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Coupling - The Complete Second SeasonRating:
Release Date: 28 October, 2003 Retail Price: $34.98 OUR Price: $31.48 You SAVE: $3.50! Cast: |
Coupling - The Complete Second Season Reviews
The second series is funnier (and longer) than the first
If by "funny" you mean that you laugh out loud even though there is nobody at home and that you find somebody to call me immediately so that you can share with them some bit that strikes you as hysterical (but that they will not understand because they have never seen the show), then "Coupling: The Complete Second Season" is the funniest thing I have seen in several months. The biggest complaint is that the first episode of the second series, "The Man With Two Legs," is the funniest of the nine wacky looks at sex in England. However, I would not claim that it was all downhill from there because the starting point would be more along the lines of a mountain.
I am way past the idea that a series of "Coupling" is like a season of "Friends" boiled down to all of the plotlines dealing with sex. But that is going to be an obvious frame of reference for colonial viewers. The main couple in the "Coupling" sextet is Steve Taylor (Jack Davenport) and Susan Walker (Sarah Alexander), who are now living together. They are the main couple not only because they are based on creator Steven Moffat and his wife Sue, but because they are the only couple on "Coupling." While the question of whether Steve will pop the question to Susan is a recurring concern in these episodes, everybody else is fair game. Besides, clearly the entire point of the existence of Jeff Murdock (Richard Coyle) is to find new ways to avoid having women have sex with him while Patrick Maitland (Ben Miles) fails just as often as Jeff succeeds (see "The Melty Man Cometh" and "The End of the Line" respectively). In the second series Sally Harper (Kate Isitt) is not as psychotic about her appearance (and I like the shorter hair), while Jane Christie (Gina Bellman) almost had me convinced that she had joined the others on planet Earth until she lost her job in "Jane and the Truth Snake."
It is nice that there were three additional episodes for series two and I want to watch series three as soon as I can get my hands on it and it is good to know that series four is on its way, but I think that the limited number of episodes (less than half what you get on "Friends" or most American situation comedies), works in favor of "Coupling." This is not just because you only have to come up with nine scripts instead of twenty or more, but also because you can only wring so much out of a sexual farce without becoming redundant and repetitive. Give everybody three episodes where they get one of the two major plotlines and that takes care of the entire series. How hard is it to come up with three great ideas for each character? It is when you get into double figures that you get into trouble.
I understand that many of you will be dissuaded from giving "Coupling" a try because you saw the American version, which basically took the original scripts, made a few changes, and set them in the U.S. This was a major mistake, because the fact that these characters are British matters, which means the humor matters being British matters as well. I have given up on American situation comedies mainly because I got sick and tired of finding stupid people funny. But Jeff takes it to a whole new level and the sense of anticipation as he tries desperately to talk himself out of saying something stupid, knowing that this is a battle he will never win, is delicious. Okay, I also find Susan's eyes adorable, so there is an aesthetic dimension as well. The bottom line is that if you are checking out series two then you have already seen series one, in which case you do not need to be convinced that this show is funny, so I am preaching to the choir.
Even better than the first season!
The second season of Coupling has more episodes. That means more laughs, one-liners and double entendres. I laugh out loud whenever Jeff tries to talk to a woman he likes. He is my favorite character on the show. I also like the developments between Steve and Susan. And we get even more hints of a future relationship between Sally and Patrick in this one. The dialogue and storylines are sharper and cleverer than the ones on season one. The characters get all the more neurotic on this season. Jane is more self-absorbed than ever and I thought Sally couldn't get any shallower than she was on season one. Susan is by far the saner one of the girls. As for the guys... I love it when they get together at the pub to discuss serious subject matters such as breasts and porn. (Isn't it funny that the characters on sitcoms always have a favorite hangout? The Seinfeld lot frequented a diner, the Friends bunch spent their days at a coffee shop, and the Coupling folk meet at their favorite pub. I also think it's funny that they always sit on the same spot. The Coupling characters always sit on the same sofa, not unlike Friends.) My favorite episodes are "The Man with Two Legs," "Her Best Friend's Bottom," "Dressed," "Naked," and "The End of the Line." I thought those episodes were hilarious to the max. If you already own the first season of this awesome Brit-com, then I don't need to tell you to get this one as well as the others. I look forward to owning seasons three and four.
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