To watch Reverend Eric Camden and his loving wife Annie grapple with the challenges of raising a family is to echo Woody Allen's lament in Annie Hall: "If only real life were like this." Take the episode "Who Knew?" in which Eric (Stephen Collins) and Annie (Catherine Hicks) have very good reason to believe that their eldest son Matt (Barry Watson) is smoking marijuana. Distraught, they seek refuge in Eric's church, only to come upon Matt, praying out loud, who makes it clear that his parents' suspicions were unfounded. Like The Waltons and Little House on the Prairie, 7th Heaven is a primetime haven where traditional family values are celebrated and personal responsibility is preached from the pulpit. Adolescent traumas, hot-button social issues, and After-School Special-type tragedies are the order of the day in these 22 second season (1997-98) episodes. Among the most memorable is "I Hate You," in which youngest son Simon (David Gallagher) compels a Holocaust survivor to tell her tragic story to his class: as a grace note, the woman's testimony opens the eyes of the son of a Holocaust denier. In "Nothing Endures But Change," which marked Collins' series directorial debut, 14-year-old Lucy (Beverley Mitchell) blames herself when a friend is killed in a car accident. A theme running throughout this season is independence, with Matt poised to leave home for college and Simon demanding his own room. At its height, 7th Heaven was the WB's top-rated series, and it's easy to see why: for some, it's a guilty pleasure, but for others, it's a reinforcement of so-called Red State values. This is the essence of "comfort television"; no matter what crises arise, Eric and Annie pilot the good ship Camden with an assured and steady hand, so that by each episode's 44-minute mark, wounds are healed and closure is achieved. Presented in a six-disc extra-less boxed set, this is recommended. (D. Liebenson)
7th Heaven: The Complete Second Season
Paramount, 6 discs, 994 min., not rated, DVD: $49.99 Volume 20, Issue 3
7th Heaven: The Complete Second Season
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