Quote: Aaron @ July 24 2010, 1:19 AM BSTExcept they're generally Indian, rather than froggy.
I end up saying "What?" several hundred times and feeling like an idiot. 
The IT Crowd 4.0 Page 25
Quote: Godot Taxis @ July 24 2010, 12:14 AM BSTWow, really? I genuinely thought it was beyond poor tonight. Expected this episode to get a real mauling on here - especially the lame joke of the incomprehensible IT support man - and the whole hanging round the Whitgift centre stuff - not to mention the written coda about Roy and the balloon. The episode felt like it had been put together in a day or so from B ideas. There wasn't a single written joke - they were all visual. I realise that Linehan is primarily a visual comedian - and something of a genius at it, but I think the dialogue was barely passable tonight.
This.
I thought last night's episode was dreadful, mainly for the reasons listed above. I know The IT Crowd isn't supposed to be realistic but last night's episode just seemed to be a collection of random events with no real linear narrative.
Quote: Godot Taxis @ July 24 2010, 12:14 AM BSTI genuinely thought it was beyond poor tonight.
But at least aspiring writers can learn from the master.
Problems tying up all the plot points at the end? Just write a little note before the credits saying "That bit with them getting fired wasn't going anywhere" You'll look really zany instead of somebody who seems to have lost the ability to do the one thing you are known for.
Quote: Godot Taxis @ July 24 2010, 12:14 AM BST
One thing the show really lacks is depth of character in my opinion. Mannerisms and tendencies are not character -even in sitcom.
Absolutley. He can't do it tho can he, Linehan, pen characters with more depth than a cardboard cartoon? Or he doesn't want to. He's gone for the super silly as his career model and this pretty much stops him from creating realistic 3D characters. He does do memorable cartoon characters well tho, I give him that. But other sitcom writers' cartoony characters like erm, Partridge or Spencer, they both had a depth to them, the viewers really got to know them.
Linehan wants his sitcoms to be remembered as Linehan's sitcoms, doesn't he, to me he's all about wanting to be unique and not following any convention. So his characters will remain silly and memorable, but flat and thin. I suppose.
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ July 24 2010, 8:55 AM BSTcartoony characters like erm, Partridge
Not cartoony.
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ July 24 2010, 8:55 AM BSTLinehan wants his sitcoms to be remembered as Linehan's sitcoms,
Yes. Yes, he probably does want his sitcoms to be remembered as his.
I was a bit disappointed by the whole French instead of Indian thing. I think Linehan chickened out. Or maybe you have to be brown to get away with Indian, like the bloke from Fonejacker.
Quote: Godot Taxis @ July 24 2010, 12:14 AM BSTOne thing the show really lacks is depth of character in my opinion.
I entirely agree, but I don't think that matters. It's the price you pay for it being a big, silly sitcom with slightly surreal overtones. If the characters had any more depth they'd have to start questioning why their world was so ridiculous. They live in this hermetically sealed bubble that has very little bearing on real life. And that's fine.
Now, I've been a staunch critic of this series. It's been extremely patchy, but I though last night's worked extremely well, and and a lot of funny moments. Yes, there were lazy bits, and lame bits, but overall it worked. At least for me.
Quote: chipolata @ July 24 2010, 11:24 AM BSTa lot of funny moments.
"Let's have a lovely meal in the park."
Cut to Roy wolfing down a bag of chips and Moss attached to a gaming rig playing on his laptop. 
And I loved the bit when Moss realised he didn't have to stay with Roy and the bomb and legged it.
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ July 17 2010, 5:45 PM BSTThat may be part of the reason I feel strangely alienated when I attempt to watch The IT Crowd. I haven't yet seen Spaced (I may view it soon, with an open mind) and I have only seen one episode of Seinfeld, and that was far too much. I do find IT find way too trendy for me, it just looks as though he (Linehan) does not want me, a non 20/30 something with no affinity with pop culture to be part of his trendy, ever admiring, audience. Liked Father Ted and most of Black Books, but this show just leaves me cold. It is not a true sitcom, it is trendy posturing rubbish. IMO
Isn't Linehan in his 40s?
Quote: catskillz @ July 24 2010, 11:12 AM BSTI was a bit disappointed by the whole French instead of Indian thing. I think Linehan chickened out. Or maybe you have to be brown to get away with Indian, like the bloke from Fonejacker.
French! Was that bloke supposed to be French?
I couldn't tell, as the actor clearly was not a native Frenchman.
And when ever did ANYONE in the UK buy a French computer, let alone a control computer for a bomb disposal robot.
German... Maybe... French ... Non!
Quote: billwill @ July 24 2010, 11:40 AM BSTAnd when ever did ANYONE in the UK buy a French computer, let alone a control computer for a bomb disposal robot.
The thing is, you can't mock Pakistani accents, because that's racist. But it's not racist to mock the French, for some reason.
Oh, the computer was meant to be French? I missed the first half of the episode.
Quote: catskillz @ July 24 2010, 12:14 PM BSTOh, the computer was meant to be French? I missed the first half of the episode.
Not exactly, but with Roy & Moss AWOL, Jen phoned an IT Support line (for her computer) & got a 'Frenchman'. Ditto for the bomb disposal man, he got the same unintelligible 'french' IT support man.
I didn't get the idea that the IT support place was supposed to be *in* France. I assumed the rest of the room were English and they just got the unintelligible one.
I didn't even get that he was necessarily French actually, just ridiculously 'foreign'.