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Derek: The Special (Xmas Watchalong)

Started by Noodle Lizard, December 04, 2021, 09:48:15 PM

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Noodle Lizard

I imagine many of who were here that fateful December of 2014 can look back on the eagerly-anticipated Derek: The Special with fondness. The anticipation and theorising leading up to it provided some of the biggest laughs I've ever had, and the collective running acknowledgement of the actual result cements its place high up in the CaB pantheon for me.

I believe we tried to do a more general Derek rewatch a while back, but since it's Christmas, I'd very much like to revisit Derek: The Special with you all on a set date and start time. I wouldn't presume to know when works best for you, so perhaps we can come to some agreement.

Hope we can make this communal hate-watch happen. Merry Derkemas to you all!

(It's worth noting, of course, that The Special has very little to do with Christmas at all. It just happened to be released on December 23rd.)

Catalogue Trousers


Old Nehamkin

Things I can remember from the Derek christmas special:

Derek rode a bicycle down a street (in my head it's a tiny little one like Homer rode when he was being Krusty the clown but this is probably a distortion of memory.)

There was an evil [councillor? Businessman? Civil servant?] who wanted to close down or reform the care home, probably for evil reasons.

Hannah finally made the correct and sensible decision of banning Kev from the care home.

Wedding?


I'll try and pop along.

Catalogue Trousers

Inspired by this thread, I went off to hunt down other CaB threads on Derke - there's so much to enjoy in them.

Tragically, I found out that, with the demise of Adobe Flash, so too have expired mbedd's brilliant video parodies of the show.

In commemoration of such genius, I agree that some form of re-watch needs to happen.

Noodle Lizard

@Old Nehamkin - I think you might be mixing and matching some finales there. Derek riding a bike manically down the street was (I think) Season 2's finale, and he's chasing the coroner carrying his dad's body. For some reason.

I don't think there's anyone trying to close down or sanctify the care home in The Special, but there is some inconsequential inspector who comes along while Kev drunkenly starts a fire in the kitchen and Hannah screams at him until he's forced onto the streets, doomed to be hospitalised with alcohol disease within 24 hours. If memory serves, she also visits him in hospital, calls him a cunt and tells him he should just get it over with and die.

Merry Derkemas! #KindnessIsMagic

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: Catalogue Trousers on December 04, 2021, 10:06:57 PMInspired by this thread, I went off to hunt down other CaB threads on Derke - there's so much to enjoy in them.

Tragically, I found out that, with the demise of Adobe Flash, so too have expired mbedd's brilliant video parodies of the show.

In commemoration of such genius, I agree that some form of re-watch needs to happen.

I've revisited those threads more times than I'd like to admit.

This is the page where the Derkemas chatter begins in earnest: https://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=45030.540

Cuellar

Quote from: Catalogue Trousers on December 04, 2021, 10:06:57 PMInspired by this thread, I went off to hunt down other CaB threads on Derke - there's so much to enjoy in them.

Tragically, I found out that, with the demise of Adobe Flash, so too have expired mbedd's brilliant video parodies of the show.

In commemoration of such genius, I agree that some form of re-watch needs to happen.

Ditto - and I also mourn the loss of mbedd's videos :(

Noodle Lizard

Even though I imagine we (and Pilkipedia) have left it alone for a good long while, some of our more modest contributions still remain on Derek's Wikipedia page.

My favourite is still "The viewer is told Derek is kind" in the series description, but each of the individual episode descriptions have some blunt (yet not at all inaccurate) comments about the show's content.

Official Wikipedia synopsis of The Special:

In a 60-minute series finale, filmed at West London Film Studios, Broad Hill prepares for the Hannah and Tom's wedding. A vicar visits the home, but his close-mindedness proves no match for the simple wisdom of Derek. Kev's behaviour proves too much for Hannah. The residents of Broad Hill finally come together in celebration of Hannah and Tom's union as Derek sings an inane song about pudding.

Old Nehamkin

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on December 04, 2021, 10:09:59 PM@Old Nehamkin - I think you might be mixing and matching some finales there. Derek riding a bike manically down the street was (I think) Season 2's finale, and he's chasing the coroner carrying his dad's body. For some reason.

