Square Pegs: The Complete Series DVD Review

Square Pegs follows the misadventures of Patty (Sarah Jessica Parker from “Sex and the City”) and Lauren (Amy Linker), two freshman girls desperate to fit in at Weemawee High School. Befriended by oddball characters Marshall (John Femia), a budding comedian, and Johnny Slash (Merritt Butrick), a wacky new-waver, Patty and Lauren still hope to impress the popular kids: valley girl Jennifer (Tracy Nelson), her tough boyfriend Vinnie (Jon Caliri), their sassy friend LaDonna (Claudette Wells), and Muffy (Jami Gertz), the ever-peppy preppie.

Acclaimed by critics during its release in 1982, Square Pegs struck a chord with viewers of all ages and developed a huge cult following. Featuring guest stars Bill Murray, Martin Mull—plus New Wave acts Devo and The Waitress (who perform the opening theme song)—all 19 digitally remastered episodes are now available in this three-disc DVD set for the first time ever.

Watching Square Pegs today, over 25 years after its creation, is a very interesting experience. It’s hard to explain this, but the show somehow managed to be way ahead of its time and yet completely dated by today’s standards. I know I said it’s hard to explain, but I’m going to try anyway. The show is about a group of teenagers starting out during their first year of high school, and this is where it proved to be ahead of its time in a way. “Ahead of its time?” you ask. I know that a show about high school kids may not sound all that original or trend setting, but back in 1982 it was. When watching Square Pegs, you can’t help but think of all the shows that have followed, from Judd Apatow’s cult favorite Freaks and Geeks to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In fact, the hip high school lingo found in Square Pegs (which I don’t necessarily like, but more on that later) often reminded me of Joss Whedon’s specific brand of dialogue as seen in Buffy (which I do in fact like). They’re very different in content mind you, but the idea is still relevant.

Despite the fact that the show was ahead of its time in some ways, it still feels very dated when viewed today. As with many productions that were made in the 1980s, Square Pegs feels very much of its time. This actually isn’t as much of knock against the show as I might usually mean it though. There’s not the overwhelming presence of giant hairdos and shoulder pads that I was expecting, which was a pleasant surprise. It has more to do with the extreme character archetypes and the ensemble feel of the movie—it’s all very Breakfast Club (hey look, that also came out after Square Pegs). Again, all this isn’t necessarily criticism, but something I definitely noticed.

What definitely did start to grate on these modern ears of mine is the “hip” valley-girl dialogue. It may have been neat and original when the show was first on, but nowadays its just stereotypical and kind of aggravating. As far as I’m concerned, Spicoli of Fast Times at Ridgemont High is the only character from a 1980s movie who can really pull off surfer/valley girl (err, I mean guy) dialogue. But if you like it, it’s all here. Even the box is bathed in the lingo. The cover boasts “The like, totally complete series…totally.” At least they’re honest about it.

On the DVD, you’ll find one worthwhile extra. It’s entitled “Weemawee Yearbook Memories” and it’s a compilation of interviews with the cast and crew of the show. Sarah Jessica Parker doesn’t seem to be too excited to be there (too famous for us now, huh?), but the rest of the cast seems genuinely excited to talk about the show. The only other extras are two “minisodes,” which are short clips of other shows. One is for the episode “Sex Symbol” from The Facts of Life, and the other is “Hey, Mrs. Robinson” from Silver Spoons. Kinda worthless as far as I’m concerned.

Your enjoyment of Square Pegs is definitely going to depend on which way your television show tastes lean. Do you like 1980s nostalgia? Can you deal with some dated qualities in order to see the trend-setting qualities? Do you like any of the cast members? If you answered “yes” to any of the questions then do I think you should check out Square Pegs: The Complete Series? Like, totally.