"You know something? Call it a hunch, but I think Lou's a crook. I can't believe the nerve of that guy. He came to me looking for a job because he couldn't get one on account of his prison record. So I said, 'Hey, how about handling my money?' Then he turns right around and steals from me. I don't know. Maybe I just can't read people." - Edward Stratton III (Joel Higgins) when it is pointed out that his business manager's bank account is growing at a suspiciously fast rate
Silver Spoons: The Complete First Season DVD Review
By Casey Richards
Millionaire Edward Stratton III (Joel Higgins) has everything he could possibly want. Somewhat of a man-child, he loves nothing more than playing with the toys and games that fill his huge mansion outside of New York City to the brim. When he isn't jetting off to Paris or racing his yacht, he tools around his rambling estate on a pint-sized train. Edward isn't very practical, but he has the help of his personal assistant, Kate Summers (Erin Gray, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century), and his lawyer, Leonard Rollins (Leonard Lightfoot, She's the Sheriff). And, he is about to discover, he also has a twelve year-old son named Ricky (Ricky Schroder, Lonesome Dove) from a brief, now ended marriage. Ricky's mom recently got remarried to a ski instructor, and she thinks it's high time that Edward learns that he is the proud papa to a computer whiz. Will Edward be grown-up enough to raise a son and, more importantly, share his toys?
Edward is reluctant at first. After all, his own father (John Houseman, The Paper Chase) wasn't exactly a positive role model. Soon, however, they discover that they make a fine team. Ricky uses his computer smarts to foil an unscrupulous business manager who planned on stealing Edward's fortune ("Pilot"), brokers peace between three generations of Strattons ("Honor Thy Father"), and helps his father and Kate realize that they are in love ("A Little Magic," "Falling in Love Again"). Edward teaches Ricky how to have fun. Together, they learn how to be father and son.
Television fans will want to check out a few episodes that feature icons of the '80s. Gary Coleman appears as his Diff'rent Strokes character Arnold Jackson in "The Great Computer Caper." When Arnold makes the subject of Ricky's computer skills into an article for the school paper, Ricky decides to show off his hacking skills. The two wind up on the lam when Ricky downloads pictures of a top secret government airplane. "Me and Mr. T" features The A-Team's Mr. T as a gruff bodyguard hired by Edward when a bully takes Ricky's milk money. Jason Bateman (Arrested Development) also has a recurring role as Ricky's Eddie Haskell-esque pal Derek.
Mr. T is amusing in his episode, but these Spoons haven't aged well. It isn't unusual for these episodes to be devoid of a single laugh. Some of the episodes are downright moronic. "The Best Christmas Ever," for example, features Ricky and Edward helping a homeless family they've discovered living in their backyard. In a cave. Because, you know, no classy Long Island mansion is complete without its own cave. The episode does allow viewers, however, to see a tiny, lisping Joey Lawrence back in his Dorothy Hamill days.
The twenty-two episodes that make up Silver Spoons: The Complete First Season are divided onto three discs. The discs are housed in two slim, clear plastic keepcases, one of which holds two discs. The fronts of the cases feature two different montages of the series' cast. The backs of the cases include titles and brief synopses for each episode. Pictures of toys can be found on the case interiors. The keepcases slide into a cardboard outer sleeve.
The DVD menus are simple and easy to navigate. Viewers can play all of the disc's episodes or choose them individually. The episodes are divided into chapters, but there are no scene selection menus.
