"Better a fallen rocket than never a burst of light."
~ Tom Stoppard, The Invention of Love

Monday, October 7, 2013

Fortysomething: Series 1, Episode 1 (2003)


Fortysomething is a show I saw a few years prior to Capaldi Fall.  By the time I did, I was familiar enough with PC that he'd become Peter Capaldi rather than Hey!-It's-That-Guy (from In the Loop.)  Watching the show again, I'm still not entirely sure what I think of it.
 
At the center of Fortysomething is Paul Slippery, a put-upon husband, father, and doctor.  Feckless in all aspects of his life, Paul is constantly beset by various doubts and sinking feelings.  He's worried that his wife has “become” a lesbian, his three sons won't do a thing he tells them to, and he's afraid of being edged out at work.  Oh, and he suspects that he's starting to go mad.
 
PC is a regular on Fortysomething, playing a fellow doctor at Paul's practice.  Dr. Ronnie Pilfrey considers himself to be a highly self-assured, cutting-edge doctor of the 21st century.  Episode 1 finds him lecturing Paul on alternative healing and the benefits of digital medicine.
 
Pilfrey is an amusing, if broad, character.  He drips with cockiness, and everything about him screams “snot-nosed prick.”  His best scene in this episode comes in his laughable attempt to console a deceased patient's loved one, insisting that death, in this case, was the ideal option.
 
Hugh Laurie, pictured above, was my original reason for watching Fortysomething.  Just a year before he played House, he starred in this show as a doctor of a very different sort.  Also, Paul's oldest son is played by none other than a young Benedict Cumberbatch.  As if the red hair wasn't enough to make him seem like a completely different person, I was shocked at hearing his voice this time around.  Nowhere near as low as the Rickman-esque tones I've grown accustomed to (I saw Fortysomething before Sherlock.)  I wonder if it was for the character, of if he genuinely used to sound like that.
 
Accent Watch
 
Scottish doc!
 
Recommend?
 
In General – So far, I'd be hesitant to say yes.  My opinion might improve as I continue in my rewatch, but it feels to me like a number of excellent actors doing what they can to sell shaky material.  Check back in when I finish the season.
 
PC-wise – Eh, maybe.  He was pretty funny in this episode.  Just be aware that Pilfrey isn't what you'd call a likeable character by any stretch of the imagination.
 
Warnings
 
Lots of sexual content and references, although nothing was physically shown on-camera.  A little swearing.

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