# Ricky Gervais' "Extras" Series Finale - boxed spoilers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 17, 2007, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricky-gervais-extras-series-finale-boxed-spoilers/430391 "2007-12-17T23:31:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pine_Fresh_Scent)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricky-gervais-extras-series-finale-boxed-spoilers/430391/1 "2007-12-17T23:31:01Z")
Anyone else catch it last night? I liked it, especially the more dramatic parts. They were just brutal to Maggie after she gave up on her acting and become a cleaning lady. Was that a Kate Moss song playing during her montage? Very depressing, but it made the ending that much better. Favorite parts: [spoiler]a) Ricky’s audition while wearing a girdle. I rewound it about five times. b) His rant against celebrity culture near the end. I’m going to have to get a transcript of that. [/spoiler] Overall it was a good look at life on the A, B, C and D lists. Stephen Merchant was great as always. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricky-gervais-extras-series-finale-boxed-spoilers/430391/2 "2007-12-18T01:03:44Z")
“They sent over a load of hogs and this was the best of the bunch.” A good wrap-up of the series, since it didn’t go another season. He did the same sort of thing with The Office (Brit version). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricky-gervais-extras-series-finale-boxed-spoilers/430391/3 "2007-12-18T02:26:00Z")
I’ll try to use spoiler boxes, especially since it’s not going to air in the UK until next week, although it means that I may not be able to get an answer to a question I have. [SPOILER]I agree that Maggie’s situation after quitting the job as an extra was difficult to watch. And it was interesting to see how Andy avoided calls from Darren, only to have his high-powered agent (Trey Cooper?) do the same thing to him later. One thing, though. The store manager who asked Andy to sign the dolls mentioned that he was going to order 10,000 Sanjaya dolls for next year. Does that mean that American Idol airs in the UK?[/SPOILER] ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricky-gervais-extras-series-finale-boxed-spoilers/430391/4 "2007-12-18T03:39:05Z")
[QUOTE=Pine Fresh Scent] Maggie after she gave up on her acting and become a cleaning lady. Was that a Kate Moss song playing during her montage? Very depressing, but it made the ending that much better. [/QUOTE] Kate Bush. ---
**Author:** ![Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pine_Fresh_Scent)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricky-gervais-extras-series-finale-boxed-spoilers/430391/5 "2007-12-18T05:33:56Z")
[QUOTE=Yookeroo] Kate Bush. [/QUOTE] :smack: That’s who I meant! Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pine_Fresh_Scent)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricky-gervais-extras-series-finale-boxed-spoilers/430391/6 "2007-12-18T05:38:35Z")
[QUOTE=Dewey Finn] I’ll try to use spoiler boxes, especially since it’s not going to air in the UK until next week, although it means that I may not be able to get an answer to a question I have. One thing, though. The store manager who asked Andy to sign the dolls mentioned that he was going to order 10,000 Sanjaya dolls for next year. Does that mean that American Idol airs in the UK? [/QUOTE] To attempt to answer your question When I lived in the UK from 2001 to 2004, I had Sky TV satellite service and was able to get quite a few US telivision shows. I didn’t watch too much network TV and had some sitcoms taped and sent to me, but I remember the show selection being pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricky-gervais-extras-series-finale-boxed-spoilers/430391/7 "2007-12-18T14:42:09Z")
I thought it was pretty good, but not as funny as the other episodes. I did miss out on some of the jokes because I’m not familiar with all of the guest stars (the two men trying to get a table in the restaurant, and the chef). I wouldn’t have recognized George Michael if I hadn’t known he was going to be on. The melancholy Christmas music was neat, but Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work” as a theme for Maggie was a little over the top. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricky-gervais-extras-series-finale-boxed-spoilers/430391/8 "2007-12-18T15:18:02Z")
I enjoyed it. It was really quite depressing for a while. His rant at the end sounded very sincere and heartfelt. I was left with the impression that he put the show together just to get that across. It was very very scornful. And, Clive Owen ripping on Maggie was really funny. ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricky-gervais-extras-series-finale-boxed-spoilers/430391/9 "2007-12-18T15:21:31Z")
The real question is, is the Doctor Who scene canon? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricky-gervais-extras-series-finale-boxed-spoilers/430391/10 "2007-12-18T15:23:39Z")
I thought it was thoroughly _meh_. There’s nothing worse than when a perfectly good comedy gets all preachy and shit. ---
**Author:** ![Daffyd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daffyd/32/8923_2.png) [@Daffyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daffyd)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2007, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricky-gervais-extras-series-finale-boxed-spoilers/430391/11 "2007-12-19T01:25:12Z")
Absolutely brilliant… Extras has been pretty uneven, but I think this was just brilliant… It’s been a couple of hours since I watched it, and I’m STILL thinking about it… A show that can make you laugh and then cry in the same episode must be doing something right… ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2007, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricky-gervais-extras-series-finale-boxed-spoilers/430391/12 "2007-12-19T02:52:15Z")
