Tony Cowards
Thursday 23rd June 2011 11:55am
Wiltshire
1,762 posts
Quote: Millsy @ June 23 2011, 12:41 PM BST
Badge makes some good points, especially the 'former fan' part. I really enjoyed the first series, although it was clearly a rip-off of Curb, it genuinely felt like we'd found a British version. It was smart and funny.
Nowadays though...it's not based in any sort of reality. The way that Michael constantly has digs: it's never been intimated that him and Rick are particularly close, so why would Rick put up with all the snidey remarks without telling him where to go?
Marty. I'd go as far as to say he's one of the most irritating characters in sitcom history. Surely characters like that *have* to get some sort of comeuppance. Maybe it's building towards that in the final episode. I sincerely hope so.
Mel. In the first series her and Rick were close and intimate, the chemistry between the pair was totally believable. Nowadays though, her sole purpose is to ask Rick a question and then smugly laugh at him behind his back when he gives a misguided answer. Why would he put up with it? They never laugh together, or seem in any way on the same level.
Magda. Why on Earth would anyone put up with such a sour faced cow? Yes, it's a sitcom, but all she seems to do is wind Rick up. And the joke that she's Russian and pronounces certain phrases incorrectly is wearing a bit thin after four series.
In addition to this, as seen in the most recent episode, Rick is seemingly now totally hopeless as a stand-up. In the first series he was decent, even though Marty was (obviously) the driving creative force. I'm not saying we want to sit there and see two people laugh at eachother's jokes for half an hour as that would be extremely self-indulgent, but at least find a balance between 'quite good' and 'embarrassingly bad'.
I genuinely enjoyed the first couple of series, it was well-written and you could believe in the characters and the scenarios. Nowadays though, it's a shadow of its former self. It's a shame.
I agree with pretty much all of this.
Rick used to be a reasonably sympathetic character, now he's just pathetic and in the last episode we were expected to believe that he was a terrible stand up, something which went against what we've been led to believe previously. I guess he's having a crisis of confidence, but this wasn't alluded to enough, it just seems that for the benefit of this episode's plot he's suddenly become rubbish at his job.
His, wife, who again used to be a fairly sympathetic character is now horrible and why has there been no more exploration of her work running a comedy agency? I enjoyed the episode where here new client was winning the awards and Rick's jealousy, why isn't Rick one of her clients? Why isn't this angle being explored?
Michael and Marty are now just insufferable pricks and the kids have just become your standard layabout/slacker/pothead characters with little or no redeeming features.
Magda is the comedy foreigner, just a foil for all of Rick's neuroses, no depth to her character.
Also I get fed up with show where they have an "hilarious" joke or anecdote which we, the audience, never get to hear, to me it's just lazy writing and suggests to me that the writers don't have the ability or confidence to actually write something funny.
In short, more than ever, it's become a very, very pale imitation of Curb Your Enthusiasm (the bit with Rick throwing the biscuit at Magda was especially poor, it was the sitcom version of an open spot trying to be like Bill Hicks), which is a shame because I, like others on this thread, enjoyed the first couple of series.
I know. It's like putting a lamb into a playpen with a wolf. I can hear the frustrated director now, (cue gay voice) 'Oh luvvie, luvvie, too much, remember who you're acting with, it's Jack Dee, not Al Pacino!' Dee's in for a mullering.