WRITERS & DIRECTORS: Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant
CAST: Ricky Gervais (Andy Millman), Ashley Jensen (Maggie Jacobs), Stephen Merchant (Agent), Shaun Williamson (Barry/Shaun), Sir Ian McKellen (Himself), Damon Beesley (Martin Savage), Iain Morris (Guy Henry), (Liza Tarbuck (Rita), Sarah Moyle (Kimberley), Jamie Chapman (Brains), Andrew Buckley (Gobbler), Shaun Pye (Greg), Gerard Kelly (Bunny), Sarah Preston (Make-Up Woman), Nadia Williams (Third A.D), Jonathan Cake (Steve Sherwood), Anna Crilly (Woman At Tea Table), Priyanga Burford (Sir Ian's Assistant), Rufus Wright (Fran/Leslie), Germaine Greer (Herself), Mark Kermode (Himself) & Mark Lawson (Himself)
Reeling from a critical panning of his sitcom, Andy secures a part in a play being directed by Sir Ian McKellen to regain some respect, but isn't aware his character is gay until the audition...In the penultimate episode of this patchy second series, Extras finally produces something with the correct laugh-to-cringe ratio, even if it comes at the expense of more low-brow writing...
Sir Ian McKellen is the prime celebrity target, but gets off lightly with a silly scene where he bestows his acting knowledge to Andy ("I pretend...") that's hardly the match for fellow X-Men star Patrick Stewart's turn last year. However, McKellen is as magnetic as ever in his scenes and a joy to watch.
Extras has already established Andy Millman's unease around gay people, and it's a character trait that's given centre stage in Episode 5. The problem facing Andy is Ian McKellen's insistence of a real kiss with co-star Leslie, and the fact a group of homophobic friends are in the crowd on opening night.
It's a breath of fresh air to see the comedy and awkwardness of Extras return and work in tandem again. Previous episodes haven't quite managed to weave the two together properly, but here the plot, comedy and embarrassment-factor all pull together.
Elsewhere, the underused Ashley Jensen (Maggie) and the overused Stephen Merchant (Agent) are thrown together in a slightly unlikely manner, but thankfully their romantic date together proves to be a highlight with the hapless Agent's toilet problem involving an egg whisk...
The episode again ends with more humiliation for Andy, again played out to a crowd full of people, friends, and a personal enemy. It's a situation that is becoming increasingly predictable, but retains its power to make you feel empathy for Andy thanks to Ricky Gervais' performance.
Series 2 has moulded Andy into a tragically unlucky figure, whereas last year he was merely disgruntled, and the "normal" one compared to Maggie. Series 2 has also made Andy a sexual incompetent, with numerous references to his late virginity and inability to chat-up women; a new facet that is a little at odds with last year's character.
Overall, Episode 5 is definitely the best of series 2 so far, and on-par with series 1. The jokes are broader and more low-brow (a vaseline gag could even be considered "beneath" the show, but it remains funny). There's also a perfectly executed gag with a fizzy drink bottle that is sublime physical comedy and one of the funniest moments of the year.
