This is
an interesting episode. Now that things
have hit the fan, we see everyone going on the defensive. The characters are largely separated from one
another, and each faces an individual barrage of assaults. Lies are told, fingers are pointed, and
betrayals are committed. Robyn is
fantastically clueless, Stewart proves himself 100% incapable of speaking like
a normal person, and Glenn reaches his tipping point.
Malcolm
is in the same boat as everyone else.
Because he’s Malcolm, he has his usual moments of running the show,
audacious and cocksure. He does his
dangerous-animal-backed-into-a-corner thing – he pulls a truly cold-blooded
stunt in this episode to facilitate his own political survival. He has a scene of genuine anger unlike his
trademark profanity-fueled ranting, an honest-to-goodness argument calling
someone out for what he considers reprehensible behavior. And there are also moments where Malcolm is
surprisingly without recourse; it’s pretty shocking to see him at a loss for
words.
Great
acting overall. Considering the fact
that the cast is so divided here, and so no one is playing off their usual
scene partners, everyone’s character holds up remarkably well. PC is particularly good. It feels like he shows at least three
different faces of Malcolm each time he appears onscreen, but each one rings
true to the Malcolm I’ve gotten to know.
Really topnotch work.
Since
I’m finishing The Thick of It
tomorrow, I’ll make mention of one final character here. Adam Kenyon wasn’t a new character made for
series 4 – he first appeared in the 2007 specials as a newspaper editor – but
series 4 finds him having made a move into politics, serving as an advisor to
Fergus in the coalition. He strikes me
as being a “cool jock” archetype written as an adult politico. He’s smug and self-impressed, and he and Phil
are constantly sniping at one another.
One
episode left: until tomorrow!
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