ZORRO – The Complete Second Season (1958-1959) – Walt Disney Treasures (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

The second and final season of the hit show “Zorro”.  Featuring more action and star guest appearances, the second season of “Zorro” managed to continue the action, humor and excitement of the first season.  Featured in Walt Disney Treasure’s limited edition set, another magnificent series to have in your collection, may you be a fan of “Zorro” or classic television series.

Image courtesy of © Disney. All Rights Reserved. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: ZORRO – The Complete Second Season (1958-1959) – Walt Disney Treasures

DURATION: (Episode 40-78) 18 hours and 41 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital, B&W, Digitall Mastered, Subtitles: English SDH

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RELEASED: November 3, 2009

Directed by Hollingsworth Morse, Charles Barton, William Witney, Charles Lamont, Harmon Jones

Written by Johnston McCulley, Bob Wehling, Lowell S. Hawley, N.B. Stone Jr., Robert Bloomfield, Lewis R. Foster and Maurice Hill

Produced by Bill Anderson

Music by William Lava

Cinematography by Gordon Avil

Editing by Roy V. Livingston, Cotton Warburton, Hugh Chaloupka, Edward Samson and Al Teeter

Art and Production Design by Marvin Aubrey Davis

Costume Design by Chuck Keehne

Make Up by Pat McNailey

Production Management by Roy Wade

Starring:

Guy Williams as Don Diego de la Vega

Gene Sheldon as Bernardo

Henry Calvin as Sgt. Demetrio Lopez Garcia

Don Diamond as Corp. Reyes

George J. Lewis and Don Alejandro de la Vega

Jolene Brand as Anna Maria Verdugo

Suzanne Lloyd as Raquel Toledano

John Litel as The Governor

Annette Funicello as Anita Cabrillo/Costancia

Rodolfo Hoyos Jr. as Vivera

Richard Anderson as Ricardo del Amo

Edgar Barrier as Don Corneloio Esperon

Joan Evans as Leonar

Douglas Kennedy as Manuel

Patricia Medina as Margarita Cortazar

George N. Neise as Capitan Felipe Arrellanos

Cesar Romero as Esteban de la Cruz

Everett Sloane as Andrews Felipe Basilio

Gloria Talbott as Moneta

Robert J. Wilke as Capitan Mendoza

Carlos Rivas as Ramondo Ruiz

Rodolfo Acosta as Carancho

Arthur Space as Gonzales

Wendell Holmes as Storekeeper Avila

Greigh Phillips as Jose

Tony Russell as Carlos Martinez

Jonathan Harris as Don Carlos Fernandez

Jeff York as Joe Crane

Walt Disney Home Entertainment is proud to release Zorro, one of the most popular television shows in history on DVD November 3, 2009. The latest addition to the celebrated Walt Disney Treasures, Zorro, makes its fully restored black & white DVD debut. All 78 episodes of the timeless classic will be included on two new six-disc sets–making up the ninth installment of the popular Walt Disney Treasures, and for the first time, will be housed in collectible black, numbered unique tin cases.

From 1957 to 1959, Disney’s Zorro was one of the most popular series on television starring Guy Williams, Henry Calvin, and Gene Sheldon. The show helped transform the literary character Don Diego
de la Vega into the ultimate iconic, beloved swashbuckling masked hero of the time. The adventures of Zorro and his trusty steed Tornado have captivated audiences since their inception, gaining new
audiences when it was re-aired on the Disney Channel in 1983 and re-colorizing the episodes in the 1990s. After the series conclusion, the Zorro adventures lived on from 1960 to 1961 on Walt Disney’s
Wonderful World of Color in the form of a four-episode anthology series of hour-long Zorro specials, all of which are also included in Walt Disney Treasures Wave IX.

With Walt Disney’s “Zorro” popular television series ending in 1959 after 78-episodes, for its 50th year Anniversary, Walt Disney is giving the classic action/comedy series special treatment with the “Walt Disney Treasures” release of “ZORRO – The Complete First Season (1957-1958) and “ZORRO – The Complete Second Season (1958-1959).

