DVD : Peep Show Series 5 [2008]

Rating: - a little drop in form
Series five of peep show continues on from where series four left off and builds the story nicely but at the same time there is a wee drop in form here that means the show loses its consistency for perhaps the very first time.
The series starts well but falls a little with a puerile feel to it at times that beggars the belief that is a brilliantly written show,some of this feels wrong,the episode with the australian lodger being average to say the least,the laughs are still here and there but not everywhere,and that again is a new development.
The story arc here is good though and of the six episodes i would state that 4 are still gold with two maybe drowning in childish antics that arent worthy of these two great characters,still better than most of whats around these days,3.5 stars.

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Rating: - still goin strong
5 star quality comedy yet again. The only small complaint about this series is that there ain't enough Johnston (bar episode 6). Long term fans won't feel let down. Buy it now u fools!

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Rating: - A step down.
In an interview on the special features of That Mitchell And Webb Look Season One, Robert Webb said that he didn't want to use the Gervais tactic of make two great seasons and then end a show. Thank goodness he didn't, because while season 3 of Peep Show was slightly below par, season 4 might just be the show's funniest season. However, perhaps that's where they should've left it.

Season 5 of Peep Show, the first-person perspective program which gives voice to all the darkest and filthiest thoughts we daren't discuss, is not up to the previous four series' standards. In previous seasons, while Jez and Mark made terrible decisions, the viewer felt that it was a terrible decision they would have made. In season 5, things seem to get very, well, sitcom-y. Often, the correct way forward is so blindingly obvious that even someone was perverse as Mark, the ultimate loser, should be able to see it. And when they make the wrong decision, rather than enjoying the downfall, there is a depressing inevitability to the proceedings that means at the midway point of numerous episodes you end up thinking 'well, how can they screw this up?'

However, while Peep Show is no longer up to its own lofty standards, it is still one of the funniest shows on TV. The first episode is worth the asking price alone for its array of quality lines and situations ("We're actually having a fight! This has been brewing for years, hasn't it?"), and scattered through the other episodes are some brilliant moments.

Also, in stark contrast to the cliched nature of the mid-season episodes, the closing episode (and more specifically, the way in which Mark and Jez deal with it) is vintage Peep Show and redeems any wrongdoing from earlier on. Well worth a buy, but only if you're already a fan.

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Rating: - The Megatron!


All too often a great comedy series starts to turn stale because it ran for one or two series longer than it should have done. The last series of Red Dwarf left a bitter taste in the mouth, whereas Spaced left it at two series and finished on a high.

Peep Show has gone on for perhaps two series more than most would have expected, but more surprisingly, it's still better than most of the other stuff on telly.

From the very first episode you know that this hasn't lost any of the magic. This series maintains the high quality of writing we've come to expect from Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain. There are points on this DVD release where I've had to rewind back a few moments to re-experience some lines which had me in stitches. It's not very often that I laugh out loud at the screen and have to rewatch bits, but because the characters are so familiar, and the delivery is perfect, you really appreciate the genius behind the show.

As with the previous series, the joke is very much on Mark. He tends to finish up more down-trodden with each episode. His life seems to become more tragic as he is mocked, exploited, and left to philosophise on where he is headed. Mark is very much the star of series 5 with Jeremy making less of an appearance than usual. And this seems fair considering that Mark has spent the 4 series before this chasing Sophie, only to jilt her at (or rather, just after) the alter before this series began.

There's an added 'will they, won't they' thing going on with the only serious story arc of the series - female office geek Dobby, and with any other SitCom you'd be guaranteed a predictably happy ending. But with Peep Show you never know what's going to happen. It's the realism in the midst of outrageous scenarios which help this stand out. You can't help but have affection, and identify with the characters because they're so real.

You don't finish watching this series thinking that it looks tired. You watch the credits on the last episode roll and realise that you feel more endeared to the characters than ever before, it leaves you wanting more.

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Rating: - Fading slowly but still good
This series is quite dark in the first two or three episodes, before miraculously, everybody seems to cheer up. Some massive highlights, including a run in with the Scientologists, but not quite at the peaks of previous efforts.