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Family Ties: The Second Season (TV)
R1 - America - Paramount Home Entertainment / CBS TV Review written by and copyright: Pat Pilon (10th November 2007). |
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The Film
 When the series finished in 1989, I wasn't even nine yet, so I was more interested in other shows. However, I did know Michael J. Fox's show, simply because Mr. Fox was also Canadian. The series follows the Keaton family: ambitious over-achiever Alex (Michael J. Fox), slow but good-meaning Mallory (Justine Bateman), young smart-alecky Jennifer (Tina Yothers), and their parents, ex-left wingers Steven (Michael Gross), who runs a PBS affiliate and Elyse (Meredith Baxter Birney), architect and full-time mother. The show, though a comedy, tackles some very serious issues, including adultery, child kidnapping and alcoholism. With a light touch, the episodes straddles some heavy material, never forgetting it's a comedy, while trying to enlighten viewers about lofty ideas. The writing varies from show to show, with the first half being a bit stronger than the second half. 'M is for the Many Things', for me, was probably the most plodding and uninteresting episodes, while 'Go Tigers' is easily the best episode of the season, funny, wacky and off-the-wall. The show has many, many good lines. For example, in 'Birthday Boy', the setup is a bit long, but the payoff is pretty good. Alex's friends take him to a bar for his 18th birthday, and they meet up with some girls. The guys play with the girls, convincing them they're fighter pilots. 'This is a big night for Colonel Keaton, girls. Tomorrow morning at 0500 hours, he flies his first mission into hostile enemy territory.' 'Really,' says a girl. Alex answers, 'Well, he's exaggerating.' The girls look disappointed. 'A little.' 'What do you mean?' the same girl asks. 'Well, you see, it's not my first mission, it’s… it's my first solo mission.' Alex's friend looks at the girl he's with, and, seductively, says, 'Yeah, and I'm going with him.' In 'My is for the Many Things': Elyse, to her mother, who has just sold her childhood home: 'You sold the house? My room, too?' In 'Diary of a Young Girl': Mad at her father, Jennifer says: 'That tie… is right-wing!' I never watched the show when I was younger, so I didn't really know how much Michael J. Fox would mug for the camera. He's got really nice charisma, though, and makes the show really funny. Whatever the billing says, he's the star of the show. The rest of the cast add their own persona, making things pretty interesting. If you watched this show when you were younger, then there's a terrific nostalgic quality in this 1980s time capsule. Here's a rundown of the episodes found on each disc. disc 1: Tender is the Knight (23:59) An old flame of Alex's visits for a bit and is very forceful with Alex, wanting him to do things he may not want to do. Homecoming (24:07) A friend of Mallory's comes to visit and asks her to go steady. This reminds me of an episode of from 'Family Affair'. The Harder They Fall (24:08) Alex needs a letter of recommendation from a hard-nosed teacher, and wants his parents to make a good impression during Parent Day. Unfortunately, this teacher keeps getting punched in the face. This Year's Model (24:09) Mallory enters her and her mom in a mother-daughter model shoot contest, which they win. Elyse, however, soon takes centre stage, much to Mallory's dismay. Not An Affair to Remember (24:08) Mike and his new secretary flirt together, which may bode badly for Mike. Star of 'Who's the Boss?', Judith Light, guest stars. Speed Trap (24:09) With an exam week coming up very soon, Alex gets some uppers to help him out. The results are typical. disc 2: Sweet Lorraine (23:36) After calling on Alex's radio show, he and the caller go on a date. The lady in question, however, is almost 40 years old. (Alex, by the way, is 17.) Batter Up (24:07) The coach of Jennifer's softball team, Alex, wants them to win, and pushes them a bit much. A Keaton Christmas Carol (24:08) This, as you may guess, is the Christmas episode. As you may also guess from the title, this is the 'Family Ties' version of 'A Christmas Carol', where Alex gets put back into the Christmas spirit thanks to the spirit of various Christmases. To Snatch a Keith (24:06) The Keatons' family friends, after a divorce, fight in the Keatons' household. Soon, some mistakes happen, and something close to a kidnapping occurs. This episode has really