Featured TV on DVD Review: Girlfriends - Season Eight

January 16, 2010

Girlfriends - Season Eight - Buy from Amazon

It's a bittersweet week for fans of Girlfriends. On the one hand, the eighth season comes out on DVD this week. On the other hand, it's also the final season, which means unless they put out a special Megaset that includes a bonus DVD, this is the last new release fans of the show will get. The final season of the series aired from 2007 - 2008, which was the year of the writers' strike. This means it was cut to 13 episodes and didn't have a proper series finale. That's not fair for a show that lasted this long, but did it at least go out on a high?

The season starts off where the previous season ends. Joan's relationship with Aaron is on the rocks and could be over, especially when Aaron's National Guard unit is called up to Iraq. Lynn has great news, on the other hand, signing a recording contract. Maya and Darnell are expecting another child, while their first child, Jabari, is growing up. Meanwhile, William and Monica's relationship is moving forward. There are only thirteen episodes this season, but there is a lot of drama packed in, including a couple of pregnancies, one of which doesn't go well, which is the other main dramatic storyline of the season. However, as dramatic as that is, my favorite storyline is Monica and Williams. I've always like Williams as a character, and while many fans of the show saw Monica as a poor attempt to replace Toni, I thought she was a more interesting character. Also, that relationship is the greatest source of comedy this season, and the show is a SitCom.

With no series finale, it's hard to say whether or not this season is a satisfying conclusion to the show. On the one hand, there were too many storylines not resolved in the end. On the other hand, at least the show didn't wither on the vine and die a slow, painful death. It still had its dignity in the end. That's not something all shows can claim.

The only extra on the DVD is the first episode of the show's spin-off, The Game. If this were a crossover episode, I would be happy with its inclusion, but it is not. It is an ad for the show, which is also being released on DVD this week.

The Verdict

Girlfriends was a good show that maintained its high quality level throughout its eight season run, mostly. While Season Eight wasn't the grand send-off the show deserved, it didn't wither away either and the two-disc set is worth checking out. However, this two-disc set has the same list price as season seven's three-disc set, which is not cool.

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