Coupling

Coupling: Jeff vs Oliver

Submitted by thinkwatchthink on Mon, 08/30/2010

One of the TV storytelling cliches that I keep tripping over is "The Big Swap." That's where you leave a show for the summer and come back and that quirky supporting character you knew and loved has been supplanted by some loud pushy blonde. Now, that's not exactly what happened here, but it does qualify as a swap: Jeff is out, Oliver is in.

Now, having come to Coupling so late, I pretty much took it as it came. There was no use for me to get upset about Jeff not appearing in Season Four. It happened long ago and far away. Wikipedia puts it down to Richard Coyle not wanting to come back, but there's not a lot of detail there. Perhaps I should poke around for some dirt. Or perhaps - disappoint I know - there isn't any.

That's not to say I don't appreciate Jeff or notice the difference between him and Oliver. Jeff has a unique mania that Richard Coyle somehow manages to get across without a blithering descent into shrieks and flutters. He is - as Steve put it in the pilot - completely tasteless. And yet completely adorable at the same time which is an accomplishment, considering that the subject matter could have gone to a number of disturbing and nasty places. Jeff honestly thinks you need to know what an "unflushable" is.

The biggest difference between him and Oliver is that Jeff is convinced he is useless to women and is therefore cutely surprised to discover otherwise. Oliver suspects it, but covers with bravado and convinces himself he has a chance. Where Jeff hangs back, Oliver is out there giving it his all, "a cross between a puppy and an idiot." Poor guy. I suppose he should get credit for trying.

I didn't object to Oliver in principle or merit. He lacks Jeff's odd flair, but that would be true of anyone. The real test is whether Oliver brings anything of his own to the table? Unfortunately, the answer is "not really." I mean he is there when they needed a sixth person. And the show wisely does't contrive an old friendship, nor does everyone gush over how cool he is - a key indicator that the writers are desperately trying to sell me on something. Oliver is and remains something of an outsider and it helped make him more palatable.

So I suppose I have to wonder how things would have gone with Jeff in Season Four. Would Tamsin have been replaced by a pregnant Julia? Would Jane have wound up naked in his living room? That last is hard to say. They do fake us out regarding Jane in "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps." On the other hand, that was all there was in three seasons. The show would have had to really work to earn a Jane-Jeff hookup in six episodes. Oliver's final two episodes with Jane work really well and I would have really like them if they'd aired as just her picking up a new guy. At the tail end of Season Four, however, it was a little too late to really make Oliver the focus and the scenes in the series finale are - rightly - more about Jane than Oliver.

On a final note, I wasn't entirely sold on the dream-version of Jeff that they conjured up for Steve. The idea of Jeff in the body of Steve's old grade school teacher is that sort of thing his brains would serve up in a stressful situation, but actress didn't quite get the body language and vocal pace down. There were moments, but as a whole, it was just kind of "off." I do like that they addressed the issue and acknowledged Jeff as Steve's best friend rather than just pretending he wasn't important. So many shows just breeze forward, leaving beloved but gone characters in the dust.

Coupling vs Friends: Characters

Submitted by thinkwatchthink on Fri, 08/27/2010

The six character - three men - three women structure is so familiar on sitcoms, that it is a little unfair to use it as a reason that Coupling and Friends are similar. But like I said yesterday, the comparison really does lie more in how the characters seem to spend most of their waking hours talking about their love lives. Aside from that, the biggest element of each show, at least at the start, is the central romance of two characters and how it affects the people around them.

Steve/Susan vs Ross/Rachel

Of course, the premiere couple on Friends was Ross and Rachel who spent a great chunk of the series apart. Coupling put their couple together and left them there. You might say that Friends thinks love and romance are about getting into the relationship but Coupling thinks love and romance are about being in the relationship. On the whole, Ross/Rachel were more of a fairy tale romance wwith Ross winning over the girl of his dreams who "discovered" that her true love was there all the time. Steve and Susan were far more pragmatic; there were no bells ringing out and dramatic audience "aw!" when they made it official.

I wasn't exactly devestated when Ross and Rachel broke up. For one thing, they'd been playing the unreasonable jealousy from Ross long enough to make him a complete tool. And they pulled out the help I can't balance my career with my family crap. (The Meatloaf Theory. As in, "You were late to dinner and now the meatloaf is ruined." Though how you ruin meatloaf I cannot imagine.) Getting them together was standard sitcom fare; so was breaking them up. On the other hand, the actual episode where they broke up is stellar and one of my all time favorites. They do a great job of balancing the comedy and the drama on a level that Coupling never even tried to do. Ross and Rachel tear into each other. Steve and Susan just sort of snipe a bit.

