The Vicar of Dibley: Series 1, Episode 2 - “Songs of Praise” (1994)

(It's going to be another late night getting home, so I decided to do double duty yesterday and put up this review early.  It's a grueling, grueling job, but someone's gotta do it.)

 

This wound up being a pleasant surprise for me.  Netflix has tried to sell me on The Vicar of Dibley many a time, but I've not bitten.  I've never been too taken with French and Saunders, together or separate – I've seen a couple episodes each of Girls on Top and Ab Fab, and both strike me as old-fashioned, overly-hammy Britcoms.  (I know that Ab Fab is quite popular, and it's possible that I just have yet to realize the magic, but for now, that's my stance.)

 

I didn't realize, however, that The Vicar of Dibley was written by Richard Curtis, he of Blackadder fame (not to mention the fabulous “Vincent and the Doctor” from Who.)  Sure, it has its broad moments, but I actually found the show really funny in a charming way.  In “Songs of Praise,” Geraldine – the titular female vicar of a small West Country parish – is delighted when a service at her church is chosen to be featured on the BBC series Songs of Praise.  The only problem?  The songs of praise part, since the church doesn't currently have a choir.  Sitcom mishaps ensue, including a very funny botched scripture reading.

 

To complicate matters, Geraldine immediately develops a substantial crush on Tristan Campbell, a dishy young BBC director played by PC.  Tristan is the one who's come down to film the service, and Geraldine's attempts to be both flirtatious and ecclesiastical are about as successful as you'd think they'd be.

 

It's not an especially tall order for a capable actor, but PC is fun and likable in the role.  He plays off of Geraldine's craziness well, and the scene in which he's shooting the sermon is a hoot.

 

Another enticement, for me, is the way the show deals with religion.  Rather than just mocking religious people, the humor tends more toward churchy issues that plenty of church-goers would be familiar with, like debates over “appropriate” Bible translations or prospective choir members with more enthusiasm than talent.  And Geraldine herself is a lot of fun - “Come in if you're sexy and you love Jesus!” is a cute line.

 

Accent Watch

 

Now, this is a little confusing for me.  I swear PC is doing RP here, but Geraldine makes a remark about him being Scottish.  Maybe Tristan is ethnically Scottish but came of age and accent in England?  Beats me.

 

Recommend?

 

In General – I'd say so.  I'm adding this one to the list of Shows to Return to After Capaldi Fall.  Be advised, though – the laugh track gets a little grating at times.

 

PC-wise – Maybe, if you just want something light and fun.  PC was in one more episode of The Vicar of Dibley, so I might have a more decided opinion tomorrow.

 

Warnings

 

A small handful of sexual jokes/references, including a number of unintentional euphemisms.

Agatha Christie's Poirot: Series 3, Episode 5 - “Wasps' Nest” (1991)

Poirot and Miss Marple are two British TV series I keep meaning to get around to.  I enjoy poking through favorite actors' filmographies on IMDb, and it didn't take me long to realize that oodles of excellent British actors have guest-starred in at least one of these two shows.  Matthew Macfadyen, Jack Davenport, and Fenella Woolgar are just a few of the actors who've gotten their Agatha Christie on.  And of course, since “Wasps' Nest” is popping up here, so has PC.

 

In “Wasps' Nest,” the great Belgian detective runs into his old friend John at a village fete and immediately begins to notice uneasy circumstances.  John has a beautiful fiancée with a jilted ex, there's a sinister-looking stranger lurking about, and a jar of cyanide can kill more than just wasps.  There's no murder to speak of yet, but Poirot is determined to avert it before it happens.  

 

The aforementioned jilted ex is Claude Langton, a young artist played by PC.  Claude has remained on good terms with John, despite his enduring love for John's fiancée, but Poirot isn't so eager to accept things at face value.  As one who's made a career out of investigating murders, he knows that hatred can wear the mask of civility.

 

On the whole, it's a pretty good performance.  The central mystery and its characters are well-written, so Claude has a few dimensions for PC to work with.  There's an affable friendliness to Claude which makes it easy to buy into John's insistence that he wouldn't hurt a fly, but it's played with just enough ambiguity that you can think it might be an act.

