Why So Blu?

America’s favorite – and quirkiest — exterminator is back for more unexpected on-the-job adventures with Billy the Exterminator: The Complete Season Four! In this funny family docusoap about the zaniest pest removal company on the planet, we join Billy Bretherton, who runs Vexcon, one of Louisiana’s busiest pest removal companies, with the help of his brother Ricky, whom he describes as “just as crazy as me,” his father Bill Sr., and his sassy mom Donnie, who runs the office.  In season four, sees Billy hit the road for the first time, in search of challenges that are bigger, better and badder than ever.  Whether he’s going after giant pythons in the Florida Everglades, wrestling 10-foot gators in Texas, chasing a herd of razor-toothed javelina in Arizona, or fighting off an aerial attack by 30-pound geese in North Carolina, Billy comes to the rescue with humor, compassion… and a whole lot of attitude. 

Film

My favorite white trash family is back with another season of Billy the Exterminator.  I don’t expect anything new.  Seasons 1 through 3 were all pretty much the same.  Gators, rats, raccoons, bees – but add in the Bretherton family and it always gets a bit more interesting.  Vexcon Pest Control is the family business lead by Billy Bretherton, aka Billy the Exterminator.  His brother Ricky, mother Donnie and father Big Bill work alongside him.  Previous seasons have included Billy’s wife but she doesn’t get along well with his family and wasn’t a helpful addition to the business.

Billy the Exterminator: Season 4 contains the following episodes on two discs:

1. When Gators Attack – Billy and Ricky head to Texas to get some training catching alligators at the Norton Family Farm, Gator Country.  The motto there is “quick hands or no hands.”
2. Desert Destroyers – Packs of Javelina (hairy pigs) are terrorizing an Arizona desert community.
3. What Lurks Beneath – Ricky and Billy are back at Gator Country to wrangle gators.  They head out on a gator call where they use a lasso and wrestle and alligator in a backyard.  Another home has a significant bedbug infestation.
4. Furry Infestation – The boys trap some raccoons and the little one covers his eyes when he gets scared.  A home has multiple squirrels, and Billy’s helper Brad gets bit.  Raccoons in the chimney of another house are taken care of with a detergent bottle full of rocks.
5. Aerial Attack – Billy and Ricky join the Goosebusters to learn their techniques, including protecting yourself with umbrellas.
6. Bobcat Battle – Billy teams up with Danger Dave who needs help with a bobcat and unexpected rattlesnake.  Warning for the squeamish – this episode contains a decapitated bunny.
7. Suck It Up – The brothers head to Miami where Burmese pythons are killing local wildlife.  They assist a local pest controller and relocate over 10,000 honey bees.
8. Dirty Rat – A rat has infested Citizen’s National Bank and is eating the wallpaper.  Billy is brought in to help, but the bank’s security man doesn’t seem to trust Billy.  Later, a newborn kitten is rescued from inside a wall.
9. Good Morning Gators – Alligators threaten kids in a public park and Billy teams up with Gator Jack and a reporter from Good Morning America to catch and release them.
10. Skunks on a Plane – A local water park has multitude of issues and Billy uses spam as bait for some of them. Ricky heads to an airport hanger that has a skunk problem.
11. Hoarder House Rats – A house that used to belong to a hoarder is infested with rats and a golf course has an armadillo problem.
12. Gators in Waiting – Trapper Jack threatens the safety of a grandmother’s pond where her grand-kids fish and play.

Billy the Exterminator: Season 4 seems a lot more contrived than previous seasons.  They aren’t going on hardly any local emergency calls.  There is a lot of training set up in other towns and states.  It seems like a producer stepped in and arranged some adventures that would potentially make good television.  There is also a lot less of Billy’s parents.  His mother Donnie makes an appearance in most episodes giving Billy the run down on the day’s work, and his father is barely seen or heard from.  The episodes seem out of order as well.  In one episode you see Billy working with someone and a few episodes later he meets the same person for the first time.

Video  

Audio  

The volume levels are consistent, so even when Billy is screaming for help you won’t need to adjust your sound levels.  Billy the Exterminator is full of gators hissing and bugs flying and it could make your skin crawl if they made better use of surround sound and your side channels.  Subtitles are available in English and Spanish.

Special Features  

For the first time, there are no special features on either of the discs.  In previous seasons I really enjoyed the features and it’s disappointing to see there are none in season 4.

Final Thoughts  

Billy the Exterminator: Season 4 seems like it was thrown together for DVD.  There are only 12 episodes, totaling a little more than 4 hours and no special features at all.  It seems like a random collection of episodes, not a season set. Watching Billy go after bugs, snakes, raccoons, gators and new foes like Javelina is still entertaining.  There is a significant decrease in the family and Billy’s personal lives.  This season is all about the cases.  I may have complained that previous seasons were a little too much about the family drama but this season has gone too far the other way.  I’d like to see a good balance of both worlds.  Overall, I still enjoyed Billy the Exterminator: Season 4, but it was a little disappointing compared to the previous seasons.

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