Catastrophe S4

[Icehaven]

I'm finding Rob Delaney's delivery quite trying this series, dunno if he's actually over-Delaneying or it's just me. On the whole it's a bit treading water, think the next series will be the last, but still just about enjoying it. Them living in a huge house in London feels really Richard Curtis-ishly anachronistic too, even more than the last seties.

[Noodle Lizard]

It suffers from the issue of its main plot/selling point having been seen to its resolution already, so it's basically been a traditional sitcom with stock soap opera storylines since then.  It's actually bizarre how little parenthood actually factors into it, given its initial premise.  They skipped over the birth and first few years of the first kid's life, and the kids are very much background characters who sometimes aren't even seen throughout the course of an episode.  Not that I want another Outnumbered or whatever, but it seems odd for a show predicated on an unexpected pregnancy to overlook the results.

The characters/performances make it just about engaging enough to press on with, but they really ought to quit while they're ahead.  Characters like Chris would have benefitted from less prominence.

[up_the_hampipe]

So much banjo. Too much banjo. Funny show though.

[Twed]

I think it's been getting worse each series since S1. 2 was maybe worse than 3, but so far this one has just felt unnecessary and OTT.

[Icehaven]

It suffers from the issue of its main plot/selling point having been seen to its resolution already, so it's basically been a traditional sitcom with stock soap opera storylines since then.  It's actually bizarre how little parenthood actually factors into it, given its initial premise.  They skipped over the birth and first few years of the first kid's life, and the kids are very much background characters who sometimes aren't even seen throughout the course of an episode.  Not that I want another Outnumbered or whatever, but it seems odd for a show predicated on an unexpected pregnancy to overlook the results.

Agree. Although it's highly unlikely I had a mad thought that maybe there was going to be a storyline about one of their children being seriously ill, given what happened with Rob Delaney's son and everything, but I think that's just a combination of them using their real names and my having no idea about parenthood.

[Small Man Big Horse]

I really love it still, it feels like the most real relationship comedy on tv right now, if I've any issues it's that Sharon's been a bit hard on Rob recently. It made sense initially when it came to the secret alcoholism side of things but this week her mockery was a bit harsh.

[metaltax]

I was trying to describe to my girlfriend what happened in last week's episode less than 24 hours after I watched it and couldn't remember anything of note. Pretty much sums up how I feel about this series; nothing happening, not going anywhere.

[The Duck Man]

4 episodes in and we have the first mention (not sighting) of their second child. I genuinely thought they'd just decided to retcon her existence. Plenty of times she should have been present in scenes this series, unless, at best, we're supposed to believe they leave the baby in childcare but take the toddler out with them?

[Bad Ambassador]

Last night's was a very generic episode of Relationship Sitcom. I enjoyed it, and there was some amusing at Rob's trying to get to the party and sitting on the low bicycle, but really its just become Edgy Outnumbered, the original premise of two near-strangers having a child and having to be together having been completely forgotten.

[up_the_hampipe]

What's with these stupid storylines this series? Do they have any direction? The new head of the school leaves a wet patch on her desk. Okayyyy then.

[Twed]

Feels like there's a new arc every episode and it resolves to nothing and is never mentioned again. Also every arc revolves around "somebody might lose their job".

[Bad Ambassador]

Next week's is the last ever episode. Don't tell me you haven't noted the increasing pace of the storyline.

[Icehaven]

Next week's is the last ever episode. Don't tell me you haven't noted the increasing pace of the storyline.

I only got round to watching last week's last night and as it finished actually said out loud ''Well that was pointless.'' I really think they ran out of ideas and their hearts weren't in this at all but they'd already signed up etc. Shame as it started well, but never mind. Maybe in the last ep aliens will descend or they'll all move to Europe for Rob's new job, allowing the potential for an exciting series 5 filmed in Bratislava, when and if they can ever be bothered. 

Has anyone else noticed how (for example at the start of this last episode) Sharon and Rob frequently laugh at each other's jokes, which does partly does the job of showing how they still genuinely like each other and get on together despite everything etc., but also feels strangely as if it's sometimes making up for the lack of a laugh track? It's not a judgment on the jokes themselves, some land some don't and that's subjective anyway, but once you notice it it starts to sit a bit odd, which may be the intention, I can't quite tell.

[MojoJojo]

I only got round to watching last week's last night and as it finished actually said out loud ''Well that was pointless.'' I really think they ran out of ideas and their hearts weren't in this at all but they'd already signed up etc. Shame as it started well, but never mind

To be fair, with Carrie Fisher dying and Rob Delaney's personal tragedy, I think many sitcoms would falter a bit.

But I bailed on this after series 2 as it already felt a bit pointless.

