Writers: Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie & James Bobin
Director: James BobinCast: Bret McKenzie (Bret), Jemaine Clement (Jemaine), Rhys Darby (Murray), Arj Barker (Dave), Kristen Schaal (Mel), Eugene Mirman (Eugene), Sutton Foster (Coco), Eddie Pepitone (Eddie), Frank Wood (Greg) & Smith (Maxwell)
With finances tight, Bret and Jemaine look for work, but Bret's new job holding advertisement signs leaves him with no time for the band...Flight Of The Conchords is the kind of laid-back, bohemian comedy that attracts chilled-out, creative, somewhat-nerdy followers. Bret Gives Up The Dream is a mild improvement on episode 1's Sally, depicting a humdrum break-up of the Conchords over a "chicken and egg situation" -- wherein Bret gets a job to pay bills because there are no gigs, only for gig bookings to get in the way of the job.
Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement are both so at ease, you feel yourself slipping into the show's vibe along with them. The show plays like a double-act, music-themed version of Extras, and the Ricky Gervais flavour continues when it's revealed their David Brent-alike manager Murray (Rhys Darby) is actually an office worker. Is it coincidence the search for Bret's replacement leads them to a guy called Brent?
But, unlike Gervais, the Conchord's stock-in-trade isn't cringe-comedy or observed showbiz parody, it's just two slacker musicians breezing through city life with all the verve their Kiwi backgrounds suggest. Fortunately, self-deprecation is integral to the show, with numerous gags at the lead's expense -- from accents ("Brit? Like Britney?"... "No, Bret."), New Zealand's tourism relying on Lord Of The Rings fans, nutters wanting to see a fence made from 50 toothbrushes and antagonism between Kiwis and Australians.
There are wry smiles throughout, but nothing to suggest Conchords is even interested in making its audiences laugh heartily. This is gentle, oddball humour. I'm still not convinced by the tenuous jumps into musical routines -- as all comedy-songs tend to just mix easy rhymes and topics targeting the mundane, ordinariness of life. Ha-ha.
Only Monty Python ever had real success making songs funny; through expansive themes, intelligent verses, complex lyrics and a cheeky sensibility. I'm thinking more the "Galaxy Song" than the "Spam Song", incidentally!
That said, I have to admit this episode's second song ("She's So Hot, BOOM!") was enjoyable to watch because of its Black Eyed Peas' "Hey, Mama" inspiration and catchy tune. It's not a very funny song, but it'll keep you tuned to the closing credits and humming the melody for a few hours afterwards...
I'm also unsure how to perceive the Conchords themselves. In reality, they're a comedy act poking fun at pop/folk music. But in the context of the show, where they essentially play themselves, do they retain their real job identities, or are they genuine folk singers?
So, talented guys, trying to catch a break, or talentless wasters trying their luck? In one scene, Jemaine plays guitar with a cassette tape as his new "partner", and the small crowd seem to be enjoying it... despite the effort being awful. That seemed to indicate the TV-Conchords aren't as talented as the real thing -- so perhaps the musical interludes are figments of their imaginations, played out at key social moments?
It's all quite vague, and I'm perhaps overthinking things, but I'd just like to know if we're supposed to hope the Conchords break the American market, or if the point is they're comically ill-equipped to ever succeed.
Overall, there's something likable and beguiling about Flight Of The Conchords, but it's so relaxed it's almost comatose. As such, I can't see it becoming a must-watch comedy series, but it's an amusing distraction with a few fun moments.
2 October 2007
BBC Four, 9.30pm
