Chappelle’s Show Season 2

Hello Chappelle my old friend. I’ve been a David Chappelle fan since Mel Brooks’ Robin Hood: Men In Tights. I always thought he was a really funny guy and as time went on I began to like him more and more. Eventually David became one of if not my favorite stand-up and comedic actor out there.

Chappelle’s breakout hit was definitely Half-Baked, it cemented his style and gained him a fairly big (weed smoking) cult following. After HB he had a few lesser known films, then the OUTSTANDING stand up titled Killin’ Them Softly. This was the hit he needed, Killin’ Them put Dave on the map and made him one of the most buzz worthy comics on the planet. Then he announced that he developing a show for Comedy Central. The rest as they say.. is HISTORY!

Season 1 was well received but Season 2 was truly milestone a in his career.The summer of 2004 was the summer of “YEAH, OKAY” and “I’M RICK JAMES BITCH” which I’m sure all of you are quite sick of hearing now. But Season 2 was much more then Lil’ Jon and Rick James…

Series
Dave Chappelle is back for a second season and he has even more to say in this street-smart half hour sketch comedy series. Dave’s unique point-of-view on the world provides a comedic and sometimes defiant look at American culture, including music, movies, television, advertising, current events and everyday life situations.

Okay with that said we can delve into the meat and bones. Simply put season 2 is comic brilliance. There isn’t a whole lot to really say, the show just delivers on every episode. Some skits may have been bland but every episode has a gem that’s well worth any boring or not so funny sketches.

From new fan favorite Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories to Wane Brady having to “Choke a bitch” Season 2 is golden like Ponyboy. Being a huge Chappelle fan I can’t say I disliked any of the skits, but… I can mention some of my favs. My personal highlights from Season 2 include “Ashy Larry” in the World Series of Dice, P-Diddy’s need for Cambodian Brest milk and The Half Baked re-union.

I have only one gripe with Season 2, and that the urbanization of David Chappelle and the show. Dave was never an overly “ghetto” or “urban” comic, he had his moments but it never dominated his persona. However season 2’s push to be more urban is very apparent and even more so in the Showtime stand up special “For What It’s Worth”. Which normally wouldn’t bother me, i know how publicist and the price of fame can alter people, but overall it feels really forced to me.

Luckily this didn’t’ have a huge impact on comedy of season 2, however the same can’t be said for “For What It’s Worth”. Luckily we aren’t reviewing that!

Season 2 is some of David Chappelle’s and his extremely talented co-stars best work. Being a fan of Dave for so long it’s really cool to see him get the credit he really deserves.

BRAVO!
Rating: 10 out of 10

Transfer
This is a great standard def TV transfer. The colors are great, the lights and darks stand out well, there are no compression or shimmering issues. The only issues is some occasional interlacing.

Overall a strong transfer that leaves little room for complaints.
Rating: 8 out of 10

Audio
As it usually goes with modern TV shows, the 2 channel Dolby stereo mix is great for what it is. The sounds and music are mixed well, everything sounds clean and there was no breakups or compression issues.

There are a few overly bassy parts during some of the interviews on the extras, which was the only problem I noticed.
Rating: 7 out of 10

Extras
The third disc in this set is dedicated to extras.

Disc 3 features a whole hour of bloopers and deleted scenes mixed together that all feature audio commentary. The bloopers and deleted scenes end up being more of a look into how the show is made then bloopers. There are multiple takes of certain scenes where you can see the cast ad libbing and coming up with bits on the spot. The commentary delves deeper in to how the show comes together.

Also featured on disc 3 are also 2 never before seen stories from Charlie Murphy and the full length interviews of both Charlie and Rick James from the “I’m Rick James, BITCH!” skit. These segments are really, really entertaining, I could hear Charlie Murphy tell stories all day!

There are also 5 show commentaries featuring Dave and his writing partner and show director Neal Brennan. You can obviously tell these two have been friends for some time. They finish alot of each others sentences and say alot of bits and phrases together at the same time, which gets annoying at times. Overall the commentaries are insightful, really funny and well worth it. Unfortunately we only get 5 in the end you end up wanting more.
Rating: 9 out of 10

Overall
Season 2 is what TV sketch comedy should be. This is Chappelle and Co. at their smartest and funniest. This really cemented Dave Chappelle in the public eye and made him a true star.

Who knows if or when season 3 will start given the recent actions of Chappelle and his whole trip to Africa thing. Hopefully he can get all his crap sorted out and get back to the show we all have grown to love.

This is a must have for anyone who likes laughing. Go out and get it.
Rating: 9 out of 10

Chappelle’s Show Season 2
Series: 10
Transfer: 8
Audio: 7
Extras: 9
Overall: 9
Format: Full Frame 1.33:1
Sound: Dolby Digital Stereo
Rated: Not Rated
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Paramount
Chappelle’s Show Season 2…BITCHES!

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