Spaced: Complete Series 2 [DVD]

Product Description DVD Special Features: Commentary Trailers Deleted Scenes Outtakes Biographies Raw Footage Daisy Does Elvis Photo Library Subtitles: English for the Hard-of-Hearing; Homage-O-Meter Amazon.co.uk Review The second series of Spaced finds the gang at 23 Meteor Street a little older, but definitely none the wiser. Tim's career is hampered by severe hang-ups over The Phantom Menace. Daisy's career is just plain non-existent. There is still a spark of sexual tension between them, but it's overshadowed by Brian and Twist getting it on. Propelling the seven-episode series arc is the threat of Marsha discovering that none of the relationships are what they seem, Mike's increasing jealousy and a new love interest for Tim. That's the basis for a never-ending stream of in-jokes and references that easily match the quality of the first series. Tim has a Return of the Jedi flashback, then déjà vu in reliving the end of The Empire Strikes Back. There are spoofs of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Robocop, The Sixth Sense and comedy rival The Royle Family. There are guest spots from Bill Bailey, Peter (voice of Darth Maul) Serafinowicz and The League of Gentlemen's Mark Gatiss and Reece Shearsmith. Every episode is packed with highlights, but this series' guaranteed geek pant-wetting moments have to be the mock gun battles, slagging off Babylon 5 and learning that "The second rule of Robot Club is: no smoking." Jessica Stevenson won a British Comedy Award for this year. It deserved a whole lot more.--Paul Tonks On the DVD: There's a chaotic but highly enthusiastic commentary from the director and cast, including of course Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, who also talk about some deleted scenes and why they were removed. There's an outtakes blooper reel, as well as a selection of raw location footage and a self-explanatory clip, "Daisy Does Elvis". The most useful feature, though, is the subtitle "Homage-o-Meter" facility, which displays all the movie references throughout the series. --Mark Walker