Plot: What’s it about?
Dorothy McNab (Elaine Stritch) is an American writer who lives in London, writing her mysteries from within her ample townhouse. A place like hers needs some hired help, so she puts out an ad for a butler and soon after, a man named Robert (Donald Sinden) shows up at her door. The two don’t hit it off right away, as Robert isn’t pleased to be working for an American and Dorothy doesn’t appreciate his uppity attitude. But she loves his coffee and he loves the basement apartment she has to offer, so the two wind up with an agreement. Dorothy begins to find the structure and organization he brings a pleasant change of pace, while Robert even comes to appreciate her unpredictable, but humorous actions. Even so, the two face all kinds of problems when dealing with each other, some more prominent than others. Can these two conflicting personalities manage to co-exist and run the household, or is this a case where even just two is a crowd?
I was drawn to Two’s Company because of Elaine Stritch’s presence, as she is one of the funniest, sharp performers at times, but also because of positive reviews that focused on the show’s crisp dialogue. I don’t need much to enjoy a show, but sharp dialogue is one thing I can’t resist and Two’s Company has that in spades. This is a sitcom and as such, we’ve seen some of these situations before, but even familiar topics are handled well here. What could be recycled scenes come off as humorous, thanks to the writing and of course, the performances of Stritch and co-star Donald Sinden. As good as the writing is, the two leads enhance it even more with their natural chemistry, which is what drives the show. The premise seems simple enough, an odd couple, but Two’s Company is so much more than that. Acorn Media’s release includes all twenty-nine episodes spread across four discs, so you can sample the entire series in one collection.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame, as intended. As the case states, some imperfections are present that couldn’t be removed, but the episodes still look reasonable. You have to keep in mind that Two’s Company was shot on video over three decades ago, so even the best transfer isn’t going to look remarkable. The image is soft and some debris is present, but for what it is, this looks better than I expected. I found colors to be fine, if a bit faded and contrast is a touch soft, but still acceptable. So while a little rough, the show is still quite watchable.
Audio: How does it sound?
This is as basic as a soundtrack can be, a simple mono option for dialogue driven material. This show is all about dialogue and the vocals sound clear and crisp, so no complaints. The other elements, such as background noise and theme music also sound passable, with no real errors to mention. That pretty much sums it up, a basic presentation for a basic audio design.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release includes filmographies on prominent cast members, as well as profiles on the two leads.
