Paul Fuzz Presents: Flew In From Miami Beach BOAC
Friday, September 15, 2006
  Extras: Good. Gervais: Shmuck
'Extras' was pretty funny & Cheggers is the new Pacino. But.

I'm bored as hell with Gervais. Guess what? Here's why, y'all.

.1. Patronising attitude towards Cheggers / Les Dennis. Like, yeah, you've saved 'em, Gervais. Well done. Saved 'em from degrading themselves with light entertainment and making lots of people happy on popular shows. I mean, shit, these cats were nobody without you, huh? And now look at 'em! On a high-brow, artistically accomplished auteur vehicle prime time show beloved of critics around the world! They should be kissing your feet in thanks, right? Jeez.

.2. Bile directed at 'broad' comedy. Shit, did you see last night's show? That bit with Jensen kissing Orlando Bloom in front of her annoying friend (herself one of the most caricature-ish, unrealistic Gervais creations yet)? The Jensen /annoying friend bit with the 'hilarious misunderstanding' about which stage hand guy fancied her? If this ain't broad I don't know what it is. When the ugly stage hand guy turned round there shoulda been a trumpet parp.
Meeoo-wah! I mean, Gervais can mumble all he wants about how Extras is intentionally an exercise in broad-er comedy than The Office, but the truth is that he sweats hate for traditional sit-com techniques from every pore, and scenes like these can at the very least be decribed as Gervais having his cake & etaing it too.

.3. Bile directed at The BBC. Inexplicable. The BBC made Gervais an international star. Allowed him to do pretty much whatever the hell he wanted. And he paints the Head Of Comedy as some sorta Hitler-esque evil. Where is this anger coming from? Where does he get the nerve? I mean, just be grateful you didn't have to go through the sorta crap your character here has to. It must be nice being an auteur, huh? Enjoy it! Lighten up! You ain't got nothin' to be mad about!

.4. Bile directed at The Public. AKA: The Ugliest Glimpse Of Gervais' Soul We've Had So Far. The scene with the audience dressed in sit-com catchphrase T-shirts, (nice device, Gervais, real subtle) laughing unthinkingly like the dumbasses they are at Gervais' character's catchphrase. YEAH! These people are SCUM, right, Gervais? Chavvy automatons grovelling in the swill of light entertainment, right? You can feed 'em any old shit and they'll just keep on' eatin', right? These people don't DESERVE Extras and The Office do they? Holy crap. It's one thing to dump on the BBC and Cheggers. It's another to dump on us. Unbelievable snobbery, frightening loathing of the public. (You could argue of course that the people really dumping on the public are the people putting out low-brow Dinnerladies-type garbage he pastiches, but Gervais is kidding himself if he thinks his attitude is any better.)

.5. Obscene arrogent self-indulgence. If I wanted to watch 30 minutes of Gervais bitching and whining about sit-comology, I'd borrow a tape of that Gervais / Larry David Self Congratulatory Back Slapping Smug-In from last year. I mean, seriously. We're all perfectly aware of Gervais' opinion of mainstream gentle comedy. We don't need him to write an entire show about it. This idea that there is BAD comedy & GOOD comedy is just pure jive.

Fundementally I enjoyed Extras, I laughed a couple of times, I thought Cheggers and Barry and Orlando were excellent, and I really like Jensen. But there was much here I found unforgivably self-regarding, bitter and wromg-headed.

Also check out Anna Wait's blog for a wider overview of the whole evening's comedy viewing.

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Comments:
You're right on all counts, and I really hope it doesn't infect the show for too long...
 
Howdy Mr Holy Hoses. I assure you that whatever arrogent arseiness you offloaded here in the past is long forgotten. Thanks for the kind words. Along with many fave blogs of mine I would have put you on my 'favourite places' list ages ago, but I don't know how. Anna put up the few I have got when I started blogging. I'll figure it out at some point I guess.
 
Paul - Simon's blog does indeed deserve to be on your list, I shall help you update soon. :)
 
Great post. I'm a Gervais fan so i was obviously attracted to it instantly. The comments you have on the episode are probably correct but i don't think he was being as bile as you think. You see, the whole catchphrase thing has got ludricously out of control and i can understand his distaste in it as i feel exactly the same. Maybe he just stretches the joke a little too far?
 
God, what is it with you boys?! How come you can't work out how to add to your roll?! I'll help out any way I can!!!
 
Some good points, but it all remains at least 4560 times less offensive than the smugness of Jimmy Carr...
 
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