Starring Jack Davenport, Sarah Alexander, Gina Bellman, Ben Miles, Kate Isitt, Richard Mylan
Written By: Steven Moffat
Directed By: Martin Dennis
Studio: BBC Home Video/ Warner Home Video
Buy on Amazon.com link

Even though Jeff isn’t on the show anymore, Coupling still delivers many laughs. Also, the show starts to go in a different direction, which is a more serious one. But it’s still one of my favorites shows of all-time.

The last time we left off, Susan (Sarah Alexander) just found out that she’s pregnant with Steve (Jack Davenport), Sally (Kate Isitt) and Patrick (Ben Miles) start to become a serious couple, and Jeff likes dancing to the Spiderman theme song way too much. Season 4 kicks off with three points of view, all within the same 9 1/2 minutes. Jane (Gina Bellman) is waiting for a date at the pub, and she did so through a dating video service. Susan and Steve are arguing about the baby being born and how Steve thinks pregnancy is like John Hurt in Aliens. Also, Steve is talking to Jeff on the phone as he leaves for the island of “” Patrick (Ben Miles) tells Sally he has to leave for vacation and she’s upset by that. Oliver (Richard Mylan), the new guy in the group, is nervously waiting to go on his blind date with Jane. All these separate events collide into one big funny episode. The next episodes are about Oliver dating Jane, Steven and Susan doing baby stuff and usually arguing about it, and Patrick and Sally trying to outwit each other in their relationship.

It’s disappointing that Jeff isn’t back this season, and that he didn’t get any type of closure. I guess I can understand why Richard Coyle left. He didn’t want to get stuck being “Jeff” his whole life but I’m afraid he’s already known as that character. But things on the show have to move on but Jeff fans have not. It takes awhile to get used to. It just means other characters have to step it up in the humor department. I think Patrick was the funniest he’s ever been during this season and Steve certainly was just as good. Everyone seems to step it up. Richard Mylan, the new character on the show, takes one or two episodes to get used to. At first, you think he’s just another Jeff clone but he’s different. Yeah, they both are from Wales, have curly hair and are wacky, but they are different. Oliver is more of a sci-fi geek and clumsy lonely guy and Jeff is just something completely different. I think once you see the episode “The Naked Living Room,” you’ll like Oliver. By the end of the season (6 episodes), the guys form a bond. They serve as a mentor, so to speak, to Oliver, and welcome him into the group. The females are really funny, especially Jane and Sally. Jane’s not as wacky as she usually is, but Sally is still neurotic and crazy, even more so. I think the show is starting to go in a different direction, with the whole baby thing, and I’m curious to see how it’s gonna play out if there is another season.

Honestly, I hope there’s another season (and it better be longer than 6 episodes!) and I hope everyone comes back this time. I’ve heard rumors of some people not interested, or going on different shows instead. Not sure how true they are at the moment but I hope the cast of Season 4 comes back. I’m curious how the Oliver and Jane thing plays out, or what happened with Patrick and Sally at the end of the sixth episode. But I’d love to see how Steve handles being a father and Susan as a mother. I’m sure there could be plenty of material to talk about, and i’m sure Steven Moffat has plenty of situations up his sleeve. Imagine Jane or Patrick and Sally babysitting. Yeah, I’d think that would be funny. But that’s if there is even going to be a fifth season.

This DVD is 2 discs: first disc is the episodes, and the second disc is solely for extras. There’s a ton of outtakes & deleted scenes. The outtakes are about 10 minutes long and they made me crack up. I love to see actors screw up their lines, and it’s even funny when they improvise a line after they or someone else screwed up. The deleted scenes were okay, nothing too spectacular. I liked the interview with Richard Mylan who plays Oliver. He was asked about being the new guy on the show, the Jeff fan backlash and other things. He seems like a likable guy and I hope people give him a chance. The best featurette on the DVD was the Making of Coupling: From Script to Screen. It’s about 40 minutes long and it shows all the behind the scenes from the show. It’s really good because you get to see the actors reading through the script and acting out the parts. There’s also interviews with producer Sue Vertue and creator Steven Moffat (who are married by the way), along with cast members, and fans of the show that attended a taping of the show. I was actually surprised see how good the extras were on this DVD because the other ones were okay, but not great.

This season will either be liked or disliked by Coupling fans. A lot of people are still bitter over the departure of Jeff, and will probably still be pissed about it for awhile. But I think people need to give this season a second chance and watch it. It has just as many laughs as the previous seasons, and I like the new character, Oliver. Patrick, Steve and other girls are funny as hell as well. I hope there is a 5th season (with everyone back) and many more seasons after that!

Features:
n- Outtakes
n- Deleted Scenes
n- The making of Coupling from Script to Screen
n- Interview with Richard Mylan
n- Cast Bios

Audio:
English (Dolby Digital 2.0)

Video:
Widescreen 16:9

Subtitles:

Favorite Scenes: Nightlines, Bed Time, Circus of the Epidurals, Naked Living Room
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 180 minutes
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating: