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This Time with Alan Partridge series 2

Started by Wayman C. McCreery, April 14, 2021, 03:31:40 PM

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rue the polywhirl

The new episode is definitely a climb down from series 1. Felt pretty laboured throughout although there were some good laughs near the end. Probably the ropiest thing Steve Coogan had been in since Wind And The Willows.

Retinend

Quote from: Bazooka on May 02, 2021, 12:43:22 PM
I wish I hadn't seen who it is, but the person is from one of my favourite Partridge moments.

same :(

why did i do it?

Retinend

Quote from: rue the polywhirl on May 02, 2021, 04:55:00 PM
The new episode is definitely a climb down from series 1. Felt pretty laboured throughout although there were some good laughs near the end. Probably the ropiest thing Steve Coogan had been in since Wind And The Willows.

"ropey"?!

mjwilson

Quote from: McDead on May 02, 2021, 04:51:41 PM

ETA I thought the body language section was rubbish, and a poor start to the series. The expert was immediately hostile to Alan for no reason, so it had nowhere to go.

Isn't he patronising to her before she's even said anything? Or am I misremembering how that segment starts?

chveik

yeah it was a pretty confusing segment, since there is no science of body langage.

BlodwynPig

I'd like a new series of The Day Today but without any evolution that risks crappy meme culture shit. Basically another 90s The Day Today, please.


Or Bergerac: The Lost Episodes finally getting a release.

finnquark

Caught this last night, and although there were bits that made me laugh, the recurrence of the Simon and Ruth bits was an embarrassment.

DrGreggles

Surprised to see so many slagging the Sidekick Simon bits.
Personally I thought it was hilarious, particularly when he pressed one of three phones to reveal a screen of another ten phones.

Retinend

Quote from: chveik on May 02, 2021, 06:27:25 PM
yeah it was a pretty confusing segment, since there is no science of body langage.

on the other hand, it did the job of characterizing her as someone who operated as an "expert" in the world of business, selling "communication skills" without good academic credentials.

H-O-W-L

Really tired of the Ruth character and Alan's interactions with her though to be honest. The actor is very good, it's not a casting problem, the writing of their interactions is just all wrong. Think it was good otherwise though. Still probably the weaker Partridge show but that still makes it very good. Tim Key is perfect as ever.

pigamus

Quote from: DrGreggles on May 02, 2021, 07:41:08 PM
Surprised to see so many slagging the Sidekick Simon bits.
Personally I thought it was hilarious, particularly when he pressed one of three phones to reveal a screen of another ten phones.

If something goes wrong on live telly, fair enough, but the fact he still can't work the board is just that bit too stupid for me.

BlodwynPig

Quote from: finnquark on May 02, 2021, 07:12:45 PM
Caught this last night, and although there were bits that made me laugh, the recurrence of the Simon and Ruth bits was an embarrassment.

The Ruth bit was very BBC.

DrGreggles

Quote from: pigamus on May 02, 2021, 08:07:47 PM
If something goes wrong on live telly, fair enough, but the fact he still can't work the board is just that bit too stupid for me.

So which phone should he have pressed?

Cuellar

Hope the mystery guest on ep2 is Graham Linehan

McDead

Quote from: mjwilson on May 02, 2021, 05:56:39 PM
Isn't he patronising to her before she's even said anything? Or am I misremembering how that segment starts?

You might well be right, I don't really remember. I kept waiting for the expert to say something about Alan and Jenny's body language - which would also have been a nice way to bring us somewhat up to speed on their status quo - but it didn't really materialise.

I liked Simon's stuff a lot. Childhood obesity and the wall of phones were both good, snappy punchlines. Nice to see the masturbating American from Brass Eye in the monk bit as well. There was a moment when they were comfortably chatting about the film Alien that I really loved.

pigamus


popcorn

Quote from: H-O-W-L on May 02, 2021, 08:04:20 PM
Really tired of the Ruth character and Alan's interactions with her though to be honest. The actor is very good, it's not a casting problem, the writing of their interactions is just all wrong.

I sort of feel the other way round - I think the writing is good and I enjoy each iteration as a sort of puzzle ("how are they going to play with the rules this time?") but I find the actor a bit naff - and beyond that as others have said I'm not sure a recurring sketch kind of thing is really appropriate for Partridge.

