I liked the frog mixup 
Derek - Series 1 Page 14
Best episode so far. There was more emphasis on the comedy this time around and the sentimentality was drawn back.
Some of it is still too clichéd and hammy, "I don't give my old stuff to charity shops, I burn it" and I don't think I'll ever get over Ricky's gurning but this week felt far more like classic Gervais than the last week's tosh.
I know this show is not connected to The Office but I think this show is Gervais' equivalent of The Royle Family 1 hour Christmas specials (from The Queen of Sheba (2006) to Barbara's Old Ring (2012)).....as in Derek is to The Office what The Royle Family Christmas specials are to The Royle Family Series 1-3.
Basically I'm saying that if The Office was still being made now - it would probably have non-diegetic music in it like this show.
Like with The Royle Family 1 hour specials, this show can make you question what happened to the pure realistic aesthetic the creator used to be able to execute so well and so effortlessly.
So. Dougie had a go at the daughter 'cos she wanted her mum's wedding ring, yet it's OK for him to steal sentimental items from unsuspecting residents.
Utter rot.
He had a go at her because 'all' she wanted was the ring. Not because it belonged to her mother and had sentimental value, but just for the sake of having it. She clearly didn't give a toss about her mother, and pretty well let her know as much when she was (briefly and resentfully) visiting. She was a disgusting human being, if that wasn't obvious.
Quote: Loopey @ February 13 2013, 8:45 PM GMTI didn't know that. He was very convincing.
He really was. If you haven't, you should see him in Deadwood. Suffice to say, he plays somewhat of a different role, and quite well.
I've got to agree that the bit with the frog was genuinely funny
As was the sight gag of everyone bringing more stuff from the I jumble sale
But small portions. And the place would have probably been closed for so many reasons in the real world frankly that it makes it hard for me to focus on it.
Quote: Andicus @ February 14 2013, 6:38 AM GMTHe had a go at her because 'all' she wanted was the ring. Not because it belonged to her mother and had sentimental value, but just for the sake of having it. She clearly didn't give a toss about her mother, and pretty well let her know as much when she was (briefly and resentfully) visiting. She was a disgusting human being, if that wasn't obvious.
The only way it could have been more obvious is for Gervais to have given her a black moustache to twirl and played the music from The Omen whenever she appeared. The character was written with sledgehammer subtlety.
Quote: sootyj @ February 14 2013, 6:43 AM GMTBut small portions.
Actually I think the show would work much better as a series of ten minute shorts, like Mid Morning Matters or Marion & Geoff. That way you haven't really got long enough to start seeing all its shortfalls.
Quote: chipolata @ February 14 2013, 10:15 AM GMTThe only way it could have been more obvious is for Gervais to have given her a black moustache to twirl and played the music from The Omen whenever she appeared. The character was written with sledgehammer subtlety.
Actually I think the show would work much better as a series of ten minute shorts, like Mid Morning Matters or Marion & Geoff. That way you haven't really got long enough to start seeing all its shortfalls.
Agree totally with the obvious dialogue from the uncaring gold-digging daughter. I actually found it quite badly written and irritating. The worst bit was when the daughter said "got to go now, we've got better things to do". No-one would be that obvious. It would be more realistic if they pretended to be caring but only stayed for ten minutes or something. People are much more sneaky in real life. If you were trying to get an old dear to leave you an expensive ring you wouldn't be aggressive and rude to her face. The whole thing seemed insulting to the audience's intelligence. For me, the only good thing about the show is Karl.
I agree with the above comments on the 'heartless daughter' all that just made me cringe (and not in a good way like The Office made you cringe). The daughter may have said the bit about having better things to do - just not there. She'd have said it in a pub somewhere else to someone she hardly knows. If she were that heartless she wouldn't visit in the first place. The walking off with the ring and not the box and the following Karl outburst had no impact, at all, because of it.
What does quite annoy me is that Gervais seems to just pick a big woman to depict the embodiment of unattractiveness/evil/heartlessness. He has in other stuff too. I think he must have had a bad experience/been hurt by a bigger woman at some time.
(I'm not suggesting he has ever paid a big woman to 'hurt' him before... Or maybe he has. Probably has. No, he has definitely done that!)
Quote: youngian @ February 12 2013, 10:00 PM GMTIt's not Getting On is it.
Some sample dialogue:
Kev: "I wouldn't mind Joanna Lumley all over my Ghurkas"
Derek: "Absolutely Fabulous she was"For all the faults that have already been discussed, I like the set up of people that don't have much else but are a tight unit, like something Roy Clarke would have written better and cast decent actors.
Hahaha - that instantly reminded me of that Brent line from the Christmas special "Absolutely Flabulous..."
I have to admit there were bits in last night's episode that had the potential to be strong.
But I come back to the format - it's all wrong.
Essentially you have a Mike Lee style set-up with all the potential for comedy and drama that entails.
But the veneer of the documentary kills it stone dead.
The 'ring' storyline was actually quite strong - Karl's (sorry, I can only see him that way) outburst at the end could have been dramatically satisfying - but only if had been a drama.
A drama allows for those heightened, telescoped story lines that don't happen in real life - though we wish they did.
But all the talking to camera shit asks you to believe you're watching real-life.
And as such it's unconvincing.
I'm curious why Kev is there now as his disgusting perviness is so OTT that there must surely be some reason for it? Like he's got some sort of sexual dementia disorder??? ...Surely Gervais wouldn't expect us to be outraged by such a poorly written cardboard cutout perv?
Gervais keeps suggesting we'll see why Kev's there and why he's the way he is by the end of the series.
Ah, well my guess is early onset dementia.
Quote: zooo @ February 14 2013, 12:52 PM GMTGervais keeps suggesting we'll see why Kev's there and why he's the way he is by the end of the series.
I'm not sure there's anything that could satisfactorily explain Kevin. He's suffering from a Benjamin Button like condition that means although he looks like an out of shape forty year old he's actually only twelve? He's a ghost? He's just a normal underachieving bloke who's decided the way to get noticed on reality TV is to act like a twat? (I think it's this last one)