|
Post by Steven on Apr 30, 2013 12:31:48 GMT
Well, I liked it.
It was so stagey and old-fashioned that it felt like an odd thing to be watching in 2013, but the cast made it work - Derek Jacobi in particular I thought got the tone of the show absolutely right and played all his lines perfectly, and I thoroughly enjoyed Ian McKellen and Frances De La Tour devouring the scenery every chance they got. The rape joke was an obvious misstep, an overly desperate bid to sound edgy, but I thought Frances De La Tour's delivery just about overcame that. Not entirely sure about Iwan Rheon yet - the straight man (in every sense) is a difficult role to get right and at times it felt like he was in a different show from everyone else, but he was always good in Misfits so I'm not going to write him off just yet. Other than that, I thought the script had enough decent jokes (I liked the recurring Zac Efron gag) to suggest it's not just the cast keeping the whole thing afloat, so I'm going to watch it again next week. Also, without wishing to get too bogged down in earnestness: it's nice to see older gays getting some visibility on the telly for a change.
|
|
|
Post by Bungle on Apr 30, 2013 18:57:54 GMT
I liked it too, and agree with your comments, although I didn't have an issue with Iwan.
|
|
Paul
Jane Asher
Posts: 114
|
Post by Paul on Apr 30, 2013 19:48:27 GMT
It wasn't totally shit, but it wasn't especially good either. I did laugh a few times, but it was so theatrical it was bordering on am dram. Most first episodes suffer from having to establish the plot so I expect it will improve. It did make me want to watch Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf, which will be an activity I persue this week.
I spent the weekend watching all 22 episodes of The New Normal, which I really enjoyed, despite most episodes being issue led, and wondered if a sassy, straight talking black woman would have improved things. Tameka Empson's busy but Jocelyn Jee Esien has some time on her hands.
|
|
|
Post by Bungle on May 24, 2013 21:22:07 GMT
I'm still finding this really good fun.
|
|
|
Post by Maureen on May 25, 2013 13:12:52 GMT
It's growing on me. The script isn't *great*, let's be honest, but the acting – aside from Iwan Rheon, of course – is fantastic. Everyone looks to be having such a good time, and it's infectious. The stock reactions of it "confounding gay stereotypes" and "setting the cause back 30 years ago" are so desperately predictable and, above all, incorrect. Are we really saying bitter old queens don't exist? Come ON.
And anything that brings Frances de la Tour and Marcia Warren back on screens is worth any number of 'setbacks for the gay community'.
|
|
Paul
Jane Asher
Posts: 114
|
Post by Paul on May 28, 2013 19:09:16 GMT
It has improved from the first episode but the main problem for me is that the barbs between the characters just aren't especially vicious.
I received the dvd of Having It Off (season one) for my birthday this weekend, to go with my Terri McIntyre box set, and I've laughed more at the interaction between Antony Cotton and Dame Frances Barber in the first episode than I have throughout the episodes of Vicious.
|
|