Plot Details: This opinion reveals no details about the movie's plot.

SGC2C has been one of the shows I have most hoped to see on DVD. I never have been able to catch all of them on TV so I have been chomping at the bit to see some of the older ones especially. Unfortunately most of these older ones are nowhere near as good as what the show has become. Still I would hate to have those (assuming they ever release them) without having their predecessors, and there are some shining moments. As usual with these collections I will give you a rundown of the show & the release then describe a little about every episode to you.

Do you remember the old Space Ghost cartoons? He’s a superhero that can fly, survive the vacuum of space, turn invisible, and use power bands on his wrists to generate everything from death rays to strength-enhancing shields. He’s pretty much unbeatable and has the stereotypical deep, commanding voice delivering corny lines. In the original series he was joined by two teens he had to save constantly and a chimp that was smarter than all of them. In SGC2C he is a talk show host joined and visited by villains he has captured. Sounds pretty crazy, huh? It gets weirder! The people he interviews are real, not cartoon recreations or impressions.

On many of these episodes the questions asked of the interviewees are not the same as what Space Ghost asks them. It makes for crazy interview sessions even to the point of becoming nonsensical. Space Ghost makes fun of the interviewees and often treats them badly. I guess they wouldn’t want to do that in the real interview. Sometimes that’s great fun, but other times, particularly on some of the earlier shows, the results are choppy and stiff interviews.

Add to that the antics of Zorak the giant mantis that serves as the band leader and Moltar the helmeted director, and you never know when Space Ghost will whip out his “spank ray.” Sometimes the conflicts between them are better than the interviews, and sometimes they get annoying. It definitely makes for an atypical show in every way.

Like I said many of these are not the best episodes; the interviews and conflicts are often weak, and the music is sometimes nothing more than someone pounding on a guitar. But the show overall is a great concept with enough imagination behind it to keep it alive for several seasons (new episodes are still slated for release last I checked).

So go watch some episodes on Cartoon Network and form your opinion if you need to, then come back and see if the episodes here are worth having in your collection.

Content:
I don’t recall any bad language (It’s bleeped out), and mostly there are no adult themes. I would say this is geared mostly towards young adults, but would mostly be suitable for younger teens with the possible exception of the last 2 episodes depending on how sensitive you are.

DVD:
The case is a cardboard folder in a box. It’s colorful, and I like the image of Space Ghost showing through the TV-shaped cut-out in the outer box. The folder opens to have a flap with an episode listing opposite the cover art and 2 DVD trays. I might have expected a little more artwork being an animated show and all. It’s decent looking but simple.

The picture is a better-than-TV quality 1.33 ratio. The sound is 2.0. There are subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.

The menus, like everything else, are nice but not all that creative. They feature some music and original graphics. One thing I love about Cartoon Network DVD’s is the lack of lead-in to the show. There’s a logo before the interface and nothing before the episodes, so much better than sitting through warnings and disclaimers and previews and all the annoying crap some studios put on their DVD’s.

I’ll mention the extras before I get into the episodes. There are a few commentaries and some extended episodes (about 2-5 minutes added). I’ll note those with the episodes. Other extras include two short music videos: one by Zorak and the Original Way Outs (Space Ghost’s band) playing a twisted version of Jingle Bells, and another by the Evil Council singing 12 Days of Christmas (on disk 1 go to the Special Features and highlight Zorak’s shorts). There is an art presentation that is concept and storyboard drawings flashed and panned with a music bed making it feel kind of like an odd music video. On disk 2 there is a live-action Space Ghost dance from Cartoon Planet (go to Special Features and highlight Moltar’s faceplace). I like all 4 features particularly the art video, but I expected more. The only other extra feature, if you can call it that, is a Play All option so you can watch all the episodes without returning to the menu.

There are 16 episodes. I’m not real sure how the order was generated because it doesn’t match the production or airing lists I’ve seen. The package says “Volume 1” not “Season 1” so I can only guess that this is the official Season 1 line-up. I guess it doesn’t really matter since there’s not a progressive storyline. Most are 11-12 minutes long though the extended ones can be as long as 17.

