03. all hail the queen of delayed reactions
So, The Thick of It, 3x08.
(This post brought to you by meddow's excellent best of 2009 post, which reminded me that I wanted an icon of Nicola making that Very Complicated Face at the end of 3x07, so I went and capped that, which led to rewatching all of 3x07, which led to rewatching 3x08, too, which led to my being up waaaaay past my bedtime last night, which led to me nearly burning down my office in rage this afternoon. So, let's try and get some good out of this, shall we?)
Out of everything I watched in 2009, this episode probably made me the happiest, no lie.
+ No, seriously, SO HAPPY, YOU GUYS, and most of it was because I was WRONG, WRONG, SO VERY WRONG about what was going to happen, namely, that a) Nicola would lose her job or sacrifice it b) in the service of getting Malcolm back into his job, because after doing such a fucking amazing job writing a female minister whose flaws and character quirks aren't drawn out of the well of Stereotypical Flaws for Ladies in Power, I was so sure, so very sure, that the show would do something stupid and/or rage-inducing. I mean, I feel like this is a perfectly legitimate fear to have had, given...all of media.
I was wrong.
YAY.
Not that I don't love Malcolm Tucker with all my heart, but I was so sad at the thought of losing Nicola! And then...we didn't!
YAY.
Some of this, too, was my expectation that the show would, you know, end at the end of this episode, but instead we got SURPRISE SNAP ELECTION, which was so awesome to watch unfold without being spoiled for it, it's really made me reevaluate my policy of being a giant whore for spoilers.
+ So, instead of what I thought would happen, we got the lovely parallel storylines of Malcolm desperately wanting back in, and Nicola just as desperately wanting out, and then the two colliding in that amazing scene near the end when Malcolm's finally put himself back on top and Nicola gets played like a cheap piano (and you can tell it's the most important scene of the episode because they actually took the time to make sure it was lit prettily, hello, shoestring budget, nice to see you!), and of course Nicola finally gives in, of course, because Malcolm could probably get her to jump off a fucking bridge if he explained why it was absolutely necessary first. I don't really know how they ended up with this amazing, lovely, fucked-up dynamic, but it's brilliant. They spend all their time screaming at each other, but underneath it she sort of really does trust him, and he sort of really is fond of her. Love them. Love them so much. (Let's not talk about how on first viewing I basically missed five minutes of the plot because...well, let's just say that sometimes things can be cut to accidentally look like other things. Like booty calls, for example.)
+ I love that Nicola decides to quit, too, because really it's a pretty rational decision to make, under the circumstances. Even the rebels don't want her! And the thought of having to work with Steve Fleming: Date Rapist would probably make anyone run screaming for the hills. (Nothing Malcolm will ever do or say will ever be as inappropriate as that single flick of Nicola's chin. Just. GAH. And then she takes it out on poor Glenn with his totally innocent crush, of course. I did really enjoy Nicola's collection of BITCH ARE YOU FOR REAL? faces during Fleming's "pep talk", though.) Anyway, Nicola's always been pretty aware of the fact that she sucks at her job, so it makes total sense for her to try and find something else to do. And it also makes perfect sense that that fairly rational decision threatens to bring down the entire fucking government.
All hail Nicola Murray's gift for chaos, for lo, it is mighty.
+ Fortunately, it's no match for Malcolm's gift for EPIC GODDAMN AMAZINGNESS. I mean, I was already in love with him, but seeing him just...at a total loss, and sort of fragile and strangely small, kind of broke my heart a little bit and then of course, he comes back, and instead of Screaming Malcolm, we get Stealth Malcolm, which is somehow even more impressively terrifying. (Although, dude. Wear less gray. Sincerely, me.) Armando Iannucci made the explicit comparison to Gandalf going over the cliff and returning as White Gandalf (which, hilariously, is why Malcolm is wearing white through most of the second half), and it was so, so funny seeing first Olly and then everyone else freak the hell out that Malcolm has somehow resurrected himself from the dead and is being, of all things, nice. ("Christ, is he dying?")
"Steve! There's one thing I can do." <-- most epic goddamn thing ever. Except maybe for the world's most profane St. Crispin's Day speech ever. Let's set fire to tears, indeed.
+ I may be slightly in love with Julius Nicholson, his totally unironic duck feeding, his overextended hat metaphors, etc., etc.
+ I loved that little scene of Nicola walking back into DoSAC, victim of a sudden, abrupt shift in life plan, and shushing Olly and Glenn because she needs a minute to figure out what exactly just happened to her. There's that little hint of something that isn't resignation in her eyes that has me curious about where they're going to take her character. (Plus, she's eating an apple in her last scene. Hi, I'm a nerd.)
(Please can an excerpt of Terri's production of Joseph be an Easter egg on the DVD's? omg.)
+ THE FUCKER. Best in-joke casting ever! Seriously, on top of a completely amazing episode, whipping out Evil!Simon Foster was almost too much. "STOP SAYING ABINGDON TO ME. I WANT A FUCKING CHOCOLATE BISCUIT."
+ You know, I obviously hope the regulars win, but I really wouldn't mind having a few episodes with just Peter, Stewart, Phil, and Emma. And The Fucker. Of course.
In conclusion, dear everyone involved in making this show: let's run away and get married. Bring on the election special! Tucker v. Fucker, it's going to be EPIC.
