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I wrote this Christmas Eve; I've gone in and added a couple things I forgot, and proofread it, but most of it's what I wrote that night, since those were my initial impressions.
I love this episode. I think this was the episode that made me realize in no uncertain terms that I wasn't just going to like this show, I was going to love this show.
It's such a great piece of the kind of storytelling this show does - after the relative simplicity of the first episode, this one just snowballs into an epic clusterfuck before anyone, audience or character, quite knows what's going on. One minute it's focus groups and zeitgeist tapes, the next it's the department throwing itself to sharks that would have been quite happy to leave it alone. And it's Malcolm's fuck-up. Everything is moving so quickly that his conclusion that Mary is in contact with Simon Hewitt seems reasonable enough until it turns out to be the dumbest thing anyone did in the entire episode. Which, in this episode, is pretty impressive.
But there's something else in this episode that informed my impression of Malcolm much more than the ending did, and that's a moment toward the beginning. Hugh takes a phonecall from Malcolm, anticipating a bollocking over a very negative article about him, and instead Malcolm tells him just what they're going to do to Hewitt for writing it. Hugh ends the call and says, "That's great. Malcolm's backing me," and there's just this burst of confident energy in the room as the department mobilizes to deal with the situation. I didn't realize it at the time, but that made quite an impression with me, and may well be at the root of my discussions in the 3x07 post comparing Malcolm to the Doctor in terms of Getting Shit Done. Because it is true, and you see it later in the show's run - people are afraid of Malcolm, but when he's on their side, they know everything is good to go. Okay, so, that was less true this episode, but in all fairness Hugh did put the noose around his own neck before Malcolm threw the switch.
And speaking of whom: Hugh's bewildered attempts to figure out and relate to Malcolm continue. He cracks weary jokes constantly despite getting verbally swatted more often than not in response, and this exchange is just wonderfully awkward:
Hugh, during a discussion of how their lives revolve around their jobs: "Do you get lonely?"
Malcolm: "No."
Hugh, backpedalling uncomfortably: "Neither do I."
I don't even have anything to add. It speaks for itself as a brief snippet that says a lot about both characters.
Other issues in this episode: Hugh's perpetual exhaustion as a result of his abovementioning time-consuming profession ("I work, I eat, I shower. That's it. Occasionally, I take a dump, just as a sort of treat. I mean, that really is my treat. That's what it's come to."), and his being hopelessly out of touch with current culture. I kind of love the scene where Malcolm is quizzing him on these different British shows and bits of slang. I'm a fucking American and I know more of the shit he's asking than Hugh does. I love that Eastenders is relevant to Hugh's job, and I love that the zeitgeist tape turns out to be more than a source of humor. It's a plot point! And it's one that comes out of nowhere to throw a wrench in the works, and it's a genuine surprise and not something you see coming a mile away. It's a neat bit of economical storytelling, AND got a bit of foreshadowing in the previous episode with references to Hugh's being out of touch. It's just a perfect little example of the kind of thing the show does in just about every episode.
Okay, so. Like Hugh, I am tired and possibly not expressing myself well at this point, and I could spend the rest of the night on this episode, but I won't [Note: apparently, I'll come back and add more stuff two days later instead], so let's have a bullet point or two.
* During the one-on-one meeting with Mary, there's a subtle bit with Glenn passing Hugh a sticky note which appears to be a joke of some kind; Hugh laughs and they exchange amused looks. Nothing ever comes of it, but it's a nice reference to the friendship these two have beyond work, and a quiet way of reinforcing it without drawing attention away from the main plotline.
* Oh my god, the bit with Hugh in the cupboard pitching a fit and Malcolm appearing, as he is wont to do, out of nowhere. "You said 'she.' Come out of the cupboard, Hugh." The way it's shot, and the way Capaldi pitches his voice low and quiet, it's like something out of a fucking horror movie.
* Especially with the lack of music, which is so perfect for the show, incidentally, that I just recently even noticed it. Not even a theme song! You'd think it would stick out more with how music is slathered all over any kind of filmed entertainment, but it just blends.
* Olly with Mary at the end, as we see his amazing skills in smoothing ruffled feathers for the first time (I think, like I said, tired). By this, of course, I mean: why do they keep letting Olly be the one to try to finesse people?
