Little House on the Prairie: Season 2

So now by Season 2 of the Little House series, we really feel like part of the family. The beauty of having them on these DVD sets season by season, is having the pleasure of watching the characters grow, the relationships strengthen,and the love abundent, episode by episode. And how nice to share them with each new generation, as they are stories that may be enjoyed by the whole family and never get old. And ...without all the commercials!

Season 2 ran from 1975-1976. There are 21 episodes in all on 6 DVDs, for a total of about 18 hours of viewing pleasure for those that loved and still love this series. The stories range from whimsical to heart wrenching. All will move you in some way. The episodes included are: "The Richest Man In Walnut Grove"(Pa may have to work like a mule to provide for his family, but the love he recieves makes him rich in other ways),"Four Eyes","Haunted House","The Big Inning","The Campout","The Spring Dance" and the very touching 2 parter, "Remember Me"(Academy Award winner Patricia Neal is a dying widow who asks Charles to find a home for her children). You will also enjoy "Ebenezer Sprague","At the End of the Rainbow", "The Gift", "His Father's Son"(Mr. Edwards tries to bond with newly adopted son John Jr.), "The Talking Machine","The Pride of Walnut Grove", "A Matter of Faith"(I love this one...how DOES Caroline know exactly when to open the infection, so she won't lose her leg?), "The Runaway Caboose","Troublemaker","The Long Road Home", "For My Lady", "Centennial", "Soldiers Return"(this one took a bold step in 1976 to deal with drug addicted veterans), and finally "Going Home"(Charles wants to sell the Little House after being discouraged one more time by a tornado that ruined his crop).

If you are a big fan, you probably already know just by the titles what these stories are about, and for which ones you'll need to bring the along the Kleenex. And by now, we are also in tune to David Rose's wonderful and familiar music that sets the tone of the story and gives the perfect feel for each character.

I thought the DVDs were great. There are still no title credits for the major guest stars(but you'll recognize them), but the color correction is greatly improved, the picture clear and the stereo sound is great.Features include a photo gallery that shows various characters at different stages, some cast bios,and...the quiz works this time!(I aced it by the way). The fold out box opens nicely to the disc you are ready for and if you take a peek behind the folder in the back of the set you will find a nice brochure that lists all the episodes, what disc they are on and a brief summary of each story. Very Nice!

So gather the family around, "git out the way for Ole Dan Tucker"... and enjoy this treasure!...Laurie

Please fwd this to your DVD production dept:

Just picked up Season 1 and 2 of LHOP. Although the USD price is reasonable, I am VERY disappointed in the quality. Here's why:

(1) Over use of EDGE ENHANCEMENT. The people in your tech/production dept will know EXACTLY what I'm talking about. DVD is a high resolution format to begin with; there is no need for this TRICK. It degrades the look immensely. Bottom line: images should have a smooth, film-like look.

(2) Variability of source material. Some episodes are sourced from very good elements; others look horrible (e.g., Remember Me Part I, Remember Me Part II in season 2).

(3) Opening intro/credits missing on most episodes. There is EPISODE-SPECIFIC info contained in the opening credits. Imavision cannot honestly make an "uncut and in their original form" claim if these are missing.

(4) Lack of proper TOC, chapter encoding, and other random access features. It would be nice to jump from scene to scene (or, at least, mark the ORIGINAL commercial break points).

(5) Shabby packaging (over packaged). Too much to pull out; too many discs. Look at how many other TV series are released, then redesign your packaging scheme for the remaining seasons. The original Outer Limits series DVD set is an excellent example to follow: one easy-open case, each disc is dual-sided dual-layered, which allows all 27 episodes to fit on only 4 discs).

This is a superb TV series and I think it deserves the best DVD treatment.

Sincerely,
K. Hashmi

1) - Unlike what another has said the color is washed out terrible in some episodes.
2) - Video quality is average to poor.
3) - The sound track is OK to poor.
4) - Show openers are gone for a single common show opening clip.
5) - There are NO chapters. If you click next on your remote you end the episode. This is unheard of in DVD.
6) - There are NO extras... this is unheard of on DVD.

If you own a bunch of VHS tapes with kiddy finger prints all over your 27 inch TV screen then you may be fine with this. But if you own a nice television and are familiar with DVD quality and standards then this set and Season two both lack.

Things improve slightly in Season three where chapter points are added to the episodes & video and audio quality improves slightly.

People really should tell the objective truth when rating a product. All too often folks get on here and just VOTE for their favorite show with no regard to the fact others are reading these ratings to see HOW the product stands up. Just because you loved the Ingles growing up doesn't mean the studio should get a pass on delivering a weak product. How will that force them to do better next time?

If you truly LOVED Little House as we did then you should be OUTRAGED when it is presented so poorly.