Peep Show (now with added Mitchell & Webb Look)

Friday's episode did impress me; a good deal of tenderness, and a commendable avoidance of obvious moves: unlike the preceeding "Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere", which I hoped would have something of the Tinniswood Uncle Mort & Carter Brandon radio-travelogue about it... but that was sadly rather tired with its irrelevant 'parodies', 'ironic' musical telegraphing. It had potential, but lacked the poetry required; how much better those silhouetted "Dirty Dancing" parodies would have worked with the Ingmar Bergman, or Mike Leigh, silence behind them? Nothing too deep was wrung out of the situation; not enough absurdity, not enough muted feeling. Maybe it'll improve, but I'm skeptical.

"Peep Show" is sharper with the non sequitur, and actually manages to surprise a bit; 't plays often as an onanistic "Bottom" crossed with "The Office". Admittedly, I do have to agree with Jed that the Mark actor is the more skilled... v. good supporting cast; must say that Olivia Colman is right for that role.

An episode without the inner-monologues could be a masterstroke, actually; like moments in the "Office" Christmas Specials where inter-relations appeared so differently without the 'docu'-framing. Being so used to the show's conceit would make such an edition a different take on things, and add a bit more complexity: maybe change how we view the main characters, not being given their innermost thoughts, once in a way.

not sure who you mean at all here, but it was a good episode and v funny at times (certainly more than Max & Paddy)

the line about "HAVING A GREAT BIG WANK" was particularly well-received chez carsmile...

? disagree there - it seems to be fulfilling the mandate 'make people laugh while presenting sitcom in a relatively novel way' - assuming that IS the mandate

constant POV shots = dud

whole point tho!

hasn't mark gotten fat???

whole point tho!

ya. still doesn't work though.

"Wow, this crack is really moreish"

so otm about racist friends too.

i should think so

"I'm gonna broom you! I will, you'll get the broom, I promise!"

"Now your girlfriend and my best friend are going off to fuck, and what are we gonna do? Make a tent in the lounge and eat Dairylea Triangles? Is that what you want? Cos that's exactly what's gonna happen."

I fucking love Peep Show. It's never going to cross over like The Office did, being (I think) too close to the bone for mass mainstream consumption - ie although these character types no doubt exist in every office/pub/block of flats in the country, nobody really wants to think about that fact too deeply - but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I wouldn't recommend it to my mum and dad, certainly...

"Are you saying we can't be friends just because I'm stalking you?"

I don't like Peep Show because they talk to the camera when they are supposed to be talking to each other. This is wrong. Over the shoulder shot and counter-shot is bad, but this is worse. Also it has too much swearing and appears to be genetically engineered for young people. Steptoe and Son wasn't specifically for rag and bone men, was it? I mean, I'm sure they enjoyed it, but you could still get into it if you were a roadsweeper.

my fave Superhans bit: "i tell you what that crack is really moreish"

This second series really did impress me, especially as it moved along. The characters - if not perhaps so strongly the situation - were pushed into interesting waters. And why is a developing, serial situation now seemingly what I want in a sitcom? Probably a bit too much Reggie Perrin watched of late (though of course the brilliance there, is how the basic melancholy situation is eventually reaffirmed, after, say, the novelties/experiments of new identities, Grot and the commune...) ;)

The occasionally more 'reflective' tone of this was very pleasing; just the sort of thing I was looking for after the last series. Questions remain as to whether the show can perhaps 'speak to' a larger audience, and extend further its reach (aye, maybe change the whole dynamic by removing the POV? would throw up a whole new set of questions about the characters)... but it was more than good enough to be getting on with.

I'll third the admiration for the "That crack was really moreish" line. Greatest line of the year, all the more so in the light of Pete Doherty's ongoing self-destruction.
The university episode was particularly heartbreaking. The Columbo bit was genius, Peter Capaldi was on fine form (stop taking easy money voiceover jobs and ACT man), and Mark's awkard dealings with the girl were really close to the bone. We've all been there at some point.
The final episode even had its own mini Brent telling Finchy to fuck off moment when Mark asked that knob to leave.
And that Nancy girl is totally hott.

then the series 2 dvd is out not this monday but the following one.

Do the Brits now call it “Season” instead of “Series”?

LOL. I've just added a whole bunch of 'seasons' to the thread (I think I both use pretty much interchangeably) but the UK is not responsible for those instances. :) A text search suggests that 'series' has appeared more than five times as frequently as 'season' if we ignore those...

I agree with D40 here, I've rewatched it all about five times and I don't think there's a huge dropoff apart from the odd dud episode like the dog one. Even very late there are some amazing characters, like the bloke obsessed with orthodox churches or whatever.

I'm so used to hearing "Seasons" with regard to US TV that I end up defaulting to it sometimes. But yeah it's usually "Series" when referring to UK shows.

That said "Series" is annoying as I'm never sure how to emphasise if I'm speaking in the plural or not. Keep wanting to say "Serieses" which is bonkers

I'm going to have to rewatch this whole programme, aren't I? It's my partner's favourite show and she puts on random episodes to go to sleep to. Don't know how she doesn't cringe herself to sleep

LOL (re: sleeping to it.)

I've now re-watched series 9 too. (In addition to 8 last night, I mean. I don't really need all *that* much encouragement it seems.) It certainly doesn't feel like it desperately needed to be killed off when it was. Far from it. LocalGarda OTM about the addition of pretty solid characters right to the end.

Basically the best sit-com evah. Maybe.

yeah, do it DL.

https://img.gifglobe.com/grabs/peepshow/S07E05/gif/6ruw4aya3h72.gif

The final series is really really good

OTM. eg. Olivia Colman's final few scenes have been haunting me anew for a couple days now lol.

With any episode anybody describes as weak I just immediately think of at least one thing that's indispensably good about it. Matt Townsend gym episode has one of the single best jokes in the series ("what's a novel?"). Jury episode has Mark's big spiteful lecture about consumer capitalism as he reclaims the apartment. Jeremy's "you've ground down my self-worth" thing as he wets himself on the church balcony is fantastic and probably emotionally necessary as a lead-in to the ceremony itself. You have to get a lot closer to the end before reaching any where I just think eh, yeah, that one's not great.