Butterflies – Series Two
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: C- Episodes: B-
Butterflies – Series Two continues the struggle
between old-fashioned father (Geoffrey Palmer) and his more liberal two sons
(Andrew Hall & Nicholas Lyndhurst) and wife (Wendy Craig), as their
conflicts and unhappiness wear on with very amusing results. The boys are still part of the
counterculture and their mother Ria is still trying to find a better tomorrow
for herself in all this. Then there is
Leonard (Bruce Montague) who she was interested in, but still has not abandoned
her family life for. Will this change?
Acorn Media has issued eight more (untitled) episodes for
the second season/series in a show that continues to be as smart and funny as
it began. Thankfully, the laugh track
is therefore not as prominent. Oh, and
the mother’s cooking is still bad. The
teleplays do not wear the cast, situations or material thin, so unless you get
bored with those, you will still be laughing or at least be amused by the shows. To the shows credit, it takes its time to
develop the characters in a way most sitcoms from either side of the Atlantic
do not. No wonder it continues to be so
enjoyable.
The 1.33 X 1 full frame image is from the PAL analog video
it was shot on and the source material looks good for its age, despite softness
here and there. The Dolby Digital 2.0
is a stereo boosted from the original broadcast monophonic sound that sounds
good despite more compression here and there, and the theme song is a variation
of Dolly Parton’s hit Love Is like A Butterfly with Claire Terry. Rock fans know her for her vocal
contributions to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon. Extras are less this time, repeating the
last set’s text biographies of the cast and text notes. Start with the first series, then move on to
this one for best impact.
- Nicholas Sheffo
