A rare and precious treat!
A customer
from London
, 24/10/2008
Saxondale got mixed reviews on its terrestrial showing, and it's easy to see why, not least here in the second series. The comedy isn't blatant sit-com gag material, and Tommy is a complex character that you need to get to know. That said, this is sublime stuff, and I think deserves far more of the kind of acclaim Extras received (but honestly didn't really deserve).
Saxondale is slow-release comedy, and whilst it may sometimes feel a bit much like sitting through half-assed material, what is actually happening is the character and the scripting is building up inside. Unlike the kind of instant, reactionary catch-phrases that are the junk food of TV comedy, Tommy Saxondale won't always do what you expect, and therefore some of the fun comes in getting to know him. The first time I saw this second series I felt it was a bit of a letdown. But I was prepared to give it a second appraisal on DVD, and lo and behold it shone like a diamond. So much so that I was sad to see Tommy leave the screen at the end of the last - and what I would strongly suspect was the final - episode.
For all his faults, Tommy is an extremely likeable character, and there is a definite streak of pathos in the series, as you will often find yourself rooting for him to mend the error of his ways. The support characters are also a joy, never stooping to mere set-ups (excluding the fab neighbour opposite, who works like a dramatic punctuation mark in each episode, and is simply there to break the pace), and they all add a great deal of joy to proceedings. In a way, Saxondale, by not being sitcom hyper, is the perfect way to unwind. You don't suffer overkill by laughter tracks or frenetic pacing and hysterical outbursts. Instead, you settle into a slowly evolving run that is as hypnotic as it is endearing.
Maybe Coogan's bad rap is to blame for Saxondale not taking off, and I for one am certainly not a fan of his Hollywood outings, nor was I a fan of the smug arrogance he displayed with Cock & Bull Story. Instead, I'd rather believe that it's because with Saxondale he resisted the temptation to play it safe. It's easy to forget that Alan Partridge was a trailblazing creation in the recent comedy-of-cringe genre, so perhaps Saxondale is all the better for being another brave step away from the obvious; a development; a subtle nuance-packed piece of work in a time when, post-David Brent, the temptation could so easily have been to go right over the top into excess.
A rare and precious treat. Roll on the next Coogan outing.
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