Thanks to Marc Cherry, suburbia would never be the same again.
Thanks to Marc Cherry, suburbia would never be the same again.
The first season of "Desperate Housewives" consists of 23 episodes and they are evenly spread out over the following six DVDs:
Disc 1: "Pilot", "Ah, But Underneath", "Pretty Little Picture", "Who´s That Woman"
Disc 2: "Come In, Stranger", "Running To Stand Still", "Anything You Can Do", "Guilty"
Disc 3: "Suspicious Minds", "Come Back To Me", "Move On", "Everyday A Little Death"
Disc 4: "Your Fault", "Love Is In The Air", "Impossible", "The Ladies Who Lunch"
Disc 5: "There Won´t Be Trumpets", "Children Will Listen", "Live Alone And Like It", "Fear No More"
Disc 6: "Sunday In The Park With George", "Goodbye For Now", "One Wonderful Day"
Video:
I was really impressed when I first watched this show on TV in high-definition (HD) video. As the HD technology is not yet upon us on home video, watching these "Desperate Housewives" DVDs in 480p, while not as impressive, is certainly an enjoyable experience overall. Presented on this DVD in anamorphic widescreen measuring 1.78:1, the video images are spot on, featuring natural skin tones and good color levels. Also, you can scarcely spot any transfer errors or any hints of dirt in the hundreds of minutes that you would spend watching all the episodes. The only subtitle option available on this DVD set is English for the hearing impaired.
Audio:
Only a single audio track is provided on this DVD set and it is English in Dolby Digital 5.1. Danny Elfman´s whimsical but impressive theme song comes through the left and right speakers in great fashion, providing a wide sound space in the front. The surround speakers, as expected, are used only sparingly and the dialogue is projected clearly from the center channel.
Extras:
Unlike some DVD sets that try to keep the majority of the bonus material on a single disc, the ones here are scattered throughout all the six DVDs.
Disc 1:
"A Stroll Down Wisteria Lane" is an 11-minute Marc Cherry interview by Meredith Viera, who visited the set of the show during the shooting of the season finale. A note of caution to those who have yet to watch the entire first season of the show: this feature contains spoilers (it should have been included on the final disc instead of the first one). On this DVD, there is also an audio commentary by Marc Cherry on the pilot episode, one Deleted Scene from the episode "Ah, But Underneath" (with optional commentary by Cherry) and the first of six "Extended Episodes" on "Who´s That Woman". You can watch "Who´s That Woman" in either its original broadcast version or a slightly extended version featuring a scene that was cut but has now been restored to make the episode seamless but with some added depth.
Disc 2:
In "Desperate Housewives Around the World", you will get to witness how the insane popularity of the show has spread like wildfire beyond America to other countries around the world. Next is "Multi Language Sequence: Bree´s Dinner Party" where a sample of international language dubs are included in a short sequence. The languages featured here include Castilian, Italian, French, Spanish and German. You can also find two Deleted Scenes from the episodes, "Guilty" and "Running To Stand Still" (both features optional commentary by Cherry), two audio commentaries, one on the episode "Anything You Can Do" by Marc Cherry and director Larry Shaw and the other on "Guilty" with commentary by Cherry and an "Extended Episode" feature on "Anything You Can Do".
Disc 3:
"Dressing Wisteria Lane" is a documentary on the look of the show and it features interviews with Marc Cherry, production designer Tom Walsh and costume designer Cate Adair as they describe the various styles for each of the main characters. Also included on this disc are a "Deleted Scene" from the episode "Suspicious Minds" (with optional commentary by Cherry) and an "Extended Episode" on "Everyday A Little Death".
Disc 4:
This disc features one Deleted Scene on the episode "Your Fault", an audio commentary by Marc Cherry and director Larry Shaw on "Impossible" and another "Extended Episode" feature on "Impossible".
Disc 5:
Starting off is one Deleted Scene on the episode "There Won´t Be Trumpets", with optional commentary by Marc Cherry. Next are a set of five brief audio commentaries by the stars of the show--Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Eva Langoria and Nicolette Sheridan--as they reveal and comment on their favorite moments from the show. This feature is called "Audio Commentary: The Ladies´ Favorite Scenes".
