Kath & Kim-Series 3 (2004)

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General		Extras
Category	Comedy	Main Menu Audio & Animation Featurette-Lady Bump @ the Logies Outtakes Featurette-Interviews With Kath and Kim Easter Egg-2 Additional Footage-Bonus Wine Time Deleted Scenes Featurette-Prue & Trude on The Panel Featurette-Behind The Scenes-In The Raw With Kath & Kim
Rating
Year Of Production	2004
Running Time	199:21 (Case: 248)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered Dual Disc Set	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Ted Emery
Studio Distributor	Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Jane Turner Gina Riley Glenn Robbins Peter Rowsthorn
Case	Amaray-Transparent-S/C-Dual
RPI	$49.95	Music	Jeremy Smith Steven Robinson Martine Gow

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	Yes

    Kath & Kim is undoubtedly one of the most successful of recent Australian comedy shows - it has just found a new audience in the UK, and I'll be intrigued to see how well it settles into the new neighbourhood. For those new to the franchise, the review of the first series can be found here. It was a refreshingly self-deprecating look into the - obviously heavily caricatured - lives of the denizens of Aussie suburbia. It was fresh, funny and left most fans begging for more. The second season is reviewed here and I found it to be a teeny bit more patchy than its predecessor - albeit still very funny. That sentiment goes doubly for this third instalment.

    Whilst it is still able to raise many a chuckle, I cannot help feeling that we have seen most of this before. Personally, I fear that the joke is wearing a little thin and I suspect that any fourth season may have a more lukewarm welcome from viewers. Let's hope that the writers take a leaf out of the book of the creators of The Office and draw the show to a conclusion before it outstays its welcome.

    In this third series, Kath (Jane Turner) is coping with her invasive former hubby Gary Poole (Mick Molloy), long-suffering Brett (Peter Rowsthorn) is coping with Kim's (Gina Riley) constant whining. Kel (Glenn Robbins) is shattered to discover his marriage to Kath may be nothing more than a sham. All the while, Sharon's (Magda Szubanski) eternal search for a man to love her continues unabated. The series is once again spread over two discs, and presents all eight episodes from the latest series.

• Cactus Hour - (24:55): Gary Poole is back in Kath's life - and he insists that he never signed the divorce papers all those years ago. Despite leaving with a "pool model" when Kim was only one day old, he is determined to play a part in their lives. But what are his real motivations? Poor Bretty is working all the hours he can - not to earn more money, but to keep out of Kim's self-indulgent way.



• Mango Espadrille - (26:08): Poor old Kel - the work seems never-ending and his entire life is consumed with butchery, but surely Kath can lend a hand? Meanwhile those wince-inducing ladies take a trip to the races, with hilarious results. Brett is making the most of quality time with Epponnee - as a boon to his sales pitch.



• Sitting on a Pile - (24:32): Kath decides that she and Kel need to stop living in each other's pockets. While Kel heads off to his "Meat Retreat", Kath decides to catch up with all the girlfriends she has been neglecting. Brett is shattered to learn that his mother is at death's door, but Kim is more interested in the possible inheritance now that Brett has been give "power over eternity".



• Kicking up a Stink - (24:34): Kim's diet is like a breath of fresh air...or maybe not, given that it consists mainly of cabbages! Kel and Kath are struggling to make time for each other, given that their diaries are constantly full. Perhaps working together in the Fountain Lakes Players' production of The Hours - The Musical will allow for some quality toime?



• Hello Nails! - (24:47): When Sharon finally scores a major date, Kim decides to give her an extreme makeover. Kath decides that now they have cable TV, they really need a huge plasma screen to watch it on. After all, their home theatre system is almost three years old!



• High and Dry - (24:15): Kel and Kath make the most of their acting abilities - and score a major television commercial. That should help them purchase that spa Kath has her eye on. Brett and Kim are trying to purchase their first house - preferably on Madison Avenue - but that means that Kim will have to...get a job!



• Foxy on the Run - (25:50): Kel is about to turn fifty, and that is giving him something of a mid-life crisis. Maybe some trendy clothes, a convertible and a healthy dose of Karaoke will help cheer him up? Sharon is being put through the wringer by Kim - she has to prove herself worthy of being considered for the position of Epponnee's Godmother, after all.



• 99% Fat Free - (24:20): When Kel suffers a suspected heart attack, Kath joins him in a new fat-free diet to help ensure they have a healthy future ahead. Kim and Brett meanwhile are making plans for Epponnee's future stardom. Sharon is finding it ever harder to contain her secret love for Brett.

