Video: FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS - Feel Inside (And Stuff Like That)

It's been three years since HBO's Flight of the Conchords finished after two seasons (scarily), so this is a nice treat for fans of the New Zealand duo. It's a 14-minute charity special, where Jermaine and Brett are given the opportunity to write a charity song for kids. It includes a brand new sketch with their clueless manager Murray (Rhys Darby), an amusing market research session with real school kids, and a performance of the resulting song itself. Great fun. I've actually warmed to FotC more since the show went off-air, and hope rumours of a feature-film come true. But, for now, let's enjoy this new material.

You can also donate to the Cure Kids charity here, and download FotC's song from NZ iTunes. It will hopefully be made available worldwide soon.

Flight Of The Conchords' wings are clipped

Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie (aka "The Flight Of The Conchords") have announced the end of their popular HBO musical sitcom:

"... we've noticed the less we say about the future of the show, the more people want to talk about it, so in an effort to reverse this trend we are today announcing that we won’t be returning for a 3rd season. We're very proud of the two seasons we made and we like the way the show ended. We'd like to thank everyone who helped make the show and also everyone who watched it. While the characters Bret and Jemaine will no longer be around, the real Bret and Jemaine will continue to exist." Source

In many ways it's a shame. I was critical of season 1 because of its repetitive plotting (buoyed by some good songs), but season 2 was much funnier (if musically inferior). I'd still rate it as one of the best comedies coming out of the US these days, though. But the show did end on a definitive note, and I doubt the quality would have remained as strong as it did for another year.

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS 2.10 – "Evicted"

Spoilers. I've definitely enjoyed the second season of FoTC more than the first (or softened to its charms), as most episodes kept a head above the waterline of average, with a few stinkers and an equal number of gems. "Evicted" wasn't particularly memorable, but it did contain some fun moments and worked as a farewell for these characters, as this is (allegedly) the last ever episode...

Jemaine (Jemaine Clement) and Bret (Bret McKenzie) are evicted from their apartment after failing to pay their rent – or, rather, they paid it in New Zealand dollars. News of their destitution hasMurray (Rhys Darby) dusting off a script he's written for an emergency musical based on Bret and Jemaine's lives, following them from humble Kiwi shepherds to Broadway stars. More practically, Mel (Kristen Schaal) gives Bret and Jemaine a place to stay at her house with beleagured boyfriend Doug (David Costabile), overly-enjoying being so close to the men she worships.

"Evicted" was at its best whenever Mel was around in this episode, as her obsession with the Conchords darkens even further: she imposes house rules on them (don't leave the house), tucks Bret into bed so tightly he can't move, turns up the heating so Jemaine may have to show some flesh, and locks their bedroom door at night. Doug himself, revealed to be a gifted harp player, finally begins to fray at the seams (in his own quiet way), resulting in an amusing "divorce" with Bret and Jemaine essentially playing the roles of their children.

The idea of the Conchords acting on-stage in an embellished musical based on their "rags-to-rags" lives was also a fine one, but beyond a few fun moments in the resulting homespun stage production, it was something of a disappointment considering the potential for meta-comedy. Snapshots of the play looked very funny (I particularly like the multiple dancing Murrays), but the episode didn't really do this idea full justice.

The music this week was okay – most notably a Stomp-style sequence of Bret and Jemaine making music around their apartment after waking up in the morning. Shades of Morecambe & Wise's morning dance to "The Stripper", too. It made a change to see the pair having fun together in a musical interlude that wasn't a fantasy sequence. And, having later drawn attention to their illegal immigrant status in their poorly-received play (attended by Murray's Embassy chums), the Conchords are flown back to New Zealand to become simple shepherds again. In the final moment, Bret and Jemaine once again make music on objects in their field – neatly showing us how they probably got interested in music to begin with.

Overall, "Evicted" ended the season (and perhaps the show) on a decent note: Mel rekindled her love for Dave after his harp-playing was given a showbiz context during the musical, and the Kiwi threesome returned to their motherland after trying, but failing, to make it big in the Big Apple. I'm sure a third season would be possible, but there was something fitting about the circular nature of this finale. Season 2 was undoubtedly a stretch for Clement and McKenzie in terms of producing memorable music, so I'd hate to see a third season grind to a halt in the comedy stakes, too. A famous rule of showbiz is to "leave the audience wanting more", so maybe the Flight Of The Conchords should take heed, before they outstay their welcome?


22 March 2009
HBO, 10pm

Writers: Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie & James Bobin
Director: Taika Waititi

Cast: Jemaine Clement (Jemaine), Rhys Darby (Murray), Bret McKenzie (Bret), Arj Barker (Dave), Kristen Schaal (Mel), Frank Wood (Greg), David Costabile (Doug), Eugene Mirman (Eugene), Jonno Roberts (Malcolm - Stage Murray), Richard DeDomenico (Old Man On Stage), Anthony Fazio (Stage Eugene), Nancy Opel (Bret's Stage Aunt), Stella Pulo (Woman On Stage), Jack O'Connell (Bret's Stage Uncle) & Adrian Martinez (Hotel Desk Clerk)

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS 2.9 - "Wingmen"

Spoilers. After last week's nadir, thinks perk up a little with "Wingmen". It's the penultimate episode, although FoTC's lack of an overarching plot means nothing important happens to set-up next week's finale. Season 1 had a sense that the Conchords were chasing dreams of success with their music, but season 2 has been more knockabout and unfocused. This was also another episode that played it safe, with another romantic misadventure...

Bret (Bret McKenzie) has fallen in love with Savannah, a girl who works at their local pet store, but his attempts to talk to her always results in him clamming up and opting to buy some goldfish instead. With the apartment slowly filling with unwanted fish, Bret decides he needs "wingmen" to help guide him -- so Jemaine (Jemaine Clement) and Dave (Arj Barker) bestow their inconsiderable knowledge of women, make Bret wear a sexy kilt, and wire him up with a walkie-talkie to remotely guide him through his next encounter.

Needless to say, it doesn't work, so Bret escalates his efforts and is soon rooting through Savannah's garbage with expert stalker Mel¹ (Kristen Schaal) for information he can use to his advantage, and riffing on a sitcom idea to have Jemaine pose as a mugger he can protect Savannah from during a pre-arranged street attack.

This week's only subplot was terribly weak, with Murray (Rhys Darby) blaming his demure co-worker Greg (Frank Wood) for a lack of sandwiches at a diplomatic meeting, then trying to patch things up with the comically deadpan Greg. While I'm glad Greg has become a notable character this season (not unlike the similarly reserved Toby in the US version of The Office), this storyline felt very flat and didn't really go anywhere interesting. Greg's sole purpose is to be amusingly pokerfaced and accepting of any tribulation and injustice, but those are traits it's nigh impossible to get much mileage from. He's best left as a quick treat, a la Milton in Office Space.

The songs were interesting this week. The first arrives almost immediately, with Bret recounting his day in song to Jemaine with the aide of a guitar. The fact here was no flashy music video to overshadow or distract from the performance actually helped you focus on the lyrics and tune, and while I still didn't find it gut-busting (I'm predisposed to shrugging at most "comedy songs", sorry), the lyrics were pleasingly clever and silly. The second song, "I Told You I Was Freaky", was a more traditional Concords affair with surrealism and costumes; probably one of the season's better efforts, but most memorable for its after-song punchline when the music video goings-on slipped into the "reality" of the show (Jemaine left smeared with honey and money on his bed; a body-painted Savannah blended against the wallpaper.)

