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Rating:  -
I started watching Dr. Quinn when it was well into its 6th season and by the time I really got into it the show sadly and unfairly had been canceled. Well, obviously with reruns on PAX & Hallmark as well as various tape tradings I have seen all the seasons of DQ, but not all the episodes. Season Five has alot of episodes that I had either not seen or seen only once so it was a treat to watch this season again. First of all the commentary by Shawn Toovey (Brian Cooper) and Chad Allen (Matthew Cooper) on "Legend" was amazing. Chad Allen is very informative and hilarious giving alot of behind the scenes info on the series and the actors. Shawn Toovey was less talkative especially since most of the stories Chad refered to were from earlier seasons when Shawn was only 8 or so. Still, the pair seemed like close old friends happy to be together again.
I still haven't re watched all the episodes yet but I found "Having It All" to be an excellent introduction to the Sully family's life with newborn Katie (played by the Calabrese-forgive me for the misspelling- triplets) and the departure of Colleen (Jessica Bowman) for college. "All that Glitters" has Colleen return from college a changed women more confident and independent. "Los Americanos" has the introduction of a new character Senora Teresa Morales a Mexican widow one of the only people throughout the series who are not won over by Dr. Mike's charm and starts a back story that goes throughout the season, Brian's jealousy of his new sister and his wish to get more attention from his mother. "Remember Me" gives Jake Slicker more back story and a reason behind his alcoholism. "Legend" gives Matthew more of chance to forgive me- "play" sheriff and I can't help but love the exchange between Michaela and Matthew before he goes into the bank as mother and son. "Separate But Equal" brings racism of the day to light. "Season of Miracles" finally gives the Reverend a storyline as he goes blind and "The Dam" emphasis Matthew's need to be seen as a man and sheriff of the town at all costs and an wonderful exchange between Matthew and Sully as father and son which isn't seen much. "A House Divided" brings Daniel to the scene and shows that even the best marriage has hard times. "Hostage" is a suspenseful episode much like "Point Blank" which we will see in the six season. "Before the Dawn" brings back the much loved Myra and Samantha Bing giving us a very heart wrenching episode dealing with Horace's depression."His Father's Son" concludes the storyline started with "Los Americanos" in which Brian confronts his wish to fit in his adopted family as he feels ignored because of the new biological daughter in the family. "Moment of Truth" starts an arc which perhaps nailed Dr. Quinn's coffin but still a good episode nonetheless.
Like I said I thoroughly enjoyed this season, even though I personally could have dealt with less doting on Katie. I often wanted to yell at the screen "Come on Sully, Michaela you have the three other kids!" as well as Matthew's often irritating behavior- arresting your own father? Ruining the land where you had your vision quest? Resenting the fact your father wants to protect you? Walking into a bank robbery without a weapon? Not the most finest season for Matthew Cooper.
Definitely a must see! Can't wait for season six to come out :-)
Rating:  -
I only started collecting the DVD series of "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" this year. I used to watch this when it first came out, but in my country, they showed something like 2 seasons, and stopped. I have been having the sets delivered to me one a month, and am now up to Season 5. I'm amazed at all the events in the characters' lives that I've missed! It's even better than I thought. I rate this set (actually, I rate the entire series, even if I have not yet seen Season 6; my set will arrive in September) with only a 4 star rating. This is not because of the series itself, which merits 5 stars in my book; my problem is with the summaries done on the DVD boxes and the episode summaries themselves. It seems like the writers of the summaries did not know what the episodes were about. Half the time they got it wrong, and so a first-timer like myself to many of the episodes (heck, Seasons 3-6 are new to me!) gets mighty confused once the actual episode is seen. In one instance, particularly in this DVD set, the summary for one episode is half written in the preceding one, and obviously jumps the gun and has got nothing to do with that story at all. This is just a nitpick, really; I highly recommend this series to anyone who's tired of watching trashy reality shows and even trashier primetime series, and would like to watch something that has to do with family values and history. Other than the badly written summaries, the packaging is great, the DVD quality is superb in picture and in sound, especially in the later ones. This is a great series, particularly for Gen X'ers who used to watch it, like myself. Besides which, it's a great buy here at Amazon. Believe me, it costs more at A&E, which produced the DVDs. This is a series you'll treasure always.
Rating: -
Overall, this season of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman had a slightly sadder feel to it than the previous 4. The inevitable fate of the Native Americans was becoming more and more apparent, despite Sully's and Mike's best efforts. The focus of the show shifted from emphasizing Mike and Sully's relationship (which was always the reason I tuned in! What a strikingly beautiful pair they made!), and more to matters of the townsfolk. It continued to seem as though the people in town, nearly all of whom Mike and Sully considered to be their friends and many of whom Mike had saved on more than one occasion, were all just as ignorant, judgemental and even mean-spirited as they were in the Pilot episode. Episodes would end with the wrong-doers shame-faced and contrite, and in the next ep they were right back to doing the same things again. They never seemed to learn anything. I suppose it's portrayal of human behavior was one way the series was very realistic, but after 5 seasons it could be frustrating and unsatisfying to watch.
This season did have two of my favorite episodes, A Place To Die, which detailed the effects of a staph infection in Dr. Mike's clinic at a time when very little was known how to combat such things. (Long before real sterilization beyond hybolic acid was used and before antibiotics were discovered.) In the end Dr. Mike burned her clinic and everything in it to the ground and started fresh, but it also meant humbling herself before the slimy banker Preston A. Lodge for a loan(the same actor who played evil General Custer in previous seasons!)It began the onset of money problems that would plague the family the rest of the series.
The other ep I am particularly fond of in this season is The Body Electric, which featured a visit from author Walt Whitman. His homosexual lifestyle, considered radical if not downright perverted at that time in history, provided some of the most profound discussion topics in my household. (At one point, Sully tells Mike that the Cheyenne are familiar with "man-woman", as they are called, and "Don't treat them no different than anybody else." Enlightened way before their time, weren't they, these "savages". ) It was presented tastefully and discreetly while still getting the point across to its' family audience and the entire cast, crew, writers and producers of Dr. Quinn are to be applauded for their open mindedness without resorting to preaching.
Re-watching these dvds reminded me why I loved this series of the nineties and how much I wish there was something of equal quality today. The ensemble cast, lead by Seymour and Lando's sizzling chemistry, was superb. There were always a few over-the-top moments of trite sappiness (at least for me), but overall, it was a television series that inspired discussion, and a teaching/learning tool.
The only criticism I would offer in regards to the entire dvd set, and all of the Dr. Quinn seasons, are the price, which are high by boxed dvd sets, and the very low amount of extras included in the sets. (There's only one commentary in this season, by Toovey and Allen, and while charming, I would have preferred hearing from Lando and Seymour, or even some of the behind the scenes people, like the period costume designers, those Emmy-winning hair dressers, producer Beth Sullivan, or some of their prolific writers.) They've included biographies of the cast in all the sets, but they are always the same, with no differences. It's like, what's the point, you know? I've got them memorized by now.
Overall, an outstanding entertainment experience, and I can't wait for the release of the final season of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
Rating: -
This is an excellent season that was packed with many wonderful episodes and a whole lot of character development! At this point, some of the characters have appeared to have changed dramatically; all of them for the better! By this point, there is also the promise of several new relationships, which is always an exciting thing in any series! Overall: A season well worth buying!
Rating: -
Love all of Dr Quinn series and this one is no different. Cannot wait till season 6 comes out.
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