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- Verified Buyer
Normally I don't understand when people post reviews before a product has been released, but I can understand the excitement, and this is the first time I'm doing it. I will edit this and give it a proper review once I have received my pre-ordered copy. I'm just so excited to see this is being released, I have to post something.After such a looong wait since season one was released, literally years, it looks like we are finally getting season two. Hooray-it's about time. If you like Growing Pains, you already know the basics of the show. Many fans, including me, have been waiting for more dvd releases. I wonder if the passing of Andrew Koenig, who played Mike's friend Boner, had anything to do with it. Maybe someone decided to take another look at the show and realized it needed more proper dvd releases. I don't know, that's just a completely wild guess. But I do know there will be many happy fans getting this dvd.I have most of season 2 (and some of 3) on vhs tapes, and I watch those episodes more than I watch the season 1 dvds. I like the first season of course, but I think the show got funnier and was written better in seasons 2 and 3. The characters became better too. There are many memorable episodes in this season, including: when a popular girl befriends Carol in order to get to Mike; the first day of school when Ben stands up to a bully, and Mike gets surprised by a "new girl" at school; Carol dates a football player; Mike works at the fast food place; Maggie and Jason fight after a school meeting (hilarious when she leaves him at the movie theater); Ben invites a homeless girl for Christmas dinner; the "goofy glue incident", which has a few funny sight gags; Mike pretending to be in college to impress a girl (and it doesn't go well); Mike turning down drugs (and a special message at the end of the episode). One notably funny scene is when Mike and Carol are fighting over the phone, which again uses sight gags to good effect, and is also a reminder of days when teenagers didn't have cell phones to carry everywhere. Candace Cameron makes at least one guest appearance. My personal favorites this season are the episodes when the kids uncover a secret about their parents' marriage (Mike is particularly funny in this one), and when Ben brings home a "magic rock", leading to the whole family learning lessons on being conned--hilarious! This may be my favorite season of the entire series.This show brings back a lot of memories, especially if you were a child or teenager in the 80s. I'm looking forward to getting the dvds so I can see these episodes in much better quality than my vhs tapes. I don't have all the episodes, so it will be nice to see the ones I haven't watched in years. I really miss 80s sitcoms, they just don't make shows like this anymore. You can just laugh and enjoy yourself without tons of crude humor that is obvious and not even funny. I don't care if it's corny and silly at times--that's part of it's charm. These early seasons are also when Kirk Cameron was at the height of his teen heartthrob status. So many memories.Hopefully these will sell well and the third season will be released within the next year or so. But I'll be very happy to have this. I also hope more bonus features will be included like on season 1, but even if there isn't, it's still a 5 star season. Good show.***************************************I received my dvd set, and unfortunately there was an issue with one of the discs, so I had to request a replacement. But so far, I'm enjoying the rest of the episodes, especially the ones I hadn't seen for years. The picture and sound are clear, obviously a huge improvement over the vhs tapes I have, and it's nice to have more of the episodes intact (they were edited for tv when I recorded my tapes). There aren't any bonus features this time around, but luckily the show itself is entertaining enough on it's own. The package design is nicer than season 1-the discs are easier to remove this time, and the plastic case is housed in an outer cardboard case. They used interesting photos and it's a nice cheery look.It's easy to see why this show was such a hit in the 80s. It was really in at the time. They did a good job of teaching lessons without being too preachy, something I miss in tv today. It's funny, heartwarming, soothing, nostalgic, cool, and even cheesy at times. Really takes me back to a more innocent time. Watching it makes me wonder yet again why nobody is willing to make a sitcom like this today. It's a show you can feel good while watching. Kirk stole the show as Mike Seaver, but the whole cast did a great job. I enjoy looking at the fashions and hairstyles of 86-87, too.It's hard to believe it took 5 years for season 2 to be released, but here it is for fans to enjoy. Definitely worth buying.