Overall, "Wingmen" was amusing in parts and the songs were of higher quality than usual for season 2, but the storyline was on-rails. Most FoTC episodes ensure everything reverts to the status quo by the end -- so it's hard to get invested in the romantic storylines, particularly. We know Bret's going to get tantalizingly close to dating Savannah, only for it to blow up in his face, from the very first scene. Maybe FoTC should have been slightly more serialized in nature -- for example, whatever happened to Brabra the dog-obsessive who decided to go out with Bret awhile back?


14 March 2009
HBO, 10pm

Writers: Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie & James Bobin
Director: James Bobin

Cast: Jemaine Clement (Jemaine), Bret McKenzie (Bret), Mel (Kristen Schaal), Rhys Darby (Murray), Frank Wood (Greg) & David Costabile (Doug)

1. I've only just realized that Mel's boyfriend Doug is played by David Costabile, the bearded bad-cop in Damages!

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS 2.8 - "New Zealand Town"

A terrible dud, based on two promising comic ideas that flatline. Adding to the air of disappointment was the wasted return of bewildered NZ Prime Minister Brian (Brian Sergent); definitely this season's funniest guest-star, but without last week's strength of material, he was soulless and unfunny in his encore...

After a characteristically disastrous gig to a crowd of one (and even he walked out after the first song), Jemaine (Jemaine Clement) and Bret (Bret McKenzie) are encouraged by Murray (Rhys Darby) to improve their uncool image. To facilitate their transformation into slick trendsetters, Murray gives them a tub of blue hair gel to share, which they use to style their hair into various shapes, and find the change of image boosts their confidence as performers. It's not long before the Conchords become laidback hipsters and start getting appreciable success on-stage. But, then the gel runs out and the pair are forced to go "cold turkey"...

Meanwhile, Murray is tasked with helping the Prime Minister start a "New Zealand Town" in the Big Apple, with predictably disappointing results, as it comes to resemble a low-budget cultural bazaar in a tenement block -- populated by fake Maori warriors of Mexican and Chinese ethnicity, and a celebrity sheep called Gary.

Wisely, this episode only contained one song ("Fashion Is Danger.") Sadly, it was one of those FoTC efforts where you grin at the aesthetics (hair, costume, make-up, soft-focus camera, '80s cheesieness) but can't find anything particularly funny in the lyrics or performance. I'm struggling to even remember the tune now, which is never a good sign.

Anyway, FoTC is less about the duo's songs these days (as they've been so disappointing this year), and I try to focus on the story and jokes. As usual there were some funny lines and quirky turns of phrase, but the story was far too anaemic to sustain much interest. I liked the idea of the PM creating a Kiwi version of Little Italy, but the episode didn't go anywhere interesting -- although I appreciated an unexpected in-joke for fans of Chinatown in the closing scene. It was also fun seeing Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess) in a small role as the PM's meek assistant, Paula. A real physical transformation for the butch actress, but it was a thankless and largely pointless character that offered Lawless nothing to sink her teeth into. Pity, too, as I suspect she'd have been a hoot if the script bothered to give her some actual jokes.

Overall, a weak and lethargic misstep in most respects, fudging the potential in seeing the Conchords start making headway with their career. This was easy to forget, difficult to forgive, seeing how badly they treated Brian Sergent's character. From the standout success of last week to the unfunny spare wheel the next.


8 March 2009
HBO, 10pm

Writer & Director: Taika Waitiki

Cast: Jemaine Clement (Jemaine), Bret McKenzie (Bret), Rhys Darby (Murray), Arj Barker (Dave), Kristen Schaal (Mel) & Brian Sergent (Prime Minister)

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS 2.7 - "Prime Minister"

"There's scheduled meetings, and then there's chance meetings.
What I've done is scheduled a chance meeting."

-- Murray (Rhys Darby)

Spoilers. The songs are the worst I've ever heard spill from the Conchord's lips, but this was otherwise a funny episode (even though it once again included a tragic romance), primarily because of Brian Sergent's brilliant performance as Brian, the befuddled Prime Minister of New Zealand...

Murray (Rhys Darby) gets the Conchords a "gig" at an impersonation club, meaning Jemaine (Jemaine Clement) and Bret (Bret McKenzie) are forced to attend as a Simon & Garfunkel tribute act. Jemaine's bobble-haired costume attracts the attention of a woman called Karen (24's Mary Lynn Rajskub), whom he later discovers is an obsessive superfan of Art Garfunkel and only using him to fulfill her weird fantasy. It's a situation Jemaine doesn't actually have the strength to resist, and proves particularly annoying for his own stalker, Mel (Kristen Schaal).

Meanwhile, Murray has been chosen by the NZ consulate to be the visiting Prime Minster's personal aide and arrange the politician's activities when he arrives in New York, to include a meeting with President Obama. Murray doesn't have much luck arranging said trip, and is forced to ask Jemaine and Bret to act as the man-child PM's city tour guides. The Prime Minister (Brian Sergent) himself turns out to be just as eccentric as his dimwit compatriots; terribly old-fashioned (he owns an '80s brick-phone, loves fondu parties), has difficulty expressing his emotions ("I'm feeling that feeling where you go grrrr"), and is a firm believer that the philosophy behind The Matrix is the truth.

There's not much for Bret to do this week, and the Jemaine/Karen storyline felt a bit flat once the obvious joke had been delivered -- although it was nice to see 24 regular Rajskub in a different context, no longer sneering at a laptop. Shame the comedy potential of the impersonators was also a little lacking (especially with Patton Oswalt on hand as an Elton John-alike), although I liked how Murray employed an Obama double to trick Brian into believing his diplomatic trip had been a success. And the final gag -- where two Elton John's fool the PM into believing the Matrix has just "glitched" was priceless.

Ultimately, there was more bad than good here, while the two songs were particularly limp (a karaoke-themed ditty, sung in JapaneseKorean?), but the side-splitting performance from Sergeant as the idiot PM, added to a surprising cameo from the real Art Garfunkel, rescued this from failure. And yes, while it's another overcooked element of the show, the good-natured ribbing of New Zealand's citizens and culture continues to be funny.


1 March 2009
HBO, 10pm

Writers: Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie & James Bobin
Director: James Bobin

Cast: Bret McKenzie (Bret), Rhys Darby (Murray), Kristen Schaal (Mel), Arj Barker (Dave), Jemaine Clement (Jemaine), Frank Wood (Greg), Frank Wood (Greg), Mary Lynn Rajskub (Karen), Brian Sergent (New Zealand Prime Minister), Patton Oswalt (Elton John Impersonator), Louis Ortiz (Obama Impersonator), Patton Oswalt (Elton John Look-A-Like), Art Garfunkel (Himself), Mary Lynn Rajskub (Karen), Brian Sergent (Brian) & Susan Blommaert (Tour Guide)

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS 2.6 - "Love Is The Weapon Of Choice"

Spoilers. It had to happen; after a sterling episode last week, FoTC hits a pothole in the road with "Love Is The Weapon Of Choice" . Although I laughed at many of the jokes and found the ending quite strong, the idea just felt squandered.