For the second season, this marks the tenth Walt Disney Treasures release in which a limited amount of DVD copies were printed (in this case – 30,000 were printed) and where the majority of the “Walt Disney Treasures” releases were animated releases, these two Zorro releases will be the first to receive an all-black tin case release.

This release contains the 39 episodes from the second season on five DVD discs and each episode has been digitally remastered.  Also, included are “Zoro: The Postponed Wedding” which aired January 1, 1961 on Walt’s anthology TV series “Walt Disney Presents”, “Zoro: Auld Acquaintance” aired on April 2, 1961 on “Walt Disney Presents”, “Behind the Mask” about the life of Guy Williams featuring interviews with surviving cast and crew members, an author and his son Guy Williams Jr. and “A Trip to the Archives” featuring Leonard Maltin and Guy Williams Jr. visiting the Walt Disney Archives.  Included with each release is a certificate of authenticity signed by Roy E. Disney and Leonard Maltin (who personally selected the rare offerings in this set), a publicity still of Zorro and a Zorro pin (featuring the memorable silhouette of Zorro and Tornado the horse) and a booklet with episode listings for the second season and more.

“Zorro” was the first major series that film man Walt Disney was very enthusiastic about.  Ratings were terrific with the first season earning over 35% and the second season earning over 40% in the ratings which is phenomenal but the only reason why the series was pulled off the air was because Disney was pursuing color and ABC wasn’t and thus, because of this disagreement, both “Zorro” and “The Mickey Mouse Club” were pulled off the air.

The story of Zorro first appeared back in 1920 as part of a silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks. For the next 35 years, there would be several “Zorro” related films that were released.  But it was in Sept. 11, 1957 when Walt Disney introduced the character to audiences through the 4th Anniversary show of Walt Disney Presents and four weeks later, Zorro would debut on ABC on Oct. 10th. With the success of the first season of “Zorro”, the second and final season was a ratings hit.

“Zorro” takes place during the time of Spanish occupation of California (pre-1820 before Mexico won independence for California and took control of the state).  Where members of the Spanish colonial government are oppressing the Mexicans and Indians who occupy the land.  Meanwhile, Don Diego de la Vega (played by Guy Williams, “Lost In Space”, “Captain Sinbad”, “Bonanza”), a scholar who trained in Spain makes his return to California along with his mute sidekick Bernardo (played by Gene Sheldon) and to see how people are being oppressed by Spanish rule.  With the success of the first season, the second season would feature guest stars such as Cesar Romero, Annette Funicello, Richard Anderson, Jonathan Harris, Jeff York and Ricardo Montalban.

Also, a few episodes in the second season would be three-parters instead of all stand-episodes.

The following episodes are included in “Zorro – The Complete Second Season (1958-1959): The following are spoiler-less summaries of each episode.

DISC 1:

• EPISODE 40 – Welcome to Monterey – Don Diego is nearly robbed and thus he tries to find out who is behind it.
• EPISODE 41 – Zorro Rides Alone – Gold is stolen and Zorro must find out who is responsible.
• EPISODE 42 – Horse of Another Color – A Senorita is being held hostage and Zorro must save her.
• EPISODE 43 – The Senorita Makes a Choice – The Senorita and her father are held hostage.
• EPISODE 44 – Rendezvous at Sundown – Continuing from the last episode and Romero’s treachery.
• EPISODE 45 – The New Order – Corruption takes place in Monterey and Zorro must free the oppressed.
• EPISODE 46 – An Eye for an Eye – Zorro risks his life in helping two people out.

