The Evidence

A strange man in a striped shirt just left this episode list on my front lawn:

• "Grounded for Life"
Just in time for the Fourth of July, little Pete is grounded for messing up Dad's prized lawn. In the spirit of the holiday, he'll do whatever it takes to regain his freedom.

• "Field of Pete"
A sinister baseball coach comes up with a way to win that has nothing to do with baseball: he's enlisted little Pete to psyche out the other players. This doesn't sit well with big Pete, who just wants to enjoy the game. Could a legendary frozen slush treat hold the solution?

• "The Call"
A ringing pay phone drives the entire town to madness. Everyone tries to deal with it in his own way; little Pete embarks on an epic quest to see who's on the other end.

• "The Big Quiet"
Awkward pauses in conversation between father and son create a soul-sucking "quiet zone." Now, big Pete must find a way to combat the quiet on a long car trip with Dad.

• "Time Tunnel"
Once again, big Pete questions his feelings about Ellen. Are they just friends, or more? It's daylight savings, where turning back the clock opens a portal in time, allowing the brothers Pete to go back one hour and make up for mistakes in their pasts.

• "Inspector 34"
You know that little "inspected by" tag that comes on all your underpants? That inspector suddenly shows up in Wellsville with a lesson for everyone about striving for perfection. But maybe perfection isn't all it's cracked up to be.

• "Halloweenie"
Little Pete wants to break the neighborhood's long-standing trick-or-treating record, but Big Pete has lost his Halloween spirit. Their friendship is put to the test when the evil "Pumpkin Eaters" enlist him to join their ranks.

• "X=Why?"
Ellen takes on public education, as well as her own father (Steve Buscemi, Fargo), when she questions the importance of story problems in algebra.

• "On Golden Pete"
On his annual fishing trip, Dad is on an Ahab-like hunt to catch Bob, an elusive striped bass. After learning about the fish's life, though, big Pete thinks maybe it should have a chance to live. And Mom better not go near the water with that metal plate in her head.

• "Farewell, My Little Viking" Parts 1 and 2
The International Adult Conspiracy enlists Dad to help get rid of Artie. The adults, it seems, think Artie is just some psycho and can't see all the good he does. Artie's departure from town leaves little Pete vulnerable to his own supervillain, Paper Cut. Just what does and doesn't make a person a hero? When should you stand up for yourself and when is OK to ask for help?

• "Yellow Fever"
This episode examines the psychological and societal changes that occur when kids are piled onto a school bus. A long bus trip brings out strange new behavior in everyone, and big Pete is once again tempted by his dark side.

• "Sick Day"
Faking sick for a day leads to an adventure of strange new wonders and personal discoveries. Little Pete uses his fraudulent illness to learn what goes on during the day when he's not home, and he ends up seeing his schoolmates in a new perspective. Also, he gets Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th president of the United States, stuck up his nose.

For our examination of just what makes this unique series tick, let's take a close-up look at one episode and see how it represents the show as a whole. "The Call," appears to me to have all the elements in it that make Pete & Pete great.

Have you ever walked past a ringing pay phone? Ever wondered who's on the other end, or what would happen if you picked it up? This episode takes that simple idea and turns it into something huge. In Wellsville, a phone on the outskirts of town has been ringing non-stop for over 30 years. At first, no one wanted to answer it out of embarrassment, but as years went by, a growing fear about the phone started to creep through town. Big Pete speculates that the phone would steal the soul of anyone who answers it. Now, an especially brutal heat wave sends the phone's ringing throughout all of town, so residents can hear it wherever they go. Our heroes try to cope with the noise while madness and hysteria occurs throughout town.

I've chosen this episode to explore in detail, because it not only showcases each character in her or her element, but it also incorporates many of the show's overall themes. Big Pete narrates each episode, treating the most ludicrous situations with seriousness, so that no matter how crazy events are on the screen, we the audience know that it matters for our characters. In this episode, he volunteers to help Ellen at a ringing phone crisis center. This puts him in the center of all the action, which allows him to observe all the other parts of the story. Ellen is here, too, as an example of her always willing to do the right thing, and using her braininess to help others and make a difference.

