Touched By An Angel – The Third Season, Volume One
Picture: C
Sound: C+ Extras: D Episodes: D
After much consideration, especially after having to sit
through this box set, I am now convinced that Touched By An Angel is one
of the worst hit TV series since the 1980s and by the 1996-97 The Third
Season, got more obnoxious.
CBS/Paramount have decided to split that season in half, offering this Volume
One with no extras and 16 grueling episodes. Just look at these titles:
1) Promised
Land
2) A Joyful
Noise
3) Random
Acts
4) Sins of
The Father
5) Written
In Dust
6) Secret
Service
7) Groundrush
8) The Sky
Is Falling
9) Something
Blue
10) Into The Light
11) Homecoming (two parts/episodes!)
12) The Journalist
13) The Violin Lesson
14) Forget Me Not
15) Smokescreen
That is as obvious, unoriginal and bankrupt a set of
titles as TV has ever produced, but when this show was a hit, CBS and the
creators went in for the pious kill.
This show loves giving guilt trips more than game shows give vacations
and is the religiousized version of the kind of fuddy-duddy TV CBS invented in
the 1980s. Roma Downey and a
then-contract negotiating Della Reese p0lay angels interfering in people’s
lives because “God” told them to. Where’s
Larry Cohen when you need him most? The
phoniness is amazing, but it stayed a hit until CBS finally cancelled it. I wished Charlie’s Angels (film or TV) would
show up and shoot up everything, because this is criminally bad.
As for if this is religious bashing, well, Highway To
Heaven (reviewed elsewhere on this site) was a better, smarter show that
was watchable, especially by comparison and writing off this critique as
religion-bashing is idiotic. I doubt
even those who would say that really like this show, but who cares. The 1.33 X 1 image is not that good here
anyhow, with color and detail issues that make them look a little poorer than
some TV broadcasts I have seen. The
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo has no real surrounds, but is a little better and
there are no extras. Just pass.
- Nicholas Sheffo
