Director: Paul King
Cast: Julian Barratt (Howard Moon), Noel Fielding (Vince Noir/The Moon), Rich Fulcher (Bob Fossil), Lance Dior (Tom Meeton), Harold Boom (Simon Farmaby), Michael Fielding (Naboo), Dave Brown (Bollo) & Gary Numan (Himself)
Cast: Julian Barratt (Howard Moon), Noel Fielding (Vince Noir/The Moon), Rich Fulcher (Bob Fossil), Lance Dior (Tom Meeton), Harold Boom (Simon Farmaby), Michael Fielding (Naboo), Dave Brown (Bollo) & Gary Numan (Himself)
Howard and Vince are distressed to find a pair of men shamelessly copying their fashion styles, musical tastes and personalities...After the expensive imaginings of last week, The Mighty Boosh comes down with a bump with their version of a "bottle show", restricting itself to the main standing sets and using a more simplistic idea.
Vince (Noel Fielding) is uncharacteristically depressed by the emergence of a copycat, Lance Dior (Tom Meeton), who's ripping off his fashion style and idiosyncrasies. Howard (Julian Barratt) isn't too bothered by Vince's predicament, until Lance introduces him to his friend Harold Boom (Simon Farnaby), his own doppelganger...
With their unique identities threatened by The Flighty Zeus, The Mighty Boosh decide to prove who are the real trend-setters by competing musically with Lance and Harold at The Velvet Onion club, run by Bob Fossil (Rich Fulcher).
The comic idea of doppelgangers isn’t anything new, but it plays well into the show's oddball style. Meeton and Farnaby do a great job as the Boosh doubles, becoming quite irritating and creepy in their never-explained desire to be just like Vince and Howard.
It's also nice to see Howard and Vince united in a goal for once -- with the threat of a common enemy making them work together. Having them bicker and irritate each other is undoubtedly the comedy spark of the characters, but it's nice to be reminded that they're best friends deep down.
Bob Fossil's return to the show (as manager of The Velvet Onion) is also very welcome, as actor Rich Fulcher's American weirdo is one of the show's best creations. The moment when it's revealed his mom thinks he's a captured POW in Vietnam, and has to fake a phone call to her, is clear evidence of this.
However, The Power Of The Crimp lacks imagination and storytelling strength. The idea is simple and isn't taken anywhere new, leaving the episode quite empty and tedious. Only a smattering of bizarre visuals (voodoo tennis player, World War II transsexual, Bollywood lollipop man) and amusing gags (Howard's boring pencil case anecdote), help prop up the weak story.
But diversions such as the animated "Peacock & The Magpie" fable and musical interlude "It's What's Inside That Counts" badly misfire.
The episode culminates in a "crimp-off" at the Onion club, with the rival bands both crimping for superiority. For the uninitiated, "crimping" is the name now given to that weird singing/talking musical style often used by Howard and Vince on the show.
Overall, this episode is obviously one of the weaker Boosh outings, crippled by a humdrum story and not featuring enough memorable moments for it to stick in the memory. It's still entertaining and contains some funny stuff here-and-there, but it's too restrained and uninspired by Boosh standards.
Mind you, the closing Moon gag was funny, and any episode with a neat cameo from 80s popstar Gary Numan deserves some respect...
29 November 2007
BBC Three, 10.30 pm
