Well, I have watched all of the episodes, and most of the bonus sketches, so I'll post my own review right now.
This set is great. It seems like an improvement over the first set, DVD-wise. This set has more bonus skits, and some extra skits even appear as easter eggs (I guess the people who mentioned that disc 3 had an easter egg at the Barns and Noble website only found that one). This set also has more bonus clips with human cast members than the first one did, and also more celebrity appearances.
This time the booklet doens't have a pull-out activity booklet. This is sort of a good thing. The booklet on the first set was a bit good, though I could have lived without it (and the big two-page spread looked like somethign from the 1980s book The Sesame Street Word Book). But the lack of an activity book makes it seem like Sesame Workshop is trying harder to make these sets for adults, rather than kids. It's great that this booklet has information about the show's animated segments, though most of the ones discussed were on the first set. It also would have been great if behind-the-scenes info was mentioned for the Jazz Numbers and Typewriter cartoons. I think it's safe to assume that a Teeny Little Superguy segment will appear on volume 3, since he was mentioned in this section's text.
It's great that one page has a salute to Jon Stone, but it would have been great if more salutes were also given. There were many people who were invovled with the show back then who have died, including Northern Calloway, Will Lee, Chet O'Brien, Richard Hunt, Joe Raposo, Jeff Moss, and of course Jim Henson (and possibly among other). It's also a shame that there was no tribute or even dedication to Jim Thurman, who voiced Bob on last year's set.
One thing that I find a bit odd, though I've also noticed this on the last set, is that the booklet, box, and menus have pictures of characters who don't appear at all on this set, including Sherlock Hemlock (who appears in at least three different pictures), Mumford, Sam the Robot, and Bruno. I don't mind Mumford and Sherlock being on the back of the box, since that is a group shot of the cast from that time period, but choosing to have so many smaller individual photos of such characters makes me wish that they were included in the set.
And now, my thoughts on each episode:
*Episode 666: This is one of the best episodes on this set, despite not having much of a plot (unless you count the beginning and ending scenes with the Count counting lights as a "plot"). Though this is sponsored by 2, there only appears to be two segments about 2 (I guess that makes sense). I really liked Ernie talking about the parts of the body he has two of, and the skit with Kermit and Grover talking about how a horse carriage works is better than I'd expected, and the original "What's the Name of That Song?" is great. While it's unfortunate that Dialing for Prizes had to be cut, it wasn't a sketch that I was too excited about seeing, and the repalcement of Beat the Time with Grover certainly makes up for it (I don't think anybody here previously had a copy of it). I also liked the sketch where Ernie shows his emotions at the movies.
*Episode 796: I really like the opening sequence where Snuffy counts all of Big Bird's friends who don't see him, and it's interesting that even though they hadn't met yet, Snuffy knew all of them by name. And Headline Howie was hilarious. It's a shame that he didn't become a regular character. I also liked the sketch where Bert imagines himself as a skater. And The Noble Ostrich is such a classic.
*Episode 926: I like the scenes with Grover being surprised, and the Hooper's Store 25th anniversary party (it's a shame that that wasn't more of a plot point). I noticed that when everybody comes into Hooper's Store, that Bert and The Count appear to be entering the store, but they are on the opposite side of the door where the others enter. This episode also has many classic moments, like Cookie Monster at the library and Ernie's rhyme game. It's funny when Snuffy tries to meet Big Bird's friends, and Big Bird thinks that he was just imagining the others being there. The skating sequence with the two is also great. While I can tell a difference between the skating Big Bird costume and the regular one, whoever made the skating Snuffy costume did a really good job at matching the regular one (unless that was actually the one used on the show). And the piano scene with Biff and Sully was great.
*Episode 1056: I really liked A Song from Kermit. And the Uncle Gus story is funny (though that cartoon makes it seem like Snuffy is imaginary, and only seen by kids). It's also great to have Wide Open Spaces.
