As a diehard Pierce Brosnan fan I grew up begging to be allowed to stay up late on a school night to see Remington Steele. I even used to lie and say I had never seen it if it was a repeat. In college, the best gift I got were VCR recordings of these shows from A&E that my mother made for me, actually pausing out commercials. When the DVDs were given to me by my husband I thought I was in heaven. I was right. These are so wonderful! I can watch them over and over and they fit in so nicely with every other Brosnan DVD I own. I love it when I have an excuse to curl up in front of the TV now! If you have ever enjoyed Remington Steele you should absolutely buy these in a second! The quality is great, the shows have no grainy qualities, and they are so much better than my worn out video tapes!
Season 3--Steele as good as ever!
SEASON 1: Wonderfully funny with a lot of quick wit, incredible acting for a TV series, and classic plots. All around a great opening season for a classic show.
SEASON 2: Great story lines, very different plots, thickening of the chemistry between Remington and Laura with lots of cliff-hanger moments. The addition of Mildred Krebs in Season 2 was the best move that the show producers made.
SEASON 3: TOPS the first two seasons. It's hard to hold back and not watch all the episodes in one sitting. The most disappointing thing about season 3 is that you know there are only one and a half season left of this great, classic show. Laura (Stephanie) and Remington (Pierce) are really just starting to get into the groove of their ever-messy, non-relationship, relationship, and Mildred (Doris) is just starting to blossom as an actual "Gumshoe". It is really too bad that this show ended after only 5 seasons.
The good news in all of this is that you can watch the shows over and over and not get tired of them. I would highly recommend purchasing Seasons 1-3 (because I've seen them already), as well as the final set of discs (Seasons 4 & 5), even though I have not yet watched them (I'm trying to drag it out and make the show last longer!).
One MAJOR down-side (not with the show itself but with the DVD discs) is that we have experienced some technical errors with the discs--stopping completly, skipping to the end or back to the beginning, skipping chapters, etc. One disc will not even play in our computer, which was disappointing because we only figured that out once we were in Africa for 4 months and trying to watch the show one night to relax. It's too bad that they don't take more care transfering great shows like this to quality DVD's for years of non-skipping enjoyment. The same disc didn't have as much trouble playing in our actual DVD player once we were back in the States, but still skipped from time to time.
Overall Show Rating: ***** (5 Stars)
Overall Disc Rating: *** (3 Stars)
As happens when shows get into later seasons, this one has both some of the best AND worst episodes!
Season 3 finds the beloved couple detective show reaching new heights . . . and unforunately a handful of lows! There are no major changes to the format or cast this year. The only change is that the pair are now finding themselves in many more exotic locales than just L.A (2 out-of-town in San Fran and Vegas, and 6 out-of-country in Mexico, Malta, Ireland, and England).
As I said, there are a few misfires in this season, including what may be the most annoying and embarrasing episode of the series, STRONGER THAN STEEL, in which Laura tries to clear the man who played a super hero on TV during her childhood. The whole Atomic Man bit with its weak attempt to recreate the then burgeoning sci-fi / comic convention craze just comes off as a laughable spoof, and among so many fine episodes, it sticks out like a sore thumb.
Also painful are episodes that include athletes (Whitey Ford and Micky Mantle) and actors (Dorothy Lamour, Virginia Mayo, and Lloyd Nolan) playing themselves. Nothing is worse than actors or athletes trying to "be themsevles." The one with the actors is particularly bad, as it is obvious they pulled these three out of retirement with a giant wad of cash - it is clear the actors think the script is rubbish (and it is, with some of the LAMEST lines given to them) and as such they put NO effort into their lifeless roles. The athletes - well, there is a reason they are swinging bats instead of winning oscars!!
But, these few low points aside, there are also some FANTASTIC episodes, such as Steele's bout with amnesia in which he becomes a movie-trivia spouting fool while trying to remember why he is in Ireland - the pair trying to protect two clueless singing-telegram girls - Steele being attacked by cooks who think he is a ruthless restaurant critic - and Steele trying to reach out to a young street pick-pocket, in whom he sees the child he once was.
But two episodes this season stand out as "all-time best" candidates. The first is DICED STEELE which chronicles Steel attempting to bankrupt a suspected thief at a game of cards to lure him into betting the merchandise he stole. Of course, Steele LOSES the game AND the $150,000 dollars the insurance company loaned him! This sends the two off to Vegas to try to recover both money AND merchandise. Meanwhile, a relentless investigator from the insurance company stumbles upon Steele's shady past, and thus we are introduced to Norman Keyes, who would return several times in season 4, always nipping at Steele's heels!
The other stand-out is STEELE IN THE CHIPS - an episode co-written by Zimbalist herself, and so nearly a screw-ball comedy that the network was hesistant to air it for a long time. It concerns several people going to lethal means to procure or destroy the recipe for a 1-calorie chocolate chip cookie, and includes an extended chase in the end taken straight from the playbook of IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD! This episode also brings us an early glimpse of Geena Davis (sporting a nice eighties-style Tennis outfit!!)
Season 3 was definitely the show at its zenith. While many great episodes are still to come in Season 4, they just never were quite as good as they were here! Buy and enjoy!!
The fourth season picks up where the third left off--with the disappearance of Remington Steele (Pierce Brosnan). As the two-parter ("Steel Searching") opens, Mildred Krebs (Doris Roberts) is in the dumps. Laura Holt (Stephanie Zimbalist) seems to be handling the loss of her associate well, but she's just as distraught as Mildred. Fortunately, they’re able to track him down in London. That's the good news. The bad news is that Scotland Yard thinks he's a modern day Jack the Ripper. In this episode, Laura also clues Mildred in to the fact that "Remington Steele" is an assumed name and that the agency is actually her creation. Episodes of note include "Forged Steele," in which Steele gambles away the business, "Steele on the Air," in which Mildred becomes a radio sex therapist... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Michael Gleason (III) - Rocky Lang - Thomas Carter (II) DVD Release Date: Released the 15 August 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
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For Steele's sophomore year, Murphy and Bernice are out and Mildred Krebs (Emmy-magnet Doris Roberts) is in. She gets pulled into the orbit of private investigators Laura Holt (Stephanie Zimbalist) and Remington Steele (Pierce Brosnan) when she audits their agency in the two-part season opener ("Steele Away With Me"). Krebs follows the duo to Acapulco, where she helps with a case, and ends up abandoning the IRS for the more glamorous world of detective work. Other changes include a revamped title sequence and a new loft for Holt when a failed assassination attempt results in the destruction of her home ("Red Holt Steele").
While Krebs represents a welcome addition, wily quick change artist Major Descoine (Guy Boyd), who is introduced a few episodes later ("Steele Framed"), is... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Stephanie Zimbalist DVD Release Date: Released the 08 November 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Remington Steele's fusion of whodunit mystery and screwball comedy burst onto television in 1982. After struggling to get clients to hire a female detective, Laura Holt (sultry Stephanie Zimbalist) invents a fictional boss named Remington Steele, whose dashing manly name draws in work. But while protecting some South African jewels, Holt runs across a mysterious thief and con-man (an elfin, baby-faced Pierce Brosnan) whom her client assumes is the nonexistent Steele--and when the case is resolved, the accidental detective decides he likes the work and sticks around, infuriating Holt with his arrogant ways and tantalizing her with his dashing good looks. Murders may occur at a winery, an island sex club, or a college reunion, but just about every episode plunders plot elements from... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Michael Gleason (III) - Robert Butler - Seymour Robbie - Rocky Lang - Thomas Carter (II) DVD Release Date: Released the 26 July 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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