I’ve
decided to get started with my reviews of The
Thick of It. I didn’t want to save
it for last, and I figured, thematically, it’d be better to do it earlier
rather than later. Give the Christmas
special a wide berth. Plus, it’s just so much fun. Are we ready to begin?
I’ve
heard The Thick of It described as The Office meets The West Wing, and that seems fairly apt to me. The series wades through the mess, mayhem,
and mudslinging of the British political machine, focusing specifically on the
drab little Department of Social Affairs (DoSA for short.) I really enjoy it, because the characters are
continually getting themselves into teeth-gnashing levels of screwed, but it’s
almost always over the most mundane things, which makes the intensely-frenzied
reactions to the various “scandals” that much more amusing.
Case in
point: in episode 1, we meet Hugh, the
browbeaten cabinet minister who has the misfortune to be the face of DoSA. Thanks to a series of mistaken assumptions
and crossed lines of communication, Hugh and his staff find themselves hurtling
down the road toward a press conference with absolutely nothing to
announce. Their frantic attempts to
dream up a free, non-offensive, universally-popular initiative are absolute
gold.
Now, after
teasing Malcolm Tucker in assorted posts, let’s finally talk about him. PC’s most high-profile role pre-Who, Malcolm is the government’s spin
doctor. In essence, his job is to make
sure any and all information reaching the press is Number-10-approved, mopping
up any flubs along the way. In practice,
he’s the bogeyman that cabinet ministers fear – a shrewd political animal with
a knack for cascading bouts of profanity-laced abuse.
The
pilot introduces Malcolm handily.
Whether he’s informing a minister that he (the minister) has just
resigned or explaining to Hugh the important difference between “should” and
“yes,” he’s a force of nature. The man
gets things done, and he’s not
terribly bothered about things like feasibility, conventions, or actual
truth. A fabulous first look at a
magnificent character.
Accent Watch
Malcolm
is very much the Angry Scotsman.
Recommend?
In
General
– Yes. It’s ridiculously funny, and despite the strong Office vibe, it somehow manages to avoid those
squirmingly-uncomfortable Ricky Gervais cringe-humor moments.
PC-wise – Absolutely. PC is commanding and hilarious, and he has
excellent material to work.
Warning
Here’s the rub:
do not, repeat, do not watch The Thick of It unless you’re okay with copious amounts of profanity. We’re talking f-words flying fast and
furious, multiple uses of the c-word, and inventive sexual insults, among other
things.
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