There's another romantic entanglement for Jemaine (Jemaine Clement) and Bret (Bret McKenzie) this week, when both friends fall in love with a woman called Barbara (or "Brahbrah" as Bret believes), after meeting her in a park. Barbara (Kristen Wiig) is trying to find her missing epileptic dog, Charlie, and her distress inspires the Conchords to write a song to raise awareness of canine epilepsy for a charity benefit.

The episode is essentially a competition between Jemaine and Bret, who are both smitten with the same girl, and try to woo Barbara with time-share restaurant dates and by undermining each other in fronf of her. Barbara sends out conflicting signals, which only confuses matters -- leading Bret to wear Jemaine's glasses (believing Barbara thinks it makes men look intelligent), and for Jemaine to glue a Bret-like beard to his face. All a bit silly, like a bad '80s sitcom.

While irritating to see FoTC trotting out another twist on an attractive lady coming between Jemaine and Bret's friendship, the episode actually floundered for a variety of other reasons. Kristen Wiig (a Saturday Night Live player I'm not too familiar with) was pretty decent as Barbara, but her character was all over the place -- generally not mad enough to justify her patience with Jemaine and Bret's creepy antics, yet occasionally given scenes intended to make her seem even creepier (stealing a dog and pretending it's her own, taking bizarre polaroids of her pet.) Her lazy eye wasn’t the only lazy thing about her character, as Barbara's uneven tone just spoiled a few scenes.

The signature songs were rather forgettable, although RnB ditty "I'm In Love With A Sexy Lady" had some funny lines, but the titular "Love Is A Weapon Of Choice" -- a Meatloaf-esque bit of camp with big moustaches, candles and ninjas, that evolved into a dandyish duel -- was visually amusing, but lyrically unsure and vocally messy.

It was also a shame that the episode's big joke (a charity gig by the Conchords for epileptic dogs, faturing strobe lighting -- oh dear) was ruined by poor directing, as the strobing effect wasn't very noticeable, and it wasn't clear that there was a room full of dogs being affected. The intention of the gag was obvious and predictable enough to make its point, but the next scene was still had to make explicit what had happened through dialogue.

On the plus side, I really enjoyed the last scene's conclusion -- with Murray (Rhys Darby) again playing dad to the Conchords, making it clear to Barbara that Jemaine and Bret's incompetence was becase they both fancy her. The reveal that Barbara thought the Conchords were gay felt disappointingly cliché, but quickly rescued itself when Barbara opted to date Bret over Jemaine "if he's straight" -- leaving Jemaine unpredictably rejected as Bret got the girl. And, yes, learning that Barbara's name really is pronounced and spelt "Brahbrah" made me giggle for most of the end credits. An episode of good moments, desperately in need of better songs and extra polishing.


22 February 2009
HBO, 10pm

Writer: Paul Simms
Director: James Bobin

Cast: Jemaine Clement (Jemaine), Bret (Bret McKenzie), Rhys Darby (Murray) & Barbara (Kristen Wiig)

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS 2.5 - "Unnatural Love"

Unquestionably the best episode of the season, and possibly in FoTC's short history, "Unnatural Love" was a wonderfully silly romance for Jemaine (Jemaine Clement), who has a one-night standard with a beautiful blonde. Problem is: she's Australian...

It's not wholly fresh territory for FoTC, but what really set "Unnatural Love" apart was the deliciously subversive attitude to Kiwi/Aussie partnerships. It's a running joke that New Zealanders don't get on with their Australian cousins, and this episode takes that unease to the next step. Jemaine's conquest, Keitha (Sarah Wynter), is a gross stereotype of earthy Aussie women (broad accent, uncouth, her apartment crammed with Aussie posters and empty Foster's cans), and Jemaine faced immediate consternation from his friends...

Bret (Bret McKenzie) is totally nonplussed about why Jemaine would even contemplate sleeping with an Aussie girl, while Murray (Rhys Darby) reveals amusing levels of misguided xenophobia. Keitha is practically an alien from another planet in his eyes. I loved his line to Jemaine: " And your children, what about them? What will become of them? They'll be aberrations, won't they?" To which Jemaine corrects: "It's pronounced aborigines."

Jemaine himself is initially fearful and grossed out by his drunken lapse of judgement,but soon begins to realize how genuine and happy-go-lucky Keitha is, so decides to give their relationship a chance to blossom. Interestingly, Keitha's housemates are just as disgusted by Jemaine, while gives the lovebirds something of a Romeo & Juliet vibe as they struggle to be accepted as an item.

In something of a coup, this episode was directed by Michel Gondry, the master French visualist behind Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind and Be Kind, Rewind. FoTC is perfect material for Gondry to sink his teeth into -- as it clearly apes a genre of indie film that Gondry's at home with. Just watch the opening credits. Against expectation, Gondry's direction is in-keeping with the tone of FoTC (with no bizarre excesses, or Gondry-isms that called attention to themselves.) The only real sign that Gondry's behind the camera comes from how slick and well-choreographed the musical numbers are this week. An award-winning music video director before he got into movies, "Unnatural Love" benefits from Gondry's artistic eye when the music starts...

After being dropped off at a nightclub by Murray (who increasingly resembles their father at times), the shy Jemaine and Bret are taken inside by Dave (Arj Barker), signaling the first song "Too Many Dicks On The Dancefloor" (synthesizers, vocoders, heavy beats), while towards the end Jemaine sings a lament for past girlfriends called "Carol Brown" -- where Gondry brilliantly projects a slideshow of images on the building behind Jemaine and Bret in a street. The songs themselves were better than usual, too.

Guest star Sarah Wynter (who you may remember as Jack Bauer's love interest in 24's second season) put in a great performance as the permanently-smiling Keitha, seemingly impervious to the obvious hatred of Murray. Likeable, yet clearly a bit deranged (she makes Jemaine dress like Steve Irwin in public), Keitha ranks as one of FoTC's best supporting characters. The ensemble feel to season 2 is also paying dividends, as Dave once again gets some of the episode's best lines ("New Jersey. I’d love to go there, but I got a lot of shit going on in the States right now.") and his comparison of Jemaine and Keitha's prejudiced relationship to the plot of Interacial Holestretchers 2.

Overall, with two decent songs, some excellent choreography from Gondry, an entertaining story, and a fantastic collection of gags from writers Iain Morris and Damon Beesley (more evidence that FoTC is best when the FoTC aren't writing the episodes), "Unnatural Love" was a fine example of what I expect this show to be with greater regularity.


15 February 2009
HBO, 10pm

Writers: Iain Morris & Damon Beesley
Director: Michel Gondry

Cast: Jemaine Clement (Jemaine), Bret McKenzie (Bret), Rhys Darby (Murray), Sarah Wynter (Keitha) & Arj Barker (Dave)

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS 2.4 - "Murray Takes It To The Next Level"

I'm officially enjoying season 2 more than last year's less-confident, repetitive slog. This episode isn't particularly great, but any episode that gives us more Murray (Rhys Darby) is immediately improved, and there were some genuinely funny ideas and weirdness going on...

