Posted on: June 25, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

This TBS show has been roundly praised during its run, and the latest batch of accolades had them winning 3 different Image Awards – outstanding comedy series, outstanding actor in a comedy series, and outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series. Now, this DVD box set covers the twenty episodes after the initial run of 20 – finishing up the first season and entering into the 2007-2008 season. Even if viewers have seen each of the episodes that the show covers, bet it “The Perfect Storm”, “The Big Test”, and “I Rest My Case”, there are special features enough that viewers will still stake out a place in front of the TV. This means that there is a blooper reel, a character profile focusing in on “Pops”, and a featurette in “Firehouse Follies” that has to be seen to be believed.

For those viewers that may have missed out on House of Payne up to this point, the show follows a largely episodic type of format; while there are events, such as the dating that goes on between C.J. and Nicole, that evolve and change through t the show, viewers can feel confident that they can start up the DVD at the begging – “I Got The Hook Up” – and not have missed out on anything that is integral to know. As is the case with all of Tyler Perry’s movies, House of Payne walks a fine line between side-splitting comedy and a seriousness that illuminates all of the problems confronting an African-American family in the present, whether it be incarceration, pregnancy, or drug dealers across the street.

Individuals that have stayed away from House of Payne due to any perceived drop off in quality should really look into buying both volumes that Lionsgate has released of the show , especially since Perry has written the episodes that have aired, and has no plans of stopping eir hand’s on involvement with the show. The only thing that I would ask Lionsgate to do is to pick up the test run episodes that were aired during June and July of 2006, just to ensure that these episodes are not lost in a limbo, inaccessible for anyone that wishes to see them but can’t. Obviously, the time frame that Lionsgate has worked within transferring these episodes to DVD is stellar, but giving some sort of completion to the early parts of the show would be amazing.

Rating: 8.5/10

Tyler Perry’s House of Payne Volume Two: Episodes 21-40 (DVD Set) / 2008 Lionsgate / 429 Minutes / http://www.lionsgatedvd.com /

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