The first series of Derek was a masterpiece of comedy drama, quite possibly the
best thing that Ricky Gervais has put his name to. To say that Gervais has
never put a foot wrong with The Office, Extras, Life’s
Too Short and the brilliant XFM shows of old to his name, the second
episode of the second series of Derek was a bit
of a damp squib.
The first series built up to a
powerfully tearjerker of a finale in which Derek was reunited with his
long-lost dad. Throughout the course of the final episode, we learned that
Derek was an inspiration to all around him. The scenes with Dougie and Kev
saying how they wanted to be more like him hit you like a punch, in fact there
had been something in every episode to exercise the tear ducts, mostly from
Karl Pilkington’s character. In the first episode of the new series we lost
Karl Pilkington, not technically an actor, or even a comedian to be honest, he
was a radio producer who got very lucky thanks to his introduction as a stooge
for Gervais and Stephen Merchant on the Saturday afternoon show on XFM, (well
worth finding on YouTube). He would probably admit that himself, having taken a
few years to appear comfortable in front of the camera, but he was a vital part
of the show. This was evident in this second episode that he didn’t appear in,
his character having walked out last week.
Although this week’s episode
had the story about the city businessman agreeing to spend time with his
grandfather in the home, the heartwarming storyline isn’t prevalent this time
around. With the storyline concerning Hannah and Tom trying for a baby, we are
subjected to attempts to glean humour from the fact that they are sneaking off
to have sex during periods of fertility, and the unhealthy obsession with
everything concerned from Derek and Kev (timing the sessions) and one of the
old ladies in the home. For a writer as gifted as Ricky Gervais, to be veering
this close to Carry On smut is a slippery slope
to be approaching. I am hoping that this episode is just a temporary dip in
quality and that normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.
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