Clumsy, uncharacteristic lurches in plot with Peep-Show-by-numbers lines that wildly missed the mark. It felt like a badly written piece of fan fiction.
I didnt believe for a second that the Mark of the past 8 seasons would be so ridiculously naive. Felt very out of character to me.
Found myself feeling incredibly sorry for Jez for a rare occasion as well! Mark was incredibly horrible to him, so the little denouement at the end did give me a warm feeling.
Though he isnt usually written as so nice and matey, so again kind of dodgy characterisation. New writer this week? As someone above said it felt very fan fiction, characters in very broadstrokes.
I didnt believe for a second that the Mark of the past 8 seasons would be so ridiculously naive. Felt very out of character to me.
Found myself feeling incredibly sorry for Jez for a rare occasion as well! Mark was incredibly horrible to him, so the little denouement at the end did give me a warm feeling.
Though he isnt usually written as so nice and matey, so again kind of dodgy characterisation. New writer this week? As someone above said it felt very fan fiction, characters in very broadstrokes.
It's possible that this episode does have a different writer.
Although the first 4 series were written by Armstrong & Bain, the last 3 series have had a single episode written by Simon Blackwell.
I didnt believe for a second that the Mark of the past 8 seasons would be so ridiculously naive. Felt very out of character to me.
Found myself feeling incredibly sorry for Jez for a rare occasion as well! Mark was incredibly horrible to him, so the little denouement at the end did give me a warm feeling.
Though he isnt usually written as so nice and matey, so again kind of dodgy characterisation. New writer this week? As someone above said it felt very fan fiction, characters in very broadstrokes.
I think that the intention of the episode WAS infact to see what would happen if Mark and Jeremy's usual roles were reversed, but I think they took it too far and made it unbelievable. I could see Mark being fooled by some sort of scam because he was so keen to get his book published but not to the point of handing over £2000 to someone who arranges to meet him at a burger van in a car park.
Also, the final scene, in a garage, was a sort of summing up, extra, 'after-the-event' type joke, which didn't seem very Peep Show-like at all. It seemed surreal, silly, obvious and unbelievable, much more like something I'd expect to see in Chucklevision or a show along those lines.
I've always thought the judo scene at the end of the 'gym episode' was very out of place for similar reasons and also more like something from Chucklevision than Peep Show, (the scene where Mark and Jeremy claim they can hide behind Sophie and Nancy respectively, for ever.)
(I should add that I'm not criticising Chucklevision, I have been a massive fan of that show for around 20 years. They're just very different types of comedy.)
Not a good episode but the past few series have been a bit hit and miss I think and it looks like this one is following the same path.
Think the last few series have generally been good with the odd episode slightly under par.
The first 4 series were pretty much spot on but things seem to have gone slightly sour since series 5. I guess it's because the show has changed a lot in the last few series.
Sophie has become a right misery, they've got rid of JLB, actors for Sophie, Johnson and Big Suze are all unavailable now for this series, Zahra was not a great character in the last series and i think she'll return this series.
These first 2 episodes have disappointed me slightly as i was hoping certain events would develop later in the series but they got cut short pretty quickly.
In episode 1 i was hoping they'd continue Mark and Gerards competitiveness but they then killed Gerard off.
In episode 2 Jeremy gets it on with his MILFy life coach tutor and i hoped she would be his new love interest but then they put the mockers on that idea.
I enjoyed last night's episode but as others have pointed out I couldn't help but think that it should have been Jeremy to fall for the publishing scam, not Mark. Seemed very out of character IMO.
I actually preferred this second episode to the opening episode last week.
I also liked the slight role reversal between Mark and Jez this week.
I guess that over time people do change a bit.
In these two episodes they've shown Mark display a particular kind of arrogance and be quite unlikeable really.
Where with Jez they've shown him disbanding the band with Super Hans (that never really was) and perhaps take stock of his life and try to grow up a bit.
I quite like the direction the characters are taking. As in real life people will change a bit over the course of time at various points in their life. I think it's better than having them as one-note characters all the time.
Need Johnson though. My favourite Peep Show character.
I actually preferred this second episode to the opening episode last week.
I also liked the slight role reversal between Mark and Jez this week.
I guess that over time people do change a bit.
In these two episodes they've shown Mark display a particular kind of arrogance and be quite unlikeable really.
Where with Jez they've shown him disbanding the band with Super Hans (that never really was) and perhaps take stock of his life and try to grow up a bit.
I quite like the direction the characters are taking. As in real life people will change a bit over the course of time at various points in their life. I think it's better than having them as one-note characters all the time.
Need Johnson though. My favourite Peep Show character.
Unfortunately there appears to be no more Johnson this series.
I think that Peep Show peaked with Mark's 'wedding' and has been slowly going down hill since. With the sophie storyline basically resolved, JJB gone and both characters pushing 40 I think the core of the show has been lost. Mark has become an extremely unlikeable character whilst Jeremy appears to have exactly the same story lines he had 10 years ago.
