Writers: Sam Bain & Jesse Armstrong
Director: Becky MartinCast: David Mitchell (Mark), Robert Webb (Jez), Olivia Coleman (Sophie), Paterson Joseph (Johnson), Neil Fitzmaurice (Jeff), Isy Suttie (Dobby), Natasha Beaumont (Saz), Sophie Winkleman (Biz Suze) & Margaret Cabourn-Smith (Dating Agency Organiser)
Jeremy uses up his financial nest egg and ends up hungry, homeless and a criminal. Meanwhile, Mark needs to find a girlfriend before his birthday party...Mark (David Mitchell) is still on the rebound from jilted bride Sophie (Olivia Coleman) so tries his luck speed-dating, where he meets outspoken Australian fun-lover Saz (Natasha Beaumont). He's once again hoping beyond hope that she might be "the one", so invites her to be his new flatmate -- now that Jez (Robert Webb) has used up his mum's nest egg and is unable to pay rent. While it's worrying to see another episode revolve around Mark's tragic romances, I can't deny they're always good entertainment value, and Saz was a refreshing change from the perky intellectuals Mark usually gravitates to.
Indeed, a lot of the comedy comes watching Mark fall under Saz's spell purely because she's an attractive woman ordinarily out of his league. In true Peep Show style, Mark tries his best to ignore the fact she's using him and, despite her drunken antics back at the flat with a similarly coarse friend, he's unwilling to assert any authority on the off-chance she'll sleep with him. Just as Mark summons the courage to ditch her the next morning, Saz agrees to become his "girlfriend" so she can continue pulling the wool over his eyes; an empty-hearted act that Mark accepts purely because it'll look good if he takes a new woman to his upcoming birthday party.
For layout Jez, the sudden lack of cash means he's usurped by Saz and forced to sleep on the sofa until he finds somewhere else to stay. Bemoaning the lack of jobs for "media types" like himself, he has little choice but to sell semen to a fertility clinic. In one of the funniest moments, Jez discovers there's no free pornography to help him make a donation, so has to furiously masturbate to the Queen on the back of a £20 note – which actually goes well until moustachioed composer Edward Elgar, on the reverse side, makes an appearance...
The episode was also notable for the reappearance of IT girl Dobby (Isy Suttie), whose return to the show suggests she's definitely the new object of Mark's affections – well, if nobody better-looking's around to turn his head. In one heartening scene, office bully Jeff (Neil Fitzmaurice) makes a typically snide comment to Mark in passing, only for Dobby to rush to his defence and belittle Jeff's nastiness. It's rare to see Jeff on the receiving end of things, or for Mark to have someone defend him like this, so that moment stood out for me. Dobby came across as a likely nutcase last week, but perhaps she's more level-headed than we first thought. Either way, small victories and camaraderie are in short supply on Peep Show, so this was very welcome.
Jez tries to move in with Big Suze (Sophie Winkleman), despite the fact she's living with Johnson (Paterson Joseph), but she's wisely having none of it. But seeing her does give him the opportunity to steal Johnson's credit card and go on an ill-advised shopping spree. Eventually, Mark's birthday party arrives, although his initial excitement over having Saz to show off to friends and work colleagues turns sour when she starts dancing with Jeff – begging the question: why the hell did he invite Jeff!? And Johnson isn't too pleased when it becomes clear Jez (now in a brand new suit) was the one who stole his credit card, forcing Mark to bail him out.
This was a really good episode, but not quite at the gut-busting level of last week. Jez's subplot was amusing (particularly the sperm donor interlude), while Saz made for an interesting "girlfriend" for Mark – perfectly acted by Natasha Beaumont. It was great to see Dobby's still in the mix, although I'm disappointed by how repetitive the fifth season's episodes have been so far
Everything seems to be revolving around Mark getting a new girlfriend to help him get over Sophie, and it's getting a bit dull. Hopefully the remaining episodes will focus more on the friendship and work-related aspects to Mark and Jez's lives, or begin to take us into uncharted territory. Or is that too much to ask? I just feel that earlier seasons (especially last year's) were more inventive with their storylines, and the narrative drive of Mark's wedding hasn't been replaced by anything very substantial so far.
A sixth season has just been commissioned, which I'm very happy about. There aren't many British sitcoms that keep this level of quality up in their fifth year, but the jokes and internal dialogue are still as sharp as ever. I just wish there was more sense of drive and freshness to events. And is this season being shown out of intended order? Mark and Jez's TV was stolen in episode 1 and they were using a portable TV in this third episode, but I just realized that they did have their plasma in episode 2!
16 May 2008
Channel 4, 10.35 pm