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 47 – Zorro and the Flag of Truce – The governor makes a pledge for Joaquin Casanada that no harm will come to him. But the plan goes awry.
• EPISODE 48 – Ambush – The treacherous storyline between Rico, Casanada concludes in this episode.
• EPISODE 49 – The Practical Joker – A practical joker’s antics puts Don Diego in jail.
• EPISODE 50 – The Flaming Arrow – An impostor masquerades as Zorro.
• EPISODE 51 – Zorro Fights a Duel – Ricardo challenges Zorro to a duel.
• EPISODE 52 – Amnesty for Zorro – A plot is hatched in order for Zorro to reveal his true identity.
• EPISODE 53 – The Runaways – A couple in love are forced to become fugitives from their own people.
• EPISODE 54 – The Iron Box – The mystery of the iron box and its shipment of gold is revealed and banditos try to steal it.

DISC 3:

• EPISODE 55 – The Gay Caballero – Cesar Romero stars as the gay caballero.  Is he a thief?  Zorro vs. the gay caballero.
• EPISODE 56 – Tornado is Missing- The gay caballero, Don Esteban steals Zorro’s horse, Tornado.
• EPISODE 57 – Zorro Versus Cupid – Don Esteban proposes to a woman that Don Diego cares about.
• EPISODE 58 – The Legend of Zorro – Don Esteban tries to win Margarita and to marry her for her fortune.
• EPISODE 59 – Spark of Revenge – Someone has murdered and Zorro tries to find out who is responsible.
• EPISODE 60 – The Missing Father – Annette Funicello stars as the Senorita Anita Cabrillo who tries to find her father.
• EPISODE 61 – Please Believe Me - Senorita Anita Cabrillo is in danger and Zorro must protect her.
• EPISODE 62 – The Brooch – The third and final part of the search for Senorita Anita Cabrillo’s father.

DISC 4:

• EPISODE 63 – Zorro and the Mountain Man – A mountain man arrives in Los Angeles and a prank sets him off towards the wrong path.
• EPISODE 64 – The Hound of the Sierras – A dog that is trained to kill and go after the mountain man.
• EPISODE 65 – Manhunt – Don Carlos goes after the mountain man.
• EPISODE 66 – The Man From Spain – The King’s emissary arrives in town and encounters Zorro.
• EPISODE 67 – Treasure for the King – A man’s greed leads to a confrontation with Zorro.
• EPISODE 68 – Exposing the Tyrant – An innocent man is being arrested for high treason and smuggling.
• EPISODE 69 – Zorro Takes a Dare – Zorro is unmasked by his enemy.
• EPISODE 70 – An Affair of Honor – A man assaults Don Diego’s father and leads Don Diego in a fight to the death for honor.

DISC 5:

• EPISODE 71 – The Sergeant Sees Red – A priceless chalice of gold makes a man a thief.
• EPISODE 72 – Invitation to Death – Someone tries to murder the governor of California.
• EPISODE 73 – The Captain Regrets -  Capitan Arrellanos is up to no good and is plotting something sinister.
• EPISODE 74 – The Masquerade for Murder – A masquerade party is held but among the one masked is a killer.
• EPISODE 75 – Long Live the Governor – The new Capitan plots to kill the governor.
• EPISODE 76 – The Fortune Teller – A fortune teller’s card reveals Garcia’s future and it’s the card of death.
• EPISODE 77 – Senior China Boy – What brings a Chinese boy to the town of Los Angeles?
• EPISODE 78 – Finders Keepers – A man is shot, a Seniorita is robbed and the man says Bernardo is responsible.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“ZORRO – The Complete Second Season (1958-1959) – Walt Disney Treasures” is featured in B&W and has been Digitally Remastered.  The series looks great for a television series that is over 50 years old.  For the most part, the blacks are nice and deep and grays are well-done.  There is a fine layer of grain and occasional dirt can be seen but for the most part, it is limited and I don’t see any major banding or compression although the opening theme is a bit grainy.  But for the most part, the episodes look great.

As for the audio, the series is presented in Dolby Digital.  The series is front channel driven and dialogue and music is clear.  For my preference, I watched the series with my receive set with stereo on all channels.

