Cast: Chris O'Dowd (Roy), Richard Ayoade (Moss), Katherine Parkinson (Jen), Matt Berry (Douglas) & Graham Linehan (Irish Sorcerer)
Jen is offered a new job as Douglas' P.A, so leaves the I.T department…After a weak opening, wherein a clichéd sorcerer (creator Graham Linehan) gives Douglas (Matt Berry) a love potion to woo Jen, the last episode of series 2 is rather humdrum, although the emphasis on things meaningful to the characters is welcome.
The IT Crowd rarely bothers to focus on its own situation, instead preferring to have its two-dimensional characters interact with a moderately-sensible world. Series 2 has stretched itself beyond the I.T department confinement, to varying degrees of success, but it’s never really about the character's working situation, which makes Men Without Women seem a bit fresher.
Jen (Katherine Parkinson) is offered a top job as Douglas' personal assistant, meaning she leaves the I.T department and a working life spent playing Guitar Hero behind. Unfortunately, as per her initial concern, Douglas is only interested in making weak plays for her affections. Although, somewhat against his sexual predator persona, Douglas tends to crumble whenever he calls Jen to his office nd pretend he just wanted her to look at dead flies.
With Jen now gone, the boys can be boys; messing around to even geekier extremes and making prank calls to pizzerias. But it soon becomes clear Jen, Moss and Roy can’t be without each other, and Douglas' true intentions become clear after a disastrous "date" in a park…
Men Without Women isn't without some funny moments -- such as the fly pretext, a superb moment when Douglas takes a "missing hand" gag to a ludicrous extreme, and some risqué subliminal shots – but it's otherwise a bit empty. I appreciated having a story that involved the character's interpersonal relationships for once, but it all builds to a rather bad-taste climax and unwelcome cliffhanger.
It seems unfair to mention Father Ted, Linehan's most famous sitcom achievement, but the two shows clearly have similar styles and attitudes. Both are live-action "cartoons", involving a triptych of misfits stuck in a rut. However, Father Ted had more joyous freedom with its stories and crafted a consistent world of crazy characters to support the cast. The characters were also more lovable, too...
Richard Ayoade tries hard to be the sweet-natured geek version of Father Ted's child-like Dougal, but just doesn't cut it as Moss. At best he can act appropriately zany to elicit some giggles, but he's too weird to be adorable.
Chris O'Dowd has really improved throughout series 2 as Roy, now able to win laughs with his confident line delivery, but it’s telling that his standing as the supposed lead has diminished. Roy's just not particularly well-developed as a character. He's a lazy IT technician, that's it.
Katherine Parkinson's Jen is the only character that truly works on two levels; disarmingly normal one minute, but always slightly unhinged. There's also more comedy in having someone who's relatively normal react to the surrounding craziness, making her the "Father Ted" character in many ways.
The main problem I have with The IT Crowd is that the stories are rarely as elaborate and knotty as they could be. The Work Outing and Moss And The German were brilliant examples of how Graham Linehan can take simple ideas, stretch them to crazy extremes, and then enjoy wrapping the audience up in his imagination.
But most of The IT Crowd's plots are linear and tedious -- enlivened by occasionally funny dialogue and quirky visuals. If you're lucky, there are enough memorable moments to make you forgive the plodding storyline… but not here.
Series 2 ends on a middling note, but it was overall a minor improvement on series 1. If Linehan can write more elaborate plots, make the office environment more integral, develop a world beyond the office that's interesting to visit, and make Katherine Parkinson the star… series 3 could finally see The IT Crowd capitalize on its potential...
28 September 2007
Channel 4, 10.00 pm
