Fresh Meat series 2 episode 6 review

This review contains spoilers.

So last week, Josie’s world came crashing down around her as she was finally forced to face up to her misdeeds. But rather than stay remorseful, she cheerily brushes it all aside and continues to attend her dental course as if she hadn’t been excluded at all. Until her course leader drills it into her (geddit?) that she’s out for good that is. (It was a dentist joke).

Meanwhile Kingsley isn’t happy with the lecturing skills of Dan Dan the geology man! Or Peep Show‘s Robert Webb as he’s known in this world. Elsewhere, it seems the FM crew live in a police state as Vod has to undergo a drugs test to get access to her bursary. Oregon is fully loved up with dreamy poetry boy Dylan, that is until she finds out who his dad is and Howard is still pining for Dutch Sabine. 

Rather than spin out this review any longer than necessary, I’m just going to come out and say this is possibly the weakest episode yet. Annie Griffin, who wrote and directed this instalment, was also behind ensemble comedy drama The Book Group so she should be a natural fit for this series. Trouble is that she seems to have been influenced by dreadful BBC Three sitcom Coming of Age. JP constantly asserts his horniness throughout the episode which grates on the nerves. Josie’s plan of getting back onto the course is incredibly misguided . Despite the glimpses of Josie’s vulnerable side over the last couple of episodes, she’s back to being a manipulative cartoon villain. Again I find myself asking if we’re actually supposed to like her. 

It’s not entirely a car crash though. There are a few great moments of surprise, such as when Oregon sees who’s calling Dylan and JP taking the quickest route down a rockface. But the script amounts to a load of punchlines without much set up. Character is sacrificed for the sake of pushing the plot along. The performances for this episode became so broad that halfway through I was expecting to hear canned laughter accompanying every half-baked innuendo. 

This episode pretty much encapsulated Fresh Meat‘s flaws. Inconsistent characters, reliance on cheap innuendo and contrived scenarios. A real down turn for what was up until now a gradually improving series.

Read Jake’s review of the previous episode, here.

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