The Smurfs: Season One, Volume Two

Whether it is for childhood memories, the amusement of the Smurf drinking game, the peculiarities of the overt Communist subtext or simple, slack-jawed stoner awe, many will find amusement and pleasure in the DVD emergence of the many creepy little asexual blue men and the counter-feminist Smurfette. Moral lessons often stem from any deviation from communist codes of community, and capitalist desires, in addition to the unsavoury need to perform duties outside of one’s specialty. These Smurfs don’t sell goods and services to each other. They live an ideology that is threatened by the greedy and powerful wizard Gargamel, who wants either to turn the Smurfs into currency or to consume them. In fact, all moral lessons on The Smurfs stem from the follies of capitalist greed or a tendency to step outside of one’s specific role and purpose. It’s really quite a bizarre thing to behold given how glaringly obvious it is once initial awareness comes about. While the didactic is not at all subtle, many of the episodes were quite entertaining for their time, and thankfully many of the best show up on this particular DVD volume. Worth mentioning is the notorious "purple Smurf” episode where Smurfs are infected with a rage-inducing virus through a bite on the tail from a fellow Smurf. Zombie allegories and issues of community won’t be lost on an educated viewer. Also included is "Smurfette’s Dancing Shoes,” in which Smurfette inadvertently sells herself into a slave marriage by taking a shortcut in learning how to dance, as well as "The Clockwork Smurf” episode where Handy builds a robot to help everyone with their daily tasks. It’s all pretty lame in an adult context but the excessive use of the word "Smurf” will make for a drinking game that compares only with the Showgirls nudity one. Included on the DVD is an "I Smurf the Smurfs!” featurette where "actresses” like Candace Cameron and Catherine Hicks talk about their favourite Smurfs. Revelatory. (Warner)