[Bad Ambassador]

The last episode went a bit weird, with an ending the Guardian has been wanking on about being the best series ending since The Sopranos, because they know nothing.

[cliggg]

I just hope that SPOILER the kids aren't dead, why the fuck would they lock them in a car with the windows up on a hot sunny day on a beach in America?

[Twed]

Try color=transparent instead. Didn't know that worked myself until somebody pointed it out to me.

What was the deal with the rip tide warning sign? Just a really clumsy way of saying "ooh look at boring Rob taking a risk". I don't care. That's shit.

I felt the episode was good when I was watching it, but thinking back all I really liked was that people were sad about a real person dying. The stuff with Rob's father just appearing and then being mostly resolved again was typical of the worst of Catastrophe.

Good things: the couples fights are accurate. This has always been one of the things they get really, really right with this.

[Icehaven]

Yeah that last ep was probably the best of the series, and I actually quite liked the ending, not reading too much into it though.

After my various accusations of pointlessness it's actually made me have a slight rethink and give them the benefit that the later series, having moved away from the original premise of 'two strangers accidentally get pregnant then try and make a life together', it became more about the various reasons why people stay together. This episode in particular has a horribly realistic example of the wild swing between the utterly hateful things said during a row and declarations of undying love the next day. Overall I still think it outstayed a bit (and as previously mentioned the last series probably took a proper blow from Delaney's personal tragedy) but I'll just about remember it fondly.

[cliggg]

Try color=transparent instead. Didn't know that worked myself until somebody pointed it out to me

I don't have that as an option, I probably need more posts before I get it. Thanks for the info though I will look out for it and apologies to anyone I may have spoiled things for.

[Twed]

I don't have that as an option, I probably need more posts before I get it. Thanks for the info though I will look out for it and apologies to anyone I may have spoiled things for.

You can just write it in. You don't need to use the buttons. Select whatever you select to make the text white, and then replace the word "white" with "transparent".

[Twed]

This episode in particular has a horribly realistic example of the wild swing between the utterly hateful things said during a row and declarations of undying love the next day.

Well, look at you and your world of stable relationships! (just kidding - to me it is sadly realistic, and "the next day" could easily be "in twenty minutes").

[cliggg]

You can just write it in. You don't need to use the buttons. Select whatever you select to make the text white, and then replace the word "white" with "transparent".

Thanks a lot for the help Twed!

[Small Man Big Horse]

I still really liked the show this year, and didn't have the issues many others did. Thought the ending was a bit shit but hey, I'm going to pretend that they get eaten by a big shark and are definitely dead.

[up_the_hampipe]

I still really liked the show this year, and didn't have the issues many others did. Thought the ending was a bit shit but hey, I'm going to pretend that they get eaten by a big shark and are definitely dead.

With the kids in the hot car? Now they're probably dead too. Nice fantasy, jerk!

[Twed]

With the kids in the hot car? Now they're probably dead too. Nice fantasy, jerk!

Keep talking about this I'm almost there

[Small Man Big Horse]

With the kids in the hot car? Now they're probably dead too. Nice fantasy, jerk!

Absolutely, they were rubbish any way and no one's going to miss them. I mean I can imagine spin-off's based on a fair few characters on the show, but the kids? Nah, bunch of cunts and then some, and didn't do a single funny thing.

[Noodle Lizard]

Finally got round to watching this.  I can't remember if this was always intended to be the final season, but it was certainly weird in its pacing and remarkable lack of plot until they tried to hastily resolve all the subplots in the penultimate episode.  The Scots getting back together made no sense at all, that whole storyline was very clumsily-handled.  I couldn't care less about his American mate, and that subplot similarly fizzled out to nothing at all - I never really liked that character, but he could have at least been utilized to service the main plot a little more effectively.

In fact, all these subplots did just feel like filler, and had little-to-no bearing on the main characters' lives whatsoever.  It's also that weird thing of none of them really belonging there so prominently in the first place - Sharon acts as if she hates and doesn't really know Ashley Jensen's character in the first episode, same with Rob and the American bloke, but pretty quickly they become seemingly their only friends.  I can't imagine that was the plan all along, but at least in earlier seasons it felt like there was a bit of coalescence between those characters and the main arc.

Also, as I mentioned before, the fact that the actual parenthood angle is virtually ignored makes me think they ended up wanting to make a traditional sitcom rather than a show predicated on a couple's accidental pregnancy, so you end up with a 5-person ensemble after they molded all these initially functional side characters into being a "supporting cast" who were basically avatars for story or character elements they couldn't fit onto Rob or Sharon.  It's especially a shame what happened to Chris, who could've been a truly fantastic side character if used more sparingly.

Still, negative as I may seem, I did like the show a lot initially and even at its worst it was never unwatchable.  Glad it existed.