Derek Rewatch

[Lemming]

Was about to do this tonight to get in before DerkeDay, but it's too much to take. Next week will just have to be some kind of nightmarish back-to-back affair.

Is there some kind of roll call we can do to check who's still in for this pain-a-thon?

[trueusername]

We don't have the budget to hire some entertainer for 2 hours, while the Mac monitor was filling the shot. Poetic. Also let's do a Duran Duran theme party with lights and costumes. Bloody hell I'm pretty sure you can find someone to work for that price. There was one of those rappers they have now in the show, and Gervais writes a tough black dude the only way he knows it. Like it's Tim from the Office being awkward around people.

[rue the polywhirl]

I kinda steamrollered through the complete series already and to be totally honest I enjoyed a fair whack of it. Mid season of 1 is kinda boring and there is the biggest prolapse of quality at the beginning of series 2 when Karl quits the show from which it never really regathers itself but the robot grief dog is legit the funniest thing I've seen in ages. The two things that kept me glued to the show were Ricky Gervais's sideways mugging to the camera which was Herculean in its constancy and the overuse of Einaudi and Coldplay which quickly became mantra-like. All of it is like watching a Guinness Record attempt at the hackiest, laziest, most insincere fusing of comedy and drama but there is something quite joyous to behold about that as well.

[madhair60]

Series 1, Episode 5, let's Derke it to the limit

[Cuellar]

Mid season of 1 is kinda boring

This has been the main realisation from watching it again. Most of the time I'm just thinking 'oh god I don't CARE this is boring as fuck'. But I suppose that's a symptom of the lazy writing and seeming lack of interest in anything approaching character or plot on the part of the writer.

[madhair60]

Well this died on its arse.

[FredNurke]

If only Gervais would follow suit.

[Ferris]

Once a week is too infrequent, I forgot about it tbh. Kick it into gear, one a day

[Lemming]

It seemed like everyone else had dropped out, and there's no point in just sitting there and watching Derek without the backing of a community to journey through the nightmare together.

Imagine just sitting and choosing to watch Derek, alone. Desolation.

[Danger Man]

It was only really watchable when you didn't know what was coming.

Knowing in advance that it's a pile of shit (until robot dog) turned it into a chore.

[Ferris]

I've never seen it, so I'm going to bravely plow on. Forlornly posting my thoughts into the void.

[Nice Relaxing Poo]

It was only really watchable when you didn't know what was coming.

For me it would only be watchable if I suddenly stopped loathing Ricky Gervais with a passion. That cunt truly sets my teeth on edge

[Ferris]

Right, wife is out so I'm getting stuck back in. Finishing episode 5 (I must have switched it off, Netflix reckons I have 7 minutes left). Ruining Radiohead for me, which is not ideal.

Matey is drawing on crabs. Christ, this is bad.

Edit: final punchline was "cunt" because she has a nice house, while Radiohead plays (again) over a "heartwarming" montage of an elderly woman meeting her real family of confuses old codgers.

Onto the finale!

[Steven]

It was only really watchable when you didn't know what was coming.

Then a mass re-watch by the time you're all in old people's homes with alzheimer's might be on the cards? Looking at Gervais' mental health, I imagine you won't have to even watch Derek by then as he may very well be a resident himself if the Hollywood stuff dries up.

[Ferris]

Ah Christ, this isn't the finale - there's another one!

Here comes the rapper. Made it 30 seconds before a bit of Gervaisian cod-racism, but done with the veneer of irony so it's fine!! Haha!!!

[Ferris]

Finished the last 7 minutes of ep6, dreadful stuff.

About to put the finale on while I clean the kitchen. "You're brilliant, bruv". Fucking hell

[Ferris]

This is so mawkish and manipulative it's actually making me angry.

Edit 1: Why is the handyman at a residents funeral? Or, indeed, the drunk bloke who hangs around?

Edit 2: Was there anyone in the production room who said "maybe the 3rd long camera pan through gravestones while the patented SAD PIANO plays might be a bit too 'on the nose' for the combination funeral/cloying pathos talking heads/returning parent out of nowhere? Maybe we'll limit it to 2?". Apparently not.

Edit 3: first genuine laugh - Gervais finishing a sentence, then a long shot of him doing his "Derek" walk shuffling off into a church, mad stuff. And now a bit of Coldplay over a funeral montage - hey Ricky, sometimes less is more. These monologue talking head bits are ridiculous.

Edit 4: "Tears stream down your face" wails Chris Martin as we get the shot of people with tears streaming down their face, followed with "when you lose something you cannot replace" as we get a shot of (presumably?) the daughter who lost their mum and you can't replace that eh?. I'd like them to do a whole episode of shots of things that song lyrics are describing, intercut with the sex-offender one making off colour remarks. Peak-Derek.

Edit 5: properly laughed at the "could it be woooooorse?" Coldplay lyric because the image we got was the husband look pensive at his wife's funeral and it was like getting his inner monologue, but his inner monologue is very high pitched with a Hammond organ.

Edit 6: the closing montage of "Derek is kind" was amazing. It was like the bit in Darkplace where episodes were too short so they put it all in slo-mo to make up the time.

Blimey, all done. That was a sight to behold. I'm absolutely going to keep going, a lone pilot flying on a solo mission into the darkness of Derek.

[Ferris]

Actually, I'm not going to watch any more of this unless there's a community rewatch. I just derive no pleasure from it, alas. It's far too bad to be "haha funny" bad. It's just unpleasant and grating. 8 minutes into the opener for series 2 is where I plant my flag. This far shall I go, and no further.

[St_Eddie]

Actually, I'm not going to watch any more of this unless there's a community rewatch. I just derive no pleasure from it, alas. It's far too bad to be "haha funny" bad. It's just unpleasant and grating. 8 minutes into the opener for series 2 is where I plant my flag. This far shall I go, and no further.

I would join you for a rewatch but like you say, the show's far too bad, for it to be worthwhile.  I enjoyed reading your write-up though.

[Ferris]

I would join you for a rewatch but like you say, the show's far too bad, for it to be worthwhile.  I enjoyed reading your write-up though.

I'm glad you enjoyed it - some good has come of all this.

MadHair mate, you're on your own with this rewatch unless you can rustle up some more sadists to watch along with series 2

[The Lion King]

I went and watched it all in about a week earlier in this thread as couldn't wait about. It's easier to tear off the plaster quickly. I watched them out of sequence with Spanish subtitles and was ill at the time and I don't think I want to do it again as I believe the symptoms may have been derek related