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Home Improvement: The Complete Seventh Season
R1 - America - Buena Vista Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Pat Pilon (30th August 2007). |
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The Show
 For eight years, Tim Allen was on prime time television, entertaining countless families with 'Home Improvement', the show based on his manly stand-up routine. This season, only slightly weaker than the previous season, still manages to consistently entertain with strong laughs and goofy situations. Chances you already know the premise, but here it is anyway. Mr. Allen plays Tim Taylor, the accident-prone and manly-minded star of 'Tool Time', a how-to show that only seems to end up in broken items, flames or cracked egos. He's married to Jill (Patricia Richardson), and has three kids, Mark (Taran Noah Smith), Randy (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) and Brad (Zachery Ty Bryan). His wise old neighbour, Wilson (Earl Hindman), gives out constant advice and an ear to help. His televisions sidekicks, Al Borland (Richard Karn) and Heidi(Debbe Dunning) are always there to bring in a few laughs, as well. There are many more characters, such as Tim's brothers, friends and the boys' intermittent stream of lady friends. These people have interesting lives, though sometimes the boys seem to be doing things somewhat out of character, like Brad's problem in 'What a Drag', and Mark's experimenting with goth throughout the season. The boys seem to be smarter than this given the last few seasons. I suppose it's used to add depth to the character, but the only (for example) son that seem to have any kind of complete consistency is Randy. However, this is a minor point and the strength of the episodes always shine through. One good thing about having a long-running show is that the main cast form a strong bond and this can be seen very clearly. Patricia Richardson's reactions to some of Tim Allen's quips are obviously quite spontaneous and in many instances, the smiles and laughs seem quite genuine. 'Thanksgiving' is probably one of the better examples of this. As always, the show has some nice writing, even after 7 seasons. Some of the jokes are obvious and can be seen from far away, but I chucked each episode. For example, in 'The Old College Try', Tim goes out at night with his students and Jill objects, he says, 'If you hadn't encouraged me, I wouldn't be with these guys having fun. I'd be in bed with you. Gotta go.' Or, when Tim hosts a show on location, and the guest, annoyed at Tim playing with an anvil, says, 'Hey, I though this was a tool show.' Al smiles and answers, 'It is.' These kinds of jokes bank on the fact that the viewer knows these characters (or, rather, Tim). The show is a lot of fun and has many enjoyable episodes. Like the previous season, no show is a standout, but 'Thanksgiving'and 'Believe It or Not' are a bit stronger than the rest. By contrast, the season opener, 'Quest for Fire' isn't the best choice to start the season. If you're a fan of the show, this season is generally no better or worse than the rest of the seasons. Tim Allen and his gang provide great laughs and the writers provide strong stories and gags. Here is a breakdown of the set with each episode by disc. disc 1: Quest for Fire (21:10) Tim is starting a mid-life crisis and has a surprise for his family when he takes them to the cottage. Clash of the Taylors (22:09) Randy writes a none-too-flattering article about Binford's environmental practices, which deeply disappoints Tim. Room at the Top (22:09) Jill gets overwhelmed with her work, school and family so asks Tim to build her an office in the attic. Time gets quite excited, only to be disappointed when Jill changes her mind. Pump You Up (22:08) Brad gets ideas in his head about his soccer talents thanks to Tim and ends up being kicked off the team, which really surprises his parents. A Night to Dismember (22:10) Mark decides to shoot a movie for school and ends up freaking Jill out. Tim, on the other hand, really likes the movie. The Niece (22:20) For Wilson's birthday, Jill found his niece to meet with him. It's an interesting episode, and you learn a few nice things about Wilson. Jill's Passion (22:00) A cute guy hits on Jill at the gym, and she dreams about it because she feels estranged from Tim, which they both end up talking about. Losing My Religion (22:08) After volunteering at a hospice, Randy decides not to go to church any more, but may change his mind once the lady he was taking care of takes a turn for the worse. disc 2: Thanksgiving (22:09) In this episode, Tim disrupts a Detroit Lions game. There are