    The series is still extremely funny in places, but I cannot help feeling that it has run its course. The characters are doing everything we expect of them - and there's the rub. The mispronunciations, Freudian slips and gauche lifestyle are just on the verge of becoming grating. Perhaps the use of guest appearances - and this series has plenty including Rachel Griffiths, Kylie Minogue and Geoffrey Rush - can help build out the portfolio of characters a little more? In all honesty, it's hard to see how Turner and Riley will be able to sustain the joke for much longer, and I would hope they should consider drawing a veil over the characters before they completely run out of steam. Nevertheless, for die-hard fans, this set still offers plenty of fun and it will be a must-purchase I'm sure.

Video

    Once again the overall video transfer of this disc is very good indeed - pretty much reference quality for an Australian television show.

    The series is presented in its original (digital) televised aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and it is 16x9 enhanced.

    The transfer, as with the previous release, is essentially flawless. It is perfectly sharp at all times. Shadow detail is good and black levels are deep and solid where needed. Colours are vivid and solidly rendered. As ever, the couture of the Fountain Gate ladies provide plenty of opportunity for some outrageously loud primaries. Skin tones are just fine at all times.

    The transfer is essentially free from MPEG artefacts. Aliasing was absent on my (progressive scan) system. As in the previous series, when viewed on a standard television, moire patterns do crop up on the roof of Kath's house during aerial shots. There was no significant edge enhancement. There are no scratches or flecks evident - this is an unsurprisingly pristine transfer in that respect.

    Disappointingly, and to the shame of the ABC yet again, there are no subtitle tracks present.

    The series is spread across two DVD 9 discs, with four episodes per disc. I did not detect a layer change on either disc.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The overall audio quality of this disc is very good, if a little unremarkable. There are no significant defects at all.

    The sole audio track is once again in English Dolby Digital 2.0 encoded at 224 kbps.

    Dialogue was always crystal clear and audio sync was fine. All the "yumor" flows forth unhindered by hiss, clicks or dropouts.

    The theme song is, as ever, provided courtesy of the fantastic vocal chords of Gina Riley. Incidental music once again plays a small part in the show but is credited to Jeremy Smith, a frequent musical contributor to Australian television comedy shows.

    The frontal soundstage is perfectly satisfactory. With Pro Logic II enabled, the surrounds see some limited use, but the show relies on the clarity of the jokes springing forth from the front speakers every few seconds. Once again, the absence of a canned laughter track helps to make the show feel more like a documentary, and it works well.

    The subwoofer may see some use for redirected bass depending on your audio set-up, but obviously LFE effects are absent. My sub was active throughout, based on the status of the auto-detect indicator, but contributed nothing tangible in the way of LFE.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

    There are quite a few extras on the discs and they are generally more worthwhile than on the previous release.

Menu

    The menus are nicely animated and are accompanied by some funny sound bites. There are four chapter stops available for each episode, no choices of audio or subtitles, the option to "Play All" or the following extra features (all presented at 1.78:1 with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack encoded at 224 kbps unless specified otherwise):

Disc 1

Lady Bump @ The Logies

     The ladies' made a real song and dance of their appearance, running for a brief 2:04.

Goofs

    You cannot help laughing at these bloopers running for 6:26.

Interviews with Kath and Kim

    An interview originally aired as part of A Current Affair and presented at 1.33:1 with compression artefacts galore, plus a promotional piece of the ladies in London, presumably done for a UK cable channel. They run for 6:54 in total.

Easter Egg

    If you (SPOILER ALERT: highlight with mouse to read) click on the "K" on the handbag, you get to see a short video clip of the ladies dressed as their opposite characters running for 0:19.

Disc 2

Goofs

    More funny outtakes running for 5:08.

Bonus Wine Time

    A wine time chat session between Kath and Kim - plus Kylie Minogue - running for 1:17.

Deleted Scenes

    A brief collection of funny scenes that didn't make the show, running for 2:59.

Prude and Trude on The Panel

    Running for a healthy 14:22, our favourite upmarket shop assistants are hilarious on this great show - and then they are followed by the utterly charming Turner and Riley themselves.

In the Raw with Kath and Kim

    An enjoyable behind the scenes look at the show running for 11:09.

Easter Egg

    If you (SPOILER ALERT: highlight with mouse to read) click on the love heart beneath the Polaroid on the main menu screen, you get to see a blooper featuring Kylie Minogue running for just over thirty seconds.

    This DVD does not appear to be available in either Region 1 or Region 2.

    Kath & Kim - Series 3 is the latest in the ongoing saga of the lovely ladies of Fountain Lakes. Whilst there is still a fair amount of fun to be had here, the Bogan humour is starting to become a little strained in my view. There are still plenty of great one-liners on offer, and some truly funny set-ups so fans will lap this up. Recommended.

    The video quality is reference standard for an Australian television series.

    The audio quality is perfectly fine for a television series.

    The extras are a little more solid than the previous release.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall