Hey Dude Season 2 DVD Review
Old school Nickelodeon fans rejoice! “Hey Dude” season 2 finally hits DVD.
Melody, Brad, Ted, Danny, Buddy, Lucy, and Mr. Ernst are back for more Bar None Ranch adventures in the second season of the classic Nick series. In these 13 episodes, expect to see plots about: secrets, $100, an attempt to scare Ted, a bank robber who plane crashes on the Ranch, Melody catching the eye of an Olympic swimming coach, Danny teaching Ted about Native American history, Melody and Brad squabbling about being roomates, Ted’s former teacher visiting the Bar None Ranch, a “treasure” map, an ill horse, Mr. Ernst on a diet, alleged alien spacemen, a TV star visting the ranch, Ted babysitting a child, and Mr. Ernst selling the ranch.
As someone who grew up on this show, I have to say I am having a blast revisting the series. While season 2 isn’t quite on par with the first season, there are still some gems to be found here. Personally, I enjoy episodes that deviate from the usual formula and or core group of characters. For instance, the “Crash Landing” episode involving a bank robber was a refreshing change of pace for the show because the conflict didn’t involve a central character. In this case, the conflict was someone else. Equally entertaining were the episodes that showed some character growth such as the Melody centric “Our Little Champion” and “Teacher’s Pet” which dealt with the group’s friendship and even a romantic interest for Mr. Ernst.
The episodes that I wasn’t so fond of are the ones that tend to involve lots of arguing and squabbling amongst Ted, Melody, Brad, and Danny such as “Loose Lips,” “Battle Of A Hundred Bucks,” and “Bunkmate Battles.” It’s not that the episodes are bad, it’s just that their constant bickering grows tiresome after awhile.
The one advantage that season two has over season 1 is that the acting of Josh Tygiel (Buddy) and Joe Torres (Danny) greatly improves. In the first season, the two were clearly getting adjusted to their roles and, as a result, there were some fumbled lines and shakey performances. Thankfully, the two seem much more comfortable and confident in their roles in these episodes.
Summary: If you’re a “Hey Dude” fan, I implore you to buy this second season set so that we can get the remaining 3 seasons released on disc soon.
Video/Audio:
I wish I could say the episodes have been fully restored and look better than they ever have, but unfortunately, that is not the case. The episodes pretty much look like they did when they aired on TV. Still, it’s just a treat to have the episodes on DVD finally. Note: All of the episodes are presented in fullscreen.
With the low production values, it’s not surprising that the audio quality isn’t top notch. With that said, the dialogue, the great opening theme, and the music all sound as clear as can be for the most part.
After the great interview with Christine Taylor in the season 1 set, I was very disappointed to see that there were no extras on the season 2 set. Hopefully, seasons 3-5 will have interviews with another cast members.
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