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The Movie: The first season of "Reba" everything up in the opening minutes: Reba Hart (Reba McEntire) and husband Brock (Christopher Hart) are breaking up, due to his mistress, dental hygenist Barbra Jean (Melissa Peterman). They've been together and she put him through dental school, but things have proceeded a bit too far for them to settle. To add to the chaos of their break-up, it comes out that their teenage daughter, Cheyenne (Joanna Garcia) is also pregnant, from star football player Van (Steve Howey, who tries to be Ryan Reynolds and does fairly well.) The second season has Cheyenne and Van continuing to try and work out their relationship and family issues (and having to move back when Van gets injured and loses his scholarship) and Reba looking for a job, ending up at ex-husband Brock's dental office. Like the season before it, "Reba"'s third round of episodes do take a step forward in several regards. The show still isn't groundbreaking, but the creators do develop the characters a little bit, have the relationships change and tweak the show's formula enough to keep it fresh. This time around, little sister Kyra (Scarlett Powers) decides that the house is full enough and that she's going to move in with Brock and Barbra Jean, much to Reba's dismay. However, Kyra soon proves more than Barbara Jean can handle. Reba gets hit with more unpleasant news when she finds out that Cheyenne (Garcia) wants to head down the same career path as her father and become a dentist. The third season revolved largely around Kyra, who is helped by just about everyone through the normal teenage issues - dating, privacy, drugs and other concerns. Thankfully, "Reba" integrates these issues into episodes in a dry and unsentimental fashion instead of the usual "Very Special Episode"-style that most sitcoms use for this sort of plotline. Additionally, Brock decided later in the season to give up his dental practice in order to make a run at becoming a golfer, a situation that ends up having an effect on Barbara Jean and Reba. The fourth season of the show continues where the third left off, with Barbra Jean and Brock's marriage in trouble, with Reba finding herself in the mix (unknowingly, Reba and Brock flirt with one another via online poker in "Flowers for Van") as the couple tries to work out their issues. The season also sees Cheyenne and Van facing change (in terms of Van, trying to choose a career and, in terms of Cheyenne, facing and admitting a very difficult problem in the season's final episode. Yet, with all the transition and emotional moments in the season, the show still manages to find quite a few moments of good humor and mix drama and comedy well. The series is another dysfunctional family comedy/drama, often shuttled forward by one-liners. However, there are a few elements that really elevate the series a bit beyond the standard sitcom - for starters, the performances. McEntire is funny, believable and sympathetic as the mother struggling to juggle family issues and love her family, despite the fact that they manage to find unexpected ways to screw up. Hart and Howey are also amusing in supporting efforts. Despite the familiarity of some aspects of the show, it's a warm and likable sitcom that has gained a following. Season 4 69. 4- 1 17 Sep 04 The Accidental Role Model 70. 4- 2 24 Sep 04 Mother's Intuition 71. 4- 3 1 Oct 04 The Two Girl Theory 72. 4- 4 8 Oct 04 Van's Agent 73. 4- 5 15 Oct 04 Surprise 74. 4- 6 22 Oct 04 Couples' Therapy 75. 4- 7 5 Nov 04 All Fore One 76. 4- 8 12 Nov 04 Hello, I Must Be Going 77. 4- 9 19 Nov 04 Thanksgiving 78. 4-10 14 Jan 05 No Boys Upstairs 79. 4-11 21 Jan 05 Diamond Jim Brady 80. 4-12 28 Jan 05 Reba And The Nanny 81. 4-13 4 Feb 05 Date Of Mirth 82. 4-14 11 Feb 05 Reba The Realtor 83. 4-15 18 Feb 05 Flowers For Van 84. 4-16 25 Feb 05 Who Killed Brock? 85. 4-17 8 Apr 05 The Pageant of Grandmas 86. 4-18 15 Apr 05 Reba's Rules of Real Estate 87. 4-19 29 Apr 05 Driving Miss Kyra 88. 4-20 6 May 05 Go Far 89. 4-21 13 May 05 Help Wanted 90. 4-22 20 May 05 Hello, My Name is Cheyenne The DVD VIDEO: "Reba" is offered in the show's original 1.33:1 full-frame aspect ratio. The picture quality is perfectly fine, with no major concerns. Sharpness and detail remained satisfactory, as the picture remained well-defined and crisp, coming in at about the same level as broadcast quality. The presentation remained largely free of flaws, although a few brief traces of pixelation appeared during a few scenes. Edge enhancement wasn't spotted, but some light shimmering was seen. The elements used were free of wear or damage. Colors remained bright and well-saturated, with no smearing or other flaws. Flesh tones looked accurate and natural, as well. Overall, this was a very pleasing presentation of the material. SOUND: "Reba" is presented in Dolby 2.0. The show's soundtrack was a basic mixture of slight score, dialogue and laugh track. Audio quality seemed perfectly fine, with no concerns. Nothing to write home about, but fine for the material. EXTRAS: Unfortunately, none. Too bad, as prior seasons have offered at least a few commentaries. Final Thoughts:"Reba" is, at its core, a pretty familiar sitcom, but the performances are good and the show once again sees improvement this time around. Good-natured and pleasant, "Reba" remains watchable and occasionally quite funny. Fox's DVD edition provides a nice showcase for the series, as audio/video quality is solid. Unfortunately, no extras are included this time around. Recommended for fans, others may want to try a rental first. |