Disc 6:
This final disc features the most number of bonus material. The most interesting one is titled, "Oprah Winfrey Is The New Neighbor" where an interesting and funny sequence of scenes taken from the show are patched together that seamlessly add a character played by Winfrey right smack into middle of all the intrigues on Wisteria Lane. It is really very funny. Up next is "Secrets of Wisteria Lane" where you get a behind-the-scenes look at some of the production work and also a brainstorming session among the writers of the show. "Bloopers From the Set" features a montage of line flubs other funny shenanigans on the set. Next is the longest feature of all, "Behind The Scenes on Wisteria Lane" where Meredith Viera goes on the set to interview the stars and the crew of the show on among other things, their thoughts about the success of the show and the grueling schedules during filming. One Deleted Scene can be watched from the episode "One Wonderful Day" (with optional commentary by Cherry) and you can also hear an audio commentary by Cherry and director Larry Shaw on the final episode "One Wonderful Day". Finally, you can watch two "Extended Episodes": "Sunday in the Park With George" and "Goodbye For Now".
Packaging:
The 6 DVDs in this set are housed in a single foldout box with the annoying configuration of having two discs on a single tray, one on top of the other. The white foldout box is then encased in a nice clear plastic cover. Also included in this package is a booklet that contains a brief synopsis for each of the 23 episodes and a couple of coupons and promotional flyers.
Film Value:
"Desperate Housewives" reminds me so much of the outstanding HBO comedy "Sex and the City". From the female leads to the narration style of the show, I would say that the similarities are quite uncanny. Well, if you must copy, then copy from the best, right? However, more than "Sex and the City", "Desperate Housewives" offers so much more depth in terms of storytelling. Creating a quirky fairytale-like setting in the form of Wisteria Lane, Marc Cherry has managed to cleverly infuse an eccentric Tim Burton-esque darkness into the show, an aspect that is so original and intriguing, I can´t help but fall in love with it, even though the show may have been aimed squarely at a mostly female audience.
Bravo, Mr. Cherry, bravo!
The first season of "Desperate Housewives" consists of 23 episodes and they are evenly spread out over the following six DVDs:
Disc 1: "Pilot", "Ah, But Underneath", "Pretty Little Picture", "Who´s That Woman"
Disc 2: "Come In, Stranger", "Running To Stand Still", "Anything You Can Do", "Guilty"
Disc 3: "Suspicious Minds", "Come Back To Me", "Move On", "Everyday A Little Death"
Disc 4: "Your Fault", "Love Is In The Air", "Impossible", "The Ladies Who Lunch"
Disc 5: "There Won´t Be Trumpets", "Children Will Listen", "Live Alone And Like It", "Fear No More"
Disc 6: "Sunday In The Park With George", "Goodbye For Now", "One Wonderful Day"
Video:
I was really impressed when I first watched this show on TV in high-definition (HD) video. As the HD technology is not yet upon us on home video, watching these "Desperate Housewives" DVDs in 480p, while not as impressive, is certainly an enjoyable experience overall. Presented on this DVD in anamorphic widescreen measuring 1.78:1, the video images are spot on, featuring natural skin tones and good color levels. Also, you can scarcely spot any transfer errors or any hints of dirt in the hundreds of minutes that you would spend watching all the episodes. The only subtitle option available on this DVD set is English for the hearing impaired.
Audio:
Only a single audio track is provided on this DVD set and it is English in Dolby Digital 5.1. Danny Elfman´s whimsical but impressive theme song comes through the left and right speakers in great fashion, providing a wide sound space in the front. The surround speakers, as expected, are used only sparingly and the dialogue is projected clearly from the center channel.
Extras:
Unlike some DVD sets that try to keep the majority of the bonus material on a single disc, the ones here are scattered throughout all the six DVDs.
