Nate's DVD Collection ~ Dog The Bounty Hunter, (Series) The Best of Seasons 1, 2, and 3 and The Wedding Special
Summary
This A&E reality show follows Duane “Dog” Chapman and family as they go after bail jumpers, wife beaters, drug dealers and the worse criminals the states of Hawaii and Colorado can throw at them. Misleading informants, impossible stakeouts, and near escapes are par for the course as well as the “upstanding”citizens of Hawaii who would rather have drug dealers in their midst than help Dog and crew.
Beth, his wife, blood brother Tim Chapman and sons Duane Lee and Leland also make up Dog's team along with his daughter Baby Lyssa and occasionally his nephews and other relatives provide assistance in apprehending fugitives.
The Best of Seasons 1, 2, and 3 include the Wedding Special, in which Duane and Beth finally make their marriage official after ten years of common law marriage.
Extras
Season 1: “Catch 'Em If You Can'” Episode from Take this Job...features Duane and company before they got their own show and the exploits of two photographers for the paparazzi.
On Air Promos for Dog The Bounty Hunter
Cast Biographies
Season 2: Dog's Bounty Hunting Pop Quiz
Cast Biographies
Season 3: Photo Gallery
The Wedding Special: The Drama of Dog's Wedding Ring, Dance Lessons, Shopping with Beth, The Bow Wow Vow, and A Tribute to Dog and Beth Featurettes.
What I Like About It
The Chapmans have the kind of family relationship I want to have with my own family. They really are role models for others. They work together, they live together and even though they may fight, argue, cuss each other out, and the works they still love each other at the end of the day.
Unlike shows like Cops and America's Most Wanted that mostly seem to villify and humiliate the criminals who are apprehended, Dog and his family actually treat and respect each fugitive as a human being with feelings and needs that can choose to turn their lives around. You actually feel for some of the fugitives he captures and you want them to do well yourself because of this.
I remember watching The Wedding Special for the first time and genuinely being afraid that the criminal would escape. At no point did I feel this was scripted and in the hotel room, the day Dog discovers that his daughter was killed in a car crash seeing him comfort Duane Lee and his affirmation that God wants him and Beth to be married was one of the most tear jerking moments of any reality show I've ever seen.
What I Didn't Like
Because this is a “Best of” collection there are some episodes we don't get to see on DVD. There were quite a few that myself and others would have liked to see but you can only watch those on TV.
Should You Buy This DVD?
Again, this is basically a “Best of “ collection so the episodes were hand picked by Dog, the family and such. I would have been happier with the complete series but as box sets go this one isn't completely disappointing.
There are some great extras and the Wedding Special has the majority in terms of extra value. All in all, if you're not a hardcore fan of Dog, I'd grab a bunch of blank recordable DVD's or set your TiVo (Does anyone still own that?) to record the series on TV.
Can my Kids Watch This?
Tough call. I know school kids in Hawaii watch this show as part of their class assignments but would you let your kid watch it? I'll leave it to you to decide that.
