Felicity: Season 1

FELICITY has aged very well and is in no way dated. I grew up with this show and never purchased any of the seasons on dvd with their original release. The series is grounded by superb writing and direction, timeless storylines that affect college age people that never fade but most of all it is held together by the all around superb cast. The acting here is impeccable and runs the gamut from humorous to heartwrenching. And of course at its center is the star, the immensely talented Keri Russell. The weight of the show rests on her angelic shoulders and she carries it so gracefully. To follow her emotional journey becomes a gift to the viewer.

Most people reading this will agree with what I just said and are huge fans of the show. But what one wonders is why have these reissued boxed sets appeared and how is the quality? I never saw the original released boxed sets but know at that time series sets were rather bulky. This firs season is a very slim presentation with 6 discs perfectly placed in a plastic cd case which inserts into an outer cardboard protective sleeve. It is very attractive, takes up little room and I can only imagine that the show has continued to sell since its demise so they came up with a more user friendly version to hopefully get even more sales.

As far as I can tell everything abouth the discs and the video/audio presentation is exactly the same as the original set. The video quality is excellent even with the pilot episode. The show always has its emotional moments and the instrumental track works very well. The only complaint here was an issue with the original set as well. The show often used modern day popular songs and those songs are replaced on this dvd set for they chose not to pay the royalities to include those songs. Much effort was not put into choosing alternative songs. A perfect example is with the pilot. As we know Felicity corresponds with her friend Sally via tape. At the end of the pilot there is a voiceover of Sally's latest tape. The song in the background is obviously a replacement from what was originally uased and it is jarring, loud and it becomes very difficult to hear Sally. The song in no way reflects the emotions of the scene.

So bottom line. I highly recommend the series FELICITY. The video is here in all its glory and looks great. This boxed set is an elegant slimline version. Just note that if the only way you want to see FELICITY is exactly as it aired audio wise then these sets are not for you. The song replacement doesn't happen often but when it does it is jarring. Sadly there is no way to get FELICITY in its true original form audio wise. You must purchase it with this slight flaw or give it a pass. For me, once I adjusted to the switched occasional songs all was fine. The instrumental soundtrack is still intact. The show is still FELICITY and it delivers the same emotional wallop to me as it originally did.

The song replacement is obviously why I could not give this classic series 5 stars.

I originally caught Felicity when I was in my late teens and it's one of the few shows I could really relate to. The show itself is great and I would recommend it to anyone, but the DVD set....absolutely NOT! I blame myself for not reading the reviews for the previously released DVD sets, but this one has NONE of the original music that first aired with the program. I knew something was a bit off when some songs played over bits of dialogue in the wrong places; and LOUDLY so I could barely hear what was being said. My memory of one scene in particular had a very lovely song that was replaced by some wretched watered down version of ANOTHER song. To me, it definitely changed the tone of some scenes and the emotional connection was somewhat lost. Also, there are no great new updates where the video quality is concerned. It's almost like the show was cut and pasted from the WB onto DVD format and slapped together with some new music that really sets the whole thing off-kilter. Grr...If you'd like to watch a very well-told coming of age story I definitely do recommend the show. If you are feeling a bit nostalgic for your past (as I was) and want to relive some memories, STAY AWAY from these DVDs!!

I love this show, hands down, in my top 5. I saw the entire series when it originally aired on tv when I was in college, and this is one of the few I would consider re-watching, so I had to own it. I think the 1st and 3rd season are my favorite, but on the whole you should see them all. This isn't just a show for the ladies either. I'll have marathons when I'm sick, or just taking a 'couch day' and without fail, my boyfriend will show up... he might start out pretending to read a book, but next thing you know, he's asking me questions and watching it with me.

I did notice the songs were different from the original, and I'm huge music buff. But honestly, besides noticing it, it didn't actually bother me. The plot is the stand out star, not the music. It might change the mood of certain scenes slightly, but if you never saw them on tv, you'd never know.

As I've said before, I'm a huge sucker for love triangles. But, I only ones that are done well, not gooey and cheesy. You will forever be torn between Ben and Noel....you may find yourself shouting out your choice(for me, I shout BEN!) trying to sway Felicity one way or the other. The first season captures perfectly the first year of college in a new place, the uncertainty, discovery and exhilaration.

Javier, who shows up in the 2nd 1/2 of the 1st season, is amazing and definitely stands out with a great dose of comedy. All the characters were cast extremely well, and you'll definitely have your personal favorites.

Timeless, excellent show. Funny, dramatic and a must see in my book.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 16 reviews  4.1 out of 5 stars