Writers: Sam Bain & Jesse Armstrong
Director: Becky MartinCast: David Mitchell (Mark), Robert Webb (Jez), Matt King (Super Hans), Olivia Coleman (Sophie), Paterson Joseph (Johnson), Isy Suttie (Dobby), James Howick (Gerrard), Alex Lowe (Edwin) & James Bachman (Monster)
Mark considers making a move on Dobby, but matters are complicated by a breakthrough with Sophie. Meanwhile, Jez and Super Hans join a cult...Episode 6 heralds the winds of change for next year, but it's come so late that I can't help thinking season 5 (despite a few highlights), was narratively treading water. The "will they, won't they" between Mark (David Mitchell) and Sophie (Olivia Coleman) built nicely to their disastrous wedding in season 4, but this year's fallout has been disappointing. Fortunately, season 6 is already looking twice as promising...
Here, Mark decides that Dobby (Isy Suttie) could be "the one" after her love of role-playing computer games comes to light. Amusing to see Mark indulge his geekiness with Dobby and co-worker Gerrard (James Howick) with an online video-game, as he's not usually so obviously nerdy in his pursuits – just kind of stiff and awkward. He also gets promoted by Johnson (Paterson Joseph), moving from Credit Manager to Senior Credit Manager.
As Mark's life seems to improve, Jez (Robert Webb) comes to realize he might be a "knobhead" after all, as he visits the local New Wellness Centre with Super Hans (Matt King) for a "personality test". Soon afterwards, both become more self-aware of their failings in life, and Mark is astonished to find Jez quickly becoming brainwashed by this "cult" – who base their teachings on seven sacred truths from golden tablets found inside an asteroid that crashed in Siberia back in 1911. Still, despite Mark's concerns, it does mean Jez starts being helpful around the house... so it can't be all bad.
Matters are complicated when Mark and Sophie sleep together after a drunken party at work, and Mark finds that his bachelor condom "Old Meg" ripped during intercourse. As he warns Sophie to take preventative measures with a morning after pill, he's gobsmacked to find she's already pivoted herself in bed to best enable her chances of pregnancy.
Soon after, Mark is told by Johnson that he has to fire Sophie -- which would be difficult enough, but becomes impossible when Sophie reveals she's pregnant with his baby. Mark's dreams of a fresh relationship with Dobby disappear in the wake of Sophie's bombshell, and Jez reveals he's moving out of the flat to join a New Wellness commune. It then becomes apparent that the guilt that drove Jez to visit the New Wellness Centre to begin with came about because he drunkenly slept with Sophie behind Mark's back... so Sophie's baby might be his!
It's a superb twist that should make season 6 a great deal more interesting than this season. The key thing missing from season 5 was a decent throughline. We just had Mark's somewhat implausible ability to meet potential girlfriends every week, and a few uncomfortable moments whenever he bumped into Sophie. Jez was given even less to do, really – as the blossoming of his band didn't amount to much, and his financial worries were brushed under the carpet. I just think Peep Show works better if there's a strong storyline linking everything together -- but season 5 didn't really have one.
That said, this finale will really shake things up next year. Who's the father of Sophie's baby? If it's Mark; does this mean he'll get back with Sophie for the sake of his child? If it's Jez's; how awkward will that be – especially if Mark does get back with Sophie! "My flatmate is the father of my wife's child"; it's ripe for The Jeremy Kyle Show. I'm expecting great things in season 6, as a pregnancy should prove the episode-to-episode backbone missing in season 5. And I'm already predicting Sophie gives birth in season 6's finale, ready for a trials of fatherhood storyline for Jez/Mark in season 7. Hey, Peep Show could go on for years at this rate... bliss.
Overall, this was a very funny episode and had the storytelling meat to back it up. The sight of Jez "programmed" by the Scientology-esque cult was excellent (deserving of its own episode, to be honest), although it was a bit of a stretch to find cynical Super Hans fell for the mumbo-jumbo, too. But, that was a small concern, really. The moment when Sophie positioned herself in bed to intentional get pregnant was pretty dark (for her, especially) and I hope this isn't the last we've seen of geek-girl Dobby. But next season -- can we have more Johnson, please? He was criminally underused this year.
6 June 2008
Channel 4, 10.35 pm