(This post brought to you by meddow's excellent best of 2009 post, which reminded me that I wanted an icon of Nicola making that Very Complicated Face at the end of 3x07, so I went and capped that, which led to rewatching all of 3x07, which led to rewatching 3x08, too, which led to my being up waaaaay past my bedtime last night, which led to me nearly burning down my office in rage this afternoon. So, let's try and get some good out of this, shall we?)
Out of everything I watched in 2009, this episode probably made me the happiest, no lie.
+ No, seriously, SO HAPPY, YOU GUYS, and most of it was because I was WRONG, WRONG, SO VERY WRONG about what was going to happen, namely, that a) Nicola would lose her job or sacrifice it b) in the service of getting Malcolm back into his job, because after doing such a fucking amazing job writing a female minister whose flaws and character quirks aren't drawn out of the well of Stereotypical Flaws for Ladies in Power, I was so sure, so very sure, that the show would do something stupid and/or rage-inducing. I mean, I feel like this is a perfectly legitimate fear to have had, given...all of media.
I was wrong.
YAY.
Not that I don't love Malcolm Tucker with all my heart, but I was so sad at the thought of losing Nicola! And then...we didn't!
YAY.
Some of this, too, was my expectation that the show would, you know, end at the end of this episode, but instead we got SURPRISE SNAP ELECTION, which was so awesome to watch unfold without being spoiled for it, it's really made me reevaluate my policy of being a giant whore for spoilers.
+ So, instead of what I thought would happen, we got the lovely parallel storylines of Malcolm desperately wanting back in, and Nicola just as desperately wanting out, and then the two colliding in that amazing scene near the end when Malcolm's finally put himself back on top and Nicola gets played like a cheap piano (and you can tell it's the most important scene of the episode because they actually took the time to make sure it was lit prettily, hello, shoestring budget, nice to see you!), and of course Nicola finally gives in, of course, because Malcolm could probably get her to jump off a fucking bridge if he explained why it was absolutely necessary first. I don't really know how they ended up with this amazing, lovely, fucked-up dynamic, but it's brilliant. They spend all their time screaming at each other, but underneath it she sort of really does trust him, and he sort of really is fond of her. Love them. Love them so much. (Let's not talk about how on first viewing I basically missed five minutes of the plot because...well, let's just say that sometimes things can be cut to accidentally look like other things. Like booty calls, for example.)
+ I love that Nicola decides to quit, too, because really it's a pretty rational decision to make, under the circumstances. Even the rebels don't want her! And the thought of having to work with Steve Fleming: Date Rapist would probably make anyone run screaming for the hills. (Nothing Malcolm will ever do or say will ever be as inappropriate as that single flick of Nicola's chin. Just. GAH. And then she takes it out on poor Glenn with his totally innocent crush, of course. I did really enjoy Nicola's collection of BITCH ARE YOU FOR REAL? faces during Fleming's "pep talk", though.) Anyway, Nicola's always been pretty aware of the fact that she sucks at her job, so it makes total sense for her to try and find something else to do. And it also makes perfect sense that that fairly rational decision threatens to bring down the entire fucking government.
All hail Nicola Murray's gift for chaos, for lo, it is mighty.
+ Fortunately, it's no match for Malcolm's gift for EPIC GODDAMN AMAZINGNESS. I mean, I was already in love with him, but seeing him just...at a total loss, and sort of fragile and strangely small, kind of broke my heart a little bit and then of course, he comes back, and instead of Screaming Malcolm, we get Stealth Malcolm, which is somehow even more impressively terrifying. (Although, dude. Wear less gray. Sincerely, me.) Armando Iannucci made the explicit comparison to Gandalf going over the cliff and returning as White Gandalf (which, hilariously, is why Malcolm is wearing white through most of the second half), and it was so, so funny seeing first Olly and then everyone else freak the hell out that Malcolm has somehow resurrected himself from the dead and is being, of all things, nice. ("Christ, is he dying?")
"Steve! There's one thing I can do." <-- most epic goddamn thing ever. Except maybe for the world's most profane St. Crispin's Day speech ever. Let's set fire to tears, indeed.
+ I may be slightly in love with Julius Nicholson, his totally unironic duck feeding, his overextended hat metaphors, etc., etc.
+ I loved that little scene of Nicola walking back into DoSAC, victim of a sudden, abrupt shift in life plan, and shushing Olly and Glenn because she needs a minute to figure out what exactly just happened to her. There's that little hint of something that isn't resignation in her eyes that has me curious about where they're going to take her character. (Plus, she's eating an apple in her last scene. Hi, I'm a nerd.)
(Please can an excerpt of Terri's production of Joseph be an Easter egg on the DVD's? omg.)
+ THE FUCKER. Best in-joke casting ever! Seriously, on top of a completely amazing episode, whipping out Evil!Simon Foster was almost too much. "STOP SAYING ABINGDON TO ME. I WANT A FUCKING CHOCOLATE BISCUIT."
+ You know, I obviously hope the regulars win, but I really wouldn't mind having a few episodes with just Peter, Stewart, Phil, and Emma. And The Fucker. Of course.
In conclusion, dear everyone involved in making this show: let's run away and get married. Bring on the election special! Tucker v. Fucker, it's going to be EPIC.