Subtitles are featured in English SDH.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“ZORRO – The Complete Second Season (1958-1959) – Walt Disney Treasures” features an exclusive introduction by film historian Leonard Maltin on Disc 1.  On Disc 6, the following special features are included:

• ZORRO: The Postponed Wedding (Original Air Date: January 1, 1961) – (51:16) Due to the series being pulled off ABC (due to disagreements of Disney pursuing color and ABC wanting to stay with B&W), the series made its return in the New Year (1961) via a two-part one hour special.  The following is the first special.  In this special, Annete Funicello plays the character of Costancia.
• ZORRO: Auld Acquaintance (Original Air Date: April 2, 1961) - (49:00) Due to the series being pulled off ABC (due to disagreements of Disney pursuing color and ABC wanting to stay with B&W), the series made its return in the New Year (1961) via a two-part one hour special.  The following is the second special and stars Ricardo Montalban.
• Behind the Mask - (7:52) In this featurette, cast members talk about working with Guy Williams and how he was as suave as Don Diego.  Guy Williams, Jr. talks about his father and we learn about his life up to his death from author Antoinette G. Lane (author of “Guy Williams: The Man Behind the Mask”).
• A Trip to the Archives – (10:55) Leonard Maltin visiting the Walt Disney archives with Guy Williams Jr. and seeing the classic Zorro outfit and talking about memorabilia for the show.

“Zorro” is an entertaining and classic hero-based series.  What made the series so exciting is that Walt Disney was behind the project and that the series was given the opportunity to have a higher production value.  So, you get that feel of an authentic old California during Spanish dominance.  The stories are light-hearted, fun, humorous but also very clever.  The high production values of the series were well-captured as evident in the set, production and costume design.  As well, as the music which helps emphasize the comedic or action moments in the series.

Although I was familiar with “Zorro” through the films, I have never seen any of the television episodes.  So, to finally watch them after hearing so much about Guy Williams stellar performance as the swashbuckling hero, I can see why many people enjoyed this series.

I can see how much Disney believed in this series and also spending money necessary to make sure that old California was presented well through the production design, the costumes and also the dialect.  I actually thought that a lot of the people on the show were Latino but later finding out that Guy Williams (Don Diego/Zorro) was Italian, Gene Sheldon (Bernard) and Henry Calvin (who played Sergeant Garcia) were Americans and Don Diamond (Corp. Reyes) was Russian.  But the series was also instrumental in hiring many Latino to have roles in the film, not only for this season but for the next.

Don Diego is the classic hero/vigilante that was created way before Bruce Wayne/Batman and he was a Robin Hood of sorts.  Taking down corruption and even helping out the poor.  He was a hero that many people identified with at the time and have heard from adults who remember those years when they would dress up as Zorro because they idolized him.  Granted, there are man portrayals of Don Diego in film and books but Disney was able to capture that flair of coolness with Guy Williams as the hero and for the most part, he is a hero that truly rocks!  It’s been over 50 years since the series debuted on television and watching it, I can see why people enjoyed the series.  It’s a well-done, enjoyable and highly entertaining series that captures that sense of adventure, action and tuning in for each episode watching Zorro take on those who would oppress the people, meeting the beautiful women but at the same time, remaining a gentleman.  I’ll go even further to say that the show also had cultural impact.

“Zorro – The Complete Second Season” was much different than the first in the fact is that there is more action sequences and also more special guest stars with Mouseketeer Annette Funicello, Cesar Romero and many others playing a character role in the series.  Also, unlike the first season which were all stand-alone episodes, the second series had a few episodes which were three-parters.  And these slight changes definitely help benefit the series in the ratings as it scored up to 40% which is incredible, especially for a series that is 39 episodes long.

Overall, if you were a fan of “Zorro” or are interested in classic television series, this series is quite fun to watch and I watched it alongside my six-year-old who was also entertained by the series.  The set as part of the Walt Disney Treasures line was pretty cool, especially the black tin case and the certificate of authenticity noting the limited production of the series.   But as a person who does watch classics, it’s great to see Walt Disney release one of the highest rated television shows of all time on DVD.  Definitely recommended!

