Featured TV on DVD Review: iCarly: iSaved Your Life
June 5, 2010
iCarly: iSaved Your Life - Buy from Amazon
The week the latest release for iCarly comes out, the show that annoys spell check more than any other show I've reviewed. (It's this show or anything with Liev Schreiber in it. Anyone who has battled auto-correct while trying to type his name knows what I mean.) For a while, the network was releasing split-season DVDs, which is not ideal, but for this type of show it is acceptable. Now they've made the switch to mixed DVDs, which I hate. That said, are the five episodes they choose strong?
iCarly: iSaved Your Life is a mixed episode DVD release. That's the bad news. The good news is four of the five are hits and even the miss isn't that bad. The extras are not bad, compared to other DVD releases aimed at the same target demographic, while the price isn't bad. That said, I hope they go back to split-season releases soon.
Extras on the DVD include four behind-the-scenes clips than run in length from 90 second to two minutes. Obviously, at that length you don't get a lot of depth, but at least there's something. Many kids shows have absolutely no extras on the DVDs. There are no subtitles, no proper chapter placements, and the play all button plays the episodes out of chronological order, so that's not a selling point either.
While dressed as a bunny offering to brush people's teeth... don't ask. While doing this, Carly is nearly hit by a truck, but Freddie saves her life. This results in two things. Firstly, we get to see the full extend of the insanity of Freddie's mom. Secondly, Carly falls in love with Freddie. Meanwhile, the B-plot of the episode has Sam and Spencer involved in a game of assassin using blow darts and paintballs.
This is the episode that lends its name to the DVD, and as one would expect, it is a strong episode. There is good character development, a lot of funny scenes, and the usual goofy stunt work. iCarly is already on of the best teen shows on TV, and this is one of the better episodes.
First a note: this isn't really a TV movie but a double-length episode. It would have to be twice as long as it is before I would consider it a feature-length movie.
Carly and Sam help internet movie makers, David and Fleck, work on a project so they can win the iShorts contest. At first they seem to have a winner, but David and Fleck get into a huge fight and end their friendship. Carly and Sam decide they have to help them get back together, but when they do, they realize they have a lot in common with the pair, as Carly is the sensible one and Sam is the crazy one. The puts a strain on their relationship and might threaten the very existence of iCarly.
Meanwhile, Spencer win a contest earning the top prize, a motorboat. However, when he can't afford the fees at the local pier, he just parks it in the parking lot. Since it takes up many parking spaces, he gets into a fight with one of the people whose space he as commandeered and he and Gibby have to fight to take it back.
Two good episodes in a row. Again, this episode has strong character development, some dramatic scenes, plenty of humor, and a climatic stunt scene. Arguably better than iSaved Your Life and so far the DVD is off to a great start.
After Sam loses a tooth on some squash, Carly forces her to go to the dentist. After the expected violence occurs, the dentist overdoses Sam on laughing gas and while she is recovering, she reveals to Carly that she and Freddie kissed. Carly is stunned by this revelation. Did they really kiss? If so, why would they keep it a secret?
Arg. This is why you don't have mixed DVDs. iThink They Kissed is the first episode of season three, but iSaved Your Life and iQuit iCarly both came after it. The fact that this episode comes after iSaved Your Life definitely affects the stories of the two episodes. When it was the season premiere, you could ask yourself, "Is she jealous of Sam and Freddie kissing? Or is she merely upset that they kept a secret from her?" That said, it is still a great episode and the DVD is three for three.
After humiliating Freddie and declaring him the most gullible person in the world, Sam announces that her sister is returning from private school. ... Her twin sister. Of course Freddie thinks he is just being tricked again and in order to see how far Sam is willing to go with this joke, he asks her our on a date.
Arg. Again. Not only is this episode out of chronological order (it's from season two) but the events that take place here are mentioned in one of the previous episodes. Besides that irritation, this is still another strong episode with all of the elements you would expect from iCarly. It does lack the character development of the previous three episodes, but it makes up for it by being really funny.
Freddie's overprotective mom becomes too much for him to take, so he moves into the basement of the apartment building. The B-plot has Carly and Sam doing extreme makeovers for pets and photographing them, but this draws the ire of rival pet photographers.
Well, the winning streak is over. After four strong episodes, this one is below average for the series. Freddie moving out doesn't make him look mature, but instead makes him look childish for running away from home. The B-plot doesn't fare any better, as the villains come of as too stereotypical. The writing is on the border of offensive and just plain lazy. That said, blow average for iCarly is still above average for most shows with the same target demographic. The Verdict
- Submitted by: C.S.Strowbridge
Filed under: Video Review