Search - Absolutely Fabulous: Complete Series 4 on DVD

Six More Episodes And A Bunch Of Extras, Sweetie Darling...

Kevinduran | Indianapolis, Indiana USA | 02/13/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although all six episodes in this series are good, only three are really exceptional and will go down in "AbFab" history as classics. They are: "Paris" (the girls go on a vacation to Paris- Edina and Saffy actually bond, if you can believe that! It's very touching, almost!); "Small Openings" (Saffy writes a "Mommie Dearest"-esque play that Edina and Pats initially object to, but then later become friends with the people that play them! Patsy, incidentally, is played by a man!); and "Menopause" (Patsy's bones become very brittle and start breaking. Edina and Saffy's reactions when Patsy gives herself a shot of pain medication is BRILLIANTLY HILARIOUS!). Lots of extras here: the "Mirrorball" special that features all of the main "AbFab" actors in different roles (not as funny as "AbFab" but still well worth your time); great commentary from Jennifer Saunders; photo gallery; outtakes/bloopers, etc. My only complaint, and it's minor, is that the "Who's Who Guide to the stars of AbFab" is a bit hard to read. It looks like handwriting on a piece of graph paper- and even on my gigantic television, it was a bit hard to make all of the writing out. They should have just used a font that was easier to read. The DVD's come packaged in a plastic case, unlike the last set that came in a cardboard case. The plastic is a lot better and durable than the cardboard, so this is good! The design elements of the case are the same as the last set (it's just a different color), so at least the two sets basically match when they sit on a shelf together. It's so annoying when things in a series aren't designed likewise, so it's nice to see that Warner Bros./BBC Video did this correctly! Oddity: all of the extras appear on both DVD's. This is not a complaint, I just thought it was sort of strange that they are repeated within the same set. And no... "The Last Shout" does not appear on this DVD set. The rights to that are owned by a different company, hence the reason why that's not out on DVD yet. Edina, Patsy, and Saffy are just as fab as ever! Hopefully there will be another series of episodes soon!"

More laughs, sweeties!

Byron Kolln | the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood | 11/27/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After an absence of several years, those ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS doyennes of disgrace, Edina and Patsy, return in a 4th series featuring 6 hilarious episodes.

"Parralox" - Fame at last! Eddy (Jennifer Saunders) is going to appear on "Richard and Judy" with Twiggy. Patsy (Joanna Lumley) has just the thing to get rid of all those pesky facial wrinkles...

"Fish Farm" - Eddy toys with the idea of playing Lady Chatterley with her dishy new gardener...

"Paris" - Eddy and Patsy drag Saffy (Julia Sawalha) along for a fashion-shoot in Paris. Could some mother-daughter bonding be on the cards?...

"Donkey" - A time of change for Eddy and Pats. Eddy discovers a lone muscle in her arm whilst in the middle of a detox, and Patsy decides a new hairstyle is a must...

"Small Opening" - Saffy has written a play all about her traumatic childhood called "Self-Raising Flower". Eddy is fuming. She's sure it'll make "Mommie Dearest" look like "Winnie the Pooh"...

"Menopause" - Patsy's bones are becoming brittle, so Saffy makes some enquiries and organises a Menopausals Anonymous meeting to be held at the house...

Extra features: "Mirrorball" pilot episode, cast interviews, audio commentary with Jennifer Saunders, photo gallery."

Not quite as fabulous, sweetie darling

tmp | Solar System, MA USA | 01/24/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I love that Jennifer Saunders decided to bring back Eds and Pats- but I wish she had kept most of these scripts as warm-ups. They don't quite jell, although they do get better as the season goes on. I do like that the the relationship between Saffy and "Titticaca" has started to mirror Eddie and Pats in a delightfully twisted way, and there are some great cameos from Fleur, Bo, and the various ex-husbands. But some of the jokes fall really flat- it seems at best disingenuous (and at worst, dysmorphic) for someone as pretty as Ms. Saunders to keep referring to herself as fat and ugly; a lot of the Saffron jokes are not really as funny now that Julia Sawahla has gained weight, and the jokes about Patsy are not as funny now that Joanna Lumley has started to look a bit old. (but that could be me)There will be at least two more seasons coming, so I would see if A) they scripts improve, and B) if they release a boxed set. But if you have not gotten the original boxed set of the first three seasons, by all means get the deal that Amazon is offering; the set of the 1st three seasons is a gem, and the inclusion of "Mirrorball" on this disc, and getting basically for free, is too great to pass up."

Sin is in, sweetie!

socalledboothy | 04/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I couldnt think of a better title. lol.

Anyway, I don't know why people don't like this season. I actually think it's the best season. It has some of the best episodes. The first three seasons were great, but I still like the fourth better. I bought this DVD mainly because it had a lot of cool extras (this is the only series I own of Ab Fab).

Here's an episode overview:
1)Parralox- Patsy gets parralox and pressures Edina into getting it as well so she'll look good on TV when she goes on Richard and Judy with Twiggy. Saffy tries to get a New Labor job. It's not one of my favorite episodes, but it's got some great parts (I don't understand the whole exchange between Candy and that other girl in the club, even after watching it with the commentary.) Anyway, pretty good episode. 8/10

2)Fish Farm- This isn't one of my favorite episodes, but it does have some good gags in it. Edina finally goes on a date again with a supposed wealthy person, but a shocking (to them) secret is revealed. 7/10

3)Paris- Patsy begins her modeling career again for a special photo shoot of young and old models as well as a mother and daughter shoot. Saffy, Edina, and Bubble join Patsy on her way to Paris. The relationship between Edina and Saffy begins to blossom, but Edina's idea of sight seeing does something that causes a riff between them again. A hilarious episode. 9/10

4)Donkey- A Sex and the City-type episode. It begins with a usual dinner with Edina and her friends and Edina is told that she's too fat. Determined to be the fast racehorse and not the donkey, she engages in an exercise program and gives up booze. But sometimes things don't always work out. Absolutely hilarious episode. 10/10

5)Small Opening- Saffy's written a play about her life and Edina is horrified at what kind of play Saffy's written, and just HOW fat is the actress playing her? This is definitely one of the best episodes in the whole show's history. I love this episode and I'm so glad that I have the chance to watch it whenever I want to now. 10/10

6)Menopause- I'm just gonna write what's on the back of the DVD because I don't know how to describe this fantastic epiosde. Womb prayers echo all around the house as Eddy and Patsy join Menopausals Anonymous. While Edina rails against the group hugs, a new, altogether fluffier Patsy is about to emerge...
I absolutely love this episode. With a peek into the future life of Edina and Patsy as old women, another great episode from Series 4. 10/10

EXTRAS: Commentary by Jen Saunders and Jon Plowman on all 6 episodes (hilarious); Mirrorball special featuring the original cast in different characters (Jane Horrocks is HILARIOUS in this); Outtakes; Photo Gallery; a Who's Who guide to the cast, the celebrity guests, and the various references made throughout Series 4; two sketches from French and Saunders that started the whole show of Ab Fab ("Modern Mother and Daughter" and "Woman's World", hilarious stuff); and a clip from 1967 with Joanna Lumley talking about modeling (a very interesting clip)

All in all, one of the best DVD packages I've seen. The episodes are great, the extras are awesome, so get this DVD!"