The IT Crowd season 3 episode 2 review
A return to comedy form this week as Rob checks out how to be a real man.
I am quite comfy being a geeky bloke. I can talk about films, computer games and the internet for hours on end. I can even spot some of the obscure comic references that Moss and Roy have on their walls of their office. I am a geek and share the bewilderment of Denholms Industries’ finest when it comes to football and sport in general. Yup, it’s a return to form for the IT Crowd and after the mis-fire of last week, centring the plot around Moss and Roy shows that the dynamic IT duo is where the comedy goldmine is at for the show. That’s not to say that Jen didn’t get her own little story (involving a would-be boyfriend who looks like a magician) but this week it’s really the two main stars turn to shine.
As I have mentioned, football has always been a mystery to me and this lack of a certain ‘blokeness’ gene is something I share with Moss who, to get on with the internal postman, finds a website that proves a bluffer’s guide to football. With a random football fact generator, he manages to pass himself off as a sage of football knowledge.
However, things get a little out of hand as both Roy and Moss use their newfound powers and social acceptance to blend in with a new set of mates, and things go from bad to worse as a few healthy drinks turns to dull afternoons on the terraces and a fantastically funny conclusion with some very unorthodox snogging.
Unlike last week’s pretty weak Douglas-centric episode, the comedy is hitting on all cylinders here, especially when Moss breaks out his football accent. It’s also quite funny to see little gags thrown in there that only real geeks would get, such as the homage to Office Space‘s legendary red stapler. I do not know if it is an urban myth but, supposedly, because of that film red staplers have become something of a collector’s item and even more expensive to buy than your traditional black ones. But whatever the reason, it’s nice that the IT guys acknowledge their geek history.
From Moss’s obsessive need to count everything to Roy innocently giving his new friend a lift to the bank to ‘do a job’, through to the final scene with said shocking (both for the audience and Roy) kiss, this episode really does pack a lot of comedy into one episode and, while Jen is left on the sidelines, even her small but sweet story with Michael the magician is laugh out loud funny.
A great return to form with even the end credits of the show managing to pack a few more little gags in, involving Roy’s van predicament. So relax fellow geeks. Whether you like or understand football, it doesn’t matter as, once, again C4 Friday nights TV have returned in all their former geek glory. Hurray!
Check out all Rob’s reviews of season 3:
Season 3 episode 1 review From Hell
Season 3 episode 2 review Are We Not Men?
Season 3 episode 3 review Tramps Like UsSeason 3 episode 4 review SpeechSeason 3 episode 5 review Friendface
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