Steve and Susan's breakup felt like it was tacked on to generate a bit of suspense between seasons. On the plus side, the rest of the episode "The End of the Line" was fantastic. Pure farce, building to a climax complete with an ending full of doors slamming open as the entire cast winds up piling into the living room Noises Off style. Really though, it was less of a breakup and more of a quarrel that ended with Susan walking out.

And the reconcliation wasn't as strong. Susan just sort of folded and I was never sure what her epiphany regarding Steve was aside from the fact that he left cute drunken voicemail messages for her. Not that we needed to wallow in melodrama, but if you are going to go there, then pay it off when you do. "The End of the Line" has humor, style (the time shifting), and emotional resonance. "Split" - to me - lacked the sharp humor, didn't work the gimmick as well as it could have, and squandered the emotions.

On the other other hand, Friends dragged Ross and Rachel out for years. Years, people! By the time they wandered back towards each other, I had long since stopped caring. And the surprise baby did not help.

Sally/Patrick vs Monica/Chandler

I thought Monica/Chandler was more of an honest surprise when they pulled it out. Sally/Patrick was kind of coming from the beginning and they had tried to hook up previously with mixed results.

Monica and Chandler have more depth to the relationship, but that is mostly because they have more time and focus. In a way, it might be better to compare them with Steve/Susan, because both couples get together and stay rather than playing out the will they/won't they of Sally/Patrick and Ross/Rachel. But this is already horrifically long, so I will let you guys fill that in.

Chandler doesn't quite match up to Patrick, of course, who maps closer to Joey. (Or to toss out something else I won't follow up on, Ross kind of gives off that Smug!Patrick vibe sometimes, doesn't he?) Chandler and his fumbling really is more of a Steve. Ah, the fumbling. The need to have the most basic of things explained. The reliance on friend's perspectives to tell them what they thought. And - of course - the redemption through the management of a good woman.

Monica, however, is definitely a Sally in the anxious personality and determination to get a man. Of the women, Monica was the out-there-looking character, complete with self-esteem issues with her weight (like Sally's worries about her age).

Jane vs Phoebe

Phoebe is quieter in her oddness and it is a less self-serving kind of weird. Jane's insistence that other people rearrange their lives to accomodate her delusions is her defining characteristic and they often take it farther than is realistic. Self-absorbed is one thing, but at a "real people don't act like that" level, she'd have been ditched or arrested long ago if she'd done all those things.

Both characters occasionally get left out and have to have external things going on to give them story. Phoebe's family gives her the most definition, something Jane lacks. Phoebe also gets the only permanent external love interest (a new character, not coming from within the group). New guys don't last long on sitcoms. They change the sit. On the other hand, for sheer "Oh no you didn't," nothing tops Jane.

Jeff vs Joey

They don't really match, do they? Apart from being the only ones left, there's really no connection there.

Joey is like Patrick in that one of the main character traits is his endless success with women. Joey is nicer than Patrick, with more of a dimness to Patrick's disdain for mere mortals and their subconscious. Joey also seems less of a goal keeper than Patrick, who struck me as scoring women out of habit or boredom or because that's what he thought people expected of him. There didn't appear to be a genuine interest in the women or in the sex for that matter. Joey enjoys his hookups. Patrick enjoys talking about them to his friends.

When you get down to it, Jeff stands alone. He's a little Chandler (hapless) and little Phoebe (odd one out, has all these theories about life), but something all his own because of the sheer depth and inventiveness of his self-sabatoge and imagination.

Next up: Coupling's big switch: Jeff vs Oliver.

Coupling vs Friends: Story

Submitted by thinkwatchthink on Thu, 08/26/2010

Coupling is often referred to as the British version of Friends, probably because both shows deal with sets of hapless thirty-somethings with nice hair who hang out and talk about their sex lives all day. On the other hand, if you tweak a few details in that last sentence, you'd wind up with a description of every sitcom ever made.

Coupling is bolder, perhaps a bit less traditional in structure and content than Friends. Of course that might be s US vs UK thing. The UK cultural standards allowed for some more explicit language and situations. The topics on Coupling are more focused on sex than romance. Friends characters have sex, but usually as part of a relationship. And there were only a couple of episodes (like Monica telling Chandler all the erogenous zones) where the mechanics of having sex are addressed. Coupling has its romantic moments here and there, but they are usually interrupted somehow. Often by Jeff. The practicalities of sex and relationships are Coupling's bread and butter; it leaves the fairy tales to the Americans.

