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  Specs
  • Full Frame
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital Stereo
  • Commentary - English: Dolby Digital Stereo
  Subtitles
    English, French, German, Italian, Dutch, English - Hearing Impaired, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish
  Extras
  • Additional footage
  • Audio commentary
  • Animated menus
  • 2 Interactive game
  • Trivia track - Ozzy Translator

The Osbournes - The Second Season

Buena Vista/Buena Vista . R4 . COLOR . 210 mins . MA15+ . PAL

  Feature
Contract

The family from Hell (well Birmingham really) return for a second season of reality TV. The first season took the world by storm with a close up look at the family of a rock star and his abusive yet loving family. Ozzy Osbourne mumbles his way through everyday life with his wife/manager Sharon keeping everything in order. Their two teenage children Jack and Kelly always seem to be at each others' throats but deep down they really love each other. During this first season we basically saw the family hanging around the house with their multitude of cats and dogs abusing each other. The main attraction to this show was the colourful language used, Ozzy and Sharon raising their kids with the independence to say what they think with whatever words they choose to use. Of course, for prime time viewing this language was always beeped.

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Kelly at the MTV Awards.

The second season is more of the same for the family, but this time around there seem to be more major events. The main focuses this time are on the discovery that Sharon has contracted cancer along with Kelly’s chart success with her debut single Papa Don’t Preach. Ozzy is not to be forgotten though, as he continues a hectic tour schedule along with dinner with the President. Jack is off trying to develop a band that he has discovered and the rest of the Osbourne household (the animals) continue to crap everywhere.

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Jack gets a workout.

Although Sharon’s cancer scare is a major event, it is handled well here and never avoided but also not shown in a depressing manner. There is as much focus on Kelly discovering that to be a pop singer she actually has to work hard and do a lot of promotion. The continuing fighting between Kelly and Jack seems more heightened in this season with Kelly throwing many a tantrum throughout, especially towards the end of the season during her 18th birthday trip to Las Vegas with the family and friends. Kelly also gets a boyfriend in this season with a comment from Sharon causing some major laughs.

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The return of Dill.

This is not to say that the season is not funny though, there are many hysterical moments, mainly coming from Ozzy. A couple of fine examples are Ozzy’s battle against the ocean while trying to create a beach fire, constantly telling the incoming tide to retract and decease in his own special way. Another highlight is an intimate talk with Sharon discussing her cancer treatment when Ozzy breaks the mood with some great humour. He may come across as a bumbling idiot that has abused too many drugs, but he shows moreso in this season that he is a very intelligent guy with a cracking sense of humour.

"I’m f*@king Ozzy Osbourne, the prince of f*@king darkness."

The tantrums of Kelly and the constant whining of Jack do get tiresome after a while, but most families could say that about their teenage offspring. The family prove that although they constantly fight with each other there is a deep love between them and they will stick together when the chips are down. The season also sees a return of Dill, the pro skater who is constantly scratching. The whole season comes to a nice finale with Ozzy and Sharon, after 20 years together, deciding to renew their vows and hold a lavish wedding ceremony. Laughing aside, this is a poignant moment in the season that really shows how strong the bond is between the two.

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...but I f@#king don't!

There are ten episodes in all contained in this season, eight on the first disc and the remaining two on the second. The formula is basically the same as season one and let’s be honest, if a formula works why change it? The difference for this season though is that the focus is less on the family sitting around home and arguing. This time around there are more events away from the house, with each member receiving more individual time on screen. There are a few more serious moments in this season, but fear not; the laughs are still there. This is the kind of show that can warrant many repeat viewings, making it well worth the investment of purchase so if you are a fan of the show, this is a must-have.

  Video
Contract

The video transfer for this release comes in full frame and is basically of the same quality as that aired on television. Sharpness and detail are fine but a little inconsistent. There are some segments where clarity is great and others where it is a touch on the softer side. This could be down to the compression on disc one as it contains eight episodes along with commentaries while disc two only has the two episodes, bonus footage and games. Colours are generally true and, apart from the odd case of shimmer, there are no major issues to spoil the viewing pleasure.

  Audio
Contract

Audio comes in a Dolby Digital stereo mix that is more than sufficient for this purpose. The no-frills soundtrack is all that it needs to be; clear and audible. There are no problems with hiss, dropout or distortion and synch is never a problem. The music used is the standard theme tune and occasional clips of Ozzy and Kelly performing respectively and all are delivered well.

  Extras
Contract

There is a reasonable collection of extras with this release and for the most part they are fun. The US release saw a filter for viewers to view these episodes in their originally aired format, complete with beeps, but thankfully they haven’t seen the need to protect us in Australia.

Ozzy Translator
For those that need it, the Ozzy Translator that was also used in season one is again available. It deciphers the really hard to understand comments made by Ozzy and although it is a welcome addition, part of Ozzy’s attraction is the need to say “what the?” after his comments.

Audio Commentaries
Season one had commentaries from Jack and Sharon, for season two we get Sharon, Kelly and Ozzy. Overall there are a lot of silent gaps and the contributors don’t seem to be enjoying themselves as much as in season one, treating it more like a chore than an enjoyable experience. They are still fun to listen too though and if you thought Ozzy was hard to understand in the actual show, you best keep the remote handy to replay some of his comments in the commentary.

Bonus Footage
Contained here is 32 minutes of additional footage from the season that didn’t make it to air. Some of these scenes are hysterical while others seem a little pointless. A nice section is a look at the family’s interaction with the film crew.

Dookie’s Revenge
This interactive game features a dog’s eye view of the house. The viewer is required to leave a steaming pile in the required spot to win.

What the *@&%$ Did He Say?
Another interactive game where the viewer is shown several clips of Ozzy speaking his mind in his own special way and then you are given three options to choose from. If you select the correct one you proceed to the next. This is a bit of fun, but it's doubtful it will generate repeat use.

  Overall  
Contract

Overall this is more of the same from the ultimate reality TV family. There are some more serious moments than in season one, but there are just as many laughs. Video and audio are of satisfactory levels and a decent collection of extras make this well worth purchasing for fans of the show. Let’s face it, with the world currently being bombarded by reality shows, this is a nice alternative.


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      And I quote...
    "The family that make the Munsters look normal are back for season two."
    - Adrian Turvey
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Sony DVP-NS305
    • TV:
          AKAI CT-29S55AT 68cm
    • Receiver:
          Sony STR-DE685
    • Speakers:
          Sony SAVE815ED
    • Centre Speaker:
          Sony SAVE815ED
    • Surrounds:
          Sony SAVE815ED
    • Subwoofer:
          Sony SAVE815ED
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