Another spectacular episode, again very Darren-centric. And yes, that definitely adds to my love for it, but it’s also just really fun. Such a goofy premise, wonderfully executed.
Ollie has left Darren in charge so he can take a day off to settle into his new flat, but he gets a call from a client that Darren never turned up. When Ollie calls him, Darren frantically claims that he’s trapped in a cupboard (closet for folks in the U.S.) and doesn’t know where he is. He begs Ollie to come find him, but Ollie assumes Darren is just making up excuses as usual.
The whole thing is terrifically funny. Ollie and Liz both figure Darren simply didn’t want to get out of bed, only they don’t know the address to his new flat—Darren’s refused to give it to Liz, because he thinks she’ll give it to Ollie and he’ll come around every time Darren’s late for work. So they set out to track him down.
There’s an entertaining recurring gag about the horrible cell service in Ollie’s flat, featuring a great shot of him winding up his arm like a pitcher as he searches for bars and grumbles, “How can there be no signal outside?” We see a bit of Tony’s softer side, and when the gang turns to Darren’s baby mama Joanne during their search, we’re treated to her delightfully silly “gay scrapbook.” It’s also a pretty fun episode for Emma, whose Type A take-charge personality flounders a little when it comes to this bizarre dilemma.
To be fair to Ollie, Darren does make up excuses about being late for work, and we’re treated to a whole montage of them. But while nobody else is buying it, we the viewers can see that Darren is trapped in a cupboard. He’s not handling it well—we already know from the series 1 finale that he gets claustrophobic, and because he doesn’t remember how he got there, he’s also terrified that he’s been kidnapped. “Wh-what d’you mean?!?” he wails when Tony tells him he’s just watched too many Saw movies. “What, am I gonna have to cut off my own foot? I hadn’t even thought of that! Jesus, I am, aren’t I?”
As with Darren’s claustrophobic meltdown from last season, Joel Fry does a fantastic job of being very funny by playing his scenes very straight. As he shifts numerous times between panic and somber reflection, the emotions feel honest while the absurd situation makes it hilarious. Every time one of the characters calls Darren, he pleads with them for help and tries to convince them he’s not making this up. In between calls, he records a video for his daughter Chanel, telling her, “I thought I’d document my last few moments for you, so that in the future, you can get a feel for what kind of guy I was.” As we keep cutting back to him, he puts on more and more clothes that he’s found in the cupboard.
All the trapped-in-a-cupboard stuff is absolute gold, but there’s even more Darren-related goodness for this episode. We get to see inside his flat, which is utterly chef’s kiss—there’s a facehugger plushie on his headboard, an adorably named goldfish, and a personalized Star Trek mural on the wall that’s equal parts goofy and delightful. And as the other characters try to piece the mystery together, I love the flashbacks of Darren’s one-man housewarming party. Joel Fry is fantastic throughout—the dancing, hee! He’s just wonderfully weird in a way that’s no less funny once we’re given the full context for it. Love it!
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