The faster pace on Coupling also comes down to different business models. With three times as many episodes to play with in a given season, Friends had both room and mandate to fill the space. So naturally things take a bit longer to get to the point. Friends gets into family and friendship in deeper than Coupling. It helps that there was a sibling relationship with Ross and Monica, but we also see parents more on Friends than on Coupling. Friends also did numerous flashbacks to how the friends met and to their high school days. Aside from asides here and there we didn't see much of that on Coupling. There was the big flashback episodes to Sally and Patrick's first kiss but no real explanation, for example, of Steve and Jeff's first meeting.

The storytelling gimmicks of Friends don't extend too far beyond flashbacks, however, while Coupling is constantly playing with structure. There is one episode of Friends where it all happens in "real time." Coupling did real time, Rashamon structures where events play out from different perspectives, everyone on the phone, a bit of narration, screen-overlays, and split-screens. Granted, for all that flash, the stories usually ended pretty much the same on both shows. But within the short series, there is a huge amount of variety in how the Coupling episodes play out up to the end.

So, yeah, the shows have their similarities. I would say the strength of Friends was the depth and breadth of the stories, which gave the characters true space to change and develop over time. Coupling's high points usually involved some combination of biting humor and playful storytelling. I liked them both, but I have to admit the shorter time investment usually has me streaming Coupling rather than reaching for my Friends box sets.

Tomorrow: Character analysis.

Coupling: Best of and Worst of

Submitted by thinkwatchthink on Tue, 08/24/2010

When I looked back at yesterday's post, I thought maybe it sounded like I was damning with faint praise. "It's not as bad as the average American sitcom" is not a very high bar to set.

Going through the episodes to make up the Best Of/Worst Of list proved to me just how much I did like the series. There was something in just about every episode that made it worth watching or rewatching.

In fact, there was only one episode that I could say was really a "Worst Of," and that's mostly just in comparison to the other episodes. It's average instead of fantastic. And there were two other episodes that hinged on a character trait or plot point that annoyed me, which doesn't really speak to the overall quality of episode - just to the thing that really bugged me.

So we'll get the Worst Of out of the way first.

Worst of Coupling

The Man with Two Legs
So frantic and yet so dull. Jeff's antics in this episode just weren't a hit with me and the surrounding action didn't pick up the slack. It's one of those stories where everything is a build up to a single punchline, yet that punchline wasn't all that funny when you get down to it.
The Freckle, the Key and the Couple that Weren't
I don't like that they got rid of Julia. I don't like that her "he's not that bad" ex-boyfriend was an angry punk. I wish they'd had more closure to the relationship than they did. The whole way the story just wandered off at the end seemed so wasteful.
Circus of the Epidurals
Steve's issues are usually pointed in Steve's direction, but here he's essentially trying to boss Susan around, which doesn't work for me.

Best of Coupling

Flushed
Great introduction to all the characters, cleverly playing with assumptions at the very beginning and then building up to Susan's "satiric" breast.
Her Best Friend's Bottom
Hands down one of the best. Beautifully manipulating and layering with the editing and flashbacks. Introduces Captain Subtext. One of Steve's more inspired rants on the usefulness of throw pillows. With a deadly punchline at the last from Patrick.
Naked
I liked Jeff. I liked Julia. I liked Jeff with Julia. So in spite of (or because of) the so embarrassing it hurts moment for Jeff in the conference room, I loved this episode.
The End of the Line
Another episode that plays with time and place to lay down events and then switch them round in the next segment. I also like that the split between Steve and Susan comes from such a mundane place and isn't played for melodrama on either side.
Remember This
For some reason, I liked Sally and Patrick together, so the flashback to their first meeting was fun. It's also the closest we get to seeing the group "before" the series started.
Bed Time
How can you top Susan the Happy Trotting Elf? Well, you can't. So there.

Coupling Series Wrap Up

Submitted by thinkwatchthink on Mon, 08/23/2010

Probably my favorite sitcom.

The themes are largely traditional. The whole thing is hetero-normative (homosexuality is barely winked at) and there's not much variation on the sex/wedding/baby model of what we "should" want. Coupling doesn't entirely buy into the "Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus" crap, however, and manages to undermine it in a variety of ways. Namely, women unashamed of the sexual natures and determined to ask for what they want. And men who have let go of the idea of control and possession and are in some ways more needy and emotional than their mates.

