Wandering with An Idiot Abroad

'When [Michael] Palin went around the world in 80 days, I wonder if that was the scheduled time or if he just said "I'm sick of this, can we speed it up?"'
An Idiot Abroad documents unwanted travels by an unwilling participant. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant decide to send their friend Karl Pilkington around the world to broaden his horizons. In the first series-I haven't completed the second yet- Karl drags his feet to the Seven Wonders of the World (the Colosseum is swapped with the Pyramids because he'd be too comfortable in Rome). Each episode typically features Karl going off to see a 'Wonder' with minimal information about his trip while his friends back in the office(1) routinely derail his journey by creating diversions and adding new tasks- a visit to the Kumbh Mela (a Hindu pilgrimage on the Ganges river), wrestling lessons in Mexico, dancing the Samba in the Rio Carnival, and in the extreme case, a mock-abduction in Jordan. It's basically a human experiment, or as Gervais puts it, an 'expensive practical joke'. Karl Pilkington himself is chronically glum, difficult-to-impress and so utterly disinterested that it is painfully funny to watch him, to the extent that many people are convinced he's playing a character (he isn't). His unsuitability for the role of presenter makes this a travel show that's not travel show-y. You won't find him waxing(2) poetic about local food (watch him in 'China') or dancing with abandon ('Jordan', 'Brazil'). Words like 'vibrant', 'exciting', 'adventure' never escape his lips- the one time he used 'magnificent' was part of a tactic to convince Stephen Merchant that the view he had of Machu Picchu was just as good as being there. He has none of the joy of living that oozes from the pores of many presenters and consequently, this is a refreshingly frank show. More importantly, whether he's downgrading the Great Wall to 'the alright wall of China' or making helpful suggestions for Christ the Redeemer's beard ('They could have just done with chipping a bit more, making it a bit more hairy'), by making him the 'idiot' in the title, the joke is always on him. This can make for uneasy viewing. While it's exciting (vibrant! adventurous!) to see the next mad thing that they'll have Karl do, there are moments when it's borderline mean. Stuck in the Amazonian rainforest soon after being on a plane for hours, in the heat, with no food but insects (and crisps, he always brings crisps), he stares into the camera and says that he's genuinely angry and upset and doesn't know how he can convey this. We are suddenly reminded that he is enduring quite a bit for our amusement. I won't call it bullying, as many people are almost conditioned to say when it's anything Gervais, but there's certainly a trade-off to be made between entertainment and complicity. Because of course, he isn't an idiot. A lot of the observations he makes are searingly accurate- that the cemetery in Mexico suggests that death can be celebrated, and a lot of his concerns valid and sensitive- if he's not a believer, won't attending the Kumbh Mela be disrespectful to those who are? It also strikes me that this show can also be valuable source of information for students of anthropology, religion, sociology, history. Travellers aren't all curious, truth-seeking adventurers, 'heritage' may not be palatable, and encounters can expose prejudices. It's not that we don't already know this but it's rare for a travel documentary to lay them bare. So yes, there's a lot about Karl and the show that can impress us. But what is Karl not impressed by?

• Karl is not impressed by the Great Wall of China: 'You can see it for miles. Like, it goes over the hills and stuff for miles...but so does the M6.' (3)
• Karl is not impressed by devotees at the Kumbh Mela: 'I thought they'd be sort of more religious looking, you know, prim and proper. This one hasn't even got pants on.'
• Karl is not impresssed by the Chichen Itza: 'It's alright, yeah, it's just a big pyramid.'
• Karl not impressed by the Petra audioguide: 'He said Petra is Latin for... I've forgotten what it is.'
• Karl is not impressed by the Pyramids: 'I'm not worried about who built them because it's ages ago, really. When I first bought my first house, I didn't go: 'who built it?' I want to know: 'is it safe?'
• Karl is not impressed by Christ The Redeemer: 'From a distance, Jesus, top of a hill, looking like he's about to bungee jump. You pass it, you go: 'great, there he is, what else are we doing?'
• Karl is momentarily impressed by dolphins in the Amazon but... 'It still all gets on my nerves how people say they're really intelligent because I've never seen them do anything that's blown me away. The way they get raved about... that's what annoys me, because everyone's always calling me a div.' (4)

- (3) Finally, some proper footnotes. The M6 is the longest motorway in the UK. (4) And here's what div means.

Dunder Mifflin': The Office (US) comes home

I hadn't watched the two latest episodes of the US Office, partly because I was doing other things and partly because I wasn't excited enough about the way season eight is going to remember to watch them. But hooray for me being wrong! The episodes showed none of the tiredness of the series: the plots were zippier, transitions between scenes and to and from the 'talking heads' (when characters speak to the camera) were faster, and the energy in the direction and the acting changed the dynamic completely. Some samples:

From 'Jury Duty'
We learn that Angela has given birth and so some people from the office decide to visit her. Everyone's reluctant to go, but Gabe- that Samurai creepster from another planet- jumps up with an enthusiastic 'I'm in!' and explains:

"I love maternity wards. It's the perfect blend of love and horror. Things can go so wrong and so right." (3.19)

And, as his expression throughout the scene is some variant of the ones below, I think horror would be a better bet.

There's plenty more to clap about in that episode. There's a clever bit of mime with Dwight swallowing Andy's 'chill pill'- which I thought had the makings of a stand-alone cold open (that is, the pre-titles sequence) like the utterly brilliant one of Jim's brush with Pavlov (S3E16). However, the main storyline of Jim trying to cover up the extra leave he took for Jury Duty, while being decent enough is hijacked by another, better, storyline that I won't go into because it's a massive spoiler. Go and watch the episode, you lazie.

