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The Top 5 Spaced Episodes - #2

Rob McLaughlin


It turns out this is more of a top 6 countdown than a top 5 countdown, because Rob can't make his mind up which of these two Spaced episodes is better...

Published on Aug 8, 2007
#2 - Epiphanies (season 1 – aired October 29th 1999) and Gone (season 2 – aired March 30th 2001

So to the silver medal goes to... well, to be honest, it's really a tie. In one corner we have the corking first season episode Epiphanies and in the other corner we have the second season episode Gone.

But why the indecision? Well, both episodes are great and are both fantastic examples of great plotting scripting and parody but it's so hard to choose between them! Gone is the episode that moves the plot forward the most and has some relevance to the entire show finishing, but Epiphanies is on par with it solely for the fact that no other episode has an entire song and dance routine in it. It also introduces a classic character.

That character is one insane yellow clad 'special', the very mental character Tyres. Introduced as a mate of Tim's, Tyres is a lunatic bike courier and full time clubber whose grasp on reality is tenuous at best. Having the memory of a goldfish, Tyres' enthusiasm for the former night's clubbing can be summed up in just one sentence (and thanks for Martin for remembering it all) … ‘an A1 tip-top clubbing jam fair, it was a sandwich of fun on ecstasy bread wrapped-up in a big bag of disco fudge. It doesn't get much better than that.' Comedy gold: script writing at its best.

The episode starts with everyone on a downer. Mike's serious issues with the Rough Ramblers (following a disastrous Eskimo roll) are a major negative in the episode and the reason something needs to be done to liven things up. The suggestion by Tyres that the team go off clubbing is genius and the slow burn to a great night of enjoyment is great, ‘tipped topped’ off with a great dance number by Mike to the theme tune of the A-Team - and a encore of his performance as the end credits roll.

The other #2 episode is Gone, in which Sophie phones Tim to cancel a date (leading Tim to instantly decide she's sleeping with her boss) which leads to Tim and Daisy having a night out in the pub. Another great ‘going out’ episode, it sort of marks the beginning of the end of the show, from Mike loosing Colin to Marsha slowly beginning to see that Tim and Daisy aren’t a couple to a few other loose ends being tied up. It’s a great episode to clear the decks. Viewers are also treated to the return of Duane Benzie and the follow up to what happened when Tim shot him in the personals back in the paintball episode. Added to this we get a Ki-Ora reference for those old enough to know that the lovely 1980s drink is too orangey for crows and also a great Jurassic Park moment in which a group of Chavs attack Duane in a frenzied raptor attack.

We also get, in my opinion anyway, the essence of Spaced wrapped up in one scene: the imaginary gun battle. From Mike, Tim and Brian's small shoot-out in the flat to a full scale pretend war outside the pub, this rather silly but everyone’s 'done it!' moment shows why Spaced is a show aimed purely at grown-ups who just don’t want to grow up.

Two great episodes, it's so hard to choose between them that my suggestion is, turn off the computer, grab the DVDs of both seasons and watch them both!

 
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Users Comments

Re: The Top 5 Spaced Episodes - #2
Posted By stuxmusic 1 August 9, 2007 12:35:35 AM

Awesome I was hoping these would end up in the top two. Still though, makes me wonder what you've picked as number one!

Re: The Top 5 Spaced Episodes - #2
Posted By Pourais 1 August 9, 2007 07:21:57 PM

Both great episodes, but i'd go for Gone personally. Aside from the pure genius of the gun battle, we have Duane's 'clever boys...' line, Tim and Daisy's debate montages on their ideas of a good night out and Tim's erstwhile attempts to lower his voice to Duane's level. Has to win out on sheer memorability. Tyres, however, is genius and continues to rock in the second season.

Re: The Top 5 Spaced Episodes - #2
Posted By moakle 1 August 9, 2007 09:39:07 PM

Excellent stuff. Both really amazing episodes. The scene in the club where all the cast get their own rave names has me in stiches every time. I wonder what your number one will be...

Re: The Top 5 Spaced Episodes - #2
Posted By sitar_tattoo 1 August 11, 2007 10:47:18 AM

The ending to Epiphanies with the A-Team dance and "my work is done" is definitely (prepare for hyperbole!) the best ending to any sitcom episode ever created. Ever. Ever ever ever ever ever. Ever.
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