The third season has aired, and the DVD release has been announced without a firm release date. Here’s the second season of Felicia Day’s web series about members of an online gaming guild.
Cast and Crew Information
Felicia Day as Codex
Sandeep Parikh as Zaboo
Jeff Lewis as Vork
Robin Thorson as Clara
Amy Okuda as Tinkerballa
Vincent Caso as Bladezz
Written by Felicia Day
Directed by Sean Becker
Availability Information
Season two is available on DVD on its own, but at the time of this writing, it’s $9.99 US for the season or $10.99 US for the first two seasons combined. If you don’t already have season one, the two pack is far more economical.
Premise
In the wake of season one, Codex has unwanted loot hanging around. Soon Tink obtains loot Clara wanted, Zaboo moves in with Vork, and the server is going to shut down, forcing the Guild to do something offline for four hours of their lives.
High Point
Zaboo announces his quest to level up as a man to obtain the affection of Codex.
Low Point
The sudden jump from pure entertainment to visual metaphor. It just felt inconsistent.
The Review
The concept is original. Although this is the second season, with episodes under ten minutes each, this “season” feels more like the second episode of a series or miniseries, so it still feels fresh. This also brings about some siginificant status quo changes by the end, which keeps things from getting stale. I give it 5 out of 6.
The effects are virtually nonexistant. There was a slow motion sequence at the beginning, and the surreal moment mentioned in the low point. While that didn’t look real, it looked the way it was supposed to look, and that particular visual effect didn’t need to look “real.” (It’s close enough to the end that I don’t want to go into detail for fear of spoilers.) I give it 5 out of 6.
The story is where the fun is. As we learned last time, the most normal person in the bunch is the one who sees a therapist on a regular basis. The neuroses continue, and in many cases, escalate. We’ve got exercise with mustard bottles, analysis of real life with gaming analogies, split personalities, and outright exploitation from this group. It’s all quite amusing, too. I give it 5 out of 6.
The acting is less consistent this time. Tink’s disinterest isn’t as convincing. The part that really bugged me was the switching between private conversations while the actors actually touched no part of their computers. The conversations wouldn’t be private without hitting at least one button or key. I give it 4 out of 6.
The production was smooth once more, particularly given the relatively low budgets available to a web series. I give it 5 out of 6.
The emotional response is also high. It’s not quite as funny as the first season, but it’s still funnier than most greenlit sitcoms. I give it 5 out of 6.
Overall, it’s another entertaining set for those in or near the gaming community. This time out, the gaming aspects are less important than the first time, making the series more accessible to the layperson. I give it 5 out of 6.
In total, The Guild: Season Two receives 34 out of 42.