TV: Peep Show

[XanBcoo]

http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/6910/markandjez.jpg
NEW SEASON STARTS NOVEMBER 26TH (http://www.channel4.com/programmes/peep-show/episode-guide/series-7/episode-1)

Peep Show (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peep_Show_%28TV_series%29) is a British comedy that started back in 2003. It hands down one of the most consistently funny and best-written shows I've ever seen. It stars David Mitchell as the tragically neurotic Mark Corrigan and Robert Webb as Jez, his pathetic and self-absorbed best friend and flatmate.

Despite a pretty ordinary setup, the show is unique in its presentation. Every scene is shot in first person, and most of the speaking lines are dubbed-in internal monologues provided by the cast.

The situations may border on the contrived, but the dialog is organic and the show offers a certain familiarity in its characters and monologues. We all know a Jeff, a Sophie, a Dobbie. We wish we worked for Johnson and we all know a Super Hans (or at least we did in college). We are Mark and Jeremy. We have felt their unrelenting self-loathing and basked in their celebration over every minor victory. We love and hate them simultaneously, just as we do ourselves.

The stream of consciousness monologues present throughout the show can be appropriately summarized by the opening credits' Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger:

I had visions, I was in them,
I was looking into the mirror
To see a little bit clearer
The rottenness and evil in me

The show is relatively short, with 6 episodes per season. However, it's incredibly dense and there are so many jokes and characters that even by the 5th season it starts to feel like the writers are retreading old ground. Regardless, every single episode is a gem and worth checking out:

Via Hulu: http://www.hulu.com/peep-show
Via Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI0bVERTi1A

It's impossible to pick just a few quotable moments from the show, but here are some good clips for anyone interested in giving this a watch:
Mark cums all in his pants (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWY63LFrb8o)
Mark and Jez go clubbing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH_nTMuFblk)
Jez and the "bad thing" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCL-qnBQzUo)
Jez poisons Mark (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0reOdza_hU0#t=5m28s)

[rockmanj]

Sonovabitch just got into this brit series "Peep Show" from a couple of years ago... the first few episodes are hilarious, then the show gets unbearable fast. Mark starts out likeably awkward but then just turns pathetic after a few episodes. Jeremy is silly for a while then turns obnoxious. At first they're both losers you root for, then you realize there's no hope for them and it's a waste of time and energy hoping they'll prevail. Another promising series that turned out shitty.

Oh, and my laptop just died. Working fine, then turned it off, now it won't POST and just beeps at me. Pulled the harddrive and tried to read it from a USB enclosure... CRC errors. Best guess is a power surge fried the laptop, but nothing else connected to the surge protector was damaged.

Are you serious? I guess it just isn't your cup of tea. That is my favorite show, and it is consistently hilarious, IMO. How much have you seen?

[Animeniax]

Are you serious? I guess it just isn't your cup of tea. That is my favorite show, and it is consistently hilarious, IMO. How much have you seen?

It was my cup of tea up until the 5th episode of season 1. Mark's "am I gay" relationship with Alan Johnson is ridiculous and the Mark character is irredeemable after this. Then episode 6 was pretty good except Mark, in spite of his pathetic ineffectualness, scores his love interest. Likeable losers never score their love interest except in bad tv shows.

I'll continue to watch season 2 in hopes it gets good again, but it will probably be like the Office (US version) after Michael became unbearably stupid circa season 6.

[rockmanj]

The Johnson episode happens to be my favorite out of all of them. I enjoyed the subtle changes Mark made to his physical appearance and attitude as he became more and more enamored with Johnson. It showed how malleable and pathetic he is. I think you are being too harsh by waving them off after 5 episodes of an 8 series sitcom. Maybe it just isn't for you, but I think (Xan does as well, if I recall correctly) it is a brilliant show, and happens to be my #1 show.

[Animeniax]

I'll continue to watch it, but the pathetic wishy-washiness of Mark isn't something I enjoy watching. I did notice the subtle behavioral and appearance changes in Mark, but the gay porn was just too ridiculous. Unfortunately I think I've passed the tipping point where I've lost respect/compassion for Mark, and that will make the series hard to enjoy from here on out.

Cedar allergy season is in full swing in central Texas.

edit:
Season 2: Mark grows a backbone and Jeff has some success, and both grow hair on their balls. The show is worth watching again, hurray!

[rockmanj]

I'll continue to watch it, but the pathetic wishy-washiness of Mark isn't something I enjoy watching. I did notice the subtle behavioral and appearance changes in Mark, but the gay porn was just too ridiculous. Unfortunately I think I've passed the tipping point where I've lost respect/compassion for Mark, and that will make the series hard to enjoy from here on out.

Cedar allergy season is in full swing in central Texas.

edit:
Season 2: Mark grows a backbone and Jeff has some success, and both grow hair on their balls. The show is worth watching again, hurray!

I think you may be the 1st person I have heard of that hated the gay porn scene. To each his own, I suppose.

[Animeniax]

I think you may be the 1st person I have heard of that hated the gay porn scene. To each his own, I suppose.

It was too over the top. Male infatuation is common enough, but actually checking out gay porn to explain feelings you may have about some guy is pretty silly. It's a far cry from the gutsy behavior Mark has shown in season 2 so far.

[rockmanj]

It was too over the top. Male infatuation is common enough, but actually checking out gay porn to explain feelings you may have about some guy is pretty silly. It's a far cry from the gutsy behavior Mark has shown in season 2 so far.

You are the one that said there was no character development after a few episodes...trust me, things change, and change a LOT. You should not be disappointed.

[XanBcoo]

To be fair, I started watching Peep Show mid-Season 2 and watched it through 'til the end (Season 5 at the time). When I went back and watched Season 1 I didn't enjoy it at all. I guess by that point I already had certain assumptions about the characters, but seeing things like Johnson's introduction and Sophie/Mark's first hookups kind of skewed the perspective a bit.

But if you consider Mark "getting the girl" to be a weak point in the show, you're missing one of Sophie's most outstanding character traits, which again, isn't telegraphed particularly well during Season 1.

Seasons 2-4 is the show's peak, if you ask me.

[Animeniax]

You are the one that said there was no character development after a few episodes...trust me, things change, and change a LOT. You should not be disappointed.
True, but I forgot how shows will sometimes retool characters (they retooled the Michael character after the first season of the Office US). Happily, they've done this with Mark so he's more passive aggressive and less passive passive. Now I can really identify with him and like the character.


To be fair, I started watching Peep Show mid-Season 2 and watched it through 'til the end (Season 5 at the time). When I went back and watched Season 1 I didn't enjoy it at all. I guess by that point I already had certain assumptions about the characters, but seeing things like Johnson's introduction and Sophie/Mark's first hookups kind of skewed the perspective a bit. I hate when that happens. Leaves a bad taste in the mouth about the show since the most current episodes you've seen can change your perspective of the entire show.


But if you consider Mark "getting the girl" to be a weak point in the show, you're missing one of Sophie's most outstanding character traits, which again, isn't telegraphed particularly well during Season 1.I was just ranting at that point, upset that the show seemed to be spiraling into formulaity.


Seasons 2-4 is the show's peak, if you ask me.Looking forward to them then. I'm already enjoying season 2 much more than most of season 1.

[Animeniax]

Just started season 3, terrible episode. Mark is disgustingly and unbearably pathetic in this one. I'm going to stop watching this series now.

[rockmanj]

Guess it is not for everyone.