All Rise...

Judge David Johnson doesn't need a fancy duck call. He can summon them with this gravitas.

The Case

I have to confess. When I opened up my package of review product for the week and saw these four bearded rednecks staring up at me, I feared the worst. Perfect. Yet another freak show reality series.

Wrong. Duck Dynasty is pretty much the opposite of the reality sewage that's out there. Yes, these guys are rednecks. Yes, they're quirk and eccentric. But at its core, this is a show about family and it's as good-natured as a production as you'll find anywhere on television, scripted or otherwise.

The show follows the misadventures of the Robertson family, headed by patriarch Phil. A one-time college football phenom who started ahead of Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw, Phil eschewed a promising NFL career for his true passion: making the most accurate duck call ever devised. His Duck Commander construct eventually turned into a multi-million dollar empire, lorded over by his son Willie. Duck Dynasty tells story of the oddball characters involved in the family business, with most of the runtime devoted to shenanigans that take place outside of the Duck Commander warehouse.

This is a great little show and its success is no fluke. The Robertson clan is a collection of great characters, the most notable of which—Uncle Si—is responsible for lines that result in my gutbusting laughter ("We need to put the lethal back into non-lethal"). They're quirky, but not stupid…and not crass. In fact, though it's not prominent in the show, the Robertsons are a deeply religious clan and their focus on faith and family emanates throughout. This is not a "Honey Boo Boo" freak show.

That's not to say the tomfoolery Willie, Jace (his brother), Phil, and Si engage in is boring. They still get up to some hijinks, but the difference is you'll be laughing with them and not at them. These guys embrace their redneck heritage, don't shy away from the swamps they call home, and blow up some pickup trucks every once in a while.

Some of the stuff seems a bit too contrived for straight reality, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt (I've heard Jace say in interviews that Si is the same on and off camera). Fact is, I despise reality shows, but have absolutely embraced Duck Dynasty. It's clean, wholesome, and hilarious stuff, the perfect antidote to whatever's on MTV right now.

Duck Dynasty: Season 2, Volume 1 offers up thirteen episodes on two discs, transferred nicely in standard def 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, with a Dolby 2.0 Stereo mix, English SDH and Spanish subtitles, and nine deleted scenes as extras.

The Verdict

Not Guilty. Quack.

Give us your feedback!

Did we give Duck Dynasty: Season 2, Volume 1 a fair trial? yes / no

What's "fair"? Whether positive or negative, our reviews should be unbiased, informative, and critique the material on its own merits.

Share This Review

Follow DVD Verdict

Other Reviews You Might Enjoy

• Trading Spaces: The Specials
• The Lone Gunmen: The Complete Series
• The Hills: Season Five, Part Two
• Project Runway: The Complete Third Season