Private Practice – The Complete Second Season (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

“The second season of Private Practice is a season I can describe in one word and that would be ‘angsty’.  The second season manages to push the button on the medical issues with the patients, the economic issue with the private practice but for the main characters, this season was just full of angsty episodes and you often wondered if these characters will ever find any happiness.  Also, to cap the season off, we get one of the most dark and twisted season finale’s that I’m sure viewers were probably not expecting.  Otherwise, a mildly entertaining second season but I hope the storylines for the characters are much more developed and spread evenly next season.”

Images courtesy of © ABC Studios. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Private Practice – The Complete Second Season

DURATION: 22 Episodes (946 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Spanish and French Subtitles, Widescreen (1:78:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions

COMPANY: abc studios

RATED: TV PG DSLV

RELEASE DATE:  September 15, 2009

Created by Shonda Rhimes

Directed by Mark Tinker, Michael Zinberg, James Frawley and Tom Verica

Written by Shonda Rhimes, Jon Cowan, Robert L. Rovner, Ayanna Floyd, Michael Ostrowski, Lauren Scmidt, Craig Turk, Steve Blackman

Executive Producer: Shonda Rhimes, Mark Tinker, Betsy Beers

Producer: Lauren Schmidt

Co-Producer: Scott Printz

Music by Chad Fischer

Cinematography by Lex DuPont

Editing by Christal Khatib, Noah Pontell

Casting by John Brace, Linda Lowy

Series Production Design by Richard C. Hankins

Starring:

Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Montgomery

Tim Daly as Dr. Pete Wilder

KaDee Strickland as Dr. Charlotte King

Paul Adelstein as Dr. Cooper Freedman

Amy Brennerman as Dr. Violet Turner

Audra McDonald as Dr. Naomi Bennett

Chris Lowell as William “Dell” Parker

Taye Diggs as Dr. Sam Bennett

David Sutcliffe as Officer Kevin Nelson

Brian Benben as Sheldon

Grant Show as Archer Montgomery

Jay Harrington as Dr. Wyatt Lockhart

Kosh Hopkins as Dr. Noah Barnes

Sharon Leal as Sonya

Hailey Sole as Betsey

Amanda Detmer as Morgan Gellman

Chris Krauser as Dr. Robert Zeminski

From Shonda Rhimes, the Golden Globe®-winning creator of “Grey’s Anatomy,” comes a standout show about the personal and professional lives of a group of passionate doctors. Featuring steamy storylines and a dazzling ensemble cast, the show stars Kate Walsh reprising her “Grey’s Anatomy” role as Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery. With Seattle Grace Hospital and all its complications behind her, Addison embraces the sunnier weather and new possibilities of the Oceanside Wellness Group in Los Angeles—but life and love are never that simple.

In 2007, Shonda Rhimes (creator/executive producer of “Grey’s Anatomy” and writer of “The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement”) developed a spin-off of “Grey’s Anatomy” titled “Private Practice” based on the life of Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh).  For the most part, “Private Practice” Season One lasted about nine episodes and received a so/so reception from fans.

For the second season, viewers were promised a much more exciting season and sure enough, Shondra Rhimes and crew were able to take the series to different heights this time around.

The premise of the series is that Dr. Addison Montgomery has left Seattle Grace Hospital and moved to California to work for a private practice, Oceanside Wellness Center.  In the first season, Dr. Addison Montgomery had to win the respect of her fellow doctors and relationships were examined in the first season.

This time around, Oceanside Wellness Center is not exactly in the best circumstances as the center faces major financial problems, a new rival practice trying to steal their clients, more relationship problems and drama, cross-over episodes with “Grey’s Anatomy” and to cap things off, a dark and twisted season finale that viewers were probably not expecting.

“Private Practice” focuses on the following main characters:

Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh, “Grey’s Anatomy”, “The Drew Carey Show”) - A doctor at Seattle’s Grace Hospital and was married to Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey, “Grey’s Anatomy”) but had an affair with his best friend, Dr. Mark Sloan (Eric Dane, “Grey’s Anatomy”) and thus ruined her marriage.  Thus leaving to Los Angeles and joining a private practice.  In the first season, her fellow doctors/co-workers are not exactly warm to her but she manages to prove to them that she’s dedicated to her job and is finally accepted.  She was attracted to Dr. Peter Wilder (Tim Daly) but in season two, she is now is looking for a man while leading Oceanside Wellness Center.

Dr. Peter Wilder (Tim Daly, “The Nine”, “Eyes”, “The Fugitive”, “Wings”) – A doctor at Oceanside Wellness Center and is a naturopathic doctor and licensed herbalist.  He knows that Addison is attracted to him but is unable to be with other women since the death of his wife.  In season two, he finds out that he may be a father.

Dr. Naomi Bennett (Audra McDonald, “The Bedford Diaries”, “Kidnapped”, “Mister Sterling”) - A founding partner of Oceanside Wellness Center and specializes in reproductive endocrinology, obstetrics and gynecology.   She works with her ex-husband Sam (Taye Diggs) and has a daughter named Maya.  But in the second season, she appears to be keeping a lot of secrets from her fellow doctors.

Dr. Sam Bennett (Taye Diggs. “Day Break”, “Kevin Hill”, “Grey’s Anatomy”) - Known to the other doctors as “Doctor Feelgood”, Sam is a founding partner of Oceanside Wellness Centre and is an internist.  Was married to Naomi and has a daughter named Maya.  Wrote a best-selling nonfiction book, “Body Language: The Mind-Body Connection”.  In Season 2, he faces a malpractice suit and also becomes concerned about his former wife.

Dr. Violet Turner (Amy Brenneman, “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Judging Amy”, “Frasier”) – A psychiatrist at  Oceanside Wellness Center.  Trying to get over her breakup with her ex-boyfriend Allan.  In season two, having been with a few men, she is now pregnant and is not sure who the father is.

Dr. Cooper Freedman (Paul Adelstein, “Prison Break”, “Hack”) - The pediatrician at Oceanside Wellness Center and is the private practice’s pediatrician.  A caring doctor and good friends with Violette but not good with dating women and tends to look for them online.  This time he balances his personal time with both Violet (as a friend) and Dr. Charlotte King.

Dr. Charlotte King (KaDee Strickland, “The Grudge”, “The Wedding Bells”, “American Gangster”) - The Chief of Staff at St. Ambrose Hospital in Santa Monica.  She helps open Pacific Wellcare, a competition to Oceanside Wellness Center and does what she can to steal clients from Oceanside Wellness and interesting enough, she also has a crush on Dr. Cooper Freedman.  Also, known for being a cold-person.

William “Dell” Parlker (Chris Lowell, “Veronica Mars”, “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Life as We Know It”) - The receptionist at Oceanside Wellness Center and a nurse.  In the first season, “Dell” is attracted to his boss, Naomi Bennett but in the fifth season, he gets two unexpected surprises.

“Private Practice – The Complete Second Season” features 22 episodes on six discs.  Included are (spoilerless summaries):

DISC: 1

• EPISODE 10 – A Family Thing – Addison wonders if she can trust her best friend when Naomi has been concealing the financial problems of Oceanside Wellness.
• EPISODE 11 – Equal and Opposite - With Oceanside Wellness experiencing problems, Addison and Sam will do what they can to make sure the practice doesn’t go through with bankruptcy plans.
• EPISODE 12 – Nothing to Talk About – Charlotte tries to get Addison to join St. Ambrose Hospital.
• EPISODE 13 – Past Tense – Sam and Naomi become rivals in who would lead the practice.

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 14 – Let It Go - Addison does what she can to fix the financial problems at the practice but may be putting Oceanside Wellness in more problems.
• EPISODE 15 – Serving Two Masters – Sam and Naomi look at their own relationship when they see an Alzheimer’s patient with her husband (guest star: Billy Dee Williams).
• EPISODE 16 – Tempting Faith – Addison receives a visit from her brother Archer (Grant Show) but his appearance causes problems for her and others.
• EPISODE 17 – Crime and Punishment (Extended Episode) – With a comotose patient pregnant, Addison and Charlotte race around the clock to save the woman.  Meanwhile, Meg starts seeing one of the patients of Oceanside Wellness and it rubs people the wrong way.

DISC 3:

• EPISODE 18 – Know When To Fold – Charlotte opens up Pacific Wellcare and the competition against Oceanside Wellness begins!
• EPISODE 19 – Worlds Apart – Charlotte and crew continue to steal clients from Oceanside Wellness and Pete’s girlfriend Meg comes to visit.
• EPISODE 20 – Contamination – When Cooper’s patient has the measles, a quarantine takes place at Oceanside Wellness.
• EPISODE 21 – Homeward Bound – Addison and Kevin have relationship problems and suddenly she starts to become interested in Wyatt of Pacific Wellcare.

DISC 4:

• EPISODE 22 – Nothing to Fear (Extended Episode) – Violet is pregnant but the problem is, she doesn’t know who the father is.
• EPISODE 23 – Second Chances – Archer continues to create more problems for Addison and Naomi when he starts working for Pacific Wellcare.
• EPISODE 24 – Acceptance – Archer suffers a major seizure and in order to save his life, the crew of Oceanside Wellness visits Addison’s former employer, Seattle Grace Hospital.  A cross-over with “Grey’s Anatomy”.
• EPISODE 25 – Ex-Life – Seattle Grace Hospital’s Bailey and Naomi try to find out why Sam has asthma attacks.  Meanwhile Addison and Derek try to help a pregnant patient.  A cross-over with “Grey’s Anatomy”.

DISC 5:

• EPISODE 26 – Wait and See – Archer and Naomi grow closer with each other and Addison suspects something may be going on.
• EPISODE 27 – Finishing – Addison finds herself attracted to a man who works at St. Ambrose Hospital.
• EPISODE 28 – What Women Want – Addison tries to help a pregnant patient who lost her baby and also has major mental issues, while Violet must find a way to convince the woman that her baby is dead.
• EPISODE 29 – Do the Right Thing – Cooper is upset that a patient’s mother is allowing her 12-year-old to have sex.  Sam faces a malpractice trial.

DISC 6:

• EPISODE 30 – What You Do For Love – Sam wonders why Naomi is constantly sneaking away from the practice and Addison goes to a colleague at St. Ambrose Hospital for help.
• EPISODE 31 – Yours, Mine & Ours – Naomi must decide if she wants to stay at Oceanside Wellness or to move to Pacific Wellcare.  Meanwhile, something terrible happens to Violet.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Private Practice – The Complete Second Season” is presented in Widescreen (1:78:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 televisions.  Whereas “Grey’s Anatomy” tends to be focused indoors, inside the hospital, “Private Practice” has a slick California look.  Indoor scenes are well-lit and outdoor scenes are quite vibrant but viewers will notice the grain in the series.  Even during the low-light scenes, you do see a bit of noise but compared to other drama series on television, the series is above average in terms of picture quality on DVD.

As for audio, the series is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound.  The series is primarily dialogue driven, so it’s pretty much front and center channel driven.  There are no accidents or any major sound effects or even a lot of music like “Grey’s Anatomy” in “Private Practice” but for the most part, audio is clear and understandable.