Cuellar

I don't think it's the actor's fault really - she's just there to say 'no' to anything Alan says and 'absolutely' to anything Jennie says.

And besides they already did the gag in MMM when Alan gets needled by the news guy for erroneously saying a hurricane was heading for Norfolk when it was heading for Norfolk VA, so when the news guy says he'll be back in '30' Alan says 'He means minutes, failed to specify the unit, bit misleading'

popcorn

Quote from: Cuellar on May 02, 2021, 08:43:30 PM
I don't think it's the actor's fault really - she's just there to say 'no' to anything Alan says and 'absolutely' to anything Jennie says.

yeah but you can act that well or badly! she doesn't totally have the feeling of a convincing BBC reporter to me, in her delivery/timing/etc etc.

bomb_dog

Even after reading the hate on the Ruth bits, it was still funny and made me laugh. Chris Morris and Peter O'Hanrahahanrahan was always a highlight too on TDT, and that was a similar 'recurring sketch'.

The show still jumps between different types of delivery too often, which means it doesn't have much flow though, I agree with that.

Retinend

Quote from: McDead on May 02, 2021, 08:35:37 PMI liked Simon's stuff a lot. Childhood obesity and the wall of phones were both good, snappy punchlines. Nice to see the masturbating American from Brass Eye in the monk bit as well. There was a moment when they were comfortably chatting about the film Alien that I really loved.

And Alan's subtle misuse of "catty".

pigamus

I like the Ruth bits, they don't feel crowbarred in like the Simon and Lynn bits

Echo Valley 2-6809

Quote from: Cuellar on May 02, 2021, 08:43:30 PM
I don't think it's the actor's fault really - she's just there to say 'no' to anything Alan says and 'absolutely' to anything Jennie says.

And besides they already did the gag in MMM when Alan gets needled by the news guy for erroneously saying a hurricane was heading for Norfolk when it was heading for Norfolk VA, so when the news guy says he'll be back in '30' Alan says 'He means minutes, failed to specify the unit, bit misleading'

NEWSREADER: I'll be back in 30 years?

PARTRIDGE: Ideally, yes.

H-O-W-L

Quote from: bomb_dog on May 02, 2021, 09:06:22 PM
Even after reading the hate on the Ruth bits, it was still funny and made me laugh. Chris Morris and Peter O'Hanrahahanrahan was always a highlight too on TDT, and that was a similar 'recurring sketch'.

I think the comparison there is unfair because Christopher Morris went into those encounters in a very parental way rather than just a hostile way like Ruth does. He was like an angry dad admonishing his crap son rather than a newsreader. It was what made the comedy IMO.

Cuellar

Yes, they'd always build to Morris's frustration with Peter's incompetence. They'd start reasonably respectfully.

Quote from: popcorn on May 02, 2021, 09:02:10 PM
yeah but you can act that well or badly! she doesn't totally have the feeling of a convincing BBC reporter to me, in her delivery/timing/etc etc.

You can, I suppose, but there really isn't much of a character to work with. Not like Peter O'hanrahan who was trying to be a proper journalist but failing.

Retinend

to me it's funny because they do the same joke but in a different way each time. Some characters don't have to be complex.

BlodwynPig

Quote from: pigamus on May 02, 2021, 09:11:54 PM
I like the Ruth bits, they don't feel crowbarred in like the Simon and Lynn bits

The ruth bits are wooden. like a punch and Judy show.

BlodwynPig

Quote from: Retinend on May 02, 2021, 09:59:54 PM
to me it's funny because they do the same joke but in a different way each time. Some characters don't have to be complex.

it's overly simple though. Doing a knock knock joke with a different accent doesn't maintain the humour unless the accent is central to the joke and the premise is not funny enough for it to last. Ruth is too one dimensional.

vainsharpdad

#388
When it comes to greatness, the word sitcom has three additional silent syllables - 'character'.

Here, we only seem to have the sit and the com.


Glebe

Missed this when it went out, we don't have iPlayer here but thankfully somebody uploaded it to YT... thought it was fine actually, laughed throughout. Nothing earth-shattering, but a decent start.

Oh yeah, the spoilered returning character in the next episode... looking forward to that.