Angry Boys episode 4 review

Yet another episode without Gran! How much more of this can I take? Such an excellent character that I need to see more of, and yet again, I am denied. However, on reflection, too much of Gran could prove to be a bad thing. There are newer characters each week we need to get familiar with, and Gran would pretty much steal the show and the light away from them. It sounds like I’m reasoning here, and I sort of am, but it’s true.

So, after a few episodes now, the shape and feel of the show is set, and this new episode shows it can survive without Gran. Just about.

This episode opens with Nathan’s excessive porn habits that disgust his brother, whom he shares a room with. Amusingly, Nathan tries to hide his downloaded porn in folders on his computer named “Skat Stats” and “Deaf Information”, but Daniel has him sussed. When Daniel opens the drawer next to the computer, which is filled with used tissues, it’s hard not to find this funny. Oh come on! Is this too lowbrow for you? If it is, then I’m shocked you’ve made it this far into the series, especially with Daniel and Nathan. It’s the kind of stuff we’re expecting from them.

After last week’s new arrival, Blake, whom we later see in this episode, we’re also introduced to another one of Lilley’s creations, Jen Okazaki, an overzealous mother of the famous pro-skater Tim Okazaki . She trained her son from the moment he could walk to skate to be the best. Jen is Japanese, but her son is American, although he pretends to be Japanese to get more appeal in Japan, as per his mother’s instructions.

Unlike the Little Britain style of incredibly offensive comedy based on the way the character looks and sounds, Lilley has created a softly spoken, pleasant looking character that’s mean and vile, as shown in the things she does and says to her son. Lilley did say that with this particular character he was trying to create, “the meanest, most awful character I’ve ever done.” Well done, Lilley. I think that may well have been achieved.

Not content in making her son be Japanese when he’s really American, Jen’s also decided he’ll have a better career if he’s gay, even though he’s not. So, she’s built her business around him being a homosexual. She names her company “GayStyle Enterprises”, where she sells perfume dispensers, cock-shaped icecube makers and scrubbing brushes. Not so much funny as baffling to watch, it’s another creation of Lilley’s that kind of makes you squirm and laugh at how ludicrous it is.

As mentioned, Blake pops up in this episode, intent on initiating a new string of young guys to become Mucca Mad Boys, but they get distracted by graffiti from The Fennel Hell Men, stating Blake “has no cock”. Which is just lies. He just doesn’t have balls.

There’s a pretty funny exchange between Blake and the Fennel leader, Paco, as they text each other from their sides of the beach to sort out a fight. These guys have not grown up, and you’d be  fooled  into thinking they were teenagers, especially when Blake comes out with things like, “I hope you told your mums you were going to be late home tonight,” on way to the fight. But, no, Blake is thirty-eight, married, with three kids. All of this is tinted with the sadness that you just know there are people out there like this. Still, it’s quite amusing at the way it plays out.

Back to the twins, and Nathan’s wanking problem is getting worse. Sadly, Daniel has to share a room with him, but he has a handy set of shoes he can grab to throw at his brother when he starts getting jiggy in the middle of the night. Yeah, it’s pretty gross and these aren’t even the worst bits I’m mentioning here.  Daniel makes some “wank prevention guards” made out of plastic milk bottles to stop him from doing the nasty. Which is an excellent way to end the show, I think.

I do enjoy Nathan and Daniel, and these new characters are pretty funny, but it’s still not hitting the best it can be at the moment. It’s less a comedy series and more a reflection on some of the weirdest, saddest, hopeless people going. That’s no bad thing, but it’s just not what was expected. And we still need more Gran next week.

Read our review of episode 3 here.