The loose plot has Murray deciding to embrace Jemaine (Jemaine Clement) and Bret (Bret McKenzie) as friends; by hanging out with them socially so they can progress up his homemade graph into friend territory. Currently, Murray only has one bonafide buddy, the constantly-questioning Jim (Jim Gaffigan), so will the Conchords join his inner circle?

It's another light and breezy idea to hang jokes and songs off, which is no bad thing. I'm just glad FoTC has found a few more ideas beyond band break-ups and romantic spare-wheels, and there's definitely more of an ensemble feel this season. Murray has benefited the most, but obsessed fan Mel (Kristen Schaal) is also being given more screentime, and gets her own song ("Dreams") to sing in this episode. It all helps because, in essence, Jemaine and Bret are practically the same character and their interaction is often too dry and stilted to deliver the kind of gags Murray, Mel and Dave (Arj Barker) can.

To wit, guest-star Jim Gaffigan scene-steals throughout this episode as Murray's mate Jim, because he equates social interaction with asking a stream of bizarre, closed questions ("do you read the paper?", "what’s your favourite section of the paper?", "how would you describe your hair colour?", "ever grow a moustache?") Murray is almost as bad -- only able to interact on a friendly level by re-enacting childhood (building bed blanket dens) and giving everyone a role to play based on TV's Friends. Still, at least he tries; Jemaine and Bret's idea of a good social activity is having a bath and sleeping.

The song were rather tiresome this week, although the visuals for Mel's song were quite a delight. I've grown to accept that I'm mostly impervious to comedy songs, so instead try to focus on the smaller delights of FoTC. I liked Mel's shock at Bret's actions in her dream (for which she demands an apology, supported by Jemaine once he's told what dream-Bret did), and Gaffigan's style of left-field normality was perfectly suited to FoTC's style of comedy.

Overall, I'm quite enjoying this new season after a dud start; the songs are still mostly forgettable, but the gags are sparkier and the show is broadening its appeal by including the other characters and finding more interesting (if bizarre) ways to get stories started, and sustain them with a kind of dream musical logic.


8 February 2009
HBO, 10pm

Writers: Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie & James Bobin
Director: James Bobin

Cast: Jemaine Clement (Jemaine), Bret McKenzie (Bret), Rhys Darby (Murray), Kristen Schaal (Mel), Jim Gaffigan (Jim)

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS 2.3 - "The Tough Brets"

Another good episode, really. The way the story was set in motion was rather feeble -- Bret (Bret McKenzie) dissing famous rappers during a library gig, scaring himself about retaliatory attacks and assembling a protective "gang" -- but the jokes were funnier than usual and the storyline more original. It's a shame the songs were underwhelming once again, although the cast reprise of "I've Got Hurt Feelings" was oddly hypnotic in its solemn delivery...

"The Tough Brets" was the kind of episode that didn't have a strong narrative; Bret assembles a ragtag gang that includes their friend Dave (Arj Barker), an old man, and a Chinese couple -- and the mob inconvenience and irritate Jemaine (Jemaine Clement). Jemaine's own storyline involved being given a hideous portrait of himself by obsessed superfan Mel (Kristen Schaal) and trying to dipose of it without hurting her feelings, then accompanying Murray (Rhys Darby) to a consulate function -- where's the hapless Kiwi's are teased by boisterous Aussie diplomats, including guest-star Alan Dale (Lost, Ugly Betty) as the Australian Ambassador. In fact, I'd gladly watch a Murray spin-off series over FoTC, as his rivalry with the bullying Aussies was far more entertaining and enriching than the silliness with Jemaine and Bret.

However, the rather humdrum plots are filled with jokes that hit their target with greater regularity: Dave's dire warning ("here in the United States, rivalries between rappers usually end in death. Or worse"), a typo that renamed Murray as "Mu Ray", Dave's deadly utensil glove, a Chinese man hiding in a cupboard, the semantics of having your body chopped off from your penis, etc. Interesting to note that supporting player Dave actually nabbed the majority of throwaway highlights; indeed, the cast that surround Jemaine and Bret are being given more to do in season 2, thankfully. I've never been very keen on human-chipmunk Mel, but even she was quite amusing.

While I didn't particularly enjoy the songs this week, I must confess to liking the dance choreography of the West Side Story-esque "Stay Cool, Bret" -- with Bret, his motley gang, Murray and Jemaine, snapping fingers and bounding around streets in a mini-musical extravaganza. If the song had been lyrically and musically better, this would have been a prime highlight of the series for me, but it dipped below greatness.

Overall, there are still problems with FotC, but this third episode offered more indication that it's making a few necessary changes (snappier gags, crazier stories, more for the supporting players to do). I've yet to see an episode bring story, character, comedy and music together into one cohesive, riotously entertaining whole, but they took a step closer here.


1 February 2009
HBO, 10pm

Writers: Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie & James Bobin
Director: James Bobin

Cast: Jemaine Clement (Jemaine), Rhys Darby (Murray), Bret McKenzie (Bret), Arj Barker (Dave), Kristen Schaal (Mel), David Costabile (Doug) & Alan Dale (Australian Ambassador)

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS 2.2 - "The New Cup"

After last week's tedious start, things perk up significantly with "A New Cup"; funnier jokes, better songs, a nicely skewed storyline to follow. Is it just a coincidence that it's not written by the Conchords...?

Here, Bret (Bret McKenzie) buys a new cup so he doesn't have to timeshare the one they own, but the meager expenditure ($2.79) results in unpaid bills and their electricity being cut off. Gigs aren't going too well, either, what with the Conchords often forgetting their instruments and having to play air-guitar, resulting in terrible reviews in the NZ consulate newsletter -- written by their own manager, Murray (Rhys Darby)!

Money gets so tight (despite selling "Super Straws" on the street, or giving Mel non-contact massages) that Jemaine (Jemaine Clement) decides to become a gigolo, having decided it's a viable career after mis-remembering Pretty Woman. Meanwhile, Murray puts financial hope in replying to a Nigerian phising scam, and actually finds his dumb naïvety rewarded.

"A New Cup" was broadly similar to "Bret Gives Up The Dream" last year; another example of how Flight Of The Conchords finds it difficult to think up totally fresh scenarios. But, this was different enough to become a worthwhile echo -- particularly because the songs were much livelier and funnier. "Sugarlumps" was especially good (a kind of faux-macho version of Fergie's infernally-catchy "My Humps"), and the "Roxanne"-like "You Don’t Have To Be A Prostitute Jemaine" was decent, too.

Indeed, maybe this episode should act as a wake-up call? It seems to me that if the Conchords focus on the funny songs, and leave the comedy writing to someone else (Duncan Sarkies*, here), then it's a mutually-beneficial arrangement. The story moved smoother, the situation was more involving than usual, there were plenty of good jokes (Murray's wall-timeline, the Nigerian man's presence) and none of the musical interludes disappointed.

Overall, FoTC remains inconsistent and curiously inert at times, but episodes like this are like a brief oasis. I just wish I had faith this quality will be sustained, or even improved upon. So, drink up, because I wouldn't be surprised if the desert mirages of greatness return next week.


25 January 2009
HBO, 10pm

Writer: Duncan Sarkies
Director: James Bobin

Cast: Jemaine Clement (Jemaine), Bret (Bret McKenzie), Kristen Schaal (Mel), Arj Barker (Dave) & Eugene Mirman (Eugene)

* Sarkies also wrote "New Fans", a highlight of season 1 for me.