Didn’t you just want to kick Clive Owen in the nuts? I love how many British actors have been willing to play themselves as total assholes on the show, but Clive Owen took the cake. The choice between “artistic integrity” or “rich and famous with me face on the telly” was the same one Andy made when “When the Whistle Blows” went into production; his integrity never held up very long. But maybe, like a drunk, he had to hit bottom – in his case, “Big Brother”. (Never seen the show; is it really that awful?) I’ve seen enough bad British sitcoms that “When the Whistle Blows” seems entirely believable as the kind of tripe that “The Office” could have been turned into. Kind of amazing that it got made the way it did. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2007, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricky-gervais-extras-series-finale-boxed-spoilers/430391/13 "2007-12-19T04:52:53Z")
I think since it’s a BBC/HBO co-production, they will shoot two versions of scenes that have particularly British references. ---
**Author:** ![Lunar\_Saltlick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@Lunar\_Saltlick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lunar_Saltlick)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2007, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricky-gervais-extras-series-finale-boxed-spoilers/430391/14 "2007-12-19T15:16:18Z")
[QUOTE=SmackFu] I think since it’s a BBC/HBO co-production, they will shoot two versions of scenes that have particularly British references. [/QUOTE] Is this true? I’ve only watched the first series so far, and it didn’t seem to me they were doing that. I thought they included people like Ben Stiller and Samuel Jackson for American content but otherwise kept the references British. But maybe I’m wrong. Anybody know? Have they shot two scenes when they thought that Yanks or Brits wouldn’t both “get” something? That depresses me. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2007, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricky-gervais-extras-series-finale-boxed-spoilers/430391/15 "2007-12-19T15:37:01Z")
[QUOTE=SmackFu] I think since it’s a BBC/HBO co-production, they will shoot two versions of scenes that have particularly British references. [/QUOTE] I can think of no reason why they would do such a thing. It’s not _Harry Potter_. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2007, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricky-gervais-extras-series-finale-boxed-spoilers/430391/16 "2007-12-19T16:27:48Z")
I have no way of seeing this show, but I did know that Kate’s music was going to be used. [QUOTE=Eleanor of Aquitaine] The melancholy Christmas music was neat, but Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work” as a theme for Maggie was a little over the top. [/QUOTE] Without knowing anything about the character or scene, but knowing a lot about Kate’s song, may I ask why? ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2007, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricky-gervais-extras-series-finale-boxed-spoilers/430391/17 "2007-12-19T16:46:23Z")
I don’t think **SmackFu** is right. I had to google the woman that Harry Potter hit with the condom in one episode. They have british TV personalities who I have no idea what the reference is. I can fill in the blanks, but there’s nothing about this show that seems redone to make it more “American”. I didn’t know who any of the Big Brother people were. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2007, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricky-gervais-extras-series-finale-boxed-spoilers/430391/18 "2007-12-19T16:46:29Z")
[QUOTE=Equipoise] I have no way of seeing this show, but I did know that Kate’s music was going to be used. Without knowing anything about the character or scene, but knowing a lot about Kate’s song, may I ask why? [/QUOTE] Not to answer for **Elanor** , but to me it seemed really out of place. Like it was way too heavy of a song for the situation or the show. It’s a comedy show, and the scenes where this song was used showed Maggie after she quit being an extra and started having to clean toilets and vacuum floors. The scenes went from that to Ricky Gervaise or Stephen Merchant doing something funny/stupid (ok I’ll admit I don’t remember the exact contents of the next scenes). It’s a powerful song and it seemed too powerful for the situation IMHO. I actually fell asleep during part of the show (I had taped it ) and woke up when this song was playing. I honestly thought it was the end of the show because it had that “the show is over and everyone’s life has turned to shit” feel to it. But it wasn’t even half over yet. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2007, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricky-gervais-extras-series-finale-boxed-spoilers/430391/19 "2007-12-19T16:57:44Z")
Because of the video and the movie the song was featured in, I associate “This Woman’s Work” with a man worrying about his wife dying in childbirth. The song is extremely sad and can bring me to tears if I’m in a vulnerable mood. In this \*Extras \*special Maggie has been practically abandoned by her best friend and has been reduced to taking a janitorial job. They played the song during shots of Maggie scrubbing floors, etc. She’s understandably depressed but the situation didn’t seem to fit the mood invoked by that song. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2007, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricky-gervais-extras-series-finale-boxed-spoilers/430391/20 "2007-12-19T17:09:13Z")
Ah, ok, thanks **ZipperJJ** and **Eleanor of Aquitaine**. I wonder why they chose that particular song when there are so many to choose from. Plus I know that it was recently used on another high-profile British program (I don’t remember which) to what I heard was good effect. Odd. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricky-gervais-extras-series-finale-boxed-spoilers/430391.md?page=2)