Another firm favourite - Inside No 9
TW-references to suicide and sexual assault
Very excited to do another post on this show as part of my (kind of) mini-series on some of my favourite TV shows and why I rate them so highly.
There are so many things to love about this show so I’m bound to forget to include some reasons in this post (especially as others might like it for different reasons).
Firstly, while people understandably tend to focus on how dark it is and the twists etc, it’s always a comedic show with a lot of humour regardless of the tone or genre. For example, with episodes like the brilliant The Devil of Christmas, it manages to simultaneously be a harrowing and unsettling but also very humorous take on an old-fashioned style Christmas special. This really works well to entertain the viewer while settling people into what they think the plot/tone might be before often pulling the rug out or shifting the tone dramatically and the lines that seemed like one-off jokes actually end up subverting expectations and taking on a whole new meaning.
Another great thing to note about it, is that the comedy isn’t used to be cruel or insulting or to punch down. For instance, many characters are either pretty horrible or have something awful happen to them(such as childhood trauma, pain or grief) and the intention is never to belittle them or laugh at their suffering, despite the darkness of the humour. This is interesting to consider with the cryptic crossword episode, The Riddle of the Sphinx, for example, as it deals with some extremely rough and intense themes (including sexual assault, suicide, incest and cannibalism - making the Nigel character a predator in more ways than one) but not in a way that feels exploitative or gratuitous as the story and characters are so well-crafted and cleverly constructed (with even a literal Chekhov's gun as it's mentioned that the gun in the episode was used as a prop in a production of 'The Seagull') to convey the truly awful, heartbreaking horror and tragedy of what happens to the funny and intelligent female lead, Charlotte. Furthermore, episodes like Diddle Diddle Dumpling brilliantly portray grief and the way that someone can be affected before you even know that’s what the episode is about and without laughing at or making light of the suffering that the main character is dealing with or the tragic loss that has impacted each member of the family in a different way. The characters themselves are also complex and nuanced with different sides to them. Although, the ones that are genuinely good or incredibly terrible also feel fleshed out and expertly written and portrayed, in terms of how they view themselves or try to hide their evil deeds vs how their true natures and motivations are revealed.
Following on from the complexity and empathy that goes into the characters and their struggles and pain, it’s important to credit the creators, Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, who many may know write all the episodes as well as acting in them. Now, I just want to say as well that I really avoid putting famous people on pedestals (as there have just been so many disappointments with celebrities getting called out) but I feel that it’s pretty safe to say that these two are genuinely good people as this has well and truly been confirmed by pretty much everyone who’s met them as a fan or to work with them. It’s also worth noting how well Reece and Steve themselves speak of everyone they work with and how they hype up the people that work on their show in any capacity and those who make cover and/or fan art for the show etc. All in all, it’s fair to say that despite it being their show, they don’t have an ego about it and give others credit and a chance to shine, from famous actors to those just starting out in their TV careers etc.*
The fact that Reece and Steve have a history of writing and acting together (as well as being best friends for decades) means that they have a truly wonderful connection and a natural chemistry that is incredible to watch, especially with them being such a tight duo on and off screen. In fact, even when they’re playing characters who can’t stand each other, there’s still often a clear sense of care between their characters (in all kinds of unexpected, subtle ways) and that similar sense of care, ease, closeness and comfort that exists between the two of them irl translates into so many of their characters, whether they’re playing brothers, colleagues, a gay couple, a straight couple** or a double act.
Hope you enjoyed this post and feel free to stay tuned, as it were, as there’s more to come for this series about favourite shows...
*If you're interested, here are some links to interviews with Emily Howlett and Anita Dobson about their experiences on set.
https://www.chortle.co.uk/interviews/2023/04/17/52957/the_new_series_of_inside_no_9_is_gorier_than_before
**In fact, Reece and Steve (and Mark G in ‘LoG’) play several female characters in some of their shows and the great thing about it is that it never feels one-dimensional or insulting as, while I don't know how well all the taxi scenes in LoG have lasted, the comedy in the scenes/plotlines when they're playing women doesn’t use the fact that it’s them/men playing female roles for a cheap laugh or to be sexist or transphobic as the joke isn't the fact that they're men playing female characters.
Comments
Post a Comment