Flight of the Conchords - Season Two

DVD Review


It was complete torture for me to wait for Season Two to be released on DVD. Everyone has been hit hard by these tough economic times, and I’m no exception. To finally accept the fact that after all these years I needed to give up my premium cable channels was a tough pill to swallow. The irony, of course, is now I’ve launched this blog, and it would be beneficial to have access to these shows and give more timely reviews. For now, I’m regulated to DVD releases! It’s already hard enough to not get invited to special screenings or have studios send me private DVDs!

I’ve watched Flight of the Conchords - Season One several times. I watch clips of their stage performance on YouTube all the time. I have all of their songs accept, “Too Many D**ks on the Dance Floor,” (why is that not available?) and I went to see them live in concert last May. So basically, I consider myself their number one fan!

The launch of Season Two brings high expectations for fans like me. Can these two keep coming up with absurd comedy and catchy tunes? Let’s just say there’s no sophomore slump here. These guys deliver the goods. I have to recommend watching the 10-minute “making of” documentary in the special features. It’s easy to forget that these guys write the show and all of songs. The songs are all real fully fleshed out tunes. That alone is quite an accomplishment. If they continued at their pace, it would equal a new album every year.

The rumor mill is high that the boys are bowing out after this season. For my own selfish entertainment, I naturally want them to keep going. The burnout factor, though, must be quite high, and I’m willing to cherish two years of brilliant television and not force these guys to produce less they top-notch work.

The weakest episode this season is The Prime Minister, but other shows could take a lesson, because their weakest efforts far surpass most of the crap the networks try to pass off as comedy these days. In episode two, The New Cup, we witness comedy gold, as Brett sends the couple into a downward financial spiral by purchasing a $2.79 teacup without first checking their bank account. The episode delivers huge laughs and slips into the absurd, while still remaining grounded. This is also the episode featuring their song, “Sugar Lumps,” so it’s pretty much as perfect as it gets. If I was to recommend one episode for someone to get a good feel for this show, this would be the one.

If the show ends here, fans were given a stand-in conclusion in the season finale. The story line also easily leaves the boys’ situation as an easy fix, if they choose to continue.

So, I have my two DVD sets, and they may have to sustain me forever. I’m sure the boys are launching themselves into bigger and brighter things. Does Jermaine Clement deserve his Emmy nomination? Absolutely! Season Two had him turning to prostitution to pay the bills and a musical number where he grabs two cooing pigeons from the window…well that has Emmy written all over it. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.