The notion that any one person could have something of great value stashed away in his or her attic or basement will forever be a tantalizing thought; it's how a show like “Antiques Roadshow,” an incredibly dry (but entertaining) series that is only shown up in dryness by the guy selling gemstones on the Home Shopping Network, can be capable of being the most watched show on public television. Any of us could have some piece of junk that is secretly a hundred-year-old artifact worth thousands, and the owners and operators of Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas intend on cashing in on whatever you can bring them. The coolest ones are taped and put into episodes of Pawn Stars, this collection being of its sophomore season.
A lot of interesting items come through the doors of Gold & Silver. To greet them is a staff comprised of three generations of pawn brokers: Corey, (a.k.a. Big Hoss), the youngest and apt to show his lack of experience at every turn; Rick, (a.k.a. The Spotter), the more-or-less lead man and for all intensive purposes the central character from day-to-day operations of the pawn shop; Richard (a.k.a. The Old Man), co-owner with his son Rick, has a bulldog face and redefines the word “cranky”; and lastly, and who seems to do his best to serve the role of comic relief, Austin, (a.k.a. Chumlee). Not much can be said about Chumlee other than he works there, has been Corey's friend since childhood.
Before any customer can be given a single dollar, they have to deal with this eclectic lineup of personalities. Right from the start, it has to be mentioned that the quality of these DVDs is absolutely poor. It's watchable, and if one were to really gauge whether or not the quality is important to the show's content, it could be argued that it doesn't matter. But this isn't 1998. DVDs have since come a long way, and with the not-very-recent emergence of Blu-ray, there is absolutely no reason for anyone to have to watch such awful, pixelated video. I can only imagine if people were to show this DVD to Rick or Big Hoss and get it appraised, they would only leave the Gold & Silver with a few extra dollars in their pockets.
The show itself has something to be desired, but not a ton. Where Antiques Roadshow educates with tales about different exotic items, and entertains its viewers by showing the owner's face when he learns his dusty lampshade is worth $25,000, “Pawn Stars” accomplishes the same but with more razzle dazzle. It begs to show you a more “in-your-face” look at the appraisal game. Folks from all walks of life (this is Las Vegas, mind you) enter the store with all sorts of crazy stuff, from old military knives, to semi trucks, from Civil War cannons, to hot-air balloons, and all are there to either sell their odd possession, or pawn it. (“Pawning,” by the way, is when a person accepts a loan from a pawn shop and puts down whatever possession he or she brings in as collateral.)
In most cases, when a customer walks in with something interesting, it is out of Rick's or the Old Man's realm of knowledge and he defers to an expert on whatever subject is at hand. They seem to have “a guy” for everything. A “military arms and armor guy”; a “car guy”; a “metal-restoration guy”; rest assured, if Rick doesn't know the value of something, he knows someone who can tell him.
After a while the formula gets a bit stale. Once the value of the object is discovered, Rick, or whomever the customer is dealing with, begins a shrewder than shrewd bargaining process that never seems to end well for the customer. As friendly as Rick seems, and as down-to-earth the rest of his family are, they seem to openly rip-off customers. It's a business, yes, but most of me wanted to slap the customers in the face for bringing their prized possession to a guy who is trying to make money off of them. When one gentleman was trying to sell his motorcycle to the pawn shop, Big Hoss talked him into selling it for about $8,000, and told the customer that he could in no way go any higher and wouldn't pull much profit. Then, after sadly selling his bike for much less than planned, we see Big Hoss talk to the camera saying he's going to turn a rather large profit from it, and was more than happy to talk the guy down to such a low amount. It's a little heartbreaking seeing as the guy was only selling it because he couldn't afford to store it anywhere, and had no other place to keep it, and was forced to get rid of it and sell it to a guy knowingly ripping him off.
Whatever though, it's a business. And the bargaining portions where Rick haggles down prices in real time with his customers aren't the bulk of the show by any measure. The fact is the show can be very educational. Little factoids and tidbits of information are brought on-screen during the show, sometimes before/after commercial breaks. There's a lot of knowledge to gain from Pawn Stars. If Rick isn't able to fill you and the customer in on what some strange object was used for and when and for what purpose, he'll bring in a seasoned veteran on the subject and Rick learns along with the audience and customer all the the fun and important stuff about the item. The experts range from all sorts of different characters. Some are recurring throughout the season, all have something intriguing to say.
It's a solid show that could easily be watched on a week-to-week basis. On DVD, you may find yourself knocking out a whole disc in a single afternoon. There are some unnecessary moments when the camera decides to take a look into some personal aspects of the family's lives. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it detracts a little at the show's innate charm and quickly gets tiresome. But do expect to learn a lot and have a couple laughs along the way. These interesting guys run an interesting business of buying and selling interesting things.
DVD Bonus Features
There are about 20 random clips of extra footage. They're pretty good. They range from quasi-instructional shorts on how to spot a fake $100 bill to spotting a fake diamond to an interview with the pawn shops security guy Antoine.
"Pawn Stars: Season Two" is on sale August 24, 2010 and is not rated. Reality, Television. Directed by Jairus Cobb. Written by Brian Greene, Greg Volk. Starring Austin Russell, Corey Harrison, Richard Harrison, Rick Harrison.
