Kath & Kim - Series 2

Hoi. Welcome back to Fountain Lakes. As you will soy, not much has changed. Yes, Kath (Jane Turner) and Kel Day-Knight (Glenn Robbins), are now husband and wife, but they are yet to consecrate their connubials. Kath has lost her urge, but Kel, that great hunk o' spunk, is being such a S.N.A.G. about it. After the disaster that was their wedding, no one would have blamed him if he'd done a runner. And yes, Kim (Gina Riley) is still a hornbag and desperate to be effluent but is still a-stranged from Brett (Peter Rowsthorn) and the marital unit, but he has Cujo who loves her Bretty. Kimmy's second best friend, Sharon Streslecki (Magda Szubanski), still has a soft spot for Mark (Tony Martin), even after their less-than-successful date. Yes, it's all business as yew-sual in the Day-Knight household. Or is it?

Kim has decided she does need Brett after all, but only so she can have a boi-by! After ripping through numerous home pregnancy testing kits like they were dippety-bix, she finally gets the good news, she is pregnant. Brett is troying to be supportive, now that he is a father-to-be. However, pre-nasal classes are not for him, so he takes to renovating the family home, with a little help from Kim. Okay, a lot of help from Kim, well a lot of directions and demands anywoy, plus the odd hissy fit, tantrum and mood swing. Why can't she get her way just for once once? That would be different, that would be noice, yes, un-yew-sual too, yes.

Sharon, meantime, hooks up with her only other school friend, and Kim is just seizing with jealousy. Plus, Mark and Sharon are now boyfriend and girlfriend, well for this week anyway. Kel is being the perfect husband, too perfect actually. There is nothing left for Kath to do all day and it's getting up her goat. At least she has her floral design course - and that pineapple!

As Kim's happy hormones kick in, everyone is on the back foot, unsure how to take the new Kim. Luckily, the phase passes, and she is soon back to her gropable self. She recovers in time for her boi-by shower, which turns out to be stoopid, I mean all the presents are for the boi-by! What's that all about? Meanwhile, Kath and Kel are up to their necks in the proverbial when Kel's old mate, Sandy Freckle, waltzes back onto his life, with less than shiverous intentions for Kath. Will Kel lose another foxy lady to this smooth-as-a-baby's-bottom sleaze? Will Kath and Kel also decide that a boi-by of their own is the thing for them?

Everything comes to a head in the last episode when Kim is rushed off to hospital, in an ambliance no less, to have her boi-by. After a false alarm or two, the big moment finally arroives and Kim finds that having a boi-by is not the big deal that everyone said it would be.

Series 2 of Kath and Kim picks up a month after Series 1 and there are few surprises at first. The same cast has been assembled, the same writers and production crew are responsible for bringing the whole thing together, and even some of the not-so regular characters return. There are numerous guest stars, including Vince Colossimo, Judith Lucy, Mark Treverrow, Tony Martin and Mick Molloy.

The same laughs are here, some of the same jokes have been given another run, but there are also plenty of new laughs. The characters and the locations may be the same, but there is a noticeable amount of moving on from the last series. The way is open for a third series (well, duh!), so we shall have to wait and see how the series cliffhanger is resolved.

Loike the first DVD, this is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and has 16 by noine agrophobic enhancement. The yeight episodes are atristically spread over two discs (that's noice, that's diff'rent, that's un-yew-sual). This transfer is almost as sharp as Kel's dress sense, only more colourful and has less voinyl. There are few if any iss-yews with the way it looks. There are no artefacts to speak of apart from the odd spot of shimmer in the opening sequence, and no dirt or marks (apart from the one giving Sharon her 24/7 pash-rash). There are no problems with black levels or shadow detail. In fact, the loighting is generally very broight and natural, hoighloighting Kimmy's hornbag qualities noicely.

There is some deliberate use of some very groiny footage at the end of the series during some flashbacks. The only groipe is the the layer change on Disc 2 that occurs during an episode. It makes me gropable!

The Dobly Digital 2.0 stereo track provided does a more than adequate job for Kath and Kim. Being mostly a dialogue and visual comedy, there is little that would be gained from a full surround experience. The most important thing is the dialogue and that is all clear, loud and there are no problems with audio-syncopation. The numerous outdoor scenes sound (and look) as good as the indoor stuff, which is un-yew-sual for a telly show.

There is no laugh track, which is an absolute blessing, as they usually clutter the sound unforgiveably. There may be no action from anything but the front speakers, but this is more than acceptable.

There are some noice extras thrown in, and they're for free. The only thing missing that would have been noice is some sort of audio commentary. Anywoy, what do we get?

Each disc has a short set of extras. Disc One kicks off with some Yumor which is six minutes of goofs from the first four episodes. I think the foxymorons from Fountain Lakes have too much fun making this show. There is also some noice Wine Time where Kath and Kim get to wrecks lyrical over the days events. There is an extra laugh or two not included in the episodes.

Moving on to Bit of Huffy Puffy which, at just over a minute, is not what you are thinking. Honestly, you're encourageable! No, it's just a quick peek and Kath and Kel's boxercise class. The last official extra is a four-minute montage of the first four episodes called Get the Gist. Oh, there's also an Easter egg on Disc One. And it's not even Easter!

Disc Two has a similar set of extras with More Yumourous, another four minutes of gaffs and am-yewsing fluffs. There is more flossiphising in Wine Time for almost four minutes. Sharon's full audition for the Commonwealth Games (volunteers) is also here in Aussie, Aussie, Aussie.

In Stuff 'Im we get a real bonus, a deleted scene. Yes, it's Sharon jumping another man (boy). What will her boyfriend, Mark, think of that? Will she two-time him? She wishes! And lastly, there is another four and a half-minute montage of the four episodes on Disc Two in Really Get the Gist.

So, is this broolliant or what? All eight episodes, some yumorous goofs, a deleted scene or two and Brylcreem. If Series One did the trick for yous, then Series Two will likewise am-yewse yous.