I don't think there's anyone trying to close down or sanctify the care home in The Special, but there is some inconsequential inspector who comes along while Kev drunkenly starts a fire in the kitchen and Hannah screams at him until he's forced onto the streets, doomed to be hospitalised with alcohol disease within 24 hours. If memory serves, she also visits him in hospital, calls him a cunt and tells him he should just get it over with and die.

Merry Derkemas! #KindnessIsMagic

Ha, I guess I remember almost nothing about the Derek christmas special then!

Flicking through that old thread though, I'm reminded that it ended with Hannah and her whispery passive-aggressive merchant navy flip-flopping partner announcing that they were having a baby and they were going to call it Derek, after the show.

Cuellar

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on December 04, 2021, 10:13:24 PMEven though I imagine we (and Pilkipedia) have left it alone for a good long while, some of our more modest contributions still remain on Derek's Wikipedia page.

I think it was me that added this:

QuoteIn this show, Gervais bemoans the harassment he suffers at the hands of autograph-hunters, adopting a 'Derek-like' persona before denouncing 'them' as genetically inferior and 'a gaggle of mongs'.[12]

Which I'm glad is still there, despite the youtube video in the reference having been deleted.

BritishHobo

I'd be up for this. My abiding memory of the special is the slapdash, half-arsed, first-draft, "this'll do" nature of the show being perfectly summed up by the fact that at Hannah and Merchant Navy's wedding there are no family or friends who exist outside of the care home's walls save for Merchant Navy's best man, who is the annoying colleague from the job he gets in that very episode.

What should be funny now is that in the last year I've fallen deeply in love with Brett Goldstein due to the Films to be Buried With Podcast and Ted Lasso. Although that might work well for me in recalling the obsession I had with David Earl at the time of Derek's airing.

Old Nehamkin

Hardly an original observation, but it really is pretty mad that this show happened. I remember back when the original "Derek the --" character was an obscure skeleton in RG's cupboard, something that people on here would sometimes knowingly reference in the Gervais hate threads, in a "bet he wants people to forget this" sort of way. That Gervais ended up doubling down so hard after getting some backlash over his use of slurs on twitter that he actually resurrected the character and put him at the centre of a maudlin comedy-drama with sad piano and Coldplay cues, well, it's just a funny old way for things to have ended up, isn't it.

Cuellar

I know it gets mentioned occasionally in the Linehan threads, but jesus christ can you imagine if he'd gone down the same route as Gervais?

Jumblegraws

So up for this. Would especially like if we could do it on the 23rd at the original broadcast time. Will be watching from a wheelbarrow, special brew in hand.

Ferris

I tried to co-opt the derke watch threads with a solo trek into the material but think I gave up around the season 2 opener.

It is probably less bleak and shit if watching with other people, so I'd consider this.

TommyTurnips

Yeah, I remember there was a Derek re-watch thread a few years ago but everyone kind of gave up before the end of series 1. It was seemingly too hard going.

That being said though, I would be up for giving it a try. Is there a way of watching Derek on Netflix without the algorithm recommending me more mawkish and ham-fisted shite?

Ferris

No - that's the other bastard about this. Netflix thinks to itself "oh you're one of them" and it takes months to dig yourself out of Adam sandler/rob schneider/Ricky gervais recommendations.

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: TommyTurnips on December 05, 2021, 01:10:32 AMThat being said though, I would be up for giving it a try. Is there a way of watching Derek on Netflix without the algorithm recommending me more mawkish and ham-fisted shite?

Perhaps if you create a separate profile and use it just for watching Derek?

Sexton Brackets Drugbust

The previous rewatch attempt demonstrated what a cynical, squalid, grim little show it was.

Watching half an hour a week, then taking the piss on here was an enjoyable experience, but watching every episode in quick succession was absolutely bleak and depressing, plus it really emphasised how it simply hits the same notes over and over.

TommyTurnips

#19
Quote from: Ferris on December 05, 2021, 02:41:31 AMNo - that's the other bastard about this. Netflix thinks to itself "oh you're one of them" and it takes months to dig yourself out of Adam sandler/rob schneider/Ricky gervais recommendations.

