"I'd like to see a monkey peel a shrimp." - Paul Buchman (Paul Reiser) on what he'd like to do before he dies
Mad About You: The Mad About You Collection DVD Review
By Jonathan Boudreaux
In life, second chances are rare. Lucky fans of the 1992-99 NBC sitcom Mad About You, however, are getting one. Several years ago, the first and second seasons of the series were released on DVD. Sales were disappointing, and plans to release the remaining seasons were dropped. Now, Sony is again testing the DVD waters by releasing The Mad About You Collection, a four disc compilation of the show's best episodes as picked by its stars, Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt. Throw in a bunch of sweet extras, and Mad About You fans are lucky indeed.
Reiser and Hunt play Paul and Jamie Buchman, newlyweds living in a spiffy Manhattan apartment. Paul, a documentary filmmaker, is high-strung and neurotic. Jamie, an executive, is unflappable and sharp. As the series begins, they have only been married for five months. Over the course of seven seasons, the series explores every aspect of coupledom - breakups and makeups, births and deaths, big events and quiet moments. Mad About You is a show for grownups. This isn't because of bad language or titillating situations, but because the series deals with the topics and concerns that are inevitable in grownup relationships. The well-chosen episodes in this collection cover almost every challenge a couple can face throughout their relationship:
Pilot: Five months into their marriage, the Buchmans are worried that their sexual spark is already gone.
Met Someone: This sweet flashback episode shows how Paul and Jamie met.
Virtual Reality: Supermodel Christie Brinkley guests in this episode about Paul's high-risk investment in a new technology.
Cold Feet: Another flashback episode, this time centering on how Paul and Jamie got engaged.
Giblets for Murray: The Buchmans are excited to host their first Thanksgiving dinner. Needless to say, things don't exactly go as planned.
Our Fifteen Minutes: The couple's home life becomes the subject of Paul's PBS documentary.
The Alan Brady Show: Carl Reiner won an Emmy when he reprised his role from The Dick Van Dyke Show in this episode.
Yoko Said: Paul works with Yoko Ono.
The Finale (Parts 1, 2, and 3): The Buchmans experience marital problems in this three part story arc. Guest star Ed Asner (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) shares their pain.
Citizen Buchman: Another guest star wins an Emmy when Sid Caeser appears in this episode about Paul delving into family secrets.
The Penis: Paul and Jamie unwisely promise to name their baby after a relative. Proving that something must have been in the water on the Mad About You set, guest star Mel Brooks also won an Emmy for his appearance.
The Birth (Parts 1 and 2): After several false alarms, Jamie finally gives birth to Mabel. These star-studded episodes include appearances by Carol Burnett, Carroll O'Connor (All in the Family), Hank Azaria (The Simpsons), filmmaker Michael Moore, and Bruce Willis (Moonlighting). And the Emmy goes to.Carol Burnett.
Letters to Mabel: Jamie writes a letter for Mabel to read on her 18th birthday. Not to be outdone, Paul decides to do the same. If only he can figure out how to begin.
Moody Blues: Helen Hunt won an Emmy for this episode in which Jamie struggles with post-partum depression.
Le Sex Show: The Buchmans go to a therapist (played by Mo Gaffney).
The Conversation: It's time for Mabel to learn to fall asleep on her own, but Jamie and Paul don't know if they can stomach the teaching method Jamie read about in a parenting book.
Paved with Good Intentions: Faced with their own mortality when their usual delivery guy dies, Paul and Jamie decide to take time to tell their friends and family how much they love them. Things don't quite go as planned.
The Final Frontier: This one hour series finale is set in the future where a now-grown Mabel (Janeane Garofalo) looks back on her parents' lives. Other guests include crooner Lyle Lovett, Carol Burnett, Tim Conway, and Cyndi Lauper.
Together, these episodes form a video scrapbook of the Buchmans, each one adding a little bit of shading to the portrait of their relationship. Perhaps the best of the episodes is "The Conversation." Trying to teach baby Mabel to become self-sufficient by falling asleep on her own, Paul and Jamie place Mabel in her crib and leave the room. Mabel wails, but according to the parenting guide Jamie read, they are only allowed to reenter the bedroom at certain intervals, and then only for a minute. They are also not allowed to physically comfort her. The Buchmans understood that this would be difficult on Mabel, but they were unprepared for how difficult it would be on them, too. Shot in one continuous take, this episode was originally presented without commercials. Many shows have done similar stunts - live broadcasts, 3D presentations, etc. - but here it never feels like a gimmick. Instead, it enriches our understanding of these two characters. In twenty-two minutes, it perfectly encapsulates who they are. Jamie often seems coolly efficient, but she is soft and kind at heart. Paul is distracted and goofy, but is also supportive and strong. Reiser and Hunt work together perfectly in each episode to create a believable, fully-formed relationship between their characters. This episode presents them at the top of their game. For twenty-two uninterrupted minutes, they are the Buchmans.
When TV fanatics talk about memorable series finales, they usually mention the usual suspects: the Kleenex-fueled group hug on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the "dream sequence" twist of Newhart. Mad About You's finale, "The Final Frontier," should be added to this canon. Named after the series' theme song, this emotionally resonant episode hopscotches back and forth through time as it follows separate plot strands set in 1999, 2005, 2011, and 2021. Paul Reiser effectively describes this episode as a preemptive strike against the possibility of a reunion show. He's right - there's no need for one. This extraordinarily well-written hour simultaneously reminds us of Paul and Jamie's shared past while peeking ahead at what happens to them in ensuing years. The episode is truly brilliant - funny, incisive, achingly sad. In short, it's the perfect ending for this winning series.
The twenty-one episodes in this collection are divided onto four discs. The discs are housed in slim, clear keepcases. The front covers each feature a different publicity photo of Reiser and Hunt. The back covers include episode titles, brief plot synopses, and basic creative credits. The episodes seem to be in airdate order, but unfortunately, there is no indication as to when the episodes actually aired. The double-sided coversheets show through to the inside of the case and showcase an aerial view of New York and production stills from the series. The DVDs feature the same publicity stills included on the case covers. Overall, the design is simple yet classy. The four keepcases slide into a cardboard sleeve which highlights yet another Reiser and Hunt publicity photo.
After a brief full-motion introduction, the menus settle on a static screen featuring a continuous loop of the series' original theme song. From the main menu, viewers can pick from the disc's individual episodes. There is no "play all" feature. The individual episode menus allow viewers to play the episode (with or without the introductions detailed below) and change the language settings.
