I think the idea was for it to be wise, clever, funny, and also sad. But it fully succeeds only in being sad. Occasionally there would be a joke, like the one about ageism and "her teeth".
As for being clever, there's a character in there specifically written to be stupid, so Ricky could flex his superior intellect which due to all arguments being something we've all heard time and time again, doesn't come of as particularly clever, and instead, comes of tired and forced. Cause it is.
You don't really get the sense these people are connected, they do and say things like they care about him, but you don't feel they do. Even the dog seems disinterested for the most part.
Gervais has chemistry with Wilton, but I think that's just her, she's likable no matter what, so everyone seems to have chemistry with her. The relationship with his ex wife is also lacking, it's meant to be this great relationship where he's being a kind and funny guy, but honestly, him waking her up, honking a fog horn at her, and constantly spilling water at her, comes of more as abuse than humor. He even seems to judge the nurse who's perfectly nice woman, as a less than, cause she had no problem cutting into the lemon with poorly drawn face on it.
The only thing it does really well, is being depressive as much as you might want.
The ending is particularly insane, as suddenly all the people we were told throughout all three seasons were weird, and smelly, and socially unacceptable in every way you can imagine, they all get hitched, within like 5 minutes of the last episode, and the guy who was threatening to kill himself for the better part of two seasons, looks on them with smug look on his face, as if this is all thanks to him, then walks off with his dead wife next to him, and their dog, until they all vanish and that's somehow meant to tell us that life goes on, and he's not dead. Yeah, right, that's totally how I read that ending.
Oh yes, there was one other good thing. Aside from sadness. Character of James was really like James Corden. Spot on.
I mean it's watchable, and it had Joe Wilkinson in it, and that's why I gave it 6, but I honestly don't know what all these people praising this so much are on about. It's just not that good.
As for being clever, there's a character in there specifically written to be stupid, so Ricky could flex his superior intellect which due to all arguments being something we've all heard time and time again, doesn't come of as particularly clever, and instead, comes of tired and forced. Cause it is.
You don't really get the sense these people are connected, they do and say things like they care about him, but you don't feel they do. Even the dog seems disinterested for the most part.
Gervais has chemistry with Wilton, but I think that's just her, she's likable no matter what, so everyone seems to have chemistry with her. The relationship with his ex wife is also lacking, it's meant to be this great relationship where he's being a kind and funny guy, but honestly, him waking her up, honking a fog horn at her, and constantly spilling water at her, comes of more as abuse than humor. He even seems to judge the nurse who's perfectly nice woman, as a less than, cause she had no problem cutting into the lemon with poorly drawn face on it.
The only thing it does really well, is being depressive as much as you might want.
The ending is particularly insane, as suddenly all the people we were told throughout all three seasons were weird, and smelly, and socially unacceptable in every way you can imagine, they all get hitched, within like 5 minutes of the last episode, and the guy who was threatening to kill himself for the better part of two seasons, looks on them with smug look on his face, as if this is all thanks to him, then walks off with his dead wife next to him, and their dog, until they all vanish and that's somehow meant to tell us that life goes on, and he's not dead. Yeah, right, that's totally how I read that ending.
Oh yes, there was one other good thing. Aside from sadness. Character of James was really like James Corden. Spot on.
I mean it's watchable, and it had Joe Wilkinson in it, and that's why I gave it 6, but I honestly don't know what all these people praising this so much are on about. It's just not that good.