One of those strange shows that gets the RT choice icon next to it, but then when you read what they say, they are actually saying how awful it is. I watched it because generally if something is badly criticised, then it can be pretty good, and I wondered if it might have something of the charm of Crime Traveller. It was entertaining enough, but lazily made.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ August 14 2010, 2:47 PM BSTI read a terrible review of it somewhere; maybe The Radio Times. I'll probably give it a look, though.
I'm not usually put off by bad reviews but I read that and thought it didn't sound like my cup of char.
Why is this in the 'sitcom' section? It's a comedy-drama or a 'dramedy' as the US calls it, like Chuck or Moonlighting, and isn't supposed to be lumped into the same genre as One Foot in the Grave or The Vicar of Dibley.
It's written by Howard Overman, the same chap who wrote Misfits. For that reason alone it's worth keeping an eye on. My eye's on it.
I am not sure what makes this 'dramedy'; a lot of the jokes struck me as being very sitcom, ludicrous situations that would be unlikely to happen in the real world. The likes of Roger and Val Just Got In or Getting On strike me as being closer to drama.
I think it should be a crime to have a show with this much gender stereotyping going on without being as funny as Coupling.
I feel it says a lot about Toby Stephens that even when the character is spewing some borderline offensive rubbish (like the scene with the guy at the company who they didn't believe was gay first), I still like him.
Still, I didn't turn it off so I suppose it was quite good. Not laugh out loud funny but amusing and I'm one of those pathetic suckers who always go for that "main characters bicker as they work" sort of a thing. For that, and for the fact I enjoyed both leads, I'll continue watching.
Quote: sanniberry @ August 19 2010, 4:33 AM BSTI think it should be a crime to have a show with this much gender stereotyping going on without being as funny as Coupling.
I think that was the point. The male cop especially felt like the writer's attempt to create his own Gene Hunt style dinosaur cop.
About half way through. I quite like it! (Bit similar to something I had planned God dammit to hell).
Good performances from both leads.
Quote: chipolata @ August 19 2010, 9:40 AM BSTI think that was the point. The male cop especially felt like the writer's attempt to create his own Gene Hunt style dinosaur cop.
Some of my annoyance came from the un-PCness of the character but once I figured out that was his schtick and that Toby was actually still quite likable in the role, I was fine with it and fairly amused by it.
Still, the notion of the pathetic, comfort-eating, cat-owning, wine-drinking, self-help-book reading single women was kind of too stereotypical to be amusing. It was funny in Bridget Jones because the character is exaggerated on purpose, which made her comedically silly but in a strange way relatable .. not so much here when it was sort of like, "Well, this is just how some women are" without a sense of irony or exaggeration or anything to make it actually funny.
I don't know. I'll take my feminist grumblings and go rewatch Smack the Pony now.
Quote: sanniberry @ August 19 2010, 3:05 PM BSTStill, the notion of the pathetic, comfort-eating, cat-owning, wine-drinking, self-help-book reading single women was kind of too stereotypical to be amusing. It was funny in Bridget Jones because the character is exaggerated on purpose, which made her comedically silly but in a strange way relatable .. not so much here when it was sort of like, "Well, this is just how some women are" without a sense of irony or exaggeration or anything to make it actually funny.
Yeah, except she had a partner.
I have to say I'm rather enjoying Vexed. Shame that it's been panned so badly by some newspaper critics. But I'm still not put off, looking forward to the next episode, there's a small preview clip on the BBC Comedy page:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/comedy/2010/08/casting-vexed.shtml
A good second episode last night. It's a pity there are only three. It was the same with Sherlock (which was rather bad) and The Great Outdoors. In eight weeks, there's been three whole series of programmes.
Quote: Marc P @ August 19 2010, 3:17 PM BSTYeah, except she had a partner.
Who had a partner? Bridget? The leading female character in Vexed? Was mainly talking about the victims.
Quote: sanniberry @ August 23 2010, 7:40 PM BSTWho had a partner?
yup the leading character,
Watched second episode, One of the best shows I have enjoyed for a while. Great stuff.
I watched the second ep and thought it was ok, sort of funny in places. I can see the characters getting watered down though. Eventually the cop's laziness leading to the death of a patient won't get on screen.