From 'Special Project'
Lots to pick from here but the most sound-byte worthy would be Dwight's exposition of his state of mind after he lands a promotion:

'The Schrutes have a word for when everything in a man's life comes together perfectly: Perfectenschlag... I am so deep inside of Perfectenschlag right now. And, just to be clear, there is a second definition- perfect pork anus- which I don't mean.'

If you haven't watched it and are bothered by spoilers, do not watch the video of that bit. But what's great about this episode is that it didn't rely on funny lines alone but on good story-telling. The montage of Dwight putting together his 'crack team' and the bits from the interviews of the candidates, worked as reminders of how much the characters on the show have to offer. Seen in that light, something Mindy Kaling (who writes for the show and plays Kelly) had said after Steve Carell's departure makes sense: that the show is so rich in oddities that it may not even need a replacement [for him] and can simply devote more time to the other characters.

Which makes me think: could it be that these two episodes are such remarkable improvements because they don't feature Robert California? Their writers have written for the show before and only one of the directors is new- so it can't really (or only) be that. James Spader is brilliant and his character is, too: unrelenting, unnerving, powerful. But the main difference in these episodes is the energy, the upbeatness. And when Robert California is in the room, the primary mood is slow-burning, tense comedy and the attention is on him. Maybe his absence takes the pressure off and quickens the pace?

This is an important question because the show needs to figure out what was holding it back and make sure that these are the kinds of episodes it's making . Viewer statistics may not bother committed fans but it's sad that 'Special Project' is so far the least watched episode of the show (so wikipedia tells me) and 'Jury Duty' is not far behind. No show should hang around for too long and it's possible The Office already has. But if it can still serve up episodes like this, no one's complaining.

Paper Promises:

Dwight's working relationship with the new team is exciting and maybe one better than the Michael Scott Paper Company arc. This probably will be one to keep an eye on.

Angela and Pam's competitiveness in 'Special Project' sets an interesting dynamic that could resolve half of the what do we do with Jim and Pam now problem.

More of the beanie-wearing, spanish-translator warehouse man, please.

But I say No, No, No:
To Cathy (Kathy?) and Jim. The Office is not a soap or dear Kelly's fake pregnancy would have lasted a whole series. Go away, Cathy. No one will even notice.

Scene To Wrap: Drew Carey's Improv-a-Ganza

Drew Carey's Improv-a-Ganza was the third home of the amorphous group we'll call 'Drew Carey and friends' after Whose Line Is It Anyway and the Green Screen show. It ended sometime last year and hasn't been picked up by the network for a new season. I believe that some of the gang have rehoused in Trust Us With Your Life but I don't know when we'll see them all together next.

So I'm glad I stumbled upon Improv-a-Ganza a few days ago. And it's good, it's really good. The new additions- Jonathan Mangum and Heather Anne Campbell- work seamlessly with the Old Guard. And it's nice to see a female performer who doesn't bring the rest of the group down (I used to groan at every episode of Whose Line with Kathy Greenwood in it). But let me say this properly because I dread forced alliances with all sides, equally. It makes no difference to me whether there's a woman on the show or not and the lack of one indicates very little. What it does, however, is introduce a different chemistry, whether or not the women are playing at being women. So yes, Heather AC tick, Jonathan M tick, no Kathy G supertick.

The superest tick of them all goes to Jeff Davis. He was given a prominent part in the show, appearing in the third highest number of episodes after Drew and Ryan, and the way in which he occupied it is revelatory. He was always good but there's an assertiveness here that probably stems from his being more than just an infrequent guest. He gets more straight-acting scenes and is excellent in them, holding his own against Colin and Ryan. And the songs: oh the songs! Chip and Jeff turn lumberjacks into pancake stacks (and I'm not exaggerating).

We say hello to some great games, too: Question This, First Date, Forward/Reverse, New Choice, Showstopper. Some work better than they did on Whose Line, some work differently and some don't work at all. Why? Because Improv-a-Ganza is Whose Line, but bigger.

This isn't a minor (1) point, it's everything. A large part of Whose Line was a kind of warmth that came from a small studio, an audience that you could see and a stage that wasn't really a stage: distinct but not distant. Improv-a-Ganza is filmed in the MGM theatre in Vegas and even the opening credits speak to the change of scale. There's a proper stage, the audience aren't just audience but customers; it's an event. What does this mean for the show? It means that casual lines aren't really casual, that the performers are dressed are performers (neater clothes, donned with mikes), and that laughter can get lost in space.

The challenge for the show was to incorporate this large-ness while keeping the funnies intact. The games that work are the ones which do this well. First Date is a great example because, by having a couple volunteer for the show and by working around a relateable theme (two cast-members enact the couple's first dates with directions from them-10 minutes into this clip), it makes the sketch accessible. It can't just be about participation, though, and the show flounders when it is unable to regulate access. 'Options' is a less successful game because in an attempt to open it up, it stops and starts the action on stage to collect suggestions on acting styles from the audience. Not only does this make for an uneven sketch, coughing it's way to the finish, but it results in predictably similar suggestions: 'Kabuki!' 'Western!' 'Horror!' 'Shakespeare!'. Oh Las Vegas, make a new choice (2), won't you?

But, really, who cares if a couple of games don't work as well? There are more than enough things that work in favour of the show to make up for the docked points, and the points don't matter anyway (3). Sure, I miss Scenes From A Hat, Weird Newscasters and Hoedown (I can hear Ryan yell with joy), and I'd love to see Wayne, Laura Hall and Linda Taylor (and the third one) again. But Whose Line worked because the people on it were immensely talented and that hasn't changed. Colin and Ryan are still brilliant but the others have raised their game showcasing new possibilities: personal range, partnerships, comedic style. And that's a showstopper, if you know what I mean (4) (5).

(5) Sadly, the Game Show Network didn't know what I meant and stopped the show.