Angry Boys episode 6 review

Aw, get your hankies out. This latest episode of Angry Boys is one I found to be pretty emotional. Still funny, though, which is an excellent mix. And you know what’s even better? This episode sees the return of Gran! Finally!

Episode six is the halfway mark of the series and this is definitely one of the best episodes so far. It really taps into an emotional side of the characters, showing their humanity. Up until now, it’s mainly focused on the absurdity of these insane individuals, but tonight we see how these people care for each other. It’s ground breaking for the series. On one hand, it’s a shame it took so long to get here, as some viewers may have lost interest. But on the other, we wouldn’t get this caught up in the characters if it had happened too soon.

So, the episode does get quite emotional, but it doesn’t start that way. No, this episode starts with Daniel playing “spit streams” with his younger brother, which is just gross. It entails Daniel spitting in a straight line over his brother’s face, so that if he moves he gets spat on. Ergh. Let’s move on.

After a short break, we’re back seeing what surfer Blake is up to. And it’s not much, so he’s getting in trouble with his heavily pregnant wife about it. To get back on her good side, he starts a new project, “Fat Boys”, which will be a surfer camp for fat kids who’ve never been able to surf before. It’s actually refreshing to see Blake do something productive and beneficial to others, even if he does refer to them as the “fat boys”.

The twins are holding a party while their mum and her boyfriend are away for a few nights. This sequence is the most humorous of the episode, as we see Nathan get stuck in a beanbag, naked, and how he gets his arm stuck up a drainpipe. When the parents return and cut Nathan free, they make an announcement that they’re getting married, and it’s nice to see their children’s reaction. Nathan is surprisingly excited about it, whereas Daniel storms out at the news.

Things are not progressing the way Daniel wants. The people he loves are moving away and the family unit is changing. This is a really interesting character to watch. Wondering what will happen to him by the end of the series is a good hook for the show.

This isn’t the only heated breakthrough of the evening. Gran is back, doing what she does best. These past few weeks without her have made her return all the more sweet and rewarding. As part of a program to scare off young first time offenders, she makes the boys on her ward dress in ridiculous prison outfits with arrows and fake balls and chains on their legs.

The majority of the time we’ve spent with Gran so far has been with her involvement with a troubled teen, Talib. When he finally speaks for the first time in this episode, it’s a really tender moment, and it’s obvious that Gran is overwhelmed as she says, “I feel like I’m meeting you for the first time.” It’s well acted by Lilley and it works really well as a touching scene.

It’s pretty clear that this fares as one of the better episodes, as it doesn’t use either S.Mouse, who up until last week, had not made me laugh once, and Jen, who, although interesting to watch, can be a bit too much.

The focus on these three characters works because they all have loved ones in their lives, but have a wall that they want to keep up. We’re slowly breaking it down and seeing what lies behind. It’s a real gem of an episode, and it does sadden me that some people may have given up on this series too early on and are missing out now.

Read our review of episode 5 here.