Andy Griffith Show (DVD)

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10) "Goodbye Sheriff Taylor"—In one of several episodes that has Andy thinking of leaving for greener pastures, Barney proves instantly that he's not ready to move up to the top job.

11) "The Pageant"—Another disappointed mediocrity story as the no-talent Aunt Bee has her heart on playing Miss Mayberry in the centennial pageant.

12) "The Darling Baby"—The Darlings roll into town, with Mr. Darling (Denver Pyle) insisting that Opie become betrothed to wed his three-month-old granddaughter when they both come of age.

13) "Andy and Helen Have Their Day"—Barney jumps the gun and gets a wedding party together when Andy calls him from another town's justice of the peace and says he needs Barney to bring money—for a fishing fine.

14) Three Wishes for Opie"—Barney buys an old lamp and he and Opie try the Aladdin approach . . . with the usual disappointments and lessons.

15) "Otis Sues the County"—When Otis falls in the jail and Barney insists on him filing accident paperwork, his by-the-book deputying backfires when an ambulance-chasing attorney gets Otis to sue.

16) "Barney Fife, Realtor"—It's a tale of honesty in business after Opie cheats a schoolmate and Barney isn't much better as he tries to downplay a house's flaws to buyers.

17) "Goober Takes a Car Apart"—Don't ask how (it's Mayberry) but Goober picks the wrong time to work on car parts all over the courthouse-sheriff's office. Andy is on his way back from a conference, and colleagues are planning a visit.

18) "The Rehabilitation of Otis"—Otis's drunkenness gets out of hand as he pulls a Mongo and rides through town on a cow, thinking it a horse, and Barney's attempts to play shrink drive Otis to take his business elsewhere.

19) "The Lucky Letter"—Barney may lose his job again, this time over a broken chain letter that hexes Barney right before his pistol-shooting certification.

20) "Goober and the Art of Love"—There's nothing worse than a fifth wheel, as Goober starts to tag along with Andy, Helen, Barney, and Thelma Lou. And there's only one thing to do.

21) "Barney Runs for Sheriff"—Another job offer for Andy has Barney running for election, but when that job falls through, guess who he's running against?

22) "If I Had a 1/4 Million"—In a very funny and classic episode (again reminiscent of others), Barney sets up a trap to catch a crook and nets an FBI agent instead.

23) "TV or Not TV"—An article about Andy brings a film crew to town to tell his story, but then Andy notices the crew seems to care as much about the bank as anything else.

24) "Guest in the House"—The daughter of Aunt Bee's friend stays with the Taylors and gets a crush on Andy, whose reaction is bringing Helen to a slow boil.

25) "The Case of the Punch in the Nose"—Stickler Barney wants to reopen a case between Floyd the barber and his friend, but he ends up starting the feud all over again.

26) "Opie's Newspaper"—Opie's entrepreneurial spirit gets the best of andy and Aunt Bee as he spices up his newspaper with family gossip.

27) "Aunt Bee's Invisible Beau"—Bee's latest interest spells not only trouble, it spells B-I-G-A-M-Y as well.

28) "The Arrest of the Fun Girls"—Fans will remember the fun girls from Mt. Pilot, who complicate the boys' dating lives again when they're arrested . . . and Andy and Barney decide to tell them their prisoners are hardened criminals instead.

29) "The Luck of Newton Monroe"—When Andy arrests a traveling salesman, he ends up having to help piece the fellow back together again.

30) "Opie Flunks Arithmetic"—Andy and Helen disagree over how to handle Opie's failing grades.

31) "Opie and the Carnival"—Opie gets cheated at a shooting gallery, and it takes the eagle-eyed sheriff to teach the carney a lesson.

32) "Banjo Playing Deputy"—Another down-on-his luck story has Andy tries to help a banjo player whose job Andy lost.

Video: As with previous releases, the aspect ratio is 1.33:1, and the black-and-white picture is good but not great. There's a slight graininess, with some episodes a little worse. That said, you really have to be critically looking at it to notice. When you're caught up in the narrative flow, it's nothing bothersome.

Audio: The audio is nothing special—a Dolby Digital Mono that at least sounds natural and has an even distribution across the center and front main speakers. In other words, no complaints.

Extras: There are no extras.

Bottom Line: Season Five isn't vintage "Andy Griffith Show," because so many of the plots seem recycled from earlier seasons. But all the other hallmarks are there: the endearing characters, spot-on performances, and plots that contain simple messages about goodness and making good choices. For entertainment, it's still better than most of what passes for sitcoms these days, and a reminder that you don't have to have that cell phone turned on every minute. Slow down. Live.

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