I think that Peep Show peaked with Mark's 'wedding' and has been slowly going down hill since. With the sophie storyline basically resolved, JJB gone and both characters pushing 40 I think the core of the show has been lost. Mark has become an extremely unlikeable character whilst Jeremy appears to have exactly the same story lines he had 10 years ago.
Spot on. I think Peep Show got stronger and stronger for the first three series and series 3 and 4 were it at it's very best.
For me the comedy and the dialogue/jokes in Peep Show are still as strong as ever which is admirable for a show in it's 8th series. However, the storylines from season 5 onwards have let the show down badly (ie after Mark and Sophie's wedding, which you mentioned.)
A comedy can be funny, but it needs strong storylines and good drama to keep people viewing and keep it interesting (The Office and Gavin and Stacey are particularly good recent examples of comedies with very strong storylines as well.)
Peep Show storylines made sense and progressed nicely for the first 4 series, as we saw Mark and Sophie's relationship develop up to the point of their wedding failing on the day itself. The final episode of series 4, (the wedding day) was a brilliant 'will they/ won't they' piece of drama alongside the comedy.
However, from that point on the storylines and plot appear to have been completely directionless. It was like they reset Mark's character and Sophie was just replaced with Dobby and the same plot repeated. I thought the baby being introduced would give the following series an interesting twist as we saw Mark's attempts at fatherhood and Jeremy and perhaps even Super Hans' attempts at babysitting, yet the writers chose to almost disregard the fact that they had made Mark a father and barely included the baby in any episodes at all. They still hardly mention the baby to this day and the tenuous link in the last episode of Jeff collecting the baby from Mark, because Sophie (Olivia Colman) isn't appearing in this series was pretty cringeworthy.
The baby is probably the major example of there being a real disjointed feeling from series to series, it's almost as if the writers have no forward planning in where they are taking the characters. Mark and Jeremy must now be approaching 40 and it is becoming less believable that they would still live in the flat-sharing situation, especially one where we're led to believe Jeremy doesn't pay his fair share of rent.
Jeremy's storylines have also been very samey for some time: A different love interest each series, who he will tell he loves and sleep with very early on in the relationship and then suffer the consequences. They seem to repeat the same Jeremy storylines over and over, things like potential musical breakthrough, new life direction, apparently amazing new job, which turns out to have a twist or he manages to mess up.
It's sad to see what was one of my favourite comedies ever for 4 series, now in such a bad way and it's not just with hindsight that I'm saying they should have perhaps stopped a long time ago. Maybe a Christmas special several years after the failed wedding would have sufficed. Unfortunately, given that it's been this way for 4 series now, I think it is probably way beyond saving storyline-wise and I can't think of any major plot twist or believable direction they could take these two characters forward in.
Mark trying to get Dobby to move in with him and Jeremy to move out is an attempt to grow up though, and even Jeremy and Super Hans have accepted the band is over, and SH has got a job.
Spot on. I think Peep Show got stronger and stronger for the first three series and series 3 and 4 were it at it's very best.
F
It's sad to see what was one of my favourite comedies ever for 4 series, now in such a bad way and it's not just with hindsight that I'm saying they should have perhaps stopped a long time ago. .
Thank God they dont listen to you.
It wasnt a classic but it was still funnier than most anything on TV. Still full of quotable lines
I think we may have a new Johnson in the dodgey publisher
I think that Peep Show peaked with Mark's 'wedding' and has been slowly going down hill since. With the sophie storyline basically resolved, JJB gone and both characters pushing 40 I think the core of the show has been lost. Mark has become an extremely unlikeable character whilst Jeremy appears to have exactly the same story lines he had 10 years ago.
I think that Peep Show peaked with Mark's 'wedding' and has been slowly going down hill since. With the sophie storyline basically resolved, JJB gone and both characters pushing 40 I think the core of the show has been lost. Mark has become an extremely unlikeable character whilst Jeremy appears to have exactly the same story lines he had 10 years ago.
I thought a the end at the book signing, Mark realised his book deal was dodgy, so why did he get the publisher to make a certificate for Jez?? They were remarkably amicable to say he screwed mark out off £2000!
Thank God they dont listen to you.
It wasnt a classic but it was still funnier than most anything on TV. Still full of quotable lines
I think we may have a new Johnson in the dodgey publisher
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that the show still exists, just disappointed that it's not as good as it should be (the "Star Trek Voyager" concept).
Comments
Clumsy, uncharacteristic lurches in plot with Peep-Show-by-numbers lines that wildly missed the mark. It felt like a badly written piece of fan fiction.
Such a shame after last week's excellent start.
Found myself feeling incredibly sorry for Jez for a rare occasion as well! Mark was incredibly horrible to him, so the little denouement at the end did give me a warm feeling.
Though he isnt usually written as so nice and matey, so again kind of dodgy characterisation. New writer this week? As someone above said it felt very fan fiction, characters in very broadstrokes.
Plenty of catchy funny lines like the older series. Has nobody here seen the older episodes?
