WRITERS & DIRECTORS: Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant
CAST: Ricky Gervais (Andy Millman), Ashley Jensen (Maggie Jacobs), Stephen Merchant (Agent), David Bowie (Himself), Shaun Williamson (Barry/Shaun), Liza Tarbuck (Rita), Sarah Moyle (Kimberley), Jamie Chapman (Brains), Andrew Buckley (Gobbler), Shaun Pye (Greg), Claire Adams (Cathy), Ryozo Kohira (Mr Yamaguchi), Richard Morris (Homeless Man), David Earl (Obsessive Fan), Nicola Sanderson (Receptionist), Pascal Langdale (Mark), Naomi Bentley (Linda) & Ula (Count F)
Andy finds modest fame after his sitcom is broadcast, but stardom isn't quite what he expected...It's becoming clearer that the second series of Extras is quite a different beast to its predecessor. The emphasis has shifted quite dramatically to focus on Andy's sitcom nightmare (trapped in a "shitcom" catering to the lowest common denominator).
As a result, supporting characters like Stephen Merchant's aloof Agent and Shaun Williamson's dour "Barry" have been lifted into more prominent roles, while Ashley Jensen's Maggie has been relegated to a stooge and sounding board.
Episode 2 opens with a scarily accurate pastiche of a bad BBC sitcom in Andy's When The Whistle Blows, culminating in a visiting Japanese businessman being serenaded by a racist song. It's un-PC humour typical of Gervais, but not particularly "so bad it's funny", just obvious and a little tired.
The bigger picture this week is how minor stardom affects Andy's life, whose now a recognisable face after 6 million people tuned in to his show. It's a turnaround in status Gervais went through himself after The Office, so I'm sure some of this comes from the heart. Of course, unlike Gervais, Andy's breakthrough sitcom is an embarasssment to the airwaves and brings him more heartache than elation.
This is best exemplified by an obsessive fan in Andy's local pub, who is overwhelmed to be in the presence of someone mildly famous and fawns over Andy to a ridiculous degree: getting him to "do the face" for a photo and talk to a similarly geeky friend by phone.
Later, Andy seeks refuge with Maggie, his Agent and Barry in an exclusive bar that has regular celebrity clientelle. It's here that Andy finds shortlived VIP status (usurped by the arrival of David Bowie), but also discovers that the high-brow guests are more condescending about Andy's sitcom and take great delight in quoting its bad reviews.
Comedy of embarassment has been the staple of writers Gervais and Merchant through the years, and a particularly cringe-worthy moment occurs in Episode 2 with David Bowie, who hears about Andy's sitcom plight. To say more would ruin the surprise, but it's a nicely timed Simpsons-esque gag that proves very memorable.
Sadly, the rest of the episode is very hit-and-miss. Andy tries to woo a lady moving into his block of flats by having Maggie pretend to be an autography hunter... but it falls flat for being too contrived and old-hat. It's actually becoming quite alarming how many jokes in this new series are dying, and it's also losing the focus of the titular extras.
Ashley Jensen is underused to a ridiculous degree, playing second-fiddle to Gervais in most scenes, and even pushed into the background like a comedy gooseberry. She serves no real purpose throughout the whole episode, and considering she stole the show last year that's quite a disappointment.
As with last week, the humanity of the episode works far better than the comedy. Of particular note is Andy's realization that he's essentially turning into Barry (a popular actor now treated as a joke and struggling to find praise from his peers). Shaun Williamson is superb as long-suffering Barry, now carving out a poignant and sympathetic character from what was once just a one-joke extended cameo.
Stephen Merchant's Agent is less successful now he's found freedom from behind his desk. Merchant is a competent performer, but the material is very thin for him -- a joke about Sky calling Andy (to install a dish) is a real groaner, and the scene where he mistakes a review of The Wind In The Willows for When The Whistle Blows isn't believable or particularly clever.
In fact, that's been the stumbling block of series 2 so far. Believability. Last year the show was a superb blend of mundane reality and warped celebrity cameos, with Gervais unselfishly sharing the jokes amongst his co-stars. This year, the balance has tilted into unsophisticated parody and Gervais is milking everything in sight. There's a scene where Andy debates giving money to a homeless man that should have spun comedy gold, but instead just came across as half-baked.
Ricky Gervais is a self-proclaimed fan of Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm, and it's interesting to note how much of Extras series 2 is infringing on David's formula. Like Larry, Andy is now famous (not to the same degree, but the parallel is there), and he's more of a one-man show struggling through life. The British cynicism and awkwardness is more prevailant (no Larry-style rants, just quiet loathing), but I hope Gervais quickly realigns the show back to what made it so great last year.
Overall, this was a disappointing episode with a few choice moments, but far more misses than we're used to from Gervais and co. As with last week, the final scene is fittingly awkward and poignant, but I just wish Episode 2 had tempered its keen sense of the downbeat with more genuine laugh-out-loud moments...
