Malcolm and Nicola are Back!
...and also my massive crush on Peter Capaldi is back with a vengeance. They put him in glasses. How am I supposed to possibly resist that.
Last week proved that the show doesn't need Malcolm (or Nicola, or Ollie, but mostly Malcolm). This week proved, that while Malcolm isn't needed, there is no other character in this series that is quite like Malcolm Tucker and he could never, ever be replaced or replicated (and the writers seem to know this, given that the Fucker isn't making an appearance and there's no Malcolm-alike in Veep) and his very presence just makes everything better.
Hell, the scene where Ben was just recalling various Malcolm bollockings he'd experienced in the past few weeks was just glorious and Malcolm wasn't even in that scene.
Poor, poor Nicola. The storyline is really uncomfortable because she's just so damn sympathetic. She does mean well and have good intentions, but she really is a crap politician. I want her to rise to the occasion, to be a fantastic Leader of the Opposition and put all the naysayers to shame, but really, she really isn't national election winning material. And then Malcolm having a plan and working dark magic with the party and the press is always glorious, but then for that plan to be destroy Nicola makes it painful to watch. And then morally, if someone's leadership is not going to get them elected, then for the party, they do need to be replaced and stabbing someone in the back is how it's done in Westminister politics, so there's that loyalty to the party vs loyalty to the person thing.
Damn it, show. I'm torn.
So on the not torn things, Malcolm's description of Star Wars was the best ever. Also, his and Ben Swain's ongoing debate about baby horses. And Ollie and Whatshername (I need to learn the new character's name down) giving a running commentary on the laying of the reefs was hilarious.
I'm loving the swing in the show between the two set ups, in one you've got the odd couple of Peter and Fergus trying to get a long in the bright shiny offices which is more sort of classic Thick of It from seasons one and two in which something is goes wrong and it just gets progressively worse from there. The other set up you've got these dark miserable looking offices, Nicola trying to hold everything together while Malcolm plots away and seems more focused on a long storyline rather than a hilarious incident on the week, which is more like Rise of the Nutters and Spinners and Losers and the latter half series three. The Thick of It's essentially two sitcoms now, with different feels and both quite completely brilliant.
Last week proved that the show doesn't need Malcolm (or Nicola, or Ollie, but mostly Malcolm). This week proved, that while Malcolm isn't needed, there is no other character in this series that is quite like Malcolm Tucker and he could never, ever be replaced or replicated (and the writers seem to know this, given that the Fucker isn't making an appearance and there's no Malcolm-alike in Veep) and his very presence just makes everything better.
Hell, the scene where Ben was just recalling various Malcolm bollockings he'd experienced in the past few weeks was just glorious and Malcolm wasn't even in that scene.
Poor, poor Nicola. The storyline is really uncomfortable because she's just so damn sympathetic. She does mean well and have good intentions, but she really is a crap politician. I want her to rise to the occasion, to be a fantastic Leader of the Opposition and put all the naysayers to shame, but really, she really isn't national election winning material. And then Malcolm having a plan and working dark magic with the party and the press is always glorious, but then for that plan to be destroy Nicola makes it painful to watch. And then morally, if someone's leadership is not going to get them elected, then for the party, they do need to be replaced and stabbing someone in the back is how it's done in Westminister politics, so there's that loyalty to the party vs loyalty to the person thing.
Damn it, show. I'm torn.
So on the not torn things, Malcolm's description of Star Wars was the best ever. Also, his and Ben Swain's ongoing debate about baby horses. And Ollie and Whatshername (I need to learn the new character's name down) giving a running commentary on the laying of the reefs was hilarious.
I'm loving the swing in the show between the two set ups, in one you've got the odd couple of Peter and Fergus trying to get a long in the bright shiny offices which is more sort of classic Thick of It from seasons one and two in which something is goes wrong and it just gets progressively worse from there. The other set up you've got these dark miserable looking offices, Nicola trying to hold everything together while Malcolm plots away and seems more focused on a long storyline rather than a hilarious incident on the week, which is more like Rise of the Nutters and Spinners and Losers and the latter half series three. The Thick of It's essentially two sitcoms now, with different feels and both quite completely brilliant.