1) Elevator: Judy Tenuta, Timothy Leary, Ashley Judd – A choppy first episode with a really bad Ashley interview. Includes a commentary that doesn’t provide much actual info.
2) Spanish Translation: Susan Powter, Kevin Meany, The Bee Gees – Another not-so-great episode. We’re just getting started, though. The Bee Gees don’t say much. Brak makes an appearance, but this was before Andy Merrill came up with the characterization we know and love today. In fact, it’s more of a Beevis and Butthead parody.
3) Gilligan: Bob Denver, Dawn Wells, Russell Johnson – The first themed episode (they tend to be the best) and the first episode to show some promise.
4) CHiPs: Joe Franklin, Bill Carter – Moltar loves the TV show Chips even though it doesn’t really have anything to do with the guests. His obsession with it causes some funny moments and lots of Chips clips worked into the show.
5) Bobcat: Bobcat Goldthwait, The Ramones – Rockers will enjoy seeing the Ramones make an appearance even though they don’t do or say much. Bobcat is, I think, the first star to really get into what’s going on. He plays along with the whole Space Ghost idea more than most guests and even introduces the show. This is one of the best early episodes.
6) Punch: Cindy Guyer, The Jerky Boys, Dian Parkinson – Not a particularly memorable episode except that the Jerky Boys are jerks. I guess they’re supposed to be, but it makes for a stupid interview.
7) Banjo: Schooly D, Weird Al Yankovic – If you’ve seen some of my other reviews you probably know I’m a Weird Al fan. I was a little disappointed with his appearance here. He mostly just yells a lot. The side-story about Banjo the Sea Monkey is pretty funny, though.
8) Batmantis: Adam West, Lee Meriwether, Eartha Kitt – This is one of the best episodes ever. Adam gives Space Ghost a hard time and the responses are hysterical. The best part is the side-story. Moltar has been kidnapped by Your Mother and held hostage for Space Ghost’s power bands. SG tries to convince Adam to turn into Batman to help then moves on to the catwomen. Only Zorak as Batmantis is willing to help but he gets sidetracked flirting with Lee. This one includes a better commentary with C Martin Croker adlibbing some lines.
9) Story Book House: Kirk the Storyteller, Carl the Cartoonist – I don’t know what to tell you about this one. It’s not interviews. These two guys hijack the show, more or less, and recite a couple of the earlier episodes in storytime-style. It’s odd, slow, and not all that funny, but at the same time I wouldn’t say it’s horrible, either. There’s a commentary that sheds a little light on the makings of this one. Oh, yeah, it’s mostly live-action, also. You see Space Ghost for about 2 seconds, but Zorak and Moltar are absent.
10) Girlie Show: Fran Drescher, Carol Channing, Alice Cooper – I’m a Cooper fan so I was excited about this one almost as much as Banjo. Ironically his didn’t turn out to be all that good an interview, either. There’s just not much to it. So why is he on the “Girlie Show?” That’s the funniest part. Space Ghost is very much taken aback by what the “lovely” Alice Cooper really looks like. There’s a commentary with a few good moments, but they are harsh on the guests.
11) Hungry: Michael Stipe, Sirajul Islam, Mujibur Rahman – I guess this one is not bad. Nothing too memorable, but I’m not a huge REM fan. There are a few funny moments with Zorak’s little nephew Raymond. This is supposed to be an extended version of the episode, but it’s only about a minute longer than normal.
12) Fire Drill: David Byrne, Donny Osmond – Donny gets most of the screen time here and is funnier than I would have given him credit for. The best part of this episode, though, is the commentary which shows just how funny George Lowe can be.
13) Sleeper: Hulk Hogan, Slash – Here’s another surprisingly good interview: Hulk Hogan. He plays along with a good sense of humor. Slash, on the other hand, can barely make it through to the end. It’s supposedly extended but not much longer than usual.
14) Jerk: Palmer Mills, Sandra Bernhard – I like this one just for the fact that it involves evil twin Chad. Brak makes a funny appearance, but I don’t much care for the interviews. Finally, here’s an episode that you can tell is extended.
15) Urges: Catherine Bach, Matthew Sweet – A little more adult oriented with Zorak looking for a mate. There is some disturbing stuff in there especially when the identity of his chosen mate is revealed. It’s pretty funny I guess. It’s noticeably extended.
16) Explode: Terry Jones, Glen Phillips – Terry is a funny if twisted guy. There’s more adult humor here with Terry making some sexual references. It’s noticeably extended.

I wanted to give this set a high rating since I do enjoy the series as a whole and really love a few of these episodes like Batmantis. I even like having the weaker episodes in order to have a complete set, but the lack of effort put in the release is a disappointment. If the set were any more expensive I would probably drop the rating, but 16 episodes and a decent if uncreative package for $20 makes me feel like it’s not a waste. I imagine the next set will be better episode-wise so let’s see some other improvements, as well. How about some behind the scenes guest interview segments, a look at how they set up the interviews then edit them for the actual show, interviews with George Lowe and C Martin Croker, or voice-over sessions with the cast? I still recommend the set and the show, you’re just not going to get much for your money other than the episodes themselves.


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older