In a perfect world, one would hope Steve, Patrick, Jeff and Oliver wouldn't be quite so emotionally retarded. The "lovable man-child" is no more appealing than the domineering asshole. And replacing passive with bossy isn't exactly advancing the cause of feminism. The writers occasionally slide Susan and Steve into a rather uncomfortable caretaker place. At more than one point, I wonder why she's still with this schmuck if he's that clueless.

But then, American sitcoms are even more guilty of this with an endless parade of men who can't seem find their way downstairs to the kitchen without nagging direction from their wives. So is it just that things are cuter in a British accent? (I read the UK Glamour magazine, but won't touch the US one - though they cover pretty much the same ground.) Am I accepting things in this show that irritate me beyond measure in others?

Part of what is going on has to do with pace. There's no idiotic back and forth / will they or won't they. It's a TV show. Of course they will. The only real question is how long you plan to fart around first. At something like 26 episodes total for the series, Coupling doesn't have time to fart around. They even skip what would be massive set-piece event episodes on an American show - things like Steve and Susan's wedding. (I'm assuming they had one at some point between the proposal and the baby. I could be wrong.) Which makes sense, as anyone watching a sitcom these days has likely seen this story a dozen different times.

So that's where the variety in storytelling structures comes in. Time jumps and split screens go past the occasional flashbacks employed by other shows. Even the first scene of the series, as Steve and Susan move towards meetings - but not with each other - plays with audience expectations. Framing stories are often used as we see action and then cut to a group at the bar discussing what happened. Even a Greek chorus of sorts appeared as the gang eavesdropped on Jeff's date in "Faithless" and "Unconditional Sex." (Would have loved to have seen an episode narrated Mystery 3K style.)

All of this isn't to say that there's no humor. I do laugh at Steve burbling, Sally's desperation, and Jeff's politically incorrect slips of tongue - though I love them most when they rise above their character "types." But what is really interesting for me is the way the story structure is being played with. I'm tempted to picture the writer producing a traditional situation set-up, fall apart, and neat resolution, then feeding the script through a paper shredder and working with the pieces. There is a playfulness in the way that the familiar is being rearranged into an Other that is appealing to me.

Tomorrow: The Best of and Worst of Coupling. In the meantime, you can reread your favorites.

9 1/2 Months

Submitted by thinkwatchthink on Thu, 08/19/2010

Coupling Episode Review

In which Jane says something true about once a year and this is it..

What Happened

Asleep in the hospital, Steve is visited by a vision of Jeff - in the body of his fourth grade math teacher.

So, how are Patrick and Sally doing?

Sally is still stuck on the fact that Patrick slept with Jane and has the tape of it. Luckily for her, he has absolutely no ability for subterfuge. Sally starts playing the tape only to discover that Jane taped over "the action" years ago. In it's place, she left him a bit of a critique on his methods. And then it comes out that it was not a one time thing - they'd been at it for three weeks.

As Sally ransacks the Cupboard of Patrick's Love, Susan has her first contraction and Steve suggests that they should leave now. They head off, just before Sally finds a box in the cupboard with her name on it.

Inside is an engagement ring.

And how's it going with Jane and Oliver?

Oliver turns up at Jane's apartment, ready for sex. Before they get started, Oliver asks about her situation with Steve. Jane is assuring Oliver that there's nothing going on, when Steve and Susan arrive. They stay long enough for a nice moment with Jane and Oliver, then head off to the hospital.

As Steve prepares to face reality and adulthood, he gives "Jeff" an awkward hug, then wakes up. When Susan's labor doesn't progress, it is suggested that she have a C-section. Steve is annoyingly pleased at the prospect of there not being "any damage," but in the end, there is a cute little baby and we all go "awww."

What We Learned

  • Sometimes a man is faced with the right thing to do and the wrong thing to do. And he only misses by one.
  • Nipples do not revolve.
  • Just because you split up with someone doesn't mean they stop being your boyfriend.

Best Lines

Jane: "Sometimes, it's like you're trying to operate an Etch a Sketch."

Jane: "Just how elusive is front and center?"

Sally: "Do you have a girlfriend?" Patrick: "Yes, Sally. You." Sally: "Me?" Patrick: "Yes." Sally: "Who are you proposing to then?!"

What Did I Think?