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS 2.1 - "A Good Opportunity"

I dearly wanted to love Flight Of The Conchords last year, but a number of factors prevented me from embracing it: the fact most plots are a variation on "someone leaves the band" or a "romantic gooseberry", that the songs are generally quite forgettable (admit it), and the intentionally tiresome characterizations. It's shot through with an indie aesthetic (visually and in the dialogue) that just comes across as smug and distancing to me, too. The season 2 premiere toys with the idea of reinvention for a few minutes, but it's business as usual before too long -- with one notable difference: the songs are actually worse...

Bret (Bret McKenzie) and Jemaine (Jemaine Clement) are still struggling Kiwi folk-pop musicians trying to get a break in America. Following the events of the season 1 finale, their incompetent manager Murray (Rhys Darby) had fluked success with a rival band called "Crazy Dogggz", and has become a sharp-suited music exec in a plush skyscraper. However, his success hasn't had a positive knock-on effect for "Flight Of The Conchords", as they're still struggling for gigs.

Murray's split loyalty forces Jemaine and Bret to part company with their manager, to represent themselves. Encouragingly, they manage to land a toothpaste commercial for a women's-only brand called "Femident". Meanwhile, Murray realizes the Crazy Dogggz's stole their hit single from an obscure '90s Polish group, and is forced to give up his high-flying lifestyle and return to work at the New Zealand consulate.

The plot is certainly more robust than usual, which helped keep my interest in events. But, essentially, this is yet another riff on the idea of someone (in this case Murray) leaving, or being forced to leave, the Conchords triptych. It's actually laughable that the writers have so few ideas in their arsenal, and not a good sign for season 2 if they're still recycling ideas that became threadbare mid-season 1.

Clement and McKenzie are on record as saying season 2 was particularly difficult to write, because they'd exhausted their back-catalogue of comedy songs in season 1. Consequently, they've had the added burden of composing new songs to go along with fresh scripts. They've clearly spread themselves very thin, as the three songs in this episode are incredibly thin, fairly unfunny, and don't last very long. A few of the songs last year were "earworms", but the ones here burrow through one ear and plop out the other. Season 1's songs were often clumsily inserted into the narrative, so you'd think that would be a thing of the past (now they can write the songs to fit the plots precisely), but only the Femident jingle is relevant and necessary.

On the positive side, there were some good lines dotted about, and Rhys Darby is still the main reason to be watching. Someone give him his own series, as he's far more engaging than the leads (who, by design, resemble autistic social pariahs.) There was more comedy in Murray discovering his letter of resignation from the NZ consulate hadn't even been read (owing to the fact nobody goes into his office), than the rest of the episode put together.

Overall, FoTC is still a crushing disappointment to me. It's the TV version of a hipster indie comedy (hyped to annoyance, adored by a cultish clique, but essentially half-empty and running on fumes.) Flight Of The Conchords wants to be a witty, somnambulist Wes Anderson musical... but these Kiwi's are much funnier in their natural medium: music albums.


18 January 2009
HBO, 10pm

Writers: Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie & James Bobin
Director: James Bobin

Cast: Jemaine Clement (Jemaine), Bret McKenzie (Bret), Rhys Darby (Murray), Arj Barker (Dave) & Kristen Schaal (Mel)

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS 1.12 - "The Third Conchord"

Writers: Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie & James Bobin

Director: James Bobin

Cast: Jemaine Clement (Jemaine), Bret McKenzie (Bret), Rhys Darby (Murray), Frank Wood (Greg), Eugene Mirman (Eugene), Todd Barry (Todd) & Demetri Martin (Demetri)

Murray hires a new member of the band without consulting Jemaine and Bret, which causes all manner of problems...

The last episode of Flight Of The Conchords touches down courtesy of the show's central trio; New Zealand writer-performers Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, and British writer-director James Bobin (Da Ali G Show). It's been an amusing (if strained) dozen episodes, although The Third Conchord finale does provide one of the better storylines -- even if the laughs remain depressingly low...

Murray (Rhys Darby) recruits a new bad member, the bongo-playing Todd (Todd Barry), without consulting Jemaine and Bret, although he's convinced the Conchords are on the cusp of greatness and just that little extra push. Of course, diminutive Todd turns out to be an oddball with bad ideas for songs (including one where Jemaine just has to "arf!" like a dog), and soon causes great disharmony.

However, Conchords obsessive Mel (Kristen Schaal) becomes smitten by Todd, who actually shows her some affection, and Murray tries to keep the peace -- even after Todd launches into 10-minute bongo solo (which is bizarrely well-received by a crowd), and muses on renaming the band "The Crazy Doggz".

Jemaine and Bret have had enough and decide to oust Todd without Murray knowing, leading to Jemaine fighting Todd in public. Unfortunately for Bret, Todd bizarrely manages to convince him that Bret is the one holding the band back from success, and is consequently fired instead (leading to a fun Footloose parody called "Angry Dance" .)

With Bret gone, Jemaine and Todd begin practicing together and, despite a strained working relationship, try to make the best of it. Meanwhile, Bret starts a rival band with a "keytar" player called Demetri (Demetri Martin), with Murray talked into managing both bands: The Flight Of The Conchords (Jemaine/Todd) and The Original Flight Of The Conchords (Bret/Demetri).

Unexpectedly, both bands seem to have mild success (certainly a more receptive crowd response than we typically see on the show), and Murray becomes quite pleased with his dual management skills. But it's clear that Jemaine and Bret are unhappy with their new band mates -- as Todd is riddled with bad ideas and Demetri annoyingly copies Bret's "look".

The twist comes when Todd and Demetri decide to split and start their own band (The Crazy Doggz), and we jump forward in time... to find they've become hugely popular with a novelty record called "Doggy Bounce" (a Macarena spoof.) The episode ends with Mel having shifted her musical loyalty onto the Doggz, and Murray having become a rich and successful band manager, now that the Doggz have dominated the world and regularly sell-out 90,000 capacity stadiums in South America.

The Third Conchord ends with manager Murray driving off in his expensive sports car, now committing most of his time to Todd and Demetri, leaving Jemaine and Murray to break into a reprise of the Footloose-style angry dance...

I was glad the finale storyline was more involving and entertaining than usual, and the final 5 minutes certainly acted as a neat end. Of course, with a second season confirmed by HBO, it's inevitable that Murray's success will be short-lived --so things will be back to the status quo before too long. Still, it was interesting to see that splitting Jemaine and Bret resulted in a level of musical success, but the two friends were unable to function personally.

There weren't many memorable jokes, exactly, although the general humour with annoying newcomer Todd, the Conchords' division, and the rise of a rival band, were all laced with amusing moments. The musical moments have grown infrequent in the latter-half of the season, and the finale is particularly low (as Brett's dance is just instrumental and the "Doggy Bounce" track wasn't lyrically strong -- which was obviously the point!)

Ultimately, this was a fairly strong ending, but did nothing to really inspire me to watch season 2 -- particularly now the Flight Of The Conchords' stage act has been 95% transferred to the small-screen. Maybe this will inspire a more focused and cohesive run of episodes next season, as this 12-episode series was essentially a one-note idea and a handful of jokes, stretched to breaking point and sprinkled with songs.

