Featured TV on DVD Review: Hannah Montana Forever: The Final Season
March 16, 2011
Hannah Montana Forever: The Final Season - Buy from Amazon
Hannah Montana comes to end and to celebrate, the studio is releasing a two-disc set with all 13 or so episodes from the final season. (The "or so" refers to a couple two-part episodes.) I've reviewed about a half-a-dozen DVD releases from the show in the past, so while I'm not a member of the target audience, I should be able to tell if the show goes out on a high note or not.
There are a trio of extras starting with an alternate ending to Wherever I Go. There is a five-minute retrospective with the cast that includes some audition tapes. And finally, two minutes of the cast saying goodbye. The two-disc set comes in a very nice digi-book package, which includes a booklet with pictures, time line, trivia, episode guide, etc. It's a nice bonus.
Hannah Montana was arguably the biggest show with its target audience during its run. And a lot of fans have grown up with the show, so The Final Season is bittersweet. I'm sure they won't be happy that there will be no more episodes, but at least the final season helped wrap up the show nicely. Additionally, while there are not a lot of extras on the discs themselves, the booklet more than compensates for that. Finally, the price is not that much more than most single-disc releases aimed at the same target demographic, so it is an excellent deal.
The Show
The people making the show knew this was going to be the last season. (Kids shows that last more than 65 episodes are incredibly rare, due to economic reasons.) So they took the time to actually do some character development and deal with a lot of the major themes of the show. Granted, there were still a few one offs that were less interesting, and more than a few episodes that featured stunt-casting, but for the most part, the show went out on a high note. The series finale should please most fans.
During her trip to Tennessee, Miley mentioned how much she loved her old room. So her father packed everything up and brought it to Malibu to be her, and Lilly's, new room. Problem is, it was cool when she was a little kid and kind of fun to revisit, but now Miley has to convince him to change it before her friends see it. Meanwhile, Jackson meets the new neighbors, and while he instantly hates T.J., he's smitten by Siena.
It's Miley Stewart's first day of the last year of high school, but there's a hitch, she's not registered anymore. She can't get in, but her principal, Ray Liotta, is a Hannah Montana fan, and she's able to use her fame to get around the rules. Miley using her fame to get around a rule? There's no way this will backfire in the end.
Miley's worried that her dad doesn't have a social life, so she tries to hook him up with the new school nurse, Christine Taylor. Stunt casting two episodes in a row. Not a good sign.
I previously reviewed this episode. It is one of the better ones on this season, and it does have real character growth for both Miley and Jackson, which is commendable, especially for a kids show.
Another Jake episode. I hate that character. At least I don't have to deal with the character again, although the events of this episode make He Could be The One kind of pointless.
Jesse's back. Jesse being the guitarist first seen in He Could be The One that Miley used to get her father to warm up to Jake. (She started dated Jesse, the bad boy, so that Jake would look good by comparison.) However, after that mess, he left the band. Now he's back and wants to date... Miley. Oh boy. This could get complicated, even more than usual.
Miley wants Lilly to understand the joys of horseback riding. Lilly wants to avoid the pain of chafing. The pair make a deal. If Miley can climb the rope, Lilly will ride Miley's horse, Blue Jeans. But when Miley fakes her end of the deal and Lilly gets hurt, she's wracked with guilt. And when Blue Jeans is hurt and might have to be put down, it's even worse. Meanwhile, Jackson is trying to read Siena's favorite book, To Kill a Mockingbird. He's willing to do a lot to impress a girl, but reading?
Miley wants Hannah Montana to grow as an artist and she's really proud of her latest song, but the record label is worried her new music will alienate her old fans.
This two-part special was the highlight of Who is Hannah Montana?, which I previously reviewed.
It's a clip show. It's a clip show under the guise of Miley being interviewed after the events of the previous episode. It does delves into the character, so it's a lot better than most clips shows.
After the Miley / Hannah secret is revealed, there are major repercussions to deal with. These include paparazzi stalking her, as well as a few fans that loved Hannah, but hate Miley.
It's graduation day and Mamaw is there to help celebrate. However, she's not happy with how busy Miley's life has become and how little time the two are able to spend together. Will Miley be able to make it up to her?
Miley and Lilly are off to Stanford, where they will be roommates. But when Miley is offered a major movie role, in a Spielberg movie, she's tempted to put college on hold, even if this means abandoning Lilly. Of course she doesn't want to tell Lilly that's what she wants to do, so she comes up with a plan. Given her track record, you know it's going to be a bad plan. The Extras
The Verdict
- Submitted by: C.S.Strowbridge
Filed under: Video Review