Get wiped out by the second wave of Da Ali G Show as once again British comedy phenomenon Sacha Baron Cohen stirs things u in American in the guise of his three celebrated alter-egos: “wanksta” UK journalist Ali G, guileless Kazakhstani correspondent Borat, and übercool Austrian fashionista Brüno.

CRITIQUE

Each episode begins with a brief studio monologue by Ali G, followed by real-world encounters between Ali G, Borat and Brüno and real-life celebrities and every day American citizens in a variety of settings. The first season of Da Ali G Show was pretty concise in terms of comedy and laughs. By comparison, the second season is still pretty funny overall but by the end of it (the last two episodes) I realized the material got a bit repetitive and less exciting to watch (for example, the last two Brüno segments kind of disappointed). Ali G’s roundtable interviews in the studio are funny as he twists the meaning of words and tries to get the “experts” he interviews to agree, yet they never do since Ali G’s rationalizations are usually quite absurd. On the streets and in his one-on-one interviews with political personalities, Ali G keeps the comedy in check.

My favorite character is Borat who is often the most uncomfortable character to watch when he interacts with people (his wine tasting adventure is hilarious). In fact, a Borat movie is in the works right now filming here in the States (and abroad). Spending time with Brüno is also funny stuff as he engages in some ridiculous discussions and observations with several people (interviewing a club owner, he asks something along the lines of whether disco could’ve ended apartheid), yet I didn’t care much for his last two segments.

Disc 1: Respek, Rekognize, Peace

Disc 2: Realize, Jah, Realness

THE VIDEO

HBO presents Da Ali G Show in 1.33:1 fullscreen format. Video quality is just fine, nothing special. Colors look good while tiny artifacts and grain appear on the print in some scenes. The video for Borat's segment looks weaker but it appears to be intentional.

THE AUDIO

HBO presents Da Ali G Show in English 2.0 Dolby Surround. Everything's pretty clear on this track, the dialogue sounds good and is easy to understand, plus the optional English subtitles sure come in handy a few times.

THE EXTRAS

Disc 1 offers Ali G’s funny yet somewhat strange Harvard Commencement Speech (16:03). Some of his jokes are good and outrageous, but his material seems also a bit rehashed.

Disc 2 offers nearly 40 minutes of unseen shit, which is divided via Cohen’s three characters: Ali G’s segments include a visit to the Educational Summit (4:13), an interview with linguistics professor Noam Chomsky (3:29) and a visit to an historic Civil War Navy Ship (3:00). Borat’s segments include getting a hunting lesson at an exclusive ranch in Texas (4:07), learning American football (4:56) and lunching with the Arizona Republican Party (6:46). Brüno’s segments include a visit to a psychic to speak to his late boyfriend (7:51) and dishing gossip with a Hollywood stylist (4:40). Some really good stuff here, I’m glad it’s included.

The average episode length is approximately 28 minutes, and each episode is conveniently divided into a number of chapter stops. The scene selections tell you what's what, but there is no “play all” option for the episodes. The menus are decent, though the background music may get a little annoying after a while.

FINAL THOUGHT

Da Ali G Show comes recommended to fans of the series, while others should approach this DVD with some caution as its comedy is not for everybody.