The show entertained me enough to make me catch the next episode, although it was more out of blind hope the show would suddenly click and begin cranking up the comedy. It never really captured my imagination -- although I found Darby particularly enjoyable as Murray, and Clement and McKenzie are an oddly engaging double-act.

And yes, some of the songs were thankfully more entertaining than I'd expected from the earlier episodes. I've never been a fan of music-comedy acts (Tenacious D leave me similarly cold), so perhaps this show was never going to make me a convert... but it was amusing enough, and at least something different.

I'll definitely give season 2 a shot -- if only to to see if they've taken note of season 1's failings, and been inspired to really make the show take on its own life. They can't just hang songs and old comedy routines on a 30-minute sitcom format again, can they?


11 December 2007
BBC Four, 9.30 pm

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS 1.11 – "The Actor"

Writers: Iain Morris & Damon Beesley
Director: Michael Patrick Jann

Cast: Jemaine Clement (Jemaine), Arj Barker (Dave), Bret McKenzie (Bret), Kristen Schaal (Mel), Rhys Darby (Murray), Eugene Mirman (Eugene), Frank Wood (Greg), Dan Bakkedahl (Waiter) & Will Forte (Ben)

After a disappointing gig, Jemaine and Bret decide to cheer up Murray by asking an actor to fake being a record mogul and sing his praises...

The penultimate episode, despite a storyline that shows freshness and inherent humour, is unfortunately a huge comedown from last week's anomalous upswing in quality. I really thought Flight Of The Conchords would hit a run of decent episodes and "finds its groove" (for lack of a better term), but it seems happy to just coast along, and I can't muster much enthusiasm now.

Mind you, at least we've established Jemaine and Bret are awful musicians. I spent most of this season unsure if the joke was they were very talented, but crippled by an incompetent manager and zero enthusiasm. I was only half right...

The Actor does have a funny premise; as Jemaine and Bret are saddened to see Murray (Rhys Darby) so maudlin after another disastrous gig, so they ask a semi-professional actor (dry cleaner Ben, played by Will Forte) to cheer him up, by pretending to be an ego-stroking record industry mogul.

Unfortunately, nutty Ben takes the acting job to heart and, in the guise of high-flier "Stephan Gucci", can't resist giving Murray a record deal when he breaks down in tears on the phone. Things quickly escalate, with Ben bitten by the acting bug and giving the Conchords a fake mega-bucks during a dinner meeting. A deliriously happy Murray then begins pre-spending their fortune on a Lord Of The Rings-style music video and expensive wrap party...

Despite a central comedy idea that works well, The Actor is just too humdrum in its execution to excite and pretty low on laughs. Rhys Darby handles the material well, and Will Forte is a good guest star as deluded Ben, but by the time the episode panders to a Rings spoof (Murray at Gandalph, super-fan Mel as Arwen, Jemaine and Bret as Hobbits), it's clear The Actor is beginning to clutch at straws.

There are some nice moments (Murray's belief a "code" exists that gets rich people free expenses), and the basic idea of the Conchords misleading their manager to such extremes is good for a giggle, but that's about it.

For me, The Actor was just another tired outing; nice idea, poor execution. It's bearable only because it doesn't fall back on a band break-up or girlfriends to fuel its comedy, but it's just not particularly well-written or memorable.

The finale is next, so we'll at least see if Flight Of The Conchords manages to draw to some kind of conclusion/cliffhanger that excites me about the greenlit second season...


4 December 2007
BBC Four, 9.30 pm

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS 1.10 – "New Fans"

Writer: Duncan Sarkies
Director: Taika Waititi

Cast: Jemaine Clement (Jemaine), Bret McKenzie (Bret), Rhys Darby (Murray), Kristen Schaal (Mel), Arj Barker (Dave), David Costabile (Doug), Sarah Burns (Summer), Heather Lawless (Rain), Frank Wood (Greg) & Daryl Hall (Club Host)

The Conchords increase their fan-base after playing a local gig, but Mel is suspicious of the new fans' intentions...

"You'll be offered drugs, you know. You'll have threesomes. Dinners. You know, you'll end up going into town in a taxi, have a couple of drugs, have dinner, have a threesome, go home again, have a shower, go out again, more drugs, more threesomes. Happens all the time. Alright, I mean... I'd do it."

-- Murray (Rhys Darby)

I'm despondent about the whole show now, as there have been far too many misses for my liking. At best, it's an eccentric frivolity; at worse, it's an unfunny curio.

However, after a disappointing start, New Fans later develops into one of the best episodes, thanks to writer Duncan Sarkies emphasis on the one aspect of Conchords that genuinely amuses: the lead characters' sexual inexperience.

After playing "Tuesday World Music Jam" --where it's finally made clear that the fictional Flight Of The Conchords are an awful band, so these music interludes aren't an accurate reflection of their talent – the band somehow manage to endear themselves to two hot women; Summer (Sarah Burns) and Rain (Heather Lawless).

At this stage, with yet another duo of unsavoury girls making doe-eyes at Jemaine and Bret, I was about ready to scream! It's one thing to have a sitcom with some bread-and-butter plot types, but there's just too much recycling on this show. I'm beginning to suspect plots are being written around the Conchords' back-catalogue of songs, and because they often sing about doomed romances, that's where the storylines head.

Fortunately, despite the repetitive set-up, New Fans does a much better job of delivering some solid laughs. With their fan-base increased (by two), Jemaine and Brett borrow some cool clothes from friend Dave (Arj Barker), who it's revealed still lives with his parents – although he claims they're weird lodgers who just happen to look like him!

The episode builds to a characteristically uncomfortable dinner date with the Conchords and their fans, with Mel (Kristen Schaal) as host. However, with Mel out of the room (and her husband bizarrely hiding in the basement on his laptop!), the Conchords are amazed to find Summer and Rain kiss each other... and quickly break-off the meal to go to their house.

Despite the fact this directly conflicts with Bret's total unease, fear and naivety surrounding sex (see, told you this show was inconsistent!), Bret and Jemaine are soon persuaded to take drugs (cue a Austin Powers/Adam Ant musical hybrid "Prince Of Parties") and offered a threesome.

From that moment in particular, Flight Of The Conchords hits a stride and the debate over threesomes, foursomes and exactly who'll be involved in this looming orgy, is absolutely hilarious ("I had a twosome!") I particularly liked an accompanying gag where Bret is seen in the toilet, as the walls slide around as a physical effect.

The episode ends with Jemaine and Bret debating the merits of a threesome, both grappling with their fear and excitement, before deciding to escape out the toilet window... which rather oddly leads back into the living room and the waiting Summer...

New Fans is a lot of fun, and proves Flight Of The Conchords can tickle the funny bone when it wants to. I just wish it would hit similar highs more often, as the series has only had about 3 memorable so far.

The overall problems are abundant (repetition of plots, recycling of jokes, inconsistencies), but the Clement and McKenzie are strangely watchable and Rhys Darby is a brilliant injection of humour whenever things drag. Here, I particularly liked how his computer (no longer 70s-era; another inconsistency!) is used to control various webcams he's positioned in the band's rooms.

