This Time with Alan Partridge series 2

[BlodwynPig]

I'll agree the sidekick simon bits really dont hit with me, but to be honest I just dont like sidekick simon anyway.

You remind me of Sidekick Simon in many ways ;)

For me, this episode was the pinnacle of British comedy, possibly of all time. The greatest monument to mirth known to human kind. Treasure it. It's only downhill from here. It was the Bergerac in London episode of comedy (connoisseurs of that series will know what I mean).

[thr0b]

I noticed a bit of softening of Jennie's attitude to Alan last night. Just before she worked out he'd complained about her.

Ditto Ruth - the off-camera stuff was friendly workplace chat. Nothing as uncomfortable as they do "on air". 

[BlodwynPig]

I think she couldn't wait to get away from him early doors...not much softening and outright hatred by the end

[tarmac]

That's an incredible stretch to make.  Somehow I doubt that Alan would be really keen to use the false name that he provided to the police illegally in a past transgression, as a pseudonym on a live broadcast.  Maybe he hopes the police officer who cautioned him is watching and will remember?

I justified it in my own head as whoever produced the utensil graphic "in-universe" (which presumably wasn't AP himself), had heard the police story and was slipping in a little dig at him.

[PeterCornelius]

I've got a crush on Jennie - she's a sweetie.

[gilbertharding]

Sidekick Simon absent-mindedly lip-synching the autocue was one of the comedic highlights of the episode if you ask me. I liked it because it was funny - an opinion I formed because the sight of it made me laugh.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Didn't bother watching the second one. Is it still the case that, despite wanting it to be funny, it isn't really that funny? At points you almost feel like forcing out a chuckle because you realise you haven't laughed once during the entire program. A gentle smirk at something doesn't really cut it.

[DrGreggles]

Sidekick Simon absent-mindedly lip-synching the autocue was one of the comedic highlights of the episode if you ask me. I liked it because it was funny - an opinion I formed because the sight of it made me laugh.

"The pie don't lie!"

[PeasOnSticks]

Also got Day Today vibes from the prison bit (especially 'Loose Screws'). And the overdubbed clarification of 'nosh' was very Welcome to the Places/Scissored Isle. Nero Costa great, as has been mentioned.

Alan's presenting seems to have got more competent in this series - not such a jarring shit-show as in series 1. Best Ruth bit so far, because they went somewhere different with it and we got some of those lovely glimpses into Alan's life (and mental state). Joe B was well-handled and yeah, the end credits sequence was lovely.

All in all, a good episode. If the Sidekick Simon bits become less formulaic (a la Ruth yesterday) that'll be a plus. They really do pack these episodes full, don't they? Lots of nice details, though on the other hand it still sometimes feels a touch over-stuffed/over-honed.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Didn't bother watching the second one. Is it still the case that, despite wanting it to be funny, it isn't really that funny? At points you almost feel like forcing out a chuckle because you realise you haven't laughed once during the entire program. A gentle smirk at something doesn't really cut it.

Why don't you watch it to find out for yourself? No point asking anyone else.

[mr. logic]

Didn't bother watching the second one. Is it still the case that, despite wanting it to be funny, it isn't really that funny? At points you almost feel like forcing out a chuckle because you realise you haven't laughed once during the entire program. A gentle smirk at something doesn't really cut it.

No.

[BlodwynPig]

Didn't bother watching the second one. Is it still the case that, despite wanting it to be funny, it isn't really that funny? At points you almost feel like forcing out a chuckle because you realise you haven't laughed once during the entire program. A gentle smirk at something doesn't really cut it.

Possibly the greatest comedy half-hour of all time. You can stay dumb or join the fun.

[olliebean]

Did nobody else find the canned laughter during the Joe Beasley bit jarring? We've seen the size of the in-studio audience, but suddenly the sound of a much larger audience was dubbed on.

[pigamus]

Possibly the greatest comedy half-hour of all time.

Unquestionably

[easytarget]

Is there an official name for that utensil sorting method. I'm sure back in my programming days we used a similar type of bubble sort.

It's a bit, but not exactly, like an Least Recently Used cache.

[badaids]

I enjoyed it again this week.  The episodes are always packed. The bit with the eye looking out of the peephole was my favorite.  I wonder if it was scripted or they thought of it on set.

But I'm with those that think there's something awkward about it.  I don't think it's the format in this series, that has settled and figured itself out, and in any case I'm used it.  It's the acting in this series.  Many of the actors seem to be quite unnatural, too affected or over egging it, and there is an awful lot of mugging.  For some bits I find it hard to believe that that was the best take.  The head monk and the body language expert last week.  This week it was the same in the prison, and there was a record for mugging to camera.  But there are still far more good bits than ropey bits.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

This is a difficult show to dissect and reach a firm conclusion on as there are some laugh out loud moments, but my sense is that overall the quality is falling away, and there are some eyebrow raising bits where you wonder why an entire team of people can't see it doesnt work, or is just sloppy, like a rehearsal or a first take.

Also I've had enough of the same joke repeating in each segment. Simon can't work the board, Ruth contradicts Alan all the time, Alan says something demeaning to Lynn.

Again the best part is the stuff outside the studio. The prison stuff was good and the unnecessary graphics for Alan's drawer system was going back to classic material.

