7th Heaven: Season 4

Season four (1999-2000) of the very popular family drama 7TH HEAVEN may be the finest of the first four (of eleven!) seasons in terms of sharp writing and superb acting by everyone. Here are some of the highlights:

EPISODES 1-4: Starting a new school year and making friends. Matt wants to move out, Eric has a heart attack, Aunt Julie is pregnant. Dramatic episode about the treatment of Afghanistan women. Lucy gets her driver's license.

EPISODE 5--A doozey. Teen pregnancy with a stand-up and cheer finale, marijuana possession, and cheating on a key high school exam.

EPISODE 6--A very pregnant Aunt Julie wants a divorce from doctor husband Hank, but changes her mind when both of them gaze on their new-born baby.

EPISODES 7 and 8--The basketball coach locks the gym from low-grade Mary and her teammates, who retaliate with vandalism and get arrested. Simon is caught giving someone "the finger" as a joke in front of Mom and the school principal.

EPISODES 9-12--A woman interned during WW2 wants to make a large contribution to the church and debates seeing a fellow internee. Simon's group sniffs paint thinner fumes. Annie's father may have Alzheimer's, while Matt mopes over Shawna being at NYU across the country. Annie goes to a beach cottage for a weekend's solace.

EPISODES 13-16--Two cute girls have dinner with Matt and his roommate John. Eric spies on Mary, who is on a double movie date with Lucy. Names can hurt. A child is harrassed for having Tourette's. Romantic Valentine's Day show. Eric tries to track down an abused boy who wants a prayer request.

EPISODES 17-18--Eric is on jury duty with a bunch of racists; Ruthie realizes that actions have consequences; Matt drives his roommate nuts in not being able to decide whether to see Shawna in Manhattan.

EPISODES 19-22--Eric counsels a troubled young girl, while Hank keeps a secret from wife Julie; all five Camden kids (excluding the twins) are caught in adolescent love triangles.

Starring are a never-better Stephen Collins as minister father Eric, Catherine Hicks as his wife Annie, Jessica Biel as Mary, Barry Watson as Matt, David Gallagher as Simon, Beverley Mitchell as Lucy, and Mackenzie Rosman as Ruthie. Guest starring are Maureen Flannigan as Shawna, Deborah Raffin as Julie, and Ed Begley Jr. as Hank. How did I survive these memorable and sometimes harrowing adolescent years intact?
Great parents.

As a footnote, let me add that this boxed set claims to have edited episodes and changed music. I was timing the episodes like a hawk and watching for cuts. All 22 of them seem fully intact, and the opening and closing music is all there, so Paramount Home Video must have done a very good editing job. Or just put on the disclaimer for legal reasons. There are a lot of social activist issues here; maybe some (800) phone number epilogues have been trimmed because they are no longer valid. In any event, this season four set of 7TH HEAVEN is a treasure to cherish over and over as we wait for season five on DVD.

Finally, the 4th Season of 7th Heaven is coming to dvd!! It's about time. This was one of my favorite seasons as it proved very dramatic, funny, and quite emotional at times what with the twins being born and now crying in the Camden household non-stop, and Mary going through her vicious senior year with basketball dreams not yet lost...or were they? Just loved what this whole year had to offer - wonderful family viewing with acting you can only enjoy and appreciate. Here are the episodes that will be in this 4th DVD set:

The Tattle Tale Heart

Life Is Too Beautiful

Yak Sada (a.k.a. One Voice)

Come Drive With Me

With Honors

Just You Wait And See

Sin... (part 1)

...And Expiation (part 2)

Dirty Laundry

Who Nose

Forget Me Not

All By Myself

Who Do You Trust?

Words

Loves Me, Loves Me Not

Say A Little Prayer For Me

Twelve Angry People

Hoop Dreams

Talk To Me

Liar, Liar

Love Stinks (part 1)

Love Stinks (part 2)

Now bring on Season 5 so we can enjoy more of the Camden's active life of humor, drama, and inspiration...

The twins turn a year old! Yeah,thats one of the many events of this season. We witness the beginning of Erics heart problems,the beginning of Marys life problems,and Lucys' steps towards her future. If you haven't seen them before,now would be the time to catch them. If you have,its a chance to look back on how different things were.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 31 reviews  4.4 out of 5 stars