We all have our favorite shows and I know I have mine. I remember my Mom was an avid book reader and she would always be able to finish off one within two to three days. I can do that with a DVD Box set. Think about it. A DVD box set is just like a book. Each episode is a chapter. When Mom would always tell me about all the books she would read, I argued my defense about box sets and she thought after I made a very strong defense. I was right and she liked it. Of course, writing this little column helps too. For our last teamup of the year, I thought we would present our box sets and these guys really have some really interesting picks. Here they go.
JULIAN KAPPEL
Deadwood: Season One
This week’s team-up was tough and I was completely torn between two choices.
Since I could only pick one I want to at least give a little shout out to the runner-up: Smallville, the Complete Series.
My one and only choice, however, has to be Deadwood Season One.
Never have I been so enthralled by a show. Every single episode is integral to the entire plot and leaves the viewer with a racing heart at each conclusion.
I discovered Deadwood after I took a little tumble in sophomore year of college and was laid up in bed for two weeks. I took a trip down to Blockbuster to get some entertainment, picked out the first couple of discs from a few different series, and figured at least one would be interesting.
What followed was five straight hours of Deadwood and then some frantic calls to friends with cars so I could retrieve the remaining discs. Since that time I have watched the first season, in its entirety, three more times.
Deadwood is actually historical fiction and tells the story of Seth Bullock, a man with morals in a world with no room for such men. Bullock retires from his job as Sheriff and travels to Deadwood, South Dakota to buy land and build a hardware store with his business partner Sol Star.
His intention is to get ready for his wife and son to meet him in Deadwood but soon discovers the town needs him for more than just his merchandise.
The town is run by the greedy, profiteering Al Swerengen who rules the town with a bloody fist. At first Swerengen and Bullock butt heads, but in the end decide to work together in order to maintain order in one of the roughest towns in the west as the town is visited by brigands and Wild Bill Hickock alike.
The story is incredible, the characters phenomenal, and the dialogue is absolutely original. This certainly isn’t for the younger crowd, but I would suggest Deadwood to anyone as a great idea for Christmas.
SHAWN MAGRATH
The Office
I’ll admit that since Steve Carell left The Office, the show’s lost a lot of momentum and at times, well ... seems unfunny and kind of awkward. But even the introduction of Robert California as the new CEO of Dunder Mifflin didn’t deter me from picking The Office as the best DVD box set out there.
The cast and the writing of the show are amazing. It takes real talent to make the mundane task of selling paper look fun but they seem to do just that. Whether it’s Jim (the prankster), Kevin (the slow, teddy-bearish accountant), Creed (the creepiest man to ever wear a tie), Dwight (the beat farming, Battlestar Galactica devotee) or Michael (the incompetent boss who burned his foot on a George Forman Grill), I’ll bet everyone is reminded of someone they work with just by watching.
Understandably, you need a certain sense of humor to appreciate the show. The tendency to overthink some of the punch lines is going to make the show “stupid,” (as my adversaries say). But as is my taste in movies and television, I shouldn’t have to think too much about what I’m watching; it’s TV. Just sit and enjoy.
Like a dog that keeps chewing on my shoes, it took a little time for the “mockumentary” to grow on me. It’s hard to explain how something that seems like a waste of time after watching the first episode can become something so lovable.
So, even thought the show might be a bit of a stretch for some, I still argue that it’s one of the best shows still on television. If a DVD box set is the perfect gift for someone with an over-simplified sense of humor, consider “The Office.”
