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Fox Home Entertainment presents

How I Met Your Mother: Season 2 (2006-2007)

"It takes me exactly 23 minutes to get a girl from the bar back to my apartment. A lot can go wrong in 23 minutes."- Barney (Neil Patrick Harris)

Stars: Neil Patrick Harris, Josh Radnor
Other Stars: Cobie Smulders, Alyson Hannigan, Jason Segel, Christine Rose, Michael Gross
Director: various

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (adult situations)
Run Time: 08h:04m:00s
Release Date: 2007-10-02
Genre: television

Style
Grade
Substance
Grade
Image Transfer
Grade
Audio Transfer
Grade
Extras
Grade
A- ABA- B-

 

DVD Review

In the years since Friends left the airwaves, numerous copycat sitcoms have tried and failed to emulate that amazing show. The latest, CBS' How I Met Your Mother, is one of the first that might prove successful when its run is over. Now entering its third season on the air, the show is powered by a strong cast and edgy writing that Friends never exhibited. With new shows currently airing, now is the perfect time to go back and enjoy How I Met Your Mother: Season Two on DVD.

All 22 episodes are spread out over three DVDs, beginning with Where Were We? Basically picking up where the first season left off, we see how Marshall (Jason Segel) is coping with the sudden departure of Lily (Alyson Hannigan). In The Scorpion and the Toad, Lily returns to find Marshall isn't as forgiving as she'd hoped. Meanwhile, Barney is trying to show Marshall how to live the bachelor life to the fullest. Brunch features a visit from Ted's parents (Christine Rose and Michael Gross), who unleash a bombshell of a family secret on him, while Ted Mosby: Architect has Barney showing him how impressive being an architect is to single women.

World's Greatest Couple shows Marshall's growing frustration with being a single guy in a couples-dominated world. During Aldrin Justice, Barney takes one for the team and seduces Marshall's law professor for his grades' sake, while Lily lands a job at Ted's office. Swarley gives Barney a new name, literally, and a trip to Atlantic City results in some crazy antics, but Lily and Marshall discover that eloping isn't as easy as they thought. Slap Bet is arguably the best show of this season, mainly because we are introduced to Robin Sparkles, a treat that all fans of the show should discover for themselves.

Single Stamina treats us to a visit from Barney's brother James (Wayne Brady), who has a mighty big surprise to share with the group. A great holiday episode is up next, with How Lily Stole Christmas chronicling a bad fight between Ted and Lily. Robin is struggling to tell Ted that she loves him in First Time in New York, and Columns shows us a really bad day on the job for our favorite architect. In Monday Night Football, the group does something I'm more than familiar with, in agreeing to avoid the score of the Super Bowl while attending a funeral, so they can all watch it together the next day.

Another of season two's best comes to us in the form of Lucky Penny. This show takes place backwards, showing us how difficult it is for Ted to find a plane to take him to a huge job interview. Lily gets an acting gig in an obscure play during Stuff, and Marshall and company reminisce about Marshall's nearly-dead car in Arrivederci, Fiero. Barney does all he can to ensure Ted doesn't move in with Robin in Moving Day, then contemplates moving in with Lily and Marshall. In Bachelor Party, Robin buys the wrong gift for Lily's shower, and Barney gets Marshall some female adult entertainment for his last night out as a bachelor. In Showdown, Barney makes his dream appearance on The Price is Right while under the false assumption that Bob Barker is his father.We finish up the season with a two-episode storyline centering on Lily and Marshall's wedding day. In Something Borrowed, Barney, of all people, tries to right all of the wrongs that seem to be happening, and in the season finale, Something Blue, we descend on Lily and Marshall's reception, when Barney finally learns the secret that Robin and Ted have been hiding. This is the perfect ending to another solid season of the show, and opening the door to even more possible storylines for the third batch of episodes. Here's hoping the show lasts well beyond three seasons.

Rating for Style: A-
Rating for Substance: A

 

Image Transfer

 One
Aspect Ratio1.78:1 - Widescreen
Original Aspect Ratioyes
Anamorphicyes


Image Transfer Review: All 22 episodes are presented in their original 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen format, and look fairly good. The clarity and detail can't quite stand up to the original HD broadcasts, but the bright color palette is still a stand out. Fortunately, there aren't any defects such as dirt, grain, or edge enhancement.

Image Transfer Grade: B
 

Audio Transfer

 LanguageRemote Access
Dolby Digital
5.1
Englishyes


Audio Transfer Review: The original Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks are here, and they're pleasing overall. Typical for a sitcom, the surround channels are rarely used, and directional effects are kept to a minimum. The most important aspect is the witty dialogue, and that is always clear and easy to understand.

Audio Transfer Grade: A- 

Disc Extras

Animated menu with music
Scene Access with 110 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in English, Spanish, French with remote access
3 Deleted Scenes
1 Documentaries
7 Feature/Episode commentaries by 1. Where Were We? - Show creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, and director Pam Fryman.2. Swarley - Writer/producer Greg Mailins and cast member Alyson Hannigan.3. Slap Bet - Show creator Craig Thomas, writer Kourtney Kang,
Packaging: Nexpak
Picture Disc
3 Discs
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: dual

Extra Extras:
  1. Robin Sparkles Video
  2. Gag Reel
  3. Hey Beautiful Video
Extras Review: While most of the extras reside on Disc 3, there are audio commentaries for seven of the episodes spread throughout the set. Each of these tracks features different participants, but all of them are engaging, giving us a nice mix of behind-the-scenes information and candid on-set stories.

How We Make Your Mother is a 17-minute piece that goes into great detail about what's involved in filming a single episode of the series. We see quite a bit here, including footage from a table read and a series of meetings.

There's also a seven-minute gag reel that's very funny, along with three "additional scenes." Also along for the ride are a music video for the song Hey Beautiful, and the full Robin Sparkles video for Let's Go to the Mall.

Extras Grade: B-
 

Final Comments

One of the better comedy shows currently on television, How I Met Your Mother continues to make millions of people laugh on Monday nights. With wonderfully consistent acting by one of the best comedy ensembles out there, the show seems to have a great deal of staying power. Fox's three-disc set features excellent audio and video transfers, along with a decent set of extras that are worth checking out.

Chuck Aliaga 2007-10-08