That was my main problem with it,
This is Mark, who wouldn't have a nectar card because he felt it meant "They've got him"
obviously
It's possible that this episode does have a different writer.
Although the first 4 series were written by Armstrong & Bain, the last 3 series have had a single episode written by Simon Blackwell.
Agree with this. The ep just didn't ring true.
Also, the final scene, in a garage, was a sort of summing up, extra, 'after-the-event' type joke, which didn't seem very Peep Show-like at all. It seemed surreal, silly, obvious and unbelievable, much more like something I'd expect to see in Chucklevision or a show along those lines.
I've always thought the judo scene at the end of the 'gym episode' was very out of place for similar reasons and also more like something from Chucklevision than Peep Show, (the scene where Mark and Jeremy claim they can hide behind Sophie and Nancy respectively, for ever.)
(I should add that I'm not criticising Chucklevision, I have been a massive fan of that show for around 20 years. They're just very different types of comedy.)
Think the last few series have generally been good with the odd episode slightly under par.
The first 4 series were pretty much spot on but things seem to have gone slightly sour since series 5. I guess it's because the show has changed a lot in the last few series.
Sophie has become a right misery, they've got rid of JLB, actors for Sophie, Johnson and Big Suze are all unavailable now for this series, Zahra was not a great character in the last series and i think she'll return this series.
These first 2 episodes have disappointed me slightly as i was hoping certain events would develop later in the series but they got cut short pretty quickly.
In episode 1 i was hoping they'd continue Mark and Gerards competitiveness but they then killed Gerard off.
In episode 2 Jeremy gets it on with his MILFy life coach tutor and i hoped she would be his new love interest but then they put the mockers on that idea.
I also liked the slight role reversal between Mark and Jez this week.
I guess that over time people do change a bit.
In these two episodes they've shown Mark display a particular kind of arrogance and be quite unlikeable really.
Where with Jez they've shown him disbanding the band with Super Hans (that never really was) and perhaps take stock of his life and try to grow up a bit.
I quite like the direction the characters are taking. As in real life people will change a bit over the course of time at various points in their life. I think it's better than having them as one-note characters all the time.
Need Johnson though. My favourite Peep Show character.
Unfortunately there appears to be no more Johnson this series.
Spot on. I think Peep Show got stronger and stronger for the first three series and series 3 and 4 were it at it's very best.
For me the comedy and the dialogue/jokes in Peep Show are still as strong as ever which is admirable for a show in it's 8th series. However, the storylines from season 5 onwards have let the show down badly (ie after Mark and Sophie's wedding, which you mentioned.)
A comedy can be funny, but it needs strong storylines and good drama to keep people viewing and keep it interesting (The Office and Gavin and Stacey are particularly good recent examples of comedies with very strong storylines as well.)
Peep Show storylines made sense and progressed nicely for the first 4 series, as we saw Mark and Sophie's relationship develop up to the point of their wedding failing on the day itself. The final episode of series 4, (the wedding day) was a brilliant 'will they/ won't they' piece of drama alongside the comedy.
However, from that point on the storylines and plot appear to have been completely directionless. It was like they reset Mark's character and Sophie was just replaced with Dobby and the same plot repeated. I thought the baby being introduced would give the following series an interesting twist as we saw Mark's attempts at fatherhood and Jeremy and perhaps even Super Hans' attempts at babysitting, yet the writers chose to almost disregard the fact that they had made Mark a father and barely included the baby in any episodes at all. They still hardly mention the baby to this day and the tenuous link in the last episode of Jeff collecting the baby from Mark, because Sophie (Olivia Colman) isn't appearing in this series was pretty cringeworthy.
The baby is probably the major example of there being a real disjointed feeling from series to series, it's almost as if the writers have no forward planning in where they are taking the characters. Mark and Jeremy must now be approaching 40 and it is becoming less believable that they would still live in the flat-sharing situation, especially one where we're led to believe Jeremy doesn't pay his fair share of rent.
Jeremy's storylines have also been very samey for some time: A different love interest each series, who he will tell he loves and sleep with very early on in the relationship and then suffer the consequences. They seem to repeat the same Jeremy storylines over and over, things like potential musical breakthrough, new life direction, apparently amazing new job, which turns out to have a twist or he manages to mess up.
It's sad to see what was one of my favourite comedies ever for 4 series, now in such a bad way and it's not just with hindsight that I'm saying they should have perhaps stopped a long time ago. Maybe a Christmas special several years after the failed wedding would have sufficed. Unfortunately, given that it's been this way for 4 series now, I think it is probably way beyond saving storyline-wise and I can't think of any major plot twist or believable direction they could take these two characters forward in.
Thank God they dont listen to you.
It wasnt a classic but it was still funnier than most anything on TV. Still full of quotable lines
I think we may have a new Johnson in the dodgey publisher
Yes, I think I agree...
You mean JLB?
Was confused by that bit.
Still good to have the show back.
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that the show still exists, just disappointed that it's not as good as it should be (the "Star Trek Voyager" concept).