Very early in watching this third season I had to go to the internet to check I had not somehow missed a season. Beyond a mention of it, Jez's marriage to Nancy is not a factor and nor is she as a character; Mark still has the relationship with Sophie that appears to be bumbling along but very quickly we get quite a few characters who get introduced in the first few episodes. I guess this made sense (to drop Nancy) because that thread had run its course and it was best to shake it off rather than trying to find new things to do there.
The downside of this within the early episodes of this season is that it is hard to know if the characters are throwaway or if they serve more of a purpose as part of the show. So for example Big Suze is introduced as someone of longer term significance whereas Canadian Mary, Michelle, Mark's sister Sarah all seem to be in it for the sake of that one episode. This does rather fragment the narrative flow a little bit because, aside from Mark and Sophie's relationship, there isn't really one thread across all 6 episodes in the way that the previous season had sort of had due to the characters; indeed Sophie going to Bristol means this thread is not something that is consistent. There is an upside to this though, which is that the writing has more freedom within each episode and to a certain degree you can pick one up and enjoy it even if you don't have the rest of the episodes.
This suits the show because the main thing running through the series is not really a specific narrative thread but rather the characters themselves; Jez the flawed student who wants to be relaxed and "whatever" but isn't this really, while Mark is a ball of social awkwardness full of irritation and anger all contained by his inability to standout or cause a scene. Mark remains my favorite character because I am closest to him in my own character, so I appreciate how well observed he is but Jez is also very consistently written and both are enjoyable not only for the honesty in the writing but also for how very funny it is. The inner monologues are consistently very funny and the dialogue is great – so many great lines the only problem is that they come too fast sometimes. Mitchell and Webb are both brilliant and deliver this material effortlessly and indeed I still find it hard to separate them from their characters. Coleman, King and Joseph are all great in support and I liked the addition of Winkleman (or Lady Frederick Windsor to use her proper title now).
The third season may be a little fragmented in terms of narrative and characters but it more than makes up for it in terms of the laughs. It is a consistently funny season with great writing and delivery.
