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FTA-TV Derek

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HeavyPop said:
With Gervais recent work, I'm starting to believe Stephen Merchant was the real direction behind The Office being a success. Ricky played David Brent incredibly well, but his recent stuff hasn't been great. Derek was okay, but incredibly manipulative. The scene with Fix You playing was one of the most cringeworthy things I've seen.
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Extras was very good as well. Gervais and Merchant compliment each other very well.

Just downloaded the first season of Derek so will give it a shot.
 
He's back!

In 22 minutes he managed to give me a fright, make me laugh and make me feel sad. Loved it! (although a bit disappointed with one of the storylines.)
 
mandy said:
He's back!

In 22 minutes he managed to give me a fright, make me laugh and make me feel sad. Loved it! (although a bit disappointed with one of the storylines.)
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I really enjoyed season 1.
 

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watched the first episode of series 2.

Had some funny bits ... but all the sentimental stuff is really getting tiresome. I had to skip over the last bit with the dvd.

Nowhere near enough Karl.

Its funny how often there are jokes in gervais's shows that originated in the XFM days and Podcasts like the worm joke and the Ken Dodd reference.
 
JUBJUB said:
Sadly Karl is gone.Dougie has moved to Manchester,so Derek & Kev are now living in a caravan at the back of the home.
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I watched the second episode and it made me realise how bad the show is. Ill probably watch the final episodes only out of curiosity to see how far gervais has fallen. Maybe im one of those people who whinges about a show and should just stop watching it.

It is just dumb manipulative garbage. Karl made the first series funny ... 25 grossout jokes about sex is the best Gervais can come up with these days in addition to one really obnoxious character each week who some how has his whole life turned around by 5 minutes of dumb questions from Derek.

Why was that dude hanging around? One minute he is about to leave without saying anything to his relative, next thing he is sitting around with Kev and Derek for some weird reason.

The more rewarding aspect of the show is going and having a read of the forum thread about Derek on the pilkipedia website. They are scathing!
 
Bad sign if Karl is gone (made the first series) and Kev (unbearable) is still there
 
tombomb said:
This week's episode ... is indescribably bad.
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Agree.One of the only funny bits was Vicky telling Hannah that Annie wanted a wax before her date.Just the look on the both of them was funny.
Did like Hannah clocking the bloke who was attacking Vicky.Reminded me of the scene in the pilot where she Liverpool kissed that chick making fun of Derek.
Kev was bloody awful in this ep and his brother was just a pointless character.
 
JUBJUB said:
Agree.One of the only funny bits was Vicky telling Hannah that Annie wanted a wax before her date.Just the look on the both of them was funny.
Did like Hannah clocking the bloke who was attacking Vicky.Reminded me of the scene in the pilot where she Liverpool kissed that chick making fun of Derek.
Kev was bloody awful in this ep and his brother was just a pointless character.
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I thought the waxing bit was gross and completely ridiculous personally.

I thought the final scene of a comically over the top alcoholic wa**king next to a mentally disabled man while 'written and directed by Ricky Gervais' is on the screen ... pretty much summed things up.

the show makes when the whistle blows look highbrow.
 
I've liked Life's Too Short and Derek. The Office is one of the best things I will probably ever see so it's hard to top, but Gervais has done well. He obviously keeps within the lines, but I like his style. And I dug the first series of Derek.

Unfortunately the last two eps of this one, which I've just watched, seem a lifeless version of what it was. It's empty. There was a vague underlining of melancholia in the old ones. Sometimes it took over scenes or an episode, but it was never the entire point: it was still a show that tried to make you laugh. It feels like it's been reversed here – that second ep was all about ageing and what's important but it just wasn't funny. There was that exchange between Hannah and Kev too that seemed to reinforce the whole 'charicature' vibe it has. It just said things too explicitly. Of course Kev's a loser. He drinks his Special Brew, makes repugnant jokes, stinks, is vile... Hannah chastising him for it seemed too obvious and a bit out of character for her.

I don't know, it's not an absolute stinker and I'll keep going. But it seems to have its intentions warped. Kev's a funny character and he said a few great lines, that one where he's sucking the Carling from the carpet was good and just gross but in retrospect it is showing an intensification of traits, but I dunno... Gervais And Co. need to chill it out a bit.

I always loved the way Gervais and Merchant said something about the human condition. Mostly in the Office. It was this piss-funny show but it said something about what people are: Tim was lost, Dawn was in something she didn't want to be, Finchy was this appalling sexist who acted like an 19-year old Sports Science student, and David was an egotist but he wasn't necessarily a bad person... all he wanted was validation, attention, to be liked and to be a success. There was something so poignant about it, but it was never spelt out and was left to just brew... it said so much about white, middle class, Anglo life. It was incredible. He managed to keep it a few more times, intensified it but maintained its right level in Derek and Life's Too Short... but it's becoming too much here and so it is losing its point – and humour.
 

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Can a legitimate fan of this show explain the following for me,

1) Is Ricky Gervais playing a guy with a mental disability?
I know Gervais has tried to defend this point saying that Derek is "simple" and "kind", but do you honestly believe that?