Granted, no one is ever completely satisfied with series finales. There's usually just too much going on, for one thing, and the urge to go out with a bang often results in some poor decision making.

Jeff's "return" in particular is a bit hit or miss. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it just seems like someone doing a Jeff impersonation.

And it must be a cultural or perhaps generational thing, but Steve's concern about the state of Susan's "works" after the birth just kind of baffles and bores me. That feeling isn't helped by the fact that Susan is pretty much reduced to breathing heavy in the background of most scenes - though it is a relief to see a TV character giving birth in a hospital for a change, attended by an actual doctor.

That said, Jane goes out on a surprisingly sweet note and I love where we leave Patrick and Sally. There's enough ambiguity in all the situations that they avoid the perfectly perfect neatness of some shows. And no one's character is completely manhandled in order to hit some plot note the writers absolutely had to get out before the end. Steve's a bit annoying and helpless, but let's face: he's always been like that.

The Naked Living Room

Submitted by thinkwatchthink on Wed, 08/18/2010

Coupling Episode Review

In which brains are over-rated.

What Happened

Oliver goes shopping and runs into Jane. There ensues an awkward conversation regarding toilet rolls. When she spots him being nice to the shop ladies, however, Jane is charmed and agrees to get a coffee. It takes a bit, but she eventually realizes that he meant they should go to coffee together. They have a nice conversation and bond a bit - until Jane invites herself up to his flat on a whim.

Oliver later admits to Steve and Patrick that the real problem is that he'd given up on human contact after Tamsin left.

He'd stopped hiding his porn.

Hoping she'll make a cup of tea, he shows her to the kitchen and scurries into the living room. Not finding the tea bags, Jane walks in and finds him cleaning up the dirty magazines. Jane makes a big deal about not being shocked. She is bisexual, after all. Oliver doesn't buy it. When he calls her on her need for attention, Jane rewards his honesty by taking her clothes off for him. Are you free on Tuesday? she asks.

But this is Tuesday, Steve comments.

As Oliver heads off, Steve picks up on a conversational clue indicating that Patrick had slept with Jane. Susan calls and Steve burbles the news about Patrick and Jane into the phone, where it is overheard by Sally. Patrick and Sally each go rushing off, while Susan explains to Steve that she doesn't want to interrupt the drama, but she's kind of gone into labor here.

What We Learned

  • Oliver is not some kind of a crazed toilet roll supporter.
  • No plants have brains. Yet they have their own wisdom.
  • A woman with her clothes on has negotiating power. We have what they want and we have to sit on it.
  • It's getting so a person can't be a slut anymore.
  • There really isn't a plot to work out here. There's just general bending.
  • Tea isn't compatible with porn.
  • It's been ages since Oliver had sex. It's probably changed completely by now.

Best Lines

Oliver: "Please, leave me here to die. Save yourself."

What Did I Think?

Oliver is adorable and his interactions with Jane are very fun.

Circus of the Epidurals

Submitted by thinkwatchthink on Tue, 08/17/2010

Coupling Episode Review

In which Sally's safe place has a string quartet.

What Happened

Susan has announced that she would like to try natural child birth without pain relief. Steve reacts with his normal cool and rational manner.

Realizing that relying on Steve would be silly, Susan consults with Sally about standing in during the delivery. Susan confides that the baby is quite large and she's a bit worried.

When Sally hears the details, she recruits Jane to be back-up to the back-up. Needing a method for getting rid of Oliver because he's too nice, Jane tries to scare him off and invites him to the ante-natal class.

Oliver agrees to come, then invites Patrick to join them.

The woman leading the class turns out to be Jane former therapist Jill, she of "Lesbian Spank Inferno" night. Didn't you go home with Patrick, Sally asks. Turns out, Patrick has gone home with most of the women in room.

After a review of pain control methods, Susan announces that she putting Steve in charge of her option. She'll ask for drugs and he's in charge of reminding her of saying no.

What We Learned

  • The two most optimistic words in the history of human communication: breathe normally.
  • Susan is a woman of less than average size and the next generation is massing at her pelvis.
  • There are some things down river that should remain a mystery to Steve.
  • Just want to gain a baby without losing traction.
  • Only one thing you can do with nice, out-keen him.
  • There's nothing insane about natural childbirth.

What Did I Think?