sharp writing to pull some comedy from a pretty heavy subject. Birthday Boy (24:07) For his 18th birthday, Alex defies his mom and goes 100 miles from his house with his buddies, across state lines to a bar. Go Tigers (24:08) This is one of the better episodes of the season. Alex goes to Princeton to have an interview with the Dean of Admissions. He brings along Mallory because she wants to see Jeff, from 'Homecoming'. She, unfortunately, sees him kissing another girl. disc 3: M is for the Many Things (24:08) Elyse's mother separates from her father, and comes visit the family. Elyse isn't very happy to learn her mother is dating again. I've seen this type of episode many times before, from 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air', to 'Home Improvement', and the novelty is kind of gone. Say Uncle (24:09) Tom Hanks guest stars in this episode. His Uncle Ned comes back, but with some heavy baggage, after his appearance in the first season. Ladies' Man (24:07) In order to impress a girl, Alex pretends to be a feminist. Ready or Not (24:09) Mallory's boyfriend pretty much gives her an ultimatum: explore new 'territory' or lose him. She then has to decide what she'll do. Double Date (24:10) Alex inadvertently gets two dates for the senior prom: the girl of his dreams, and the girl he asked before the girl of his dreams asked him. Lady Sings the Blues (23:42) Alex gives Mallory driving lessons, which Alex regrets pretty quickly. Meanwhile, Elyse thinks about the singing career she could have had. disc 4: Baby Boy Doe (24:07) Skip Handleman, the Keatons' neighbour, finds out he's adopted. With the help of the Keatons, the search for his real parents begins. The Graduate (24:08) It's graduation day and Alex takes it more than to heart when his girlfriend is named Valedictorian over him. Diary of a Young Girl (24:10) This shows the lives of the Keatons through the eyes of an 8-year-old. Jennifer has to have her tonsils out, and writes a diary in the hospital. Working at It (23:56) Elyse decides to go back to work and gets a job at an architectural agency. She has to deal with new technology and fast deadlines, which she doesn't think she can handle. It's a nice way to finish the season.
Video
1.33:1 full screen. The show is from the early '80s and it looks that way. Thankfully, any kind of print damage is gone; edge enhancement, pixelation and compression artifacts are not here. The show has very open and bright cinematography, and the transfer shows all of this very well. On the other hand, the picture looks pretty old. The show has a pretty soft look and the picture shows this. The print is from 1983 and the transfer shows that, but it's a very clean transfer.
Audio
The show comes in an English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono track. The dialogue - the most important thing - is clear and distinct. The range is really limited, but it's not too bad given there's next to no music and no big sound effects. There's also no hissing or popping, which makes this an adequate track. There are no subtitles.
Extras
Every episode has a 30-second Promo, a 'coming up next'-type ad. They're a nice way to introduce the episodes. Disc one has a few Previews for some 'Classic TV shows on DVD' (1:57). Disc four has the rest of special features. First up is a 32-second Michael J. Fox: Public Service Announcement, where Mr. Fox gets people to visit his website and help with Parkinson's Disease research. The Making of 'Family Ties' (20:54) is a nice featurette that recounts the show's genesis, casting and stories. With the entire main cast (with the exception of Mrs. Baxter Birney) and the creator (Gary David Goldberg) reminisce and recall the funniest stories of the season. What's really interesting about this is that you see some bloopers with various actors, but there aren't any blooper reels on the DVD. They also show clips from different seasons. The information given is also really interesting and fans of the show will eat this up. Next is Michael J. Fox: The Best Gig in the World (8:37), in which Mr. Fox and the rest talk about how 'Family Ties' hepled his career. You hear how he moved to LA, then how lucky he was to get the gig and how he shot to startdom thanks to it. The Year of the Beard (2:47) finishes out the disc. In the first season, Michael Gross didn't have a beard, and this featurette is about the beard in the second season. This just talks about how and why he got the beard.
Overall
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