"I mean their ****ing DNA"


2) Where is the appeal in one dimensional characters?
Last week was horrendously bad with the banker character who was soo poorly written and unrealistic. We get it, this guys a banker, bankers are evil, thanks for that genius bit of childlike insight Ricky. I think these kind of characters are an insult to anyone's intelligence. In the first season there was a woman who was waiting for her mother to die so she could get her stuff (#kindnessismagic btw). Every line she had was about waiting for her mother to die, and at one point i think she even mentioned that she hated the homeless (just in case we hadn't figured out what she was all about). Who would say that?

3) How is this show meant to be "real" ?
Ive heard this in defense of the show, people saying that it reflects a real aged care facility. Now I've seen a few aged care facilities in my time, even done volunteer work at some too, and in no way is Derek a real representation of any of this.

4) Why are half the episodes taken up by piano montages?
Do we really need to be told when the sad parts of the show are by playing soft piano music. The use of Coldplay in the season one finale was embarrassingly bad and terribly cliched. Decent TV shows rely upon writing and character development to invoke emotion, not piano instrumentals and footage of old people.

5) Where is all this so called "kindness"?
Everyone says that Derek is kind, and the show overall is full of kindness, but I don't see it. We have Hannah having sex at work, assaulting people, but its her job to look after residents. Derek is selfish and rude to other people. Kev is an alcoholic that makes sexual advances on the residents and the staff. The only kind thing about these characters is that they spend all day at a aged care facility, but thats their job.
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Usually I just let people enjoy what they want, but there is something about people that believe that this show is deep and meaningful on an emotional level that just annoys me. Its generically written garbage with unrealistic one dimensional characters who with the use of piano backtracks manage to convince the audience they are kind
/Rant
 
happy_eagle I kind of like people analysing shows I watch and being critical. I mean the only show I can not hear a bad word about is The Sopranos and if I'm feeling uptight, the Wire. So I dig your post.

1) He's undeniably playing someone with something wrong. The fact I don't care maybe says something about me, though

2) One dimensional characters, sure. That banker and the bitter kid definitely seemed cheap. It didn't have thought. There was a possibility to add something. Not everything has to be soppy really so why did they make them soppy too? It was lame and cringeworthy, I really agree. It's a missed opportunity. I think Dougie was good for that, Hannah and the chav girl too are interesting... the Office peaked though. What they implicated about modern life was seriously profound – we're all sad, lonely, longing for something and we all want attention, want someone to think we're cool, want to exercise our ego... that show's commentary is interesting.

3) I think nursing homes can be dictated by experience. It's a unique environment. People can be coloured by what they see. There's such a differential in funding, carers, location, the people in there... you never know. I can say that many people I know say hospices are achingly decent places. They can have a positive environment and not something too sombre, despite what they are. If I had as much money as Ricky Gervais I would give too much money to hospices.

4) Piano is lame. Does Gervais hate Coldplay? He should. He seems the kind of person who would despite that smug Chris Martin on Extras. I think TV needs to address 'stock' strings and music in general. So many good shows are cheapened by it. There are so many ways to utilise music to say things, I love great writing, dialogue, stories, and characters but I also love a well placed bit of music – see: The Sopranos

5) This kindness is interesting and where I disagree. Hannah gets violent and has sex at work but no one could fairly say she's a bad person. She works a tough job for average income. Her disposition is positive. She's a nice person. You'd like a lass like that for your kid's to call mum. But the fact she's a bit questionable is what is interesting, the same goes for the young chavvy chick. They're both flawed and have a bit of a depth going on. And I think that wide bind of good and bad is what makes good characters and good TV. I mean, Tony Soprano killed his friends and family on what you'd probably call a consistent basis. But he tried doing nice things. He got upset about trivial, regular suburban issues and people could relate. Nurse Jackie too – she cheats, lies, betrays trust and manipulates people who love her, but she does nice things for her friends at work and is incredibly kind to her patients and will use that manipulation and cunning nous to do good things. I love that. Gervais has pointed towards it before and has done it much better, but it's a not something Derek does badly.
 
I, like some others, actually liked the first series ... but Karl leaving has shown up what a lazy, patronizing, offensive, dumb and not funny piece of crap the show is.

I see Gervais has been posting photos of him drinking with Russell Crowe ... what a vain flog he has become!
 
tombomb said:
I see Gervais has been posting photos of him drinking with Russell Crowe ... what a vain flog he has become!
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I remember Gervais did an interview a few years ago when he wasnt on Twitter, saying that Twitter is stupid because celebrities use it to show off and pretend to be friends with other celebrities

Oh the irony
 

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pantskyle said:
So no Karl in season 2?

Not sure if I can even watch. Why was this decision made? Madness.
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He left at the end of the first ep of season 2.
He quit because he doesn't like acting.Doing his travel shows is fine,but he hated acting in every episode.Maybe if he were only in it every few eps he might've stayed.
 
Gervais sometimes says really good things and I sit there agreeing with his perspective, like he's cutting through the hype and bullshit and showing that good cynicism. Then I question myself as he says something really, really dumb and vain. He's a hypocrite a bit too often, too.
 

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