Dharma

I've been reading the blog of Lisa Trifone, who's the sister-in-law of my cousin's sister-in-law, and I discovered that we have something in common besides writing, blogging and my cousin. She got contacted by a PR firm wanting to know if she'd review a documentary.

About a month or so ago, I was contacted by the same person. She'd read a blog post of mine where I mentioned Two and a Half Men, which is produced by Chuck Lorre, the same guy that did Dharma & Greg. She wanted to know if she could send me a complimentary copy of the new Dharma & Greg DVD set of the first season, and I agreed.

The DVDs arrvied a couple weeks ago, and we've been enjoying episodes from them off and on since then. What a treat!

We watched Dharma & Greg when it first came out on TV. It wasn't your run-of-the-mill sitcom. Dharma was a free-spirited home-schooled daughter of hippies, and Greg was a straight-laced lawyer from a rich family. They fell instantly in love and married, forcing their families to deal with in-laws who weren't like them. A clash of cultures, both for Dharma & Greg and their parents. It was fresh, and fun, and sweet, and laugh-out-loud funny.

The writing on that show, like Two and a Half Men, was excellent (although the latter is better). The acting was great. Both of these shows examine what it is to be human, and derive their stories and humor from a no-holds-barred examination of how people behave and the conflict between men and women, parents and children.

I was especially taken by Dharma, charmingly and lightly played by Jenna Elfman. She was light, and sweet, and obviously in love with Greg. No matter the problems that faced them, they tried to do the right thing, and to trust in love. It was a refreshing contrast to the bitterness and cynicism found in so many sitcoms.

After a few seasons, Dharma lost some of that sweetness and innocence, and it was about then that I started enjoying the show less. It's funny how, when people split up, all they seem to remember is the worst of the relationship. What they remember is why they split up. My memories of Dharma & Greg was of how the show soured.

Watching the first season again on DVD, I recaptured the fondness I had for the show. It reminded me of how much I enjoyed it, and why I started watching it in the first place. I love the playfulness of the show, and how Dharma liked to role-play, often with Greg or her friend Jane, tripping out people by becoming another character. As a role-player myself, it was a rare treat to see that on TV. (It's one of the things I liked about Alias: the role-playing that an agent is required to engage in.)

The playfulness of the show even extends to the production of the DVD set. I noticed that some of the episodes had "Easter Eggs". If you moved the menu highlight up instead of down when selecting menu options, there was occasionally a hidden selection that would bring up a blooper from the show.

It's also nice watching the show without commercials.


Blog Tag: Reviews