Growing Pains: The Complete Second Season – DVD Review

DVD Reviews, Reviews

In the ‘80s, you couldn’t flip the dial without landing on a sitcom about a family that was aimed at families. They were as dominating as today’s reality shows. Growing Pains joined a crowded field, but quickly went to the top of the ratings thanks to being paired with Who’s The Boss? Growing Pains‘ Seaver family followed the traditional line up of a smart yet goofy dad (Alan Thicke), a flustered working mom (Joanna Kerns), a dorky son who thinks he’s cool (Kirk Cameron), a frustrated daughter (Tracey Gold) and a pesky youngest son (Jeremy Miller). The show wasn’t the second coming of Cosby or Family Ties in the writing department. What makes a show like Growing Pains hilarious is the unintentional humor. The jokes are hammy and forced. Growing Pains: The Complete Second Season is a series screaming to be turned into a drinking game.


“Jason and the Cruisers” reunites Alan’s old college rock band. It’s like a nostalgia trip for the family. Oddly enough, there’s a lot of cool bands back in 1986. “Fast Times at Dewey High” starts the school year Jeremy being bullied, Tracey feeling academically bored and Kirk thinking he can score with a girl. Kirk was a Tiger Beat magazine regular. But why? His character was an amazing dork. He was a pair of suspenders and glasses short of being Urkel. “Long Day’s Journey into Night” has a cheerleader befriend Kirk’s sister to get close to him. How dare she!

“Call Me” gets things interesting when the family discovers numerous calls to a dirty phone number service. Dad suspects Kirk was dialing the nasty girls. Now this is a nostalgic episode for me. Do they still have such services since it’s so much easier to just use Chatroulette for free? “Thank you, Willie Nelson” has no cameo from the famous singer. What a tease title. “My Brother, Myself” lets Kirk unwittingly give tips to Jeremy on how to seduce the babysitter. I think this was done better on a Cinemax After Dark film from that era. “Jimmy Durante Died For Your Sins” also doesn’t feature the title actor. They merely talk about Durante’s nose since Tracey wants her adjusted. This is rather creepy since soon after this episode, Tracey Gold would start her scary battle with anorexia nervosa.

All these episodes pale compared to the over the top comedy found in “Thank God It’s Friday.” Kirk and his pals Eddie and Boner have a losers’ night out until they bump into a recent high school grad. The guy is picking up a pile of pizzas for a private party that features lots of hot girls. Naturally the guys have to help him deliver the pies to the ladies. The part is happening with plenty of females at a mansion. Kirk notices that there’s lots of people going into the bathroom at once. Why? Cause it’s a cocaine party! Kirsty Swanson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) wants to do a few lines with Kirk before they hit the hot tub with a second girl. Can Kirk resist the temptation of Bolivian Marching Powder? Remember that this is Growing Pains and not Nurse Jackie. Kirk must avoid the sniff at all costs. Kirk comes out at the end of the episode as himself. He tells the audience that he doesn’t do cocaine. He doesn’t care if you think he’s uncool for not sniffing. The comedy is all over the episode. Why in a huge mansion is there only one bathroom? Why is everyone hiding when sniffing away since it’s a private party? How come the girls want to get into the hot tub, but are wearing huge potato sacks with shoulder pads? How does a guy named Boner not have a drug problem? If they answered those questions, there would be no laughs on Growing Pains: The Complete Second Season.

The Episodes
“Jason and the Cruisers,” “Fast Times at Dewey High,” “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” “Call Me,” “Employee of the Month,” “Dream Lover,” “Do You Believe in Magic?,” “Jason’s Rib,” “The Kid,” “The Breakfast Club,” “Choices,” “Higher Education,” “Some Enchanted Evening,” “Thank You, Willie Nelson,” “Thank God It’s Friday,” “My Brother, Myself,” “Jimmy Durante Died for Your Sins,” “Carnival,” “The Awful Truth,” “Born Free,” “The Long Goodbye” and “Confidentially Yours.”

The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The show was shot on video. The transfer quality is fine. You’ll get enough details of Kirk’s hair. The audio is Dolby Digital mono. The mix is fine for a sitcom. The episodes have English and French subtitles.

None.

Growing Pains: The Complete Second Season is funny for making you wonder “what were they thinking?” Kirk Cameron refusing to do cocaine was supposed to be a powerful statement, but it raised another question. Were the writers sober when they wrote these episodes? If the Seavers were your neighbors, you’d build a cinderblock fence to keep them out of sight.


Warner Home Video presents Growing Pains: The Complete Second Season. Starring: Alan Thicke, Joanna Kerns and Kirk Cameron. Boxset Contents: 22 episodes on 3 DVDs. Released on DVD: April 26, 2011.

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.