Ah shit. To be honest I don't even have Netflix anymore (since they started blocking VPNs so I cancelled my sub in protest). So unless I restart my subscription again, my only real legal option is probably to buy it on dvd. What a weird, dirty feeling that would be. To actually commit to buying Derek on dvd. If I were to hypothetically go to cex and find a copy, I'm not sure if I could look the cashier in the eye.

Spoiler alert
I'm probably going to go and have a browse.
[close]

Edit: Couldn't find it. And there's no way I'm getting it new.

Noodle Lizard

So the original air date and time was December 22nd at 10:00PM, which'll be a Wednesday this year. 60 mins with advert breaks.

How does that suit you all? I'll see if I can figure out a way of hosting a livestream of it myself to save the bother/Netflix profiling.

Ferris

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on December 05, 2021, 10:03:46 PMSo the original air date and time was December 22nd at 10:00PM, which'll be a Wednesday this year. 60 mins with advert breaks.

How does that suit you all? I'll see if I can figure out a way of hosting a livestream of it myself to save the bother/Netflix profiling.

Will be fine for me but have to work out the time that suits everyone. Assume evening for UK cunts but has to be late enough that I'm not drinking drambuie and watching gervais at like 11am

dead-ced-dead

Quote from: Ferris on December 05, 2021, 11:20:45 PMWill be fine for me but have to work out the time that suits everyone. Assume evening for UK cunts but has to be late enough that I'm not drinking drambuie and watching gervais at like 11am

DRAMBUIE!?!?!?! OOOH-HOO-HOO-HOOOO!


Noodle Lizard

Quote from: Ferris on December 05, 2021, 11:20:45 PMWill be fine for me but have to work out the time that suits everyone. Assume evening for UK cunts but has to be late enough that I'm not drinking drambuie and watching gervais at like 11am

It'll be about 2PM for me. Sending the kid to the orphanage in preparation.

Twonty Gostelow

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on December 06, 2021, 12:10:47 AMIt'll be about 2PM for me. Sending the kid to the orphanage in preparation.

MUSIC CUE: Sad piano

Ferris

I'm GMT -4hrs. @Noodle Lizard you're west coast I think? So that's another 4hrs behind me.

If I could get 5pm my time (or later) that would be magic because I'll have got the sprog from nursery and be home by then. That's 9pm for the UK, 1pm for N Lizard (which is not ideal, but Rick is on the west coast so perhaps he'd get involved and that would soften the blow somewhat).

Edit: I've just noticed you included the original broadcast time (10pm) which is where 2pm comes from, and would be 6pm for me which would mean skipping tea with wife and child but for an occasion such as this I believe they'd understand.

Noodle Lizard

Unless I've made a mistake, the original air time of 10pm GMT would be 2pm my time and 6pm yours. Works alright for me!

Kankurette

Thanks for watching Derke so I don't have to.

Catalogue Trousers

And never forget:

Kev made a Robot Grief Dog.

A Robot Grief Dog.

With a sausage for a tail.

And a tea strainer for a paw.

Moribunderast

Warms my heart to see Robot Grief Dog is still a thing. Maybe the only worthwhile contribution I've made to this world.

As much fun as I had watching Derek along with CaB as it first aired, I don't think I have it in me to sit through it again. I tried to do Afterlife as a hate-watch and got one episode in before I just thought "What the fuck am I doing with my time?!" I do think it's greatly under-appreciated by the wider-world how insane this show (and Gervais) is. I've thankfully only met a handful of people who liked it. Not long ago I was trying to describe it to some people (which is an impossible task) and ended up just showing them the scene where Ricky cries as his Real Dog is put down. The reaction of these people seeing Ricky Gervais play (undefined impaired character) and try to elicit tears by exploiting the universal love of dogs and pain of putting them down was something to see! Just pure disdain and contempt for Gervais, which is all the show deserves and is a far cry from the bizarre reactions we'd see and link on here from Twitter, where apparently everyone else was watching a different show which was emotionally resonant and full of sincere wisdom and KINDNESS.