I am writing this comment after watching _all_ 14 episodes of Spaced that are currently available in what was basically one sitting. Living in Germany I had been totally unaware of this rare gem among all the mediocrity and outright rubbish that is usually aired on TV until the owner of my favourite video shop (which specializes in US and UK imports) pointed out the Series 1 and Series 2 DVDs to me.
Right after I had seen about 10 minutes of the very first episode I was hooked. I am about the same age as the main characters in the series and many of their traits and interests seemed uncannily familiar. Maybe I should be a bit worried about being able to easily identify with Tim's motivations and obsessions or about actually knowing people like Mike myself... Uhm, I'll better not delve into all this, but let me say that watching all those familiar situations, topics of discussion and reactions of people being acted out so convincingly by the cast was pure enjoyment for me - unlike anything else I had ever seen on the telly!
And then there are the pop culture references. Most of them are to films or TV series. If you are a film buff or comicbook/scifi geek and have always got some fun out of the film refs in Simpsons episodes _please_ by all means watch Spaced! Not only are these scenes all very well done and intelligently embedded into the narrative - it's also the whole context of the series and its characters that makes all the references so, uhm, fitting and, well, funny. (It's a bit hard to describe really, and I'm not going to spoil anything by giving examples... just watch it!)
Taking in everything in one go I also found it nice that there's a consistent story arc that stretches across all 14 episodes, and I also liked the references to earlier episodes that were sometimes made, especially in the 2nd series.
Well. I must say I feel a little bad now about having blown all this on one single day. I mean, you're supposed to save good and precious things and use them sparingly over time. But sometimes things are so f***ing good that you just have to have it all, at once, until nothing's left.
So what do I do now with no more unseen Spaced for me to watch? Bloody 'ell, I'll just watch all 14 episodes again, tomorrow!!
Right after I had seen about 10 minutes of the very first episode I was hooked. I am about the same age as the main characters in the series and many of their traits and interests seemed uncannily familiar. Maybe I should be a bit worried about being able to easily identify with Tim's motivations and obsessions or about actually knowing people like Mike myself... Uhm, I'll better not delve into all this, but let me say that watching all those familiar situations, topics of discussion and reactions of people being acted out so convincingly by the cast was pure enjoyment for me - unlike anything else I had ever seen on the telly!
And then there are the pop culture references. Most of them are to films or TV series. If you are a film buff or comicbook/scifi geek and have always got some fun out of the film refs in Simpsons episodes _please_ by all means watch Spaced! Not only are these scenes all very well done and intelligently embedded into the narrative - it's also the whole context of the series and its characters that makes all the references so, uhm, fitting and, well, funny. (It's a bit hard to describe really, and I'm not going to spoil anything by giving examples... just watch it!)
Taking in everything in one go I also found it nice that there's a consistent story arc that stretches across all 14 episodes, and I also liked the references to earlier episodes that were sometimes made, especially in the 2nd series.
Well. I must say I feel a little bad now about having blown all this on one single day. I mean, you're supposed to save good and precious things and use them sparingly over time. But sometimes things are so f***ing good that you just have to have it all, at once, until nothing's left.
So what do I do now with no more unseen Spaced for me to watch? Bloody 'ell, I'll just watch all 14 episodes again, tomorrow!!