This is a very good episode, although I'm not going to get carried away. The first 15-minutes were still pretty weak, and I'm not convinced this will mark a belated upswing in quality, as the penultimate episode looms large...


27 November 2007
BBC Four, 9.30 pm

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS 1.9 – "What Goes On Tour"

Writer & Director: Paul Simms

Cast: Jemaine Clement (Jemaine), Bret McKenzie (Bret), Kristen Schaal (Mel), Rhys Darby (Murray), David Costabile (Doug), Emily Swallow (Becky), Kate Pierson (Club Owner) & Morgan (Blonde Girl)

Using the band's "emergency fund," Murray organizes a warm-up tour in preparation for a big gig in Central Park...

Jemaine: How big is the bus gonna be? The tour bus...
Murray: This is the tour bus, Jemaine.

As we approach the end of the first season, new writers/directors are being brought in to put their own stamp on Flight Of The Conchords. What Goes On Tour is written and directed by Paul Simms and, while the plot is more developed than usual – sadly, it's at the expense of any big laughs.

Murray (Rhys Darby) dips into the Conchords' "emergency fund", which appears to be money shared with his estranged wife Shelley, and uses the cash to fuel a warm-up tour before the band play at Central Park.

The episode has the trio going on a road trip to various poor venues (primarily an airport lounge), where Murray does his best to pretend he's the manager of rebellious, talented rockers and not socially-inept simpletons who waste their expenses on buying leather suits that shrink in the rain.

As previously mentioned, the actual storyline flows well this week, and takes some interesting turns – particularly when Bret and Jemaine are conned by a women's water polo team – and generally does a better job of keeping your interest, thanks to the variety of locations, and a clearer sense of direction.

But the jokes aren't particularly memorable and often predictable (the TV out the window), so it ultimately proves to be one of the season's least amusing outings. There's also only one musical interlude ("Mermaids"), which is shoehorned into the script quite badly.

Once again, the episode is rescued by Rhys Darby's performance, as the Conchords themselves are too vacant and aloof to engage me. Murray may be a NZ twist on The Office's David Brent, but at least he has punch and spirit to his character – plus bags of commitment to their cause.

What Goes On Tour is definitely one of the weakest episodes, but only because the music and laughs are sacrificed for a better narrative. Murray gets more interesting and sympathetic every week, and it was nice to see the characters on the road together – but when there are no funny moments and decent songs in an episode of a musical-comedy, there's clearly something wrong...


20 November 2007
BBC Four, 9.30 pm

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS 1.8 – "Girlfriends"

Writer: Eric Kaplan
Director: James Bobin

Cast: Bret McKenzie (Bret), Jemaine Clement (Jemaine), Arj Barker (Dave), Rhys Darby (Murray), Kristen Schaal (Mel), Eugene Mirman (Eugene), Eliza Coupe (Lisa), June Raphael (Felicia), Florence Annequin (Lisa's Friend) & Adrian Martinez (AJ Jones)

Bret and Jemaine meet two women in a croissant shop and go on a double-date, while Murray makes an album deal...

"Bands shouldn't have girlfriends. You lose your female fan base. What about Wham? You never saw Wham with girlfriends. That's how they kept the women wanting them. No girlfriends."

-- Murray (Rhys Darby)

Haven't we exhausted the whole girlfriend thing on this show? Every other week one, or both, of the Conchords has an awkward relationship with a girl. It's yet more evidence that the storytelling possibilities of the show aren't being explored very well – which is bad news considering this is only the eighth episode.

Hey ho. Girlfriends finds Bret and Jemaine loitering outside a croissant shop, unable to gather the confidence to go inside and buy something. This socially inept nature of the characters is very inconsistent, isn't it? Anyway, once inside, they both somehow manage to secure a double-date with two sexy women who work there: Lisa (Eliza Coupe) and Felicia (June Raphael).

The series of dates are disastrously one-sided, with Bret finding Lisa is besotted with him, whereas Jemaine struggles to even talk to the disappointed Felicia...

Girlfriends is quite interesting on one level, as we see the Conchords' views on sex is incredibly naïve and childlike. Bret is aloof when it comes to Lisa's obvious attempts to bed him, while Jemaine is desperate for such sexual attention, but doesn't have the quiet charisma that Bret appears to wield.

Mind you, both Bret and Jemaine consider sex to be the pinnacle of a relationship that takes years to build-up. As Bret says, a girl would only even go "upstairs" with him after 3 years, and he feels harassed by Lisa's overt attempts to shag him.

Unusually, Murray (Rhys Darby) stars in his own subplot that is one of his weakest. Convinced dodgy-dealer A.J Jones (Adrian Martinez) is the brother of world-famous record producer Quincy Jones, Murray makes a deal to get some albums produced. A day spent trying to flog them on the streets is a total disaster, and he later discovers most of the boxes contain sawdust.

I guess Murray has no concept of how much big boxes of CDs would weight? The funniest part of his storyline was seeing his still-antiquated computer equipment – didn't the tech support girl fix that last week?

Anyway, initially I was pleased the show was finally addressing the promotion of the band, as I thought this would be a stronger aspect of the series. But, it doesn't really go anywhere, and I'm still not sure if the Conchords are genuinely bad, or if the musical interludes we see throughout the show exemplifies their talent.

The music this week was okay, but nothing special. A shared dream sequence ("Foux Da Fa Fa") was visually fun, styled on a 60s Scopitone music video, but "A Kiss Is Not A Contract" was a more standard ballad.

Overall, Girlfriends wasn't very memorable, and it's ridiculous how often the show returns to the same themes/ideas. The series focuses on the Bret/Jemaine/Murray trio (so can't branch out into a supporting cast for its stories), but the majority of their plots only revolve around band break-ups and girlfriends...

And I'm officially bored by it now.


13 November 2007
BBC Four, 9.30 pm

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS 1.7 – "Drive By"

Writer & Director: Taika Waititi

Cast: Jemaine Clement (Jemaine), Bret McKenzie (Bret), Arj Barker (Dave), Rhys Darby (Murray), Frank Wood (Greg), Aziz Ansari (Sinjay), Kevin Allison (Customer), Joan Hess (Jessica), Jon Budinoff (Boy On The Bus) & Sylvia Kauders (Lady On The Bus)

Bret and Jemaine face racial hostility from a Indian fruit seller, and Murray falls in love with a tech support woman...

"Hey, what are you guys doing? You, uh, you bungee-jumping up there?"

-- Sinjay (Aziz Ansari)

Is it coincidence that the funniest episode of the series is written and directed by someone else, namely Taika Waititi? As the Conchords themselves appear desperately short of ideas and resort to variations on the same plot and jokes, Waititi's script (while hardly a revelation) is a damn sight more compelling and contains some memorable moments.

The thrust of the episode concerns racial prejudice, in the unlikely form of Indian fruit seller Sinjay (Aziz Ansari), who detests New Zealanders and refuses to serve Bret and Jemaine. The idea doesn't really stretch beyond this one joke, but it's humorously told and performed by everyone.

I particularly enjoyed how Bret and Jemaine are so sheltered from life they're unable to grasp the concept of "flipping the bird" and need a training montage from best friend Dave (Arj Barker). The eventual pay-off to the plot is a bit trite (again using the way New Zealanders are mistaken for other nationalities), but it was a fun journey while it lasts.

