Hey guys. Huge 8itch (Thomas) doesn’t think he’ll be able to get an article up today, so to tide you over, here’s another one of my articles from my old blog. Enjoy!
Needless to say, British people are awesome. They make great over-the-top bad guys and always seem to be the most unlikable of “villains” in most romantic comedies. Unless, of course, they’re the ones seducing our women (which still makes them villains in most guys book :P).
Most importantly, British people know how to make people laugh. Anyone who’s watched anything by Monty Python is well aware of this. So when I went into watching The Inbetweeners, my first modern British comedy series, my standards were incredibly high.
So how’d it do? Let’s just say I put everything else on hold until the series was done, and then proceeded to watch it again.
The premise of The Inbetweeners is far from complicated. Four boys in high school try to do the impossible: get laid. Really, that’s it. There’s really nothing more to the show (with the exception of a possible satirical point in “Work Experience” about the views of the upper-middle and lower classes, but given the tone of the rest of the show, I have to believe it was an accident), but that’s part of what makes the whole experience so much fun. It’s truly a show in which the audience is asked not to think but to enjoy. And boy, is it enjoyable.
Simon Bird plays Will McKenzie, a newcomer to the school who had to drop out of private school because his dad left his mom and took away much of their financial security. Don’t worry if that sounds serious to you, the other boys in his group make fun of it (especially since his mom is supposedly hot; I honestly don’t notice looks since my girlfriend and I fell in love, but hey, if the actors find her hot, you probably will too). In fact, every piece of drama that adds character to the show is presented in such a lighthearted way that you don’t get bogged down by the drama and can instead focus on the laughs. It’s nice to see a comedy remembering its a comedy (I’m looking at you, latest season of Entourage).
Anyway, as the main protagonist who provides the internal monologue for the series, you expect him to play the straight-laced boy to whom all the ridiculous events occur, but that isn’t really the case. In all actuality, he may be the worst character in terms of morals in the show. He’s obnoxious, pretentious, has no respect for his fellow man (or woman, to be honest). It’s hard to root for good things to happen to such a (and let’s be reasonable about this) a massive t***, which is why the series is so satisfying when things inevitably go horribly wrong.
Will’s pretentiousness is matched by Jay Cartwright (played by James Buckley), an incredibly insecure teen who makes up the most ridiculous of stories to seem cool. Unless, of course, you truly believe he lost his virginity at the age of eight and routinely has threesomes while on vacation in a trailer park.
Blake Harrison plays my personal favorite, Neil Southerland. Neil is simply the biggest idiot in all of London. One of the funniest moments in the series came in the third episode (“Thorpe Park”) where Neil was entirely unaware that his fellow coworkers taking his clothes meant they were hazing him and proceeded to entirely gross out his friends. It’s a wonderful scene from start to finish. Episodes in which Neil plays a significant role are automatically better as a whole than those without.
Joe Thomas rounds out the main cast as Simon Cooper. Simon is actually the character you would think Will would be (that is to say, a reasonable human being). As a hopeless romantic, you can’t help but root for Simon to be successful in his exploits, and you can’t help but share his frustration with his friends’ horrible advice that usually ends up thwarting his plans.
Emily Head plays Carly D’Amato, Simon’s love interest. She does a great job of alternating between being intrigued by him and his charming personality and being disgusted with the things that he does under the guidance of his friends. The two have great chemistry that truly comes across well throughout the episodes.
None of the five actors above have large resumes (or, really, any resume; understandable, given they are teenagers) but that may be the reason the show works so well. You truly feel as if the show is simply following four slightly-below-average teenagers on their quest to get laid, and thus the show works. The concept is brilliant, and the actors deliver in such a way as to make me convinced that their script writing process (for which the writers ought to be congratulated; the dialogue is some of the most realistic I’ve ever seen, which was greatly appreciated) was merely the five of them discussing their interactions of the day.
Greg Davies is the only actor with significant roles previously; he plays the school’s headmaster, Mr. Gilbert. His comedian background shines through as he consistently steals every scene in which he is present. Balancing his need for Will to do things for the school and his overall disgust with Will’s character is executed perfectly, and he appears just often enough to be properly utilized without overusing him and losing what makes the character special.
While I love this show, there are some noticeable complaints. The show is very one-note, and if you didn’t like the joke the first time, you probably won’t enjoy it the fiftieth time either. The Inbetweeners is also built on the same sex and potty humor that most twelve year olds find hilarious at times. While the show possesses far greater wit as a whole, there were moments that made me feel as if the show was beneath me (though there is no possible better vomit scene than the one from “Bunk Off”. I don’t want to give it away, but it’s really freakin’ funny. Just saying).
If you’re looking for high brow humor, look elsewhere. But if you’re looking for a fun way to spend an afternoon, The Inbetweeners is a great option. There were only eighteen episodes, each about 24 minutes long, so it’s more than easy to catch up. If any of you give it a try, let me know in the comments. 🙂
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