I love this episode. I think this was the episode that made me realize in no uncertain terms that I wasn't just going to like this show, I was going to love this show.
It's such a great piece of the kind of storytelling this show does - after the relative simplicity of the first episode, this one just snowballs into an epic clusterfuck before anyone, audience or character, quite knows what's going on. One minute it's focus groups and zeitgeist tapes, the next it's the department throwing itself to sharks that would have been quite happy to leave it alone. And it's Malcolm's fuck-up. Everything is moving so quickly that his conclusion that Mary is in contact with Simon Hewitt seems reasonable enough until it turns out to be the dumbest thing anyone did in the entire episode. Which, in this episode, is pretty impressive.
But there's something else in this episode that informed my impression of Malcolm much more than the ending did, and that's a moment toward the beginning. Hugh takes a phonecall from Malcolm, anticipating a bollocking over a very negative article about him, and instead Malcolm tells him just what they're going to do to Hewitt for writing it. Hugh ends the call and says, "That's great. Malcolm's backing me," and there's just this burst of confident energy in the room as the department mobilizes to deal with the situation. I didn't realize it at the time, but that made quite an impression with me, and may well be at the root of my discussions in the 3x07 post comparing Malcolm to the Doctor in terms of Getting Shit Done. Because it is true, and you see it later in the show's run - people are afraid of Malcolm, but when he's on their side, they know everything is good to go. Okay, so, that was less true this episode, but in all fairness Hugh did put the noose around his own neck before Malcolm threw the switch.
And speaking of whom: Hugh's bewildered attempts to figure out and relate to Malcolm continue. He cracks weary jokes constantly despite getting verbally swatted more often than not in response, and this exchange is just wonderfully awkward:
Hugh, during a discussion of how their lives revolve around their jobs: "Do you get lonely?"
Malcolm: "No."
Hugh, backpedalling uncomfortably: "Neither do I."
I don't even have anything to add. It speaks for itself as a brief snippet that says a lot about both characters.
Other issues in this episode: Hugh's perpetual exhaustion as a result of his abovementioning time-consuming profession ("I work, I eat, I shower. That's it. Occasionally, I take a dump, just as a sort of treat. I mean, that really is my treat. That's what it's come to."), and his being hopelessly out of touch with current culture. I kind of love the scene where Malcolm is quizzing him on these different British shows and bits of slang. I'm a fucking American and I know more of the shit he's asking than Hugh does. I love that Eastenders is relevant to Hugh's job, and I love that the zeitgeist tape turns out to be more than a source of humor. It's a plot point! And it's one that comes out of nowhere to throw a wrench in the works, and it's a genuine surprise and not something you see coming a mile away. It's a neat bit of economical storytelling, AND got a bit of foreshadowing in the previous episode with references to Hugh's being out of touch. It's just a perfect little example of the kind of thing the show does in just about every episode.
Okay, so. Like Hugh, I am tired and possibly not expressing myself well at this point, and I could spend the rest of the night on this episode, but I won't [Note: apparently, I'll come back and add more stuff two days later instead], so let's have a bullet point or two.
* During the one-on-one meeting with Mary, there's a subtle bit with Glenn passing Hugh a sticky note which appears to be a joke of some kind; Hugh laughs and they exchange amused looks. Nothing ever comes of it, but it's a nice reference to the friendship these two have beyond work, and a quiet way of reinforcing it without drawing attention away from the main plotline.
* Oh my god, the bit with Hugh in the cupboard pitching a fit and Malcolm appearing, as he is wont to do, out of nowhere. "You said 'she.' Come out of the cupboard, Hugh." The way it's shot, and the way Capaldi pitches his voice low and quiet, it's like something out of a fucking horror movie.
* Especially with the lack of music, which is so perfect for the show, incidentally, that I just recently even noticed it. Not even a theme song! You'd think it would stick out more with how music is slathered all over any kind of filmed entertainment, but it just blends.
* Olly with Mary at the end, as we see his amazing skills in smoothing ruffled feathers for the first time (I think, like I said, tired). By this, of course, I mean: why do they keep letting Olly be the one to try to finesse people?
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