*Episode 1186: I think this is the debut of Barkley. It's interesting to hear Linda actually speak at the beginning (saying "hello"). The three-part skit about the number 2 is great, as is Bily Jo Jive. Ride a Bike isn't as good as I'd expected.
Bonus Features:
*Test Pilot: This is good, though not as good as the pitch reel on the first set, or the first episode. I hope that the next set has the second test pilot. It would be interesting to see if all five test pilots had the same sponsors. The loss of Bob reading Where the Wild Things Are isn't really a great loss. I really liked The Man From Alphabet, and think that it might have been more successful if it was it's own series. Mr. Hooper seems to be a bit grumpier than he would be on the show. I've also noticed that in Ernie's first scenes, he sounds like Rowlf, but later in the show he sounds more like he would later on. This test pilot features a lot of segments that were either in the pitch reel or first episode, and many of these segments are featured elsewhere on both sets.
*Season Six Classic Cuts: It's great to have an uncut Telephone Rock, and Mary Had a Bicycle (though these two segmnets are the onyl ones available on DVD featuring Litle Jerry and the Monotones, but if volume 3 has the next five season premieres then we'll get Proud on the next set). I wasn't very familiar with the Jack Be Nimble newsflash, and I don't think any of us had a copy of that until now (the description on Muppet Wiki doesn't say much, and the stil image probably came from the clip montage in The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street). It seems lihe that sketch is actually shown with the late 1980s Newsflash logo. That's a shame. I really liked the Super Grover sketch, and the Twqiddlebugs sketch (though I am surprised that Ernie isn't in it). And it's great to have Subway and City-Country Song commercialy available.
*Season Seven Classic Cuts: I am glad that I finally got to see the sketch with Grover and Biff as cavemen. It would have been great if one of the cavemen skits with Ernie and Sherlock Hemlock were included, but I do like Biff better than Sherlock. The skit with Grover selling Kermit a weather machine has already been released on The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street, and that one doesn't seem to be a classic (I would have put in either the one with Grover selling earmuffs, a nsoe warmer, or with Grover as a plumber instead). But watching this, I noticed that The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street cut out the first and last few seconds. The Marshall Grover sketch is also funny. And it's great to have more Pinball Number Count segments. I would have preferred soemthign else over the remix, since that was already included as a bonus feature on the What's the Name of That Song? DVD, and because it wasn't actually broadcast on the show (especially not back then).
*Season Eight Classic Cuts: Ray Charles' I Got a Song is good, as are the sketch with Fonzie and Richie Cunningham (though I find it awkward that the press reelases mention Henry Winkler on this set but not Ron Howard).Bert's checkup sketch is better than I'd expected (and I think it was recently included in Elmo Visits the Doctor, so I would have preferred something else... though I haven't seen Elmo Visits the Doctor). Watching the credits, it's interesting to see that Peter Freidman and Caroly Wilcox were credited this season. I thought Caroly Wilcox was an uncredited performer. And Cookie Disco is a really great skit.
*Season Nine Classic Cuts: I like the "seasons" pageant, and Ernie and Bert's "slice of life" sketch. Sing After Me is a classic, and it's a shame that the press releases don't mention Madeline Kahn being on the set. And it seems like Taxi Sounds is one of the cartoons where a man reads a mixed-up word on a sign.
*Season 10 Classic Cuts: Two Doors with Bob is good, and ABC Disco is a classic, and this is the first time it's been released uncut on DVD (unless there is additonal cut footage). The skit with Bert teaching Berniece to play checkers is a classic, and I'm not surprised that it's included here. Same with the letter y crayon skit. My Faviorite Number is Six is also better than I'd expected. I was surprised that Michael Earl Davis wasn't credited in the credits crawl, as I believe he joined the show this season and was also under contract at the time. Since the Two-Headed Monster made their debut this year, it's a shame that none of their sketches were included on this set. And the skit with Kermit holding "Big Bad Wolf auditoons" was great.
I hope that volume 3 is better! (no, that's not an insult to this set... just a challenge for the next one)
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