though it was never going to be a bestseller. It probably ate up any budget for extras, though.

About the rest of the set: the packaging is much nicer this time around, and the menu screen is out-takes from the opening credits. Good job. The commentaries are a little bit sad in that there are not only less of them this time but less cast and crew members showing up to do them.

The second season of Popular is amazing (cheesy) but in the most amazing of ways. I will never get over seeing Mary Cherry go in and out of her Barbara Streisand accent when she dyes her hair dark.

Popular was easily my favorite new series from the 99-01 tv seasons. I read in the reviews for the first-season dvd's that the music had been changed. I hadn't seen any of those episodes since they first aired, and had long forgotten what music should have been played. I guess ignorance is bliss, since all the music sounded fine to me. For the second season, however, I had several episodes saved on vhs and knew what songs were supposed to be in those episodes. As with the first-season dvd's, the music for the second-season dvd's had been partially replaced, too. All of the background and incidental music written specifically for the Popular series is on the dvd's. Presumably, that music is all owned by the studio. On the other hand, most of the music sung by other performers has been replaced with other songs sung by whomever. It sounds like they even replaced the scary-killer chase music in the "I Know What You Did Last Spring Break" episode, which didn't even have lyrics. To get an idea of the difference in the sound-track, listen to the commentary track for the "Possession of Harrison John" episode. If you listen carefully, you can hear all of the original songs that are in the broadcast-version of the episode, including the "Exorcist" theme in the middle of the episode and the "I'm all out of love" song near the end of the episode and then compare it to the replacement music on the normal audio track. Clearly, the original music is superior. In the first of the Homecoming-race episodes, one of the song-changes actually makes the dialogue wrong: Carmen and Ms Glass are exercising and Carmen asks something along the lines of "Do you really exercise to Sheena Easton this much every morning?" In the televised-version, they really were exercising to Sheena Easton, but in the dvd, the song was replaced by instrumental music that you probably wouldn't be exercising to. Some of the original songs were kept: the Madonna songs, the "I like big butts" song, and a few others here and there. The televised-versions often featured new songs or new groups and I don't thing any of them made into the dvd release, which is a shame since I was looking forward to hearing the "Smile" song that would have been at the end of the "Mary Charity" episode. Is it really that expensive to license bits and pieces of a few songs per episode for the dvds?

Only two commentary tracks this time. The first is the "Possession of Harrison John" episode, done by Leslie Bibb, Bryce Johnson, and Chris Gorham. The second is the "Brain Game" episode (where Josh wins the contest because he knows everything about chicken except that "poultry" is a synonym for "chicken"), done by Leslie Bibb and Bryce Johnson. The "Brain Game?" Was that really worthy of a commentary track, when there so many other episodes that were better?

So, if you don't know what music is supposed to be in the episodes, you won't notice or care how the music has been changed. I found it a rather distracting to expect to hear one song and then hear the wrong song playing on the dvd.