 

It's always interesting to me when short pieces of literature are adapted into longer film/TV works, and “Wasps' Nest is a good example:  from 12-page short story to hour-long TV episode.  There's a little padding – subplots woven in about a few of Poirot's associates, who don't even appear in the original story – but the longer format allows for plenty of expansion on the mystery.  Most of the actual goings-on in the story are actually recapped in conversations between Poirot and John, while the episode shows these various events happening and adds in a few of its own.  Lucky for me; if it hadn't, PC would've only been in one scene and maybe a narrated flashback or two!

 

Accent Watch

 

A pretty great-sounding RP – I was impressed.

 

Recommend?

 

In General – If you like detective stories and don't mind early-90s British TV, I'd say yes.  A well-acted, good mystery.

 

PC-wise – Maybe.  It's a nice role with a bit of range to it.

 

Warnings

 

The threat of murder, obviously, though I can't tell you whether it's actually committed without spoiling the ending.  Either way, early-90s Masterpiece stuff – it's not going to be gruesome.  Also a spot of bother for the coulrophobic.

The Treasure Seekers (1996)

Today’s movie reminds me of most of my favorite stories when I was younger.  I’ve always appreciated imaginative, enterprising children in my fiction, and the Edwardian family at the center of this film are equal parts Pevensie, boxcar, and Baudelaire.  While it’s not one I would’ve actively sought out if it weren’t Capaldi Fall, it makes for an enjoyable, slightly nostalgic hour-and-a-half.

 

The five Bastable children have a problem.  Their father, a down-on-his-luck inventor, is deep in debt, and his Scrooge of a loan shark is eager to collect.  Clever and plucky as they are, the Bastables take it upon themselves to help solve the family’s money woes.  They’re determined to save the day, whether that involves digging for treasure, inventing million-pound miracle cures, or capturing the bailiff before their home can be repossessed.  Since they’re all adorable moppets with a lot of spirit who attract the sympathy of kind-hearted adults, and it’s that kind of movie, I probably don’t have to tell you whether or not they succeed in the end.

 

Noel, the middle Bastable, is a pint-sized poet, and he comes up with a scheme to sell his verses to a newspaper and make his fortune.  This leads him to Mr. Jellicoe, an editor played by PC.  While it’s clear that Jellicoe doesn’t think much of Noel as a writer – his attempt to read one of Noel’s submissions with a straight face is both amusing and admirable – he keeps his behavior professional and refrains from talking down to Noel.

 

Since the film meanders with the children’s ideas at any given moment, it’s a small role, but it’s nice.  Jellicoe reminds me a little of Mr. Whiskers in The Greatest Store in the World – a man concerned chiefly with getting his job done, but one who can’t help but spare a bit of time for a needy, resourceful child thrown into his path.

 

As for other actors, one of the Bastable youngsters is played by Felicity Jones, who appeared on Who in series 4’s “The Unicorn and the Wasp”; she also played a delightful Catherine Morland in Northanger Abbey a few years back.  Additionally, keep your eyes out for an eleven(!)-year-old Keira Knightley in a small role.

 

Accent Watch

 

Definitely Scottish.  

 

Recommend?

 

In General – Maybe.  If you like light, family-oriented period pieces, or if you like clever children living by their wits and charms, you’d probably enjoy it.

 

PC-wise – Not necessarily.  Very small role, and while nice enough, it’s nothing special.

 

Warnings

 

Nothing to report.

December Bride (1991)

 

Today’s entry is a quiet Irish film set in the early 1900s.  Considering the setting and time period, there’s surprisingly little politics, but there’s women’s rights issues and Catholic vs. Protestant disputes to make up for it.  There’s also the lovely Ciarán Hinds, Captain Wentworth himself.

 

December Bride tells the story of Sarah Gilmartin, a young Irish woman.  To make a living, Sarah and her mother find work on a farm in a small village.  It’s a sleepy community, and the work seems to consist largely of fetching drinks and harvesting kelp, but Sarah likes it well enough.  It could be that she enjoys those particular activities, but it’s more likely to do with the farmer’s two adult sons.  Sarah feels drawn to both of them, and the village is soon filled with gossip about the shenanigans going on at the farm.

 

Thematically, the film feels rather like an Irish Chocolat.  Attractive woman with unconventional ideas about how women should behave, check.  Small town abuzz with rumors, check.  Judgment from and conflict with the local clergy, check.  Of course, there’s far less chocolate and far more Irish accents, so it depends on what you enjoy more.

