review: KING OF QUEENS: SEASON 9

Sony Pictures  //  Buy from Amazon.com The ninth season finds the Heffernans mining humor from the everyday challenges of love, life, family, and marriage, with situations including Doug (James) spending the family's tax refund on an ice cream truck, Carrie (Remini) getting baby fever after pretending to be a mom, both Doug and Carrie deciding to get braces after a bad photo, and Arthur (Stiller) becoming a gambling fiend after trying to help someone else stop gambling. As I believe I've stated in previous season set revies for "King of Queens," I am so drawn to this series not only because it is pretty damned funny (despite it being a sitcom, which is usually the antithesis of funny), but because Doug & Carrie's relationship is practically an exact mirror of the relationship I have with my own wife (as scary as that may sound to anyone who has watched this show before.) I was actually a bit sad to hear this show was finally ending its run, but when I tuned in to watch the last 3-4 episodes when they aired, I was surprised (and not really in a good way) to see the type of wrap-up they were putting on this series. After 8.75 seasons of hilarity and goofiness (with an undercurrent of genuine tenderness), the show got awfully serious for its last 3 episodes. In fact, I didn't laugh once in the season finale, instead finding it grim and more than a bit depressing. Clearly, this show's time had come, but it's too bad they didn't close the curtain at the end of Season 8 instead... As it is, that's where I'll close off the series in my own mind, and not pay much attention to this weak, and ultimately unpleasant, season. Too bad for it to go out on this type of note. Video Released in their original 16x9 aspect ratios, the transfers included on this final season set aren't too bad - while there is (yet again) compression artifacting visible, thankfully its sparse, and for the most part every episode is sharp & crisp. Audio Dolby stereo mix is perfectly fine - nothing fancy, but no complaints. Extras not a one Closing Thoughts Surprisingly grim final season for a previously-great sitcom + zero extras = worth picking up for any fans of the Heffernans