I’ve been waiting for this moment: Joel Fry’s first appearance on Twenty Twelve! Although this episode only features his character in one scene, I can already tell I’m going to like him.
The commission has a few issues that need addressing. Two football teams have put in bids for the Olympic Stadium once the Games are over, and the overtaxed Kay is frantically trying to complete a sustainability audit on both prospects. Siobhan is tapped for branding ideas when Prince Charles and Camilla express interest in tying the Olympics with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. And Graham and Nick puzzle over bathroom plans for the Olympic Park.
Kay has been off-balanced all season so far—having Fi in the office has definitely put her on edge, so she doesn’t appreciate Fi’s competing input on the long-term future of the stadium. While upstairs is champing at the bit to announce their decision, she’s fielding calls from her ex-husband about their son, distracting her from writing the audit. She is teetering all the way off the rails on this one!
Graham and Nick’s plot is flimsy but amusing. The issue is fitting a sufficient amount of toilets into the Olympic Park. Graham is alarmed when the architectural engineer says they’re factoring in “five toilet events” per athlete per day, and as the engineer goes on about the completely different construction between the men’s and women’s toilets, it’s not clear if he’s talking about bathrooms or anatomy.
The Jubilee stuff is really fun. Ian is all too aware how critical it is to get this right, and Siobhan’s blase attitude doesn’t really inspire confidence. Mark Bonnar, who I recognized from the Eleventh Doctor story “The Rebel Flesh” / “The Almost People,” plays a representative from Charles and Camilla who meets with them. He tells Ian and Siobhan that the Prince of Wales wants the collaboration to bring the Jubilee into the present. “We talk a lot here about the idea of inheritance,” he explains. “It’s become a bit of a buzz word for us.” Hee!
Nothing too noteworthy from David Tennant’s narration today. That said, I did crack up at the line, “By the next morning, it’s Wednesday.”
Joel Fry comes in on the Jubilee plotline, as one of three new characters introduced here—employees at Siobhan’s PR firm. He plays the wildly-named Karl Marx, viral concept designer. Despite only being in one scene, it’s safe to say that Karl will be added to my collection of Fry’s Anxious Sweetheart characters. During a pitch session with Siobhan, he’s nervous-stimming pretty much the entire time. He fiddles with his hair, he worries at his ear, and his fingers fidget a little as he crosses his arms around himself. He speaks in soft, halting tones. Protect him at all costs!
And so far, it looks like he might need protecting. While his two cohorts lead the pitch, riffing off each other as they sell Siobhan on their ideas, Karl is much quieter. He only offers a few tentative suggestions, which are quickly shot down by Barney, another member of the team. “Yeah, didn’t quite work?” Barney keeps drawling whenever Karl manages to speak up.
Adding some Joel Fry-days first impressions here:
Accent Watch
He doesn’t say much, but it sounds like Southern British English to me.
Recommend?
Joel Fry – I would. I know we’ve only seen a bit of him so far, but I’m already excited to get more Karl!
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