 

PC doesn’t appear until the end of the film, as a preacher.  Based on his name, young Sorleyson, he’s presumably the son of the Rev. Sorleyson with whom Sarah clashes, but he’s not exactly an important character.  With no lines and hardly any screentime, he’s little more than a warm body stuck in front of the camera for a few scenes.

 

This happens sometimes when you work your way through an actor’s filmography, especially in the early years of their career.  Still, I don’t mind; it’s a good way to discover films I wouldn’t have sought out otherwise.  It doesn’t always pay off (go back far enough, and you’ll find that Peter Dinklage was in a few clunkers,) but sometimes you don’t even miss the actor who brought you to it (James McAvoy is in just one scene of Behind the Lines, and he’s only ever seen in silhouette, but that’s an excellent film on a fascinating subject.)  Here, I think it was pretty worthwhile.  I enjoyed the story and the acting, and I never regret shots of the Irish countryside.

 

Accent Watch

 

Presumably, his character is Irish like the others, but he doesn’t speak.

 

Recommend?

 

In General – Maybe.  It’s not the greatest film or the most original story, but it was a nice little movie with some good performances.

 

PC-wise – For completists only, for obvious reasons.

 

Warnings

 

Sex is an important part of the plot, but you don’t see anything.  Other than that, a scene of violence.

Fortysomething: Series 1, Episode 6 (2003)

 

Pilfrey's spell as a “new man” proves to be pretty short-lived.  In the series finale, he elbows his way into the main plot, suggesting Paul try hypnotherapy to help with his myriad fears, failures, and neuroses.  Naturally, he declares himself fully qualified to perform it, and you can imagination how strong the pull is toward mischief once he has Paul under his power.

 

Pretty silly again, although this time it's Hugh Laurie bearing the brunt of the embarrassing material.  Pilfrey takes on the role of Scottish Svengali with quiet, underhanded pleasure, planting ridiculous suggestions in Paul's subconscious that get him into all sorts of trouble.  You get the feeling that he might have started out with the honest intention of trying to help Paul, but his innate weaselness takes over and he just can't help himself.

 

After seeing the whole series, I'd say that PC gives a pretty good performance playing an unevenly-written character.  There are places where the writing is so over-the-top I don't know what else he could have done, but for the most part, he makes it work.  He plays arrogant, obnoxious, and snake-like to a tee.  On the whole, a fairly amusing villain.

 

Final write-up:

 

Accent Watch

 

Still Scottish – imagine that.

 

Recommend?

 

In General – I don't know.  It has a number of excellent actors in it and some genuine good stuff, but I feel the writing is so inconsistent.  

 

PC-wise – Eh... maybe?  Hard to say.  If you want to give it a try for a single episode, maybe go for episode 2.  I think Pilfrey is at his best there, and he has quite a bit of screen time.

 

Warnings

 

There's a lot of sex going on in the finale.  You never see the deed itself, just a lot of post-coital snuggling and people walking around wearing bed sheets.

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.

Fortysomething: Series 1, Episode 3 (2003)

 

You'll never guess, but Paul continues to be cowed by everything in his life.  Granted, Hugh Laurie can make anything funny, and he has some great moments, but Paul's constant need for reassurance is more than a little pathetic.  I especially don't like the way he's intimidated by Estelle's career and feels threatened by every interaction she has with another man.

 

Case in point:  Pilfrey.  The “little rat,” as Estelle calls him, attempts to ramp up his seduction efforts here, and Paul is just utterly blind to Estelle's horror at it all.  That he thinks she would go for a man like Pilfrey is definitely an insult to Estelle's mental stability.

 

This is particularly true in this episode, where a number of comedic misunderstandings lead Pilfrey to act full-on ridiculously insane.  It's mostly funny early in the episode, and there are good bits here and there in the second half, but seriously – PC must've had to floss after each take, to get rid of all the scenery stuck between his teeth.  

 

It's a shame, because he's so good.  Over-the-top isn't always a negative; Malcolm Tucker is comic gold, and he's played incredibly big.  But this... It was like watching John Simm in “The End of Time.”  (I'm thinking especially of the scene where the Master is ripping chunks off of a turkey carcass with his bare hands and shoving them in his mouth.)  In both cases, I'm left feeling sorry for the actors and wondering what went through their heads when they read the script and realized what they were going to have to do.

 

On a positive note, though, there's a good deal of singing, and that's fun.  PC has a pretty decent voice.  (He used to be in a band with Craig Ferguson!  I mention that whenever I have the opportunity, because the world needs to know.)