Inside Pulse DVD Review – Strangers With Candy – The Complete Series

Inside Pulse DVD Review – Strangers With Candy – The Complete Series

Creators:
Stephen Colbert
Paul Dinello
Amy Sedaris
Mitch Rouse

Cast:
Amy Sedaris ………. Jerri Blank
Stephen Colbert ………. Mr. Charles Noblet
Paul Dinello ………. Mr. Geoffrey Jellineck
Greg Hollimon ………. Principal Onyx Blackman

Roberto Gari ………. Guy Blank
Deborah Rush ………. Sara Blank
Larc Spies ………. Derrick Blank

Sarah Thyre ………. Coach Cherri Wolf
Orlando Abdo Pabotoy ………. Orlando Pinatubo
Maria Thayer ………. Tammi Littlenut
David Pasquesi ………. Stew

The Show:
46-year old former “user, loser and boozer” Jerri Blank has set out to continue her life exactly where she left it – in high school, living with her parents. Every episode, Jerri learns some valuable life lessons, things like ” Violence really isn’t the only way to resolve a conflict, but it’s the only way to win it.”

If you’ve never seen the show (and I hadn’t before getting the DVD set), it’s a parody of the after school specials (or, I suppose, Degrassi or a Very Special episode of [insert sitcom with kids/teens here]) that some of us grew up with. The episodes all have a theme or a moral, although perhaps not exactly what they were gunning for back then.

I won’t lie to you – you won’t laugh continuously watching this. Some of the scenes seem to be deliberately cringe-worthy, with sub-par acting and those forced “moments” that progress the plot. Then again, it WAS a Comedy Central show, so who knows what their budget was?

Episodes:
(Note: Some of the episode descriptions are from the disc set, because in some cases I couldn’t summarize it much better.)

Disc One:
1-1, Old Habits, New Beginnings
Jerri tries hard to become popular, but things go very wrong when she kills a cheerleader after supplying her with drugs.

1-2, A Burden’s Burden
Coach Wolf gives everyone a baby in order to teach responsibility. Note the lack of quotations – everyone gets a real baby.

1-3, Dreams on the Rocks
Jerri’s starring role in the school play (as a black woman) causes jealousy and regret in her stepmother, who drowns her sorrows in booze.

1-4, Who Wants Cake?
Jerri is “recruited” to determine whether her lockermate is retarded.

1-5, Bogie Nights
Jerri is attracted to the new boy in school, and then learns a shocking secret.

Disc Two:
1-6, Let Freedom Ring
Flatpoint High is out to find who wrote a racial slur on the wall.

1-7, Feather in the Storm
Jerri loses weight in order to make the debate team.

1-8, To Be Young, Gifted and Blank
Jerri discovers that she’s a violin prodigy.

1-9, Jerri is Only Skin Deep
Jerri will stop at nothing to become the Homecoming Queen.

1-10, The Trip Back
Jerri falls for a stoner chick.

Disc Three:
2-1, The Virgin Jerri
Jerri decides that she’s a virgin again, but runs into trouble in the form of her brother’s friend Drake.

2-2, Behind Blank Eyes
Jerri becomes friends with a blind boy who wants to play for the football team.

2-3, Yes You Can’t
It’s Career Week, and Jerri tries to find one that’s right for her.

2-4, The Goodbye Guy
Jerri’s dad dies, and now she can’t participate in the father-student sack race.

2-5, The Blank Page
Jerri wants to join the cheerleading squad, but apparently cheerleaders need to spell, and Jerri is illiterate.

2-6, Hit and Run
Both Jerri and Noblet must deal with their guilt after Jerri runs over Mr. Jellineck and disfigures him.

Disc Four:
2-7, To Love, Honor and Pretend
Coach Wolf conducts an exercise where the class is paired off and “married”.

2-8, Blank Stare, Part 1
Jerri falls under the influence of the Safe Trap cult.

2-9, Blank Stare, Part 2
The Safe Trap Cult start to fall under the influence of Jerri’s disruptive ways.

2-10, A Price Too High for Riches
Jerri is desperate to get her hands on the newest fad sneaker.

Disc Five:
3-1, Jerri’s Burning Issue
Jerri learns she’s gotten some STD’s – just in time for the school dance.

3-2, Is Freedom Free?
Jerri’s nude self-portraits causes an issue over censorship – not because people dislike nudity, but because they dislike seeing a nude Jerri.

3-3, Trail of Tears (Director’s Cut)
Jerri learns some surprising news about her heritage.

3-4, Invisible Love
Jerri learns the key to self-respect: keeping your boyfriend happy – while making out with him in a trash can.

3-5, Is My Daddy Crazy? (Director’s Cut)
Something just isn’t right when Jerri’s mom’s meat man, Stew, starts acting crazy.

Disc Six:
3-6, Blank Relay
After discovering that her body fat level is 80% (the other 20% is apparently scar tissue), Jerri decides to use steroids in order to stay on the track team (and get some “tub time” with the other girls).

3-7, Ask Jerri
Jerry becomes the advice columnist for the school newspaper.

3-8, There Once Was a Blank From Nantucket
When Jerri finds herself the victim of sexual harassment, she must decide whether to put out, put out or shut up.

3-9, Bully
Jerri has problems with the school bully.

3-10, The Last Temptation of Blank
Jerri becomes popular as a result of one of those teen romantic comedy-type wagers (except of course that Jerri isn’t hot), and it appears that Flatpoint High is going to be turned into a strip mall.

The DVD:
Video:
(Fullscreen)
The colours are kind of “off”, which I’ve been assuming is deliberate.

Audio:
(English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Surround)
Good enough.

Special Features:
I gather that most of this material was in the season sets, but let’s go over them anyways.

Season One – You get commentaries from Amy Sedaris, Stephen Colbert and Paul Dinello for three episodes, deleted scenes from Bogie Nights, a PSA for The Trip Back and the unaired pilot.

Season Two – Commentaries from Sedaris, Colbert and Dinello for four episodes, on-set interviews, and an interview with the main cast for The Museum of Television and Radio.

Season Three – Commentaries from Sedaris, Colbert and Dinello on one episode, a slide show from Jellineck and Noblet, a message from Bob Whitely, a dance sequence compilation (trust me, it makes sense after you watch the show), blooper reel and storyboard animation.

Miscellaneous:
I love the DVD case, which is designed to look like a “Note Tote” binder – complete with a Velcro flap to keep it closed.

Check out Tony’s Strangers With Candy Companion, which is an insanely well done site.