UltimateDisney.com | DVD Review Index | Disney / Buena Vista TV Shows Page | Search UltimateDisney.com
Ellen on DVD: Season 1 • Season 2 • Season 3 • Season 4 • Coming November 28: Season 5
"Ellen" The Complete Season Four DVD Review
By Aaron Wallace
A prime-time sitcom planted far outside the Top 10 in ratings is an unlikely candidate for a series to make television history. However, that's exactly what the Touchstone comedy "Ellen" did in its fourth season. After three seasons that were popular enough to warrant renewal Near the end of the fourth season, main character Ellen Morgan (played by Ellen DeGeneres) announces that she is gay. That made her the first primary character of a prime-time series to "come out" on-screen and "Ellen" the first show to star an openly gay character. With two words -- "I'm gay" (mistakenly spoken into an intercom at an airport terminal) -- "Ellen" brought the issue of homosexuality to the forefront of American discourse. The issue remains controversial today, but its upfront appearance on network TV in 1997, at a time when shows like "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and "Will & Grace" would have been unlikely to make it to the air, was unusual to say the least. Though ratings for the season were overall tepid, an estimated 36 million viewers tuned in for the two-part "Puppy Episode" that contained Ellen's coming out (that's 35% of American homes in 1997).
Unsurprisingly, the move ignited a firestorm of controversy. Conservative and religious groups and viewers objected and ratings began to slide even further. Making the situation all the more awkward, "Ellen" was produced and aired by the Walt Disney Company, proud of its reputation as family-friendly. Though it rarely if ever ventured outside of TV-PG material, every episode from that point on bore a parental advisory warning at its start. Criticism continued, however, not only from those objecting on grounds of morality, but also from fans and reviews decrying a political bend and the "too gay" turn in its subject matter. The show returned in the fall for its fifth season, which would become its last.
Whether personal politics leave you agitated by or sympathetic to this move in the culture war, the decision for Ellen Morgan to come out makes little sense to the series and is to its detriment. The very first line of the Season Four premiere hints at the revelation to come and the rest of the season is filled with similar suggestions (some of them extremely clever). Early on, most of them involve a breaking of the fourth wall, so to speak; the hints reference real-life tabloid speculation. Later on, the character herself begins to undergo a transformation. She spends the season going from one therapist to another, trying to determine the cause of her neuroticism and unhappiness, which turns out to be her suppressed homosexuality.
This sudden focus on Ellen's sexuality seems just that: sudden. As if merely an afterthought, the character that existed for three seasons is forgotten so that a new one is able to unfold. Ellen Morgan's heterosexuality had not been presented as merely circumstantial or inconsequential during the first three years; it was integral to her persona. Nothing in Seasons 1-3 implies that the fourth season bombshell is to come. Of course, DeGeneres had come out to the nation shortly prior to her character's announcement. Her personal life is one matter; the life of her character is another entirely. While Ellen Morgan was partially based on her real-life creator, DeGeneres was not playing herself in the show. Therefore, her own lesbianism is irrelevant to the sexuality of her character and there is no justification for the drastic alteration. Indeed, were an outsider to view the complete series in sequence, unaware of the DeGeneres context, they would probably feel more confused than the character supposedly did in the fourth season.
To add insult to injury, not only does its protagonist change, but the tone and focus of the series is tailored to complement the coming out as well. Beginning with "The Puppy Episode," the series becomes one prolonged public service announcement, featuring one tolerance-themed "very special episode" after another. To sustain this tone, Ellen suddenly becomes bold and aggressive, traits that are certainly out of character. Additionally, the series' constant stream of notable guest stars begins to parade a "Who's Who" of celebrity lesbians. Fortunately for Season Four viewers, the change comes towards the end and most significantly impacts the fifth and final season. The last four installments in Season Four, however, are affected.
The supporting cast takes on a more modest role in order to give Ellen and her "self-discovery" the spotlight, but Paige (Joely Fisher), Spence (Jeremy Piven), Joe (David Anthony Higgins), and Audrey (Clea Lewis) are all back to amuse and delight. Ellen's parents, Harold (Steven Gilborn) and Lois (Alice Hirson), seek a divorce and see an increase in screen time as a result. The unsettling change in direction aside, the bulk of Season Four is actually very funny and entertaining. Even when obstructed by dramatics, the cast works very well together as a brilliant comic ensemble and DeGeneres herself remains as funny as ever. The third season of "Ellen" was its strongest and much of its charisma spills over into the fourth. A few of the storylines are certainly generic but the show's willingness to go over-the-top and its ability to remain on point in doing so make many of them memorable. For the most part, the show is exceedingly fresh with only the political asides feeling tired. The ever-changing opening titles gag returns with a little less variety but still succeeds as a very clever device. The newfound self-referentiality that fills the fourth season thickens the rich brand of humor, even if its mostly aimed at an issue that ultimately brings the show down. In fact, there's a lot going for "Ellen" near the end of its run, making it all the more tragic that the immense comedic potential is squandered for the sake of an agenda.
"Ellen" was produced by Touchstone Television, filmed at least in part inside the Disney studios, and originally aired on the ABC network. Despite all that, its DVDs are distributed by A&E Home Entertainment (owned in part by Disney) rather than Buena Vista itself, which normally handles Touchstone's television fare. A&E offers The Complete Season Four in chronological broadcast order, which is the most sensible presentation for this particular lot of episodes.
A star () denotes my ten favorite episodes from the season.
Disc 1 (Volume 1)
1. Give Me Equity or Give Me Death (22:38) (Originally aired September 18, 1996)
2. A Deer Head For Joe (22:22) (Originally aired September 25, 1996)
3. Splitsville, Man (22:22) (Originally aired October 2, 1996)
4. The Parent Trap (22:22) (Originally aired October 16, 1996)
5. Looking Out For Number One (22:22) (Originally aired October 23, 1996)
6. The Bubble Gum Incident (23:01) (Originally aired October 30, 1996)
7. Harold and Ellen (22:22) (Originally aired November 6, 1996)
8. Not So Great Expectations (22:22) (Originally aired November 13, 1996)
9. The Pregnancy Test (22:22) (Originally aired November 20, 1996)
Disc 2 (Volume 2)
10. Kiss My Bum (22:22) (Originally aired November 27, 1996)
11. Bowl, Baby, Bowl (22:22) (Originally aired December 4, 1996)
12. Fleas Navidad (22:19) (Originally aired December 18, 1996)
13. Alone Again... Naturally (22:22) (Originally aired January 8, 1997)
14. Joe's Kept Secret (22:22) (Originally aired January 15, 1997)
15. Makin' Whoopie (20:57) (Originally aired January 22, 1997)
16. Ellen Unplugged (22:22) (Originally aired February 5, 1997)
17. Ellen's Deaf Comedy Jam (22:21) (Originally aired February 12, 1997)
|
Page 1: Show Discussion, Disc 1, and Disc 2
Page 2: Disc 3, Video/Audio, Bonus Features, Menus & Packaging, and Closing Thoughts |
UltimateDisney.com | DVD Review Index | Disney / Buena Vista TV Shows Page | Search UltimateDisney.com
Ellen on DVD: Season 1 • Season 2 • Season 3 • Season 4 • Coming November 28: Season 5
Reviewed October 27, 2006.