ecvoid

Ricky Gervais plays a guy who turns bitter at the world after the tragic loss of his wife. True to his style, Gervais' character spirals into moralizing the various noxious people that intrude into his bubble of grief. Now generally I like Gervais' take on anything including religion. But there is a fine line between being snarky and full on antagonistic.

Most of the other characters in the show have their flaws exaggerated to caricature levels to make the protagonist seem more impressive. They are almost exclusively lined up to get knocked down sometimes by cruel, cheap shots. Like the go to ammunition for the men in the protagonist's crosshairs is "loser" (usually implied) while for the women it's "loose" (can't reproduce the actual word but it's used repeatedly). Tragic lack of imagination. And the dis fest expands its scope making victims even in the ranks of people that are not actually harmful but trendy to bash such as horoscope followers or feminists.

There is the "good guy" version of our main character shown through the videos recorded while enjoying happy times with his wife. We are repeatedly reminded how "lovely" he was but there is not much to back that up. The only thing memorable was his penchant for practical jokes. And when his reawakening kicks in, everyone keeps saying this word "lovely" as response to his roundabout way of displaying not actual kindness but rather basic decency.

This show feels like an ode to Gervais due to how much of him there is while not enough actual character. Because it also has the characteristics of a stand up routine I can't get angered by it, but other than the occasional chuckle, I can't take it serious or praise it either. Which is not a problem given how the supporting characters do that last part for me.

A cynic doesn't partake so easily in the behaviour he/she is contemptuous of. That's a hypocrite. Also occasional bouts of consideration don't make up for long stretches of cruelty. And finally coarse humour isn't optimal when broaching the subject of love in a philosophical manner. But I guess, none of this matters as once again using insults at the drop of a hat secures an outrageous rating for such a superficial comedy/drama.

...it sure makes women look unnecessarily hollow. The situations occurring between the two leads are interesting, good I might say. The crime angle is solid. So is the cynical humour. But it doesn't matter how fleshed out and interesting the protagonists are. Not if everything is undermined by condoning the unacceptable behaviour of their significant others while being overly criticizing of their own. I know nowadays making decent female characters is off putting for some viewers. But tipping the scales in the other direction to not ruffle feathers, especially if it doesn't help the plot is arguably worse. As a guy I really don't need my ego stroked. What I do need however is not having my intelligence insulted with scenes where characters ridicule the hate the other woman routine in one second while playing the very same routine the next.

Interesting story supported by good acting but driven down by wearisome subtext probably meant to appease the man's man. But I guess that last part actually worked due to the ludicrous rating this show has.

This show received a lot of praise. Most of it well earned. The shifting relation between a security services agent and her target, a female assassin, made for an intriguing concept. Like I said, reminiscent of 2013 Hannibal due to how they developed a codependent bond: the agent is increasingly attracted to her target and the killer recognises and nurtures the dark impulses in her pursuer.

The female attraction aspect stays for the most part pretty high brow, to which I am grateful. The inner workings of both spy agencies and shadowy organised crime, while a bit simplified at times to not induce sleep, were compelling. The action, or rather murders involved a mix of creativity (the calling card of the assassin protagonist) and shock while not amping up the violence needlessly.

Now the humour aspect is hit or miss. Hit when it's dry, obvious or anything in between. Both protagonists are endearing. Especially the psychopathic killer when she messes with her handler. However when she is used as a vehicle for black humour all I can think to myself is "was that supposed to be funny?" as I get chills down my spine.

Another aspect that rubbed me the wrong way was the "filler killings". While most if not all of the important victims are men of power, the lesser relevant to the plot victims are women. Maybe the show just emphasises that both the assassin and her superiors are willing to kill anyone, man or woman, but I suspect a subtle jab at female authority. And I'm a guy who should appreciate this, i guess?

These are my two criticisms. Without these two elements I personally would have rated 2 stars higher since everything else is immensely enjoyable! For me, at least, the show picked up considerably after the first season.