The Middle – Season One (2009 – 2010/Warner DVD Set)
Picture:
C Sound: C+ Extras: C- Episodes: C
Patricia
Heaton is known as a mainstream comedy TV actress doing sitcoms like the evil,
overrated Everybody Loves Raymond,
which was such a success that she would get her own show. Sadly, it is the equally inept and almost as
obnoxious The Middle, about a
family who lives in a small town in “the middle” of nowhere, which is where
this Season One DVD set ought to be dropped off at.
Her
Frankie Heck character (yes, a male-like first name) is married with three
children and voice-overs every episode and often. Wow, does that get obnoxious and her
pseudo-witty comments are as condescending to the viewer (i.e., how smart we
supposedly are and she is at least as smart) and we get 24 sort-of half-hours
of this? I started rooting for a cow
stampede or something to break up the boredom and hopefully the show, but it
stays obnoxious all the way. And small
towns continue to be stereotyped as nauseam.
Skip it!
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is surprisingly soft for a new HD-shot
show with plenty of motion blur and other image reproduction issues that make
this even harder to watch. The Dolby
Digital 5.1 mix stretches out what is really simple TV sitcom stereo and the
combination is overall weak on every show.
Extras include a paper pullout inside the DVD case with episode
listings, a Gag Reel, Unaired Scenes (not shown for good reasons and two making
of/behind the scenes featurettes.
- Nicholas Sheffo