Meanwhile, little Pete, fed up with the sound of the ringing, decides to take action and finally answer the phone. With the help of superhero Artie and Frank the crossing guard, Pete is off on an epic cross-town journey, with various deadly obstacles standing in his way. One ongoing theme of the series is "kid empowerment," and the younger Pete's quest brings that to the surface in this episode. While everyone else complains about the phone, little Pete, a kid, is the only one to actually do something to solve the problem. During his journey, there's a lengthy action sequence where little Pete must cross a street without stepping on the smoldering hot pavement. This is another theme of the show, taking something ordinary we all remember from childhood and turning it into something larger than life.

Meanwhile, at home, the constant ringing reacts with the metal plate in Mom's head, so Dad, always handy around the house, rigs other appliances to go off whenever the family receives a call. So, instead of a ringing phone, lights might come on, or the oven might shoot up flames. Dad is often played for the usual "sitcom dad" jokes, and his antics here are no exception, with various slapstick mishaps occurring whenever a phone is used. Hardy Rawls plays the character with such good natured earnestness, though, that he's enjoyable to watch, even during his hokiest moments. Mom's metal plate is one of the oddball elements of the series most fondly remembered by fans, and it too has a role to play in this episode. But, smartly, the creators have not turned Mom into a one-joke character. The episode concludes with a sweet moment in which Mom faces her past, and expresses her love for her family. There's more than just a metal plate here, there's a real, well-rounded character. Perhaps that's the reason why Mom and Mom's plate get separate credits during the opening, because Mom is her own character, plate or no.

Each episode could get a similarly detailed treatment here. Themes such as freedom, striving for perfection, heroism, romance, growing older, parent-child relations, and more are all taken on over the course of this season. But for the themes and character development, the show is still a lot of fun to watch. There's one key difference between this series and the last—the scripts have more jokes, as opposed to the slow-paced dreamlike feel of the first season. The series never loses its bizarre feel to become another ordinary sitcom, but one-liners and pop culture references are now a part of every script. The good news is that this change does not overwhelm the series, and it does make it a little more accessible to newcomers.

The series had gained some popularity—or at least notoriety—by this time, and had attracted a number of guest stars. Aside from the above-mentioned Buscemi, there's Bebe Neuwirth (Cheers) as a demented mail carrier, Janeane Garofalo (Mystery Men), and LL Cool J (S.W.A.T.) as teachers, and rocker Iggy Pop (Cry-Baby) as a cardigan-wearing suburban neighbor.

Picture quality on this two-disc set is a remarkable improvement over the season one set. Instead of the washed-out, mismatched colors seen there, the colors this time are bright and vibrant, with no defects seen. Audio is good, but not as powerful as other DVDs on shelves.

The Adventures of Pete & Pete originally began as a series of 60-second promos for Nickelodeon. It then graduated to a few half-hour specials, and then got picked up as a series. Another collection of shorts are included this time around, which reveal some back story about Artie and Ellen, as well as explorations of what it's like to have x-ray vision and to endure the worst summer job ever. Another half-hour special is included as well, "Space, Geeks, and Johnny Unitas," in which big Pete and Ellen search for existence of alien life. This one must have been filmed close to the start of the first season, as the actors don't look much younger here than they did there. It's also one of the few times that the series takes a full leap into fantasy/science fiction territory, instead of just hinting at it. As such, the special isn't quite up to the same quality as the actual series, but it still has its fun moments. Rounding out the extras are four commentary tracks in which Marrona, Tamberelli, and Huss join producers, directors and writers to reminisce about the series. The tracks are very funny, with plenty of behind-the-scenes anecdotes, but still no answer to the big question: "How did they think up all this crazy stuff?"

Case Number 07944

The Adventures Of Pete And Pete: Season Two

All Rise...

The Charge

Opening Statement

Facts of the Case

The Evidence

Closing Statement

The Verdict

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