BBCAmerica premiered season four of Coupling last night.
Pros: The usual brilliant job of misunderstandings and perfectly constructed timed farce that Steven Moffat is so good at. [mini-rant]And it’s bad enough when writers don’t get credit in the U.S. but since they create and write every episode of the shows, they should get some recognition in the U.K. But I couldn’t find Moffat’s name on the official BBC Coupling site.[/mini-rant]
Cons: Oliver. If they have to replace Jeff, then why replace him with an imitation so badly done that it might as well have been American?
I thought season three was thoroughly weak except for the last episode. This episode was so-so at best. Is this the last season?
The loss of Jeff is great and deeply wounding. Sigh. But at least I anticipated as much based on the BBCAmerica Coupling page. Another sigh.
I like the way they still come up with nice “alternate views” scripts. Almost always works.
As for Oliver:
He just won’t work. He’s just a 2nd rate Comic Book Guy. I hate him already. And I am in that general category of geekiness. I suspect Moffat doesn’t really know the type well enough to write it.
I actually think it was a very good episode (and that season 3 was the best so far). In particular:
Best girl-girl kiss in sitcom history. Of course Steve and Patrick had to react they way they did.
You have to have a Jeff around. Who else is going to explain “porn buddy” or “declenching”?
What? Jeff’s off the show? Bloody Hell! I wondered why Jeff wasn’t seen. So this Oliver guy is supposed to take his place? If so, he’s too similar in some ways – makes him look like just a substitute. If he’s going to be paired up with Jane, then the show will consist of three couples, which really seems to limit the comedic possibilities compared to previous seasons.
I saw a comment elsewhere that said that instead of the three guys and three girls talking amongst themselves and emphasizing the differences in their approach to sex, the new series has everybody mixing together and talking about relationships. And who wants or needs that from Coupling?
I thought Oliver was horrible! If they need to keep another guy around, they could have kept the radio-preacher guy that Jane was dating. I thought their mis-match was very funny.
Well shit, That sucks. The new episode was missing so much without Jeff. Jeff’s quirky against Steve’s straightman is the key to the show in my opinion. Without that, Patrick, Sally, and Jane’s one note characters are going to get old really fast. I didn’t know until this thread he is gone for good.
Here is why Oliver will never be a good replacement for Jeff:
“The Reservoir Dogs” shot. Steve, Patrick and Jeff walking slowly in black suits. Works. Steve, Patrick and Oliver. Ugh.
Look at the picture on the BBCAmerica Coupling page. First note that “Oliver” is not sitting on the couch but hovering behind them. An obvious cut-and-paste job. But also note “Susan”'s right arm. It’s hanging in mid-air. That’s where Jeff used to be. He got Photoshopped into oblivion!
