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Regular Show: Mordecai & Margaret
Pack (2014)
Warner Home Video
DVD Released: 2/11/2014
All Ratings out of
Show:
1/2
Video:
Audio:
1/2
Extras:
Review by Sydny Long, Posted on 2/20/2014
One of the many unspoken rules applying to television is that every series must have, at the minimum, one love story (another is that every show must include a band episode). Tune into any show: romance is always stirring, guys are always offering to buy drinks, kisses are always being shared. While this characteristic is often attributed to the fact love is an universal theme, it's difficult to believe money and ratings aren't involved. When the writers saw "Friends" was losing its spark, they attempted to reignite the flame with a Rachel/Joey storyline (which, sadly, went nowhere). Fans clung to the show for a decade just to witness the conclusion of Ross and Rachel's famous "will-they-won't-they" relationship. We're all familiar with romance and how it evolves over a show's run, and a perfect example is the "Mordecai and Margaret Pack".
The episodes on this disc are:
"Caffeinated Concert Tickets"
"It's Time"
"Muscle Woman"
"Do Me a Solid"
"Cruisin'"
"Yes Dude Yes"
"Access Denied"
"Fancy Restaurant"
"Diary"
"Bad Kiss"
"T.G.I. Tuesday"
"Do or Diaper"
"Picking Up Margaret"
"Meteor Moves"
"Family BBQ"
"Steak Me Amadeus"
The show is centered around two twenty-three-year-old guys working at a sprawling park in an unnamed city: Mordecai, a grilled cheese-loving, fumbling blue jay (voiced by J.G. Quintel) and Rigby, an irresponsible, self-centered raccoon (voiced by William Salyers). The duo's co-workers and friends include: Their boss Benson, a perpetually enraged gumball machine (voiced by Sam Marin); Muscle Man, an obese, wild, and often shirtless creature (voiced by Sam Marin); Skips, a jeans-wearing yeti infinite in his wisdom and age (voiced by Mark Hamill); Pops, a jolly lollipop man who owns the Park (voiced by Sam Marin); High-Five Ghost, a ghost who dispenses good times and high fives (voiced by J.G. Quintel); and eventually Thomas, a mild-mannered and friendly goat intern (voiced by Roger Craig Smith). Mordecai and Rigby go to great lengths to avoid doing their work, which can trigger massive rips in the time-space continuum, summon angry gods, or just get them in a heap of trouble.
This all may sound a tad bizarre. Just one look at the first episode (which includes an enormous Japanese coffee bean that lactates powerful coffee, a montage set to "Working for the Weekend", and the term "lady pecs") cements these suspicions. But as odd and whacky as Mordecai and Rigby's adventures are, they're always grounded in reality at some point. Typically, this normalcy is presented by Mordecai's love-interest: the beautiful, music-loving Margaret (voiced by Janie Haddad-Tompkins). Margaret, along with the shy and intelligent mole Eileen (voiced by Minty Lewis), works at the guys' favorite coffee shop and starts off as a piece of eye candy for the awkward Mordecai. As the show evolves, they become friends and their relationship begins to develop from group activities to intimate outings.
Like Ross and Rachel's aforementioned "will-they-won't-they" dynamic, something always seems to intervene with Mordecai and Margaret's relationship. He's so tongue-tied around her that it's laughable; she can't seem to grasp his true feelings for her. And, of course, the universe collapsing does get in the way sometimes. Over sixteen episodes scattered throughout the show's run, we watch them dodge everything to end up together: death, time, ice, storms, ghosts. And the final episode? They separate so Margaret can go to college and live a fulfilling life. There's no "getting Rachel off the plane" ruse: Margaret leaves and their budding relationship becomes nothing more than fifteen episodes worth of build-up.
The storyline, however unrewarding in the end, works on several levels. It serves up every different side of Mordecai and added facet after facet to his personality. Margaret, who started off as a mere cardboard cutout of a character, gets character development galore without being turned into an object for Mordecai to chase after. She has her own dreams and motives, some of which just don't include him. While this show may be wrought with violence, talking animals, and lactating coffee beans, it's still human at heart. There's plenty to laugh, cheer, and cry about, making this "Regular Show" pack a little less regular than the others.
Regular Show: Mordecai & Margaret Pack explores the little-known world of bird love on DVD courtesy of Warner Home Video. The show is letterboxed at 1.78:1 and the transfer is enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs. The image is very sharp and clear, showing no grain or defects from the source material. This transfer betters HD broadcast quality, as it's very crisp. The colors look fantastic, and the picture is never overly dark or bright. The transfer shows no defects from the animation, although it does highlight how some drawings are more detailed than others. The DVD features a Dolby 2.0 audio track which provides clear dialogue and sound effects. The bulk of the sound comes from the center channel with occasional audio coming from the right or left speaker. The audio isn't overly impressive, but it matches the style of the show.
The only bonus feature on this DVD is a brief commercial for the fictitious restaurant, Steak Me Amadeus, featured in the episode of the same name.
Review Copyright 2014 by Sydny Long