The show is presented in English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Private Practice – The Complete Second Season” includes the following special features:

DISC 6:

• Patient Confidentiality: Examining Season 2 – (12:52) Creator/Executive Producer Shonda Rhimes and Executive Betsy Beers talk about wanting to focus on the moral and ethical dilemma as doctors for Season 2.  The talents also chime in on the various  season 2 storylines and add their own personal feelings.
• Life Through the Lens: The Pictures of Chris Lowell – (8:10) Actor Chris Lowell (who plays William “Dell” Parker”) showcases his photography and he talks about his inspirations and the cast talk about how he is a talented photographer.   While the talents are complimentary, Lowell is more comedic when describing his photography.
• Extended Episodes and Deleted Scenes – 14 deleted scenes with optional audio commentary by Creator/Executive Producer Shondra Rhimes and Executive Producer Betsy Beers.
• Bloopers – (4:17) “Private Practice Season 2″ bloopers

With the first season of “Private Practice” receiving so-so reviews, the “Grey’s Anatomy” spin-off needed to make sure that the second season was significant enough to captivate the audience’s attention enough to stay for all 22 episodes.

So, what better with the country’s economy affecting private practices, to show Oceanside Wellness Center in a similar predicament. The early episodes tend to focus on the company on the verge of bankruptcy and the Addison doing what she can to prevent the company from bankruptcy and hoping for the private practice to emerge from its problems.

But along with the company problems, each of the main characters have their own major issues.

Addison deals with major issues with the company (and eventually leading the company), problems with men, the return of her brother (and her brother working for the rival practice), her relationship with her friend Naomi starts to grow apart and we get to see Addison and McDreamy once again during the “Grey’s Anatomy” cross-over.

This season’s love triangle appears to be between Pete-Violet-Sheldon.  As Violet becomes pregnant, she is not sure who the father of the baby is and both men makes things more complicated when each want to be with her.  But if anything, the most significant part of season two is Violet’s character at the season finale and to say the least, it will be interesting to find out if a major character does not make it for the rest of season three.

As for Naomi and Sam, things get quite interesting with them as Naomi now finally moves on with her life and starts to date other men (including Addison’s brother Archer), while Sam starts to show more concern over Naomi as she is seen sneaking off quite often from the practice.

As for Cooper, his storyline becomes the Cooper-Charlotte storyline and Cooper now wanting to be there for his good friend Violet and move in with her and support her during her pregnancy, while Charlotte being the cold-hearted doctor of St. Ambrose and later on developing a rival practice against Oceanside Wellness, she becomes more jealous of the time Cooper spends with Violet.

And as for Dell, he has to deal with his ex-girlfriend’s drug problems and finding out that he has a daughter and gets into an even more complicated situation.  Talk about a character who’s likability seems to have fallen.

And as the characters face their major issues, on the medical end, the series deals with ethical and moral issues.  The series definitely received some controversy with episodes such as episode 20 titled “Contamination” which dealt with autism and whether or not vaccinations do cause autism, another that dealt with sexual relationship between a woman and a young teenage boy, accidental switching of embryos, physician-assisted suicide and siblings who have sex with each other and more.  Needless to say, both Shondra Rhimes and Betsy Beers definitely wanted to push the button on certain medical issues.

But part of the problem with “Private Practice” is that it seems as if the writers can not keep up the quality of writing with many of their characters and some are not getting the time that they need.  I felt that this was an angsty season and a season where characters storylines were a bit uneven.   Writers…please find Addison a decent man instead of having her fall for someone that is always taken.  Also, remember… Sam?  He needs a storyline.  And Dell, this character is really being jerked around quite a bit.  “Angsty” seems to be my word to describe season 2.  And to cap it off, a season finale that takes a story from what we see in the front page and definitely a dark and twisted finale that I was surely not expecting.

Overall, “Private Practice – The Complete Second Season” had a good number of entertaining episodes and the chemistry of the characters are pretty good and overall, I enjoy the problems and rivalry among the private practices but when it comes to the characters and their storylines,  I’m hoping Season 3 is less angsty.

If “Grey’s Anatomy” stars can have its up and downs but yet find some happiness, I hope the characters of “Private Practice” at least get some of that for season 3.