DVD Review: Absolutely Fabulous (Series 4)
Written by: Kage Alan

Series Rating: B+
DVD Special Features: A

"Sin is in!"

It's been a long five years since we last heard from Patsy and Edina, but it
never lessened fan enthusiasm for more.  When co-creator/writer/actor
Jennifer Saunders announced that she was going to write a 4th series (or
season), much cheering could be heard worldwide.  There's just something
tantalizing about the two most politically incorrect women taking every drug
in existence, sleeping around, shopping non-stop, avoiding every conceivable
form of responsibility and being totally out of touch with reality.  It
probably helps that there's nothing they won't say or do to make an audience
laugh either.  There were certainly a number of times that I almost fell out
of my seat and the fact that I hadn't seen these episodes before really made
this a fresh experience.

The first of the six new episodes ("Parralox") is a hysterical
re-introduction to the characters.  Eddy (Jennifer Saunders) has added a TV
production company to her PR firm and Patsy (Joanna Lumley) is an editor for
another fashion magazine.  Poor put-upon Saffy (Julia Sawalha), Edina's
daughter, thinks she has nerve damage in her hand, but it turns out she was
an unknowing guinea pig for a new drug Patsy is injecting into herself to
remove wrinkles.  The extremely talented Jane Horrocks ("Little Voice") is
back in dual roles as the ever-brainless Bubble and over-the-top actress and
Edina's partner Katy Grin.  Even Gran (June Whitfield) is back and learning
how to use the Internet.

"Fish Farm" has Eddy discovering where the door is that leads to the backyard
and garden.  It seems Saffy wants some work done and Eddy makes her presence known when Patsy discovers that the gardener is the heir to a fortune.  There are just some places you don't want your best friend to be when you're trying to get a man into bed, though.  Next, the cast travels to Paris in "Paris" (pretty coincidental, huh?) for a photo shoot.  Mother and daughter decide to spend the day together doing what Eddy wants to do and Patsy can't seem to impress the photographer.  This episode is a personal favorite of mine and features a quick cameo by Christian Lacroix who was also features in "AbFab: The Last Shout."

"Donkey" pays tribute to "Sex and the City," which Jennifer Saunders admits
to watching during the commentary.  She's not so much trying to copy the
success of that show as much as incorporate some of their scene techniques to
see if they're compatible.  Eddy is tired of hearing that she's fat, so she
embarks on a detox diet.  Patsy, meanwhile, attempts to grow as a person by
getting rid of her bangs, which have been a part of her look since the 1960s.
"Small Opening" is a wonderful example of why you need to play a positive
role in your child's or children's upbringing.  Why?  Because they'll either
write a tell-all book about you or, in Saffy's case, a tell-all play.  Eddy's
biggest concern once she finds out is how fat the actress is who plays her.

"Menopause" finishes the season and while it's an extremely funny episode,
the ending is a disappointment.  I won't spoil it by telling you what it is,
but I will say that it's been used once before in an earlier season and it
wasn't necessary to rely on it again.  Patsy is breaking bones like crazy and
Saffy discovers that it's from menopause.  This day was bound to come, so
Saffy takes it upon herself to educate and prep her mother and Patsy about
this time in their lives.  Unfortunately, Eddy loses her business when her
client list is e-mailed out to the competition by accident.  As usual,
however, she bounces back with a bit of creative BS and ends up on top of the world once more.

Will there be a Series 5?  I don't have a clue, but we can certainly hope.   
If there is, maybe they will do something a bit more with the character of
Saffy.  It's my only real complaint about the show because she's become so
homely and so run down that it's almost not funny anymore.  We've seen her
stand up to her mother before, but she doesn't have to do it while sinking to
the state of where she's at now.  It's possible to rebel against everything
Saffy dislikes without losing her feminine appeal or qualities.

Now, Warner, which has been Belly-dancing on my last damn nerve for a while, has finally done something right.  They've released AbFab in a gorgeous
letterbox format with a fantastic picture and audio to match.  They also
didn't cheat when it came to extras.  There's a commentary track with
Jennifer Saunders and producer Jon Plowman on all six episodes.  It's a
decent ongoing conversation between the two of them and they discuss
everything from cast members to deleted scenes, how the scripts came about
and their favorite moments.  They do have an annoying habit of interrupting
and talking over each other, but that's a minor thing.

The cast of AbFab made a one-off TV pilot a year ago called "Mirror Ball."
I'd only heard about it before, but was overjoyed that it's included here as
an extra.  It's cute, not fantastic, but certainly worth having.  It would
have been interesting to see where the show went, but Saunders decided to
write Series 4 instead.  Also included in the extras is a 3-minute clip from
a 1967 documentary of a very young Joanna Lumley discussing modeling.  All I can say is "Wow!" There's also 12 minutes of outtakes (some very funny
material here), a "Who's Who" section of biographies and filmographies,
"Let's Get Celebritied Up!" that lists guest stars and cameo appearances, a
"Before AbFab" section that features two sketches of Jennifer Saunders from
"French and Saunders," a Photo Gallery and a few other odds and ends.

Even if Warner had skimped on the extras or not presented the series in a
widescreen format, I would have relented and picked this up anyway.  I love
AbFab!  Fortunately, they've done an outstanding job with this set, made it
look absolutely wonderful while jam-packing it with lots of additional
material for $30.  Okay, I didn't exactly pay that much for it, but I would
have.  You hear that sweetie darling?  I didn't pay that much!  With a little
luck and a whole lot of fan support combined with decent DVD sales, Patsy and Eddy will be back to tell us what else irritates them about life, sex and the
never ending pursuit to become a celebrity.  Cheers!                                                            

Kage holds degrees in Creative Writing, as well as Film & Video. He has been featured in a Life Journey Tele-Course, published poems in several national anthologies, been a contributor to The Third Coast Magazine and written several novels. kage@modamag.com