Clever gag writing is the whole show. Bullwinkle proudly proclaims that, "When it comes to humility I am the greatest." William Conrad's self-important announcer spoofs narration conventions and is frequently interrupted or corrected by the characters. Boris and Natasha delight in their evil doings, while their Pottsylvanian spymaster Fearless Leader (no, not Geoffrey Kleinman) thinks up sadistic solutions to every problem. Fearless Leader has a facial scar that runs right across his mouth and teeth, and is clearly modeled on nasty Nazis from old films like Hangmen Also Die! The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show is an equal opportunity employer of ethnic villains, as long as they're Russians or Nazis.

The writing makes self-referential fun of the cartoon format and the realities of television. When Boris's pistol refuses to shoot, Natasha gasps, "Boris we forgot! There's no violence allowed on television any more!" To lead into a segue across the globe to Pottsylvania, Boris sneers at the camera, "Now we go through the magic of the four-second cross dissolve!"

Plenty of old-fashioned puns are heard, and each episode ends with gag title suggestions, like "Rocky Goes to College --- or Rock Enrolls." The shows also abound with topical references, many of which weren't pitched at youngsters like Savant. As a punishment a character isn't allowed to watch American Bandstand, but an infantile college professor wants to see Ding Dong School. A bunch of snobby college students refuse to party with Bullwinkle: "We're all going down to picket Norman Mailer at the Student Union!" A football coach is named Rocky Knut and a famous football hero is named "Blue Grange" because "Red Grange" is too controversial.

My favorite exchange comes when Rocky discovers that the football team they're supposed to play is from a girl's school: "Aw, what kind of game can you play with girls?" Bullwinkle (aside): "Boy, this really is a children's show, isn't it?"

The disc contains three complete Rocky and Bullwinkle adventures. Wossamatta U. starts appropriately, with the school's president firing five English teachers so it can divert their salaries to a new football team. Bullwinkle becomes the star quarterback after Boris bribes a player with a pro contract. The Treasure of Monte Zoom stretches a thin "X Marks the Spot" treasure hunt into a variety of absurd situations, such as having Boris pretend to be Ernest Hemingway in The Old Man and The Sea so Bullwinkle will help him pull on a chain in the middle of a lake. The chain pulls the plug at the lake's bottom. To drain it, you see. Like, empty. Goof Gas Attack sees Boris zapping America's brain trust with a gas that makes them stupid, threatening our missile defense system at "Cape Carnivorous." Being brain-challenged, Bullwinkle is unaffected. This show features an appearance by wrong-way Captain Peachfuzz, an already addled admiral who talks and acts like Ed Wynn. Also, Fearless Leader admits that his evil country Pottsylvania has no resources except Hate, which it always directs at the United States. As far as foreign policy goes, The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show is completely up to date for 2007.

The disc's extra is something that Savant had forgotten entirely. The original Sunday night broadcasts of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show began and ended with brief live action puppet intros and kissoffs showing a cute Bullwinkle puppet, presumably manipulated by Bill Scott. The patter here is even more satirical than in the cartoons, with Bullwinkle making fun of the sponsor in the same manner that Alfred Hitchcock did. The puppet claims that the entire evening's lineup of shows is really part of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, and says that besides Sing Along with Mitch, there's a new show called Hum along with Fidel. Speaking to the kids in the audience, Bullwinkle tells them that they all can have a TV in their bedroom, just by unplugging Mom and Dad's set and dragging it in there. He'll be back next week with advice about a new topic, "charging admission."

Classic Media / Genius Entertainment's The Best of Rocky and Bullwinkle Volume 2 is attractively packaged with easy to navigate menus. Wossamatta U has twelve chapters while The Treasure of Monte Zoom and Goof Gas Attack have only eight apiece. Unfortunately, no English subtitles are provided, but a second track in Spanish is. The pace already seems fast in English, and the Spanish shows go like a house afire.

On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, The Best of Rocky and Bullwinkle Volume 2 rates:
Cartoons: Excellent
Video: Excellent
Sound: Excellent English and Spanish tracks
Supplements: Live action puppet show intros
Packaging: Keep case
Reviewed: September 21, 2007