Guild, The - Season 5

The Guild series just keep getting better and better. Even if you're not a geek, or haven't played multiplayer online games (MMORPGs), the wit, humor, and sarcasm of this series will leave you laughing LOL. If you are-- or know-- any of the above, it's even better. Felicia Day and her gang of misfit gamer buddies take the show on the road and raid a gaming convention. Heady pokes at the gaming industry, gamers, and geek conventions (ComicCon, DragonCon, MegaCon etc) abound. Sprinkle that with the usual social ineptness and pseudosexual tensions and neuroses of the Knights of Good, and you've got a verry enjoyable-- and HI-Larious-- romp through modern gamer culture. The guest star cameos really show what kind of support an indie webshow filmmaker with the brilliance of Felicia Day deserves-- even if you're not a Nathan Fillion fan (and who isn't). And as we say in the South, the cast are just precious... These are released on internet a la Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog (also a must see with Felicia Day) and are initially funded through internet viewing hits on the two (three if you count a gaming console) websites that host them, but then at long last are released on DVD so you can view them when the internet is down-- or if you don't have internet, like in our neck of the woods where the chicken houses will get internet before we do. Right, Amy? Robin? Buy one, buy all. You'll laugh so hard your heart will grow three sizes.

What's the difference between this release and the one that's already out? The one that came out in December is bleeped and the ad for this one says "unrated", so maybe that's it. Also the current one's sound is out of sync on one ep, so i guess i'll be buying this all over again. :(

If you haven't bought S5 already, i'd suggest waiting for this one. Great show, just would have preferred only to have had to buy it once.

Those in love with Felicia Day and the wacky web world of her series "The Guild" should be thrilled with the arrival of Season Five on an official DVD. While I understand there was some displeasure with the sound and image quality of the recent DVD-R (a disc pressed on-demand when someone orders the product), I'm pleased to report no such technical issues with the official release available commercially on March 13. So as the product pages can sometimes get mixed up on this site, make sure you are opting for the pre-packaged and mass produced version (from Flatiron Films/New Video) and you shouldn't have any problems whatsoever. If you are shopping for Season Five of "The Guild," I'll assume that you are already familiar with the premise of the show. But let's just say that things are a bit different for our cast of misfits with these twelve episodes. This year, the action takes to the road as our crew head to a big gaming convention.

With this substantial change in format and the expansion of "The Guild" universe, this season might be its most divisive yet. I know a few people who didn't love the show veering away from the basics and becoming increasingly chaotic, but most (in my circle) were well on board for the season's absurd delights. The show has always effectively skewered the geek culture of gaming, so it only seems like a natural progression to take it to the next logical step. Day, as always, is an absolute delight but Jeff Lewis, Vincent Caso, Amy Okuda, Sandeep Parikh, and Robin Thorsen round out a diverse supporting cast that is absolutely committed to the madness. Add niche guest stars such as Nathan Fillion, Wil Wheaton, Doug Jones, and Erin Gray and Season Five really plays to its strengths.

As "The Guild" is a web based series, the twelve episodes on this disc only run about an hour and 40 minutes. The Extras boast some decent features: Double Trouble, How to Build A Con, and Steampunk Verite. There is also a short gag reel and an audio commentary featuring much of the primary cast. Also included are requisite cast interview and a behind-the-scenes table read. If you're a big fan, it's some nice bonus footage. At the end of the day, I'm not sure that Season Five represented my favorite, but I liked the chances that it took and it's still darn funny. KGHarris, 3/12.