There's some great stuff for Murray (Rhys Darby) in this episode, as he's quite clearly the funniest character, despite being an unashamed David Brent knockoff. Here, Murray (who we learn is married, but separated) lusts after a gorgeous blonde tech support worker called Jessica (Joan Hess), prompting a desire to pen a love song for her...

As usual, the musical interludes are hit-and-miss, particularly a children's animation called "Albi The Racist Dragon", delivered to the Conchords from Bret's mum back in the homeland. It's a note-perfect parody of 70s-era stop-animation, but it's not particularly funny and is crow-barred into the script.

A song called "Mutha Huckas" contains some amusing lyrics, but it's Murray's climactic love song ("Leggy Blonde") that is undoubtedly the musical highlight of the series (so far.) It's just great to see Murray make his singing debut on the show, while the lyrical jokes work because they pay-off material from earlier in the episode, and the "music video" itself is well accomplished. The idea to animate everyone onto photocopier paper being ejected into a tray was particularly brilliant.

So yes, in a mixed bag series that has never really achieved its potential. Drive By ranks as one of the better episodes. The jokes are improved, Murray is given more to do, the songs don’t distract too much, and the plots (which not very textured) at least tread new ground...


6 November 2007
BBC Four, 9.30pm

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS 1.6 - "Bowie"

Writers: Bret McKenzie, Jemaine Clement & James Bobin

Director: Troy Miller

Cast: Jemaine Clement (Jemaine), Bret McKenzie (Bret), Rhys Darby (Murray), Kristen Schaal (Mel), Arj Barker (Dave), Frank Wood (Greg), David Costabile (Doug) & John Hodgman (David Armstrong)

Murray wants to take some photos of the band, leading to Bret becoming insecure about his body...

Flight Of The Conchords takes a more surreal pathway with episode 6, as David Bowie (Jemaine Clement) appears to Bret in a succession of weird dreams, dispensing strange advice for him to follow -- like wearing an eye-patch. It's very Mighty Boosh in style, and seems a better stylistic fit for the Conchords duo, as a fun science fiction musical piece "Bowie's In Space" also seems to prove.

Elsewhere, it's business as usual for the show, with incompetent manager Murray (Rhys Darby) arranging a photoshoot for the band, as they currently have just 2 photos (one without either of them in shot, and one with Bret's head pasted onto someone else).

The resulting low-budget photoshoot makes Bret become self-conscious about his body and Jemaine does his best to cheer up his friend -- by boosting his self-esteem via a song with unintentionally gay lyrics, called "Bret's Got It Going On".

The slight weirdness to Bowie is continued with another main plot, as the Murray gets the band their first real job: providing the music to an electronic novelty greeting card. The Daily Show's John Hodgman has a small role as the card company's boss, quietly frustrated by Bret, Jemaine and Murray's stupidity when it comes to understanding how one of his cards actually works ("like a walkman?")

It's nice to see an episode with a different energy to the rest, and the surreal moments when Bowie appears to Bret in his dreams, dressed from different career eras (Ziggy Stardust to Labyrinth) work very well. Both musical interludes also work better than usual, as the first is genuinely amusing and the second is quite ambitious and a pleasing pastiche of eccentric 80s music videos.

However, Bowie is still frustratingly low on laughs and just ambles through its scenes. The first half is quite plodding, only enlivened by Bowie's appearances, while the second half is a marked improvement that comes too late. It's clear that the series is never going to suddenly transform into anything other than an enjoyable, goofy, silly way to spend some time.

As a comedy series, it's lacking big laughs and clever plotting, so scrapes along on the amiable charisma of its lead actors, a few witticisms, and unexpected flashes of genius. Therefore, it's very difficult to actively hate Flight Of The Conchords, but it's also very difficult to see it as anything but a mildly entertaining comedy curio.

But, if you think pure surrealism is a better fit for the Conchords than the docu-comedy style that's usually employed, Bowie is undoubtedly the best episode (stylistically) of the series. Shame it's one of the least compelling and humorous, though.


30 October 2007
BBC Four, 9.30 pm

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS 1.5 - "Sally Returns"

Writers: Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie & James Bobin

Director: James Bobin

Cast: Jemaine Clement (Jemaine), Bret McKenzie (Bret), Rhys Darby (Murray), Arj Barker (David), Kristen Schaal (Mel), Frank Wood (Greg), Sutton Foster (Coco), Eugene Mirman (Eugene), Rachel Blanchard (Sally), Ramsey Faragallah (John) & Murray Bartlett (Mark)

Sally, the ex-girlfriend of both Bret and Jemaine, is back on the scene and rekindles old memories...

Murray: There's something I wanted to talk to you about actually, Jemaine. Umm, it's not good news. Planet Jemaine... supernova'd. Yeah, there's nothing left of it, apparently -- just a huge gaseous cloud and the beginnings of a black hole.
Jemaine: When did this happen?
Murray: Uh, about 4 million years ago.

Sally Returns is guilty of relying on themes and ideas Flight Of The Conchords can't seem to shake off, surrounding the social difficulties of Bret and Jemaine around women. Yet again, Sally (Rachel Blanchard) causes them to both to fall madly in love with her, and the episode becomes another doomed romance with a weird "love-triangle". And, while we don't get a band break-up exactly, Bret and Jemaine are split when Jemaine gets his own place to impress Sally...

The series' riffs on a handful of ideas every episode is becoming faintly amusing for all the wrong reasons, but Sally Returns is fortunately saved by having some genuinely funny jokes, songs that actually tell a narrative story (so don't feel as forced) and a plot that you can become invested in. It helps that Sally is a character we're already familiar with, so for the first time we have a subjective opinion on a character and situation.

Jemaine again plays gooseberry in the opening scene, where Bret and girlfriend Coco (Sutton Foster) amuse themselves on the sofa by tickling each other -- despite neither being ticklish. Later, Jemaine meets Sally again in a laundromat and, following the show's funniest song so far (Business Time; a ruined love song), Jemaine starts to make moves to secure her love. Unfortunately, Bret has similar plans once he realizes Sally's back, despite going out with Coco, and both compete for Sally's affections with increasingly extraordinary presents for her impending birthday...

I still wish the series would just move away from the competing duo aspects, particularly involving woman and band break-ups, but fortunately there's enough spark and good humour in episode 5 to keep things interesting. Rachel Blanchard is particularly adept at this brand of humour, as Peep Show is similarly low-key and reliant on the same straight-faced cuteness she brings to Conchords.

The non-Sally aspects of the show are more successful, however -- particularly scenes of Jemaine moving into a new "apartment" the size of a cupboard ("a compartment"), Murray (Rhys Darby) deciding to move the band into real estate by purchasing stars ("Murrayland"), only for Jemaine's to go supernova "... about 4 million years ago", and a decent finale that neatly ends Sally's recurring storyline.

Overall; some fun moments, a watchable storyline, a few great lines and two songs that actually aide the story instead of distract from it too much. Also nice to see someone mention the Conchords actually have a music video released on the internet (the robot vid from the Pilot), as I was beginning to think these guys never do anything musically.

Flight Of The Conchords is still a disappointing series for me, but this was a definite highlight and helped sustain my wavering belief that a truly great episode is around the corner...


23 October 2007
BBC Four, 9.30 pm