Disc 1:
"A Stroll Down Wisteria Lane" is an 11-minute Marc Cherry interview by Meredith Viera, who visited the set of the show during the shooting of the season finale. A note of caution to those who have yet to watch the entire first season of the show: this feature contains spoilers (it should have been included on the final disc instead of the first one). On this DVD, there is also an audio commentary by Marc Cherry on the pilot episode, one Deleted Scene from the episode "Ah, But Underneath" (with optional commentary by Cherry) and the first of six "Extended Episodes" on "Who´s That Woman". You can watch "Who´s That Woman" in either its original broadcast version or a slightly extended version featuring a scene that was cut but has now been restored to make the episode seamless but with some added depth.
Disc 2:
In "Desperate Housewives Around the World", you will get to witness how the insane popularity of the show has spread like wildfire beyond America to other countries around the world. Next is "Multi Language Sequence: Bree´s Dinner Party" where a sample of international language dubs are included in a short sequence. The languages featured here include Castilian, Italian, French, Spanish and German. You can also find two Deleted Scenes from the episodes, "Guilty" and "Running To Stand Still" (both features optional commentary by Cherry), two audio commentaries, one on the episode "Anything You Can Do" by Marc Cherry and director Larry Shaw and the other on "Guilty" with commentary by Cherry and an "Extended Episode" feature on "Anything You Can Do".
Disc 3:
"Dressing Wisteria Lane" is a documentary on the look of the show and it features interviews with Marc Cherry, production designer Tom Walsh and costume designer Cate Adair as they describe the various styles for each of the main characters. Also included on this disc are a "Deleted Scene" from the episode "Suspicious Minds" (with optional commentary by Cherry) and an "Extended Episode" on "Everyday A Little Death".
Disc 4:
This disc features one Deleted Scene on the episode "Your Fault", an audio commentary by Marc Cherry and director Larry Shaw on "Impossible" and another "Extended Episode" feature on "Impossible".
Disc 5:
Starting off is one Deleted Scene on the episode "There Won´t Be Trumpets", with optional commentary by Marc Cherry. Next are a set of five brief audio commentaries by the stars of the show--Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Eva Langoria and Nicolette Sheridan--as they reveal and comment on their favorite moments from the show. This feature is called "Audio Commentary: The Ladies´ Favorite Scenes".
Disc 6:
This final disc features the most number of bonus material. The most interesting one is titled, "Oprah Winfrey Is The New Neighbor" where an interesting and funny sequence of scenes taken from the show are patched together that seamlessly add a character played by Winfrey right smack into middle of all the intrigues on Wisteria Lane. It is really very funny. Up next is "Secrets of Wisteria Lane" where you get a behind-the-scenes look at some of the production work and also a brainstorming session among the writers of the show. "Bloopers From the Set" features a montage of line flubs other funny shenanigans on the set. Next is the longest feature of all, "Behind The Scenes on Wisteria Lane" where Meredith Viera goes on the set to interview the stars and the crew of the show on among other things, their thoughts about the success of the show and the grueling schedules during filming. One Deleted Scene can be watched from the episode "One Wonderful Day" (with optional commentary by Cherry) and you can also hear an audio commentary by Cherry and director Larry Shaw on the final episode "One Wonderful Day". Finally, you can watch two "Extended Episodes": "Sunday in the Park With George" and "Goodbye For Now".
Packaging:
The 6 DVDs in this set are housed in a single foldout box with the annoying configuration of having two discs on a single tray, one on top of the other. The white foldout box is then encased in a nice clear plastic cover. Also included in this package is a booklet that contains a brief synopsis for each of the 23 episodes and a couple of coupons and promotional flyers.
Film Value:
"Desperate Housewives" reminds me so much of the outstanding HBO comedy "Sex and the City". From the female leads to the narration style of the show, I would say that the similarities are quite uncanny. Well, if you must copy, then copy from the best, right? However, more than "Sex and the City", "Desperate Housewives" offers so much more depth in terms of storytelling. Creating a quirky fairytale-like setting in the form of Wisteria Lane, Marc Cherry has managed to cleverly infuse an eccentric Tim Burton-esque darkness into the show, an aspect that is so original and intriguing, I can´t help but fall in love with it, even though the show may have been aimed squarely at a mostly female audience.
Bravo, Mr. Cherry, bravo!
Average user rating (1-5):
Not yet rated.
Not yet rated.
[release]15713[/release]