More of a mixed bag. Watching everyone arrive for the class was funny, but Steve's determination to make Susan's decisions about pain control is kind of annoying then longer it goes on. The thing about his little rants is that while they were mostly self-directed laments about what it is to be a man, it was hysterical (at least to me). When he starts talking about things he really doesn't know anything about - the process of childbirth - it's a little more strained because - dude - not your body.

Then, of course, when he is given control of the situation, he just about collapses.

Bed Time

Submitted by thinkwatchthink on Mon, 08/16/2010

Coupling Episode Review

In which Sally just opened her mouth and there was a little more inside than she expected.

What Happened

Patrick and Sally hit a bit of a rough patch when Sally begins suggesting that he stay overnight. Patrick keeps trying to make excuses, but she keeps reeling him back in.

Patrick wails to Steve that he just wants to spend the night in his own bed. He needs a magic sentence. Doesn't exist, Steve tells him. Patrick becomes determined to go home after his and Sally's dinner party and Steve's explanation that he can't abandon Sally after their first public demonstration of coupleness falls on deaf ears.

While helping Sally get ready, Susan gives Sally some hints about relationships. They somehow get onto the subject of Susan's bottom and she is upset to hear that a tipsy Sally and Jane once created a song about her perkiness... and then they faxed it about to people. Between that and Oliver's "lively" nipples, dinner is a bit strained.

Afterwards, Patrick announces his intention to leave. Desperate to avoid Oliver, Jane suggests they give Patrick a lift, crushing Sally. Finding her friend drinking in the kitchen, Susan suggests some music might put Patrick in the mood for staying.

Sally's rendition of "Susan, the Happy Trotting Elf" goes over quite well.

What We Learned

  • Patrick must fly. Hence... wards.
  • They did the talking first, then worked their way up to the sex. If they talked now, it would be like going backwards.
  • Sally has a razor that can handle anything.
  • Soon as you turn out the light, women start unfolding extra limbs.
  • What's wrong is that you're trapped under a hairy, inquisitive sex octopus.
  • There are times when "in a good way" doesn't cover it.
  • Susan has the perkiest little bottom in all of Toyland.
  • Oliver is a cross between a puppy and an idiot.

Best Lines

Steve: "Why do they camouflage their beds during the daylight hours?"

What Did I Think?

Classic. And that's without the theme song.

Nightlines

Submitted by thinkwatchthink on Fri, 08/13/2010

Coupling Episode Review

In which there isn't in fact a grey area between a jelly baby and a fetus.

What Happened

Steve continues to be nervous about the impending birth. Tired of hearing about about the orange axe-weilding fetus, Susan insists that he get a grip.

At his shop, Oliver has an awkward encounter with his ex-girlfriend Tamsin, who leavers her purse behind as she goes. Oliver picks up when Susan calls Tamsin. They met at a birthing class, she explains to Oliver, who immediately starts doing the math.

Patrick and Sally's discussion of why he makes car noises and calls her "Officer" during sex is interrupted by a call from Susan. Steve thinks that she's turning into an emotional tent, Susan wails. Sally tells Susan that she's always thought Steve was useless - surprising a listening Steve.

The conversation takes another turn when Sally announces that she absolutely intends to have a baby with Patrick. Comes as something of a surprise to Patrick - who's eavesdropping on the other line.

I'm just trying to reassure Susan that she's not turning into a perfumed zepplin, Sally tells him. Pregnant women are sexy and wonderful. Patrick agrees wholeheartedly. Turns out, he's got a thing for pregnant women.

Sally finally tells Susan to deal with her issues. Jane - having picked up Patrick's other line - concurs. Jane's still got the front door key to every man she's ever slept with, Steve observes at exactly the wrong time.

When Susan gets a call back from Oliver, she sees an opportunity. Telling the others to go back to bed, Susan puts Jane and Oliver on the line with each other and takes her own advice.

What Did We Learn

  • Hormones. It's an unfair advantage.
  • Nobody's saying Steve has testicles.
  • Babies can't come round to tea.
  • Mummy tummies are a tragedy in wobble form.
  • It's like there's somebody in there just now. You have to wait your turn.
  • Steve made the bed. He's got to lie to it.
  • Deal with your jelly midriff issues.

What Did I Think?

You wanna know what's scary? I recognize the comic book issue Oliver's dream girl is holding in her hand during the dream sequence. It's from a series called "Spellbound," and it was actually pretty good.

Anyways, the show once again plays with the sitcom structure to good effect. Oliver's little play goes on for a touch too long, and it is oh-so-convenient that Susan just happens to know Tamsin, but it works. Eventually.

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