Cheeky monkey bit was alright.

Such a mixed bag and it seems to waste the character being stuck on these rails.

[Utter Shit]

Alan being demeaning to Lynn is hardly a repeating joke, it's the entire dynamic of their relationship as established over the course of 25 years across a variety of formats.

I didn't think this week's episode was that great, but as with the last series it seems like every episode gets a variety of reactions with everyone thinking different bits were great/shit.

With most comedies I feel like there is a clear consensus most weeks on whether an episode was better or worse than usual, but that doesn't seem to be the case with this at all.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that loads of people on here really enjoyed the last episode and thought it was one of the best in the entire run, because I thought it was a bit subpar but am now inclined to think I should watch it again and see if I get more out of it.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Alan being demeaning to Lynn is hardly a repeating joke, it's the entire dynamic of their relationship as established over the course of 25 years across a variety of formats.

Oh sorry yes as someone who has watched and heard more or less everything Partridge based over those 25 years I hadn't noticed that, thanks so much for pointing it out.

[Utter Shit]

Exactly, so it's weird that you have misinterpreted that element of This Time. It's not the same joke every time at all, certainly not in the same way the Ruth stuff is. I wouldn't even say it's the same theme each time - sometimes he's criticising her, sometimes they are conniving to improve his position on the show, sometimes he's even nice to her.

[Bazooka]

Pound for pound the best of the lot, but every studio section I'm really not laughing much.

The special report segments are just superior in every facet, and where Coogan's and the Gibbon's co-writing really worked on Places of My Life and Scissored Island is demonstrated. Sidekick Simon's incompetency was done so much more subtly and effectively on Mid Morning Matters, now it's just; here we go guess what, he's going to fuck up and Alan will say "Mate".

Mock The One Show is all just a bit moribund for me, I know it's a 25 minute show, but the rushed nature of it just seems to suffocate the tone, which probably doesn't make much sense.

[popcorn]

Did nobody else find the canned laughter during the Joe Beasley bit jarring? We've seen the size of the in-studio audience, but suddenly the sound of a much larger audience was dubbed on.

I did notice that. I find the way the edges of the Alan Canon don't quite fit together intriguing and it doesn't bother me, though you could explain that away as in-universe nervous audience laughter reacting to the terrible standup routine.

[oy vey]

Also I've had enough of the same joke repeating in each segment. Simon can't work the board, Ruth contradicts Alan all the time, Alan says something demeaning to Lynn.

I loved that episode but they have to get Simon the fuck away from the board already (agreed on more of the likes of that car-crash fashion segment from S01E06). I think the problem with Alan/Lynn is that there isn't enough to make it past the usual tropes. At this point I'm praying for 10-15 minutes of Alan/Lynn just to get a decent dig back into it. They remain the de-facto pairing for me.

[Antiseptic Poetry]

I enjoyed the second show - not sure why it's getting such criticism. Several big laughs for me, especially the prison part.

Another highlight no one's mentioned; Sidekick Simon standing awkwardly to the side mouthing Alan's autocue words after his segment had ended.

[BlodwynPig]

This is a difficult show to dissect and reach a firm conclusion on as there are some laugh out loud moments, but my sense is that overall the quality is falling away, and there are some eyebrow raising bits where you wonder why an entire team of people can't see it doesnt work, or is just sloppy, like a rehearsal or a first take.

Also I've had enough of the same joke repeating in each segment. Simon can't work the board, Ruth contradicts Alan all the time, Alan says something demeaning to Lynn.

Again the best part is the stuff outside the studio. The prison stuff was good and the unnecessary graphics for Alan's drawer system was going back to classic material.

Cheeky monkey bit was alright.

Such a mixed bag and it seems to waste the character being stuck on these rails.

Fucking humourless take - it was the greatest bit of TV I've ever seen. Pure peak 90s standard. But you were a baby then so don't have that affinity. Mid 2000s Keane is your benchmark.

[markburgle]

Spoiler alert

The reveal that Beesley is a stand-up bloke who wanted to help Alan.

[close]

I didn't see it like that at all. I got the impression he was continuing to fuck with Alan during the credits by seeming to do a 180 and act nice, that the offer of help was passive aggressive.

Anyone not liking this show can surely take consolation from the thought of what a brilliant backdrop it will make for vol. 2 of I, Partridge at some point.

[oy vey]

Beesley is like someone who grabs you in a head lock after you play a practical joke on them, laughing about what a scoundrel you are, and yet squeezing a little too hard for too long. I think he wanted to help and fuck with Alan - he's a wounded old fuck. That whole segment was superb.

[lazyhour]

To people complaining about Sidekick Simon and Ruth both being repetitions of the exact same joke:

- Ruth's segment in episode two was completely unlike any previous Ruth segment in that it was all about the data collected on Alan's ankle bracelet, not a disagreeing back-and-forth.

- Simon's segment in episode two was completely unlike any previous Simon segment in that it was about Simon's misunderstanding of the research he was tasked with doing, not his inability to work the screen (which he did flawlessly).

[olliebean]

I think this episode had Ruth agreeing with Alan for the first time ever, didn't it?

[Norton Canes]

No