Cathryn (formerly catslash) (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
remindmeofthe) wrote2009-11-08 02:43 pm
remindmeofthe) wrote2009-11-08 02:43 pm
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The Thick of It omg I fucking love this show so much. I know I was gonna save major observations for later after I've had more time to spend with the show but fuck it I cannot keep quiet on this one. (I only wish I had a clearer understanding of British politics, because even though I can follow the show regardless, I just know there's some good shit I'm missing.)
Aaaaand the extra rawness in Malcolm's rages this series is shown to have a point. HE PUNCHED GLEN. I am not sure I would have completely bought that before, but with the extra sense this series that Malcolm's anger is less about terrifying people and more about just being genuinely fucking furious, I can go with it now. And Glen himself was displaying some fine temper before getting hit, right in Malcolm's face instead repressing in the background like he usually does when someone's pissed him off, and IT WAS AWESOME OMG.
It was just so crazy - it was shaping up to be a typical episode, with Malcolm doing his dance where he fucks people over as smooth as can be, except today he was a little more stressed than usual (which, seriously, would kill most people outright) because of information leaks and his vague and outdated understanding of the Internet, and WHAM. Suddenly Glen is bleeding everywhere!
And then Nicola, experiencing a clash between reflexive motherly instincts and the politician's instincts, trying to take care of Glen back in the hotel room without getting blood on her dress. I love Nicola. I thought I was really going to miss Hugh and it just wouldn't be the same without him, but Nicola is great. I love the new balance of bringing another woman in and that the show is getting some good material from it without playing up that she's a woman omg, letting the humor arise naturally from the characters instead of the situation. (Malcolm's smirk when Nicola demands that he step into the hotel bathroom with her for a private conference because there just isn't any other space for it - priceless.) And I love that she'll tell Malcolm where to go and then do as he says because he's right. Too many people skip that first step, which is understandable because he's fucking scary, but Nicola - and I suppose a woman in politics has to be twice as tough as a man, so it makes sense - doesn't back down until she's made her position clear.
And I love Twitter coming into play on the show, since its creator, Armando Ianucci, has a Twitter account of his own. I confess I think it a little odd that Malcolm wouldn't have realized by now what a major role the Internet has come to play in politics, but on the other hand it does make sense for someone who's been in the business for as long as he has to get entrenched in his ways, even someone as quick on his feet as Malcolm. And he certainly adapted readily enough to the idea of using a blogger for his own purposes. For he is Malcolm, and he is awesome. Even when he's assaulting Glen, who is quietly and firmly endearing himself to me.
And even when he and Glen have to play down the potential media shitstorm over the punch by bantering back and forth in front of Angela Heaney, and claiming that Glen tripped and fell, thus drawing a distinctly queasy parallel to domestic abuse. And I even kinda loved that, because The Thick of It never lets you forget that politics is a nasty business.
Aaaaand the extra rawness in Malcolm's rages this series is shown to have a point. HE PUNCHED GLEN. I am not sure I would have completely bought that before, but with the extra sense this series that Malcolm's anger is less about terrifying people and more about just being genuinely fucking furious, I can go with it now. And Glen himself was displaying some fine temper before getting hit, right in Malcolm's face instead repressing in the background like he usually does when someone's pissed him off, and IT WAS AWESOME OMG.
It was just so crazy - it was shaping up to be a typical episode, with Malcolm doing his dance where he fucks people over as smooth as can be, except today he was a little more stressed than usual (which, seriously, would kill most people outright) because of information leaks and his vague and outdated understanding of the Internet, and WHAM. Suddenly Glen is bleeding everywhere!
And then Nicola, experiencing a clash between reflexive motherly instincts and the politician's instincts, trying to take care of Glen back in the hotel room without getting blood on her dress. I love Nicola. I thought I was really going to miss Hugh and it just wouldn't be the same without him, but Nicola is great. I love the new balance of bringing another woman in and that the show is getting some good material from it without playing up that she's a woman omg, letting the humor arise naturally from the characters instead of the situation. (Malcolm's smirk when Nicola demands that he step into the hotel bathroom with her for a private conference because there just isn't any other space for it - priceless.) And I love that she'll tell Malcolm where to go and then do as he says because he's right. Too many people skip that first step, which is understandable because he's fucking scary, but Nicola - and I suppose a woman in politics has to be twice as tough as a man, so it makes sense - doesn't back down until she's made her position clear.
And I love Twitter coming into play on the show, since its creator, Armando Ianucci, has a Twitter account of his own. I confess I think it a little odd that Malcolm wouldn't have realized by now what a major role the Internet has come to play in politics, but on the other hand it does make sense for someone who's been in the business for as long as he has to get entrenched in his ways, even someone as quick on his feet as Malcolm. And he certainly adapted readily enough to the idea of using a blogger for his own purposes. For he is Malcolm, and he is awesome. Even when he's assaulting Glen, who is quietly and firmly endearing himself to me.
And even when he and Glen have to play down the potential media shitstorm over the punch by bantering back and forth in front of Angela Heaney, and claiming that Glen tripped and fell, thus drawing a distinctly queasy parallel to domestic abuse. And I even kinda loved that, because The Thick of It never lets you forget that politics is a nasty business.