Series improves as it goes along. 65%

dfle3

This is the latest in creator/star Chris Lilley's mockumentaries, which often have crossover characters, like this one (Ja'mie King, who appeared in Lilley's very first such mockumentary and subsequent ones). Where this differs from his earlier efforts is in only having one primary character as the focus. This is the series biggest problem, it seems to me (and having looking at some professional reviews, I see that that is a common theme of criticism too).

Must admit to only discovering Lilley's work late in the piece...I only watched his first series ("We can be heroes") in repeat and got enough out of it to continue following his work. Perhaps it would be wise to follow his work chronologically too, just so that you are familiar with where his characters come from.

In any case, the entire six episodes of this series is devoted to the appalling and self-absorbed elite high school girl Ja'mie King. We spend a lot of time with her obsequious clique as well as some boys which catch her interest. Her long suffering parents are occasionally seen too.

If I was to liken this style of comedy to others I have seen, it would be stuff like Ricky Gervais' work as well as a show like "Portandia". The latter comparison is apt, I think...neither show is uproariously funny in my view but it has a mild satirical edge which makes it watchable. Unlike the best of Gervais' work, Lilley struggles in this series with fleshing out characters other than his own...like the Ellen DeGeneres sitcom, it's pretty much a one-man show (erm...woman...erm...)...and that's a bad thing. Things do improve for other characters in the second half of the series. Actually, there are some fringe characters who perhaps deserved more and better material...they did have some interest in and of themselves, but they're pretty much limited to being Ja'mie's punching bags for the time that they are on screen.

Also have to admit to finding watching the series a grind at first...I let recordings pile up and only finished watching the series last night (22/12/2013). If the series had continued in the vein of the first half, I might even have ditched watching the series altogether. Having seen some very low scores for the series in the U.S. reviews (when the series first started...it's still playing now) I can see why...but it seems unfair to judge a series based on one or two episodes. Since the second half of the series improved, I'm bumping up my score to 65%. It would have been lucky to get 50% based on the first half of it. The first half had quite a focus on the neologisms of Ja'mie but this time around they weren't quite as accessible and memorable as in "Summer Heights High". It felt forced, in other words.

From the second half of the series, 'moments' which appealed to me included the character of Kwami having had a little too much of Ja'mie's ways rub off on him (providing a moment of true pathos) as well as her parents in the final episode...that moment on the couch between them. He says something quite mean, but it's funny...on reflection, however, I think that that moment had great irony...he provided his own 'Ja'mie' moment right there, undermining his assertion!

Since this is a series of two halves, it's hard to know how to suggest you proceed with it...if you love the first three episodes, the last three will be different...more or less funny you. Otherwise, if you don't like the first three episodes, perhaps stick it out. The arc of the character/series is like a parabola...there...that's a helpful analogy, right? Or, how about a "U" shape? Better?

Don't be fooled by the subject of this series being a teenage girl...she is really vicious and nasty to her parents...there's a lot swearing in this series and adult themes. A little nudity too.

Just by the by, the music used in this series seems familiar...perhaps Chris uses a motif throughout all his work?

Whilst this series/character initially doesn't sustain interest/entertainment value, it does turn around. Not for everyone, but an acquired taste, especially here, as Chris doesn't spread the comedy workload among multiple main characters.

The end of the final programme also had a promotion for his next series..."Jonah", which was a popular character of his from "Angry boys". Hopefully Lilley will be able to sustain a single character comedy series more successfully next time.

score 6/10

dfle3 22 December 2013

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2926926/