a lot of very nice stars, including Rodney Dangerfield, in this episode. The Dating Game (22:10) After Al hears news about Ilene (his longtime girlfriend whom he broke up with in season six), he wants to start dating again. Jill convinces Tim to take him to a single bar, which gets a bit out of hand. This episode is really good and has some great jokes. Bright Christmas (22:26) Jill's mother visits and brings a date, which distresses Jill (because her dad died in season 6) more than he probably should. The Old College Try (22:07) Tim teaches a class at a community college and gets to relive his early twenties in somewhat awkward ways. An Older Woman (22:09) Brad meets a college girl and has some big news a month later. He then realises his decision may not be the best. Tim 'The Landlord' Taylor (22:25) Tim and Jill buy a house to rent. Al then becomes the tenant, and he and Tim have some problems with each other. Say Goodnight Gracie (22:08) Tim babysits his niece Gracie and wants to have a little girl in his life, which Jill doesn't think is the best idea. What a Drag (21:45) Tim discovers the marijuana weed in his house and he and Jill go on a stakeout to find out whose it is. There are some good jokes in this typically 'don't-do-drugs' episodes of a show with teens in it. Taking Jill for Granite (22:09) The cute gym guy from 'Jill's Passion' is the perfect granite guy to fix up the Taylors' kitchen, and things get more complicated than they should. The ending coda for this one is actually pretty funny. disc 3: Futile Attraction (22:10) After Heidi says something is wrong with her marriage, Al wants to help her, and Tim starts imagining things. Desperately Seeking Willow (22:04) After Wilson leaves for a while, Willow stays with the Taylors, but leaves without telling them anything. Jill worries when Willow doesn't come home. The Write Stuff (22:10) When Brad joins the high school newspaper, his silly column overshadows Randy's serious article, which bugs Randy to no end. The Son Also Mooches (22:23) Tim's older brother comes to live to their mom's home because his business failed. He then convinces mum to back his new business idea, which worries Tim. Believe It or Not (22:24) After Wilson tells Tim a personal story, Tim tells everyone and alienates Wilson. Tim tries to make things right. This is a good stand-alone episode. Rebel Without Night Driving Privileges (22:24) Randy gets his driver's license and promptly gets a no-night-driving rule, which he doesn't like and takes the car out for a spin in the dark. Tool-Thousand One: A Space Odyssey (21:59) Binford wants to send one of their employees to space and so Tim tries hard to get picked. When he does, he thinks that what's going on at home may be more important. From Top to Bottom (22:26) Jill gets to be on TV and goes overboard, saying some not-too-flattering things about Tim, which he resents. It's a good way to finish the season.
Video
1.33:1 full screen. Unlike the sixth season, the video quality here varies here and there. 'The Write Stuff', for example, looks pretty fuzzy and soft. 'Thanksgiving' on the other hand, looks fine, though not perfectly clear. The problem comes with the source material, though, as it's not progressive and from a TV show. The colours are fine, but the contrast could be better. On the good side, even with 8 episodes per disc, there's no artifacting of any kind. It's not the best picture, but it should be adequate for tube TV.
Audio
The original English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track is very good, even after all these years. The dialogue - the most important part - is clear and clean, with no muffling or loss of quality since the shows aired. The laugh track, music and other smaller sounds are clear and well mixed. It's a nice track and sure to please any fan of the show. English subtitles are provided.
Extras
The only real extras is an 8-minute blooper reel on disc 3 that's pretty funny. Some of these are from the bits taken during the end credits, but most of these are new. Even if they're taken from the credits roll, many of them are extended bits, so they add to what you've already seen. They really show the amount of fun and closeness of the cast and crew. Apart from that are a few Sneak Peek trailers, only on disc 1: 'Wild Hogs' (2:31), 'High School Musical: The Concert' (1:38), a Blu-ray ad (0:51), an ABC Family ad (0:30) and (also start-up trailers) ‘The Jungle Book' (1:34), 'Underdog' (1:11), 'The Santa Clause 3' (2:21), 'Meet the Robinsons' (2:26).
Packaging
Buena Vista packed this in a 3-disc amaray case with the same width as a regular keep case.
Overall
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