Now, I'll admit that the episode at the bottom of this list isn't bad. This isn't a "worst episode to best episode" kind of thing. It's an "episode that maybe isn't the best but is still pretty decent to best episode" kind of thing. Because this show really doesn't have any bad episodes. Also, I'm just going to go ahead and assume that you've seen the show if you're reading this, so I will liberally spoil certain episodes. Not that there's much to spoil (it's a sitcom), but if an episode has a particularly funny reveal or big joke, I'm not gonna hold that back. If you haven't watched it though, do that now, and then come back. Also, this is my opinion, so if you don't agree with an episode's ranking, that's fine. You have your opinion, I have mine.
But for now, let's get going, and rank every episode of The I.T. Crowd!
25. The Internet is Coming
Yes, I said that there isn't an episode that I dislike, but the finale just didn't hit the mark for me. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty to like here. Douglas on Secret Millionaire is great, and Moss in women's slacks is hilarious too. I also love the stuff with Game Board, and the return of the internet, and especially Moss' tear gas solution. The main plot, while incredibly flawed, definitely has it's moments, like Roy at the funeral, or Jen's hilarious offensive Tweet. The overexagerrated newscasts are fantastic, and all of the scenes with the baristas making coffee are hilarious too.
So, you might be wondering, if all of that is in the episode, why is it at the bottom? Why didn't it leave that much of an impact on me? Well, despite it's many funny moments, the episode has trouble putting them together. There's nothing really wrong with the three plots here, but they feel kind of unbalanced. Douglas and Moss' plots are great and easily the high points, but they don't really add up to much in the end. Roy and Jen's plot has some good stuff too, but never really goes anywhere. See, the satire of social media here was done before in another episode which did it not only first, but much better. And then there's the deus ex machina. Oh boy. Look, The I.T. Crowd has it's fair share of out of nowhere endings, most of which were also just big jokes, but here it just does not work. The episode builds and builds, getting bigger and bigger, and then just kind of stops when Richmond saves the day. As a way to end the whole show, it just feels messy. I honestly think that Graham Linehan should have made that fifth season instead.
Again, it's far from a bad episode, with so many comedic highlights, and wonderful callbacks (which all finales should have), but it has trouble coming together. If it did fit together a little better, it would be a fantastic finale, but as it is? It's messy, but it's still pretty decent. As I said, there are no bad episodes, and this one is still a pretty alright watch. Just not as good as some of the others.
24. The Final Countdown
Here's an episode that I remember loving when I first watched it, and then with repeat viewings, realised that it's maybe not as good as I first thought. Moss' plot is fanatastic, and easily the high point of the episode. I mean there are so many great jokes here, like TNETENNBA, Street Countdown, Negative One, Moss' epic "They Live" reference and the whole idea of the 8+ club. Actually, everything in the main plot is great. Especially the fact that, because the show is on Channel 4, they can actually have Moss on Countdown. That's awesome. Richard Aoyade in this episode is great, delivering some great one liners, and generally being a badass. There are some seriously funny moments in this episode. I know I mentioned it above, but I can't overstate the awesomeness that is Street Countdown. That whole scene is absolutely hilarious and just a great moment.
The other two plots though, I feel really aren't that great. Roy's plot is decent. The window cleaner stuff does get a laugh here and there, but overall, it isn't great. See, most of Roy's plots involve him just getting into impossibly awkward situations. And don't get wrong, most of the time it's hilarious, but here it just feels a little toothless. I think it's the lack of time devoted to this plot that kind of harms it. Again it's not bad, there are some very funny moments, but there are much better Roy-centric plots in the show. And then there's Jen's plot. The reason it's in air quotes? It's almost like the writers realised that they didn't have an awful lot for Jen to do, and so they just did the first thing they could think of, and the result is this. This plot sucks. I'm sorry, but it does. It goes nowhere, has nothing to do with anything, and doesn't have any particularly funny moments.Even the reveal at the end of what the meeting actually is isn't that funny. It's kind of a waste of Katherine Parkinson and Matt Berry, both of whom are very. very funny people. So yeah, great main plot, marred by weaker subplots.
23. Calendar Geeks
There's quite a bit that this episode does right, but also a fair amount that it doesn't. So let's start with the good stuff. The jokes involving the "geek chic" calendar are great, and Moss is fantastic here. The montage of Roy trying to ask grannies to do a nude calendar is hilarious. The ad for the bosseyed gets some great laughs, and Douglas is as great as ever. The funny stuff is incredibly funny here, with some absolutely great material and fantastic delivery. The comic chemistry between Chris O'Dowd and Katherine Parkinson is spot on. Actually, Chris O'Dowd as a whole is the highpoint in this episode. He steals every scene that he's in, making this a strong Roy-centric episode.
But the episode just feels kind of dull. Again, the funny stuff is hilarious, and Chris O'Dowd is awesome, but the plot itself is kind of paint by numbers. For a show that excels at these unpredictable and hilarious moments, this episode just doesn't do that. There are some very, very funny moments, but you see most of them coming. It feels odd to say, but this episode could have benefited from taking a few more risks. It's one of the few episodes of the show that I would honestly call a little safe. It's not a bad thing, but there's not a lot to keep me coming back to this one. Yeah, there are some hilarious lines and moments, but overall, it's just okay.
22. Something Happened
I can see the angry crowds now, but please, hear me out. There's a lot of love for this episode, and I can see why. The general idea of the plot is great, Douglas' plot with him becoming a spaceologist is hilarious, and there are a lot of great lines in this episode, particularly from Douglas. I love the courtroom scene in particular, which has so many hilarious moments. I love how comically serious that scene is. It's a solid Roy episode, with a premise that's just so absurd that it's brilliant. The stuff with Jen and the keyboard player is pretty strong too.
Despite it's ranking, there isn't really anything about this episode that I don't like. See, this show is kind of amazing, and again, there are no bad episodes. So, from here on out, there will be less complaining about stuff, because now we've gotten to the really good stuff. This episode is generally really strong. Chris O'Dowd gives it socks as Roy, and he really makes this episode something special. There's also a really nice subversion, where Jen is the only character who thinks that Roy getting kissed on the arse is funny. That leads to the best moment of the episode in the courtroom. A lot of the jokes here work because of the over the top seriousness that they're delivered with. And when ridiculous lines and scenes are delivered with absolute deadpan, well then I'm sold.
Again, there's nothing really wrong with this episode, the next twenty one just impressed me a little bit more. Something Happened is still a very strong episode that makes you realise how good The I.T. Crowd is (it's very good by the way.)
21. Renyholm vs. Renyholm
And now the last episode of the series' original run. This episode perfectly demonstrates why Matt Berry is one of the funniest British comedians currently working today. Because he makes this episode. Okay yeah, it isn't the best Douglas-centric episode, but man are there so many perfect Douglas moments here. From him preparing for the case, to the scene in the resteraunt ("Heston, I'd like to introduce to my whhhieeeffffee"), his Star Trek themed sex tape, the fake heart attack, and pretty much everything else he does in this episode. But everyone is great here. From Roy and Moss recounting their previous encounters with the legal system, to Jen being roped into Douglas' divorce case, Richmond reinventing himself, and Victoria being one of the show's best one off characters. That scene when she's asleep in the office cracks me up everytime.
I actually think that this would have been a serviceable finale, hell, for a while I though that this WAS the finale, and that they weren't gonna make anymore. The Internet is Coming wasn't a bad episode, but it was a pretty poor ending. If this was the finale, I honestly wouldn't have really minded, because it's actually a pretty okay ending for a sitcom. If you ever need a reason why Matt Berry is awesome, look no further than Renyholm vs. Renyholm.
Actually, look a little further, because it isn't actually the best Douglas episode, but it is a very good watch.
No comments:
Post a Comment