Fortysomething: Series 1, Episode 5 (2003)

You'll notice that we've jumped over episode 4, in which PC doesn't appear.

 

Episode 5 hinges on one of the oldest tricks in the comedy book:  the miscommunication.  Estelle is organizing a surprise get-together for Paul with a bunch of his old friends, but her general sneaking around to get the party set up convinces him that she's having an affair.  There are confrontations a-plenty, everyone speaks just vaguely enough that no one understands why Paul is so outraged, and Paul thinks Estelle has been sleeping with every one of his old friends on a revolving schedule.

 

I’m of two minds about miscommunication humor.  If done well, it can be pretty funny, but there’s always a breaking point.  Writers dabbling in this brand of comedy are racing towards a brick wall, that moment when it tips from funny to ludicrous.  This episode, I think, hits the wall.  There are just too many people involved for the misunderstandings to go on as long as they do.  Credibility doesn’t just strain – it snaps clean in half.  And there it goes, another comedy that flew too close to the miscommunication sun.

 

Pilfrey shows a different side in this episode.  After the over-the-top craziness of episode 3, he's been doing some self-reflection and has declared himself a new man.  For some reason, Pilfrey acting polite and considerate seems even more suspect than his usual cocky, self-involved ways.  You can’t shake the feeling that there’s a Mr. Hyde just under the surface, waiting to escape.  Psychobabble abounds, and he's constantly hugging people; the disconnect is pretty entertaining.