Monday
13Nov
« Peep Show Series 3 »
Monday, November 13, 2006 at 18:30 
I love comic-duo Mitchell & Webb, I really do. I think realistically they're still best known for their starring in C4 hit comedy Peep Show, and with Series 3 released this time last week on DVD, I went out and bought it this past weekend.
On the storytelling front, Series 3 seems a lot more loose than the previous editions, with best mates Mark and Jeremy ending up in sticky situations almost on a regular basis. Granted this has been the formula for the whole of the show's history, but something about a second half of an episode where the two get lost in the countryside, well, that just seems a little too silly. The notion of Jeremy and SuperHans owning and running their own pub is similarly baffling, and a little too absurd, but putting small doubts like this aside, this series is just as funny as the previous two.
As expected, the show is still incredibly uncomfortable at times, more so than ever as a result of the two's inner thoughts being heard. Dirty, wrong, and just plain cringeworthy are words that could be applied to describing this part of the show, but as always, to accompany this, there's also the disgusting graphic scenes. Mark getting drugged by Jeremy and needing the toilet for a whole night before rushing to the pan just as his boss comes through the door is one such moment, and if the expressions on David Mitchell's face doesn't get you laughing, the sound effects certainly will.
But the combination of silly and disgusting is perhaps what makes Peep Show as satisfying as it is. It's quirky and off-the-wall, while also containing slight dark undertones of what real people sometimes think about, and that's maybe the scariest and funiest thing of all. There's no Toni, less Geoff, and even Olivia Colman/Sophie is reduced to a recurring role, but it's still a show with loads of future promise, and a series that's full of laughs upon each viewing.
Underrated by the general population and viewing neglected for rubbish like The Office and Extras